Extended Medical Listings

The Leader In Anti-Aging Medicine For Men

By Mark Henkle

Arthur Schopenhauer, the great German philosopher, said, “All research passes through three phases. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”

In the past ten years, testosterone replacement for men has gone through all three phases. Low energy, depression, diminished libido, and erectile dysfunction are now recognized as symptoms of low testosterone. We are bombarded with advertisements touting the benefits of testosterone replacement, and the same doctors who vehemently opposed the idea ten years ago are now giving their patients samples of testosterone gel. BioFit Medical Group was one of the first medical practices to identify the benefits and safety of testosterone replacement, and the only medical practice to specialize in hormone replacement for men.

“You can’t just hand your patient with low testosterone a packet of testosterone gel and expect good results,” says Dr. Jeffrey S. Dunham, BioFit medical director. “You need to follow the patient closely to assure that he’s achieving optimal testosterone blood levels. I usually start my patients on a ten percent testosterone gel from a compounding pharmacy, since the one percent gel packets available at retail pharmacies rarely give optimal blood levels. I also monitor other lab tests, including estradiol, thyroid, and growth hormone levels. It’s like any other area of medicine: the more closely you follow the patient, the better the outcome.”

Dr. Dunham only practices hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for men. Each new patient spends two to three hours with the doctor, which includes a complete medical history and physical examination, a Bod Pod® body composition analysis, laboratory testing, and a detailed discussion about the patient’s goals and how hormone replacement therapy may help him achieve those goals. A significant amount of time is devoted to dietary issues, since the proper diet is critical in achieving the maximum benefit from HRT.

The BioFit-recommended low carbohydrate (or low glycemic load) diet (go to www.biofi tmedical.com for a complete description and sample menu) also has passed through those three phases of research that Schopenhauer identified. In the past ten years, almost all of the medical research on diet and nutrition has shown that Dr. Atkins was basically right when he started putting his overweight cardiac patients on the Atkins diet back in the 1970s. At the time, however, the medical establishment ridiculed and viciously attacked his ideas, claiming he was a dangerous quack who was giving his patients heart attacks by having them eat so much fat. The medical establishment, of course, won the first round; and the American Medical Association and the American Heart Association recommended that we should all cut the fat in our diets by at least ten percent.

It was the fat in our diets, they said, that was causing the increasing incidence of obesity and heart disease. Well, 30 years later, we’ve achieved that goal, and, as a country, are eating less fat than we did in 1980, but are fatter than ever. Current estimates are that 30 percent of adults in the United States are obese and by 2030 almost 50 percent will be obese. We all went on the low-fat diet and got fatter. So much for medical dogma.

Just as the benefits of testosterone replacement and a low carbohydrate diet are emerging as “self-evident,” growth hormone replacement is still in the early phases of acceptance. It’s only been a little over ten years since the FDA approved growth hormone for patients with adult growth hormone defi ciency. Growth hormone levels decline with age in almost an identical manner as testosterone levels, and almost all men over 40 will have suboptimal testosterone and growth hormone levels. Replacing growth hormone to more youthful levels results in more energy, better sleep, and stronger erections. Heart, lung, and immune function are improved. Patients heal faster after surgery and recover faster from injuries. Collagen synthesis increases, and as a result, skin is firmer with fewer wrinkles. There is a significant increase in lean body mass and dramatic fat loss. In a word, patients feel and look “younger.”

“Growth hormone replacement can dramatically improve quality of life in men who are growth hormone deficient,” says Dr. Dunham. “But just as patients taking testosterone require close monitoring to assure the best results, so do patients taking growth hormone.”

Patients travel to Palm Springs from more than 25 states and several foreign countries to see Dr. Dunham because of his detailed and knowledgeable approach to HRT for men. His patients include celebrities, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. He even has patients who are on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.

And the best treatment does not have to be the most expensive. Dr. Dunham strives to keep costs down for his patients by avoiding unnecessary lab tests and procedures. He also can provide growth hormone for his patients at a much lower cost because of the large number of patients he sees.

“It’s expensive,” says Dr. Dunham, “but much less so than people think. Many of my patients who had been receiving growth hormone replacement elsewhere are now saving hundreds of dollars a month.”

At 57, Dr. Dunham practices what he preaches and has been on the BioFit program for the last 14 years. He has an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, a Ph.D. in biology from M.I.T., and a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley.

He is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. You can learn more about the BioFit program at www.biofitmedical.com.

Biofit Medical Group
1751 N. Sunrise Way, Suite E, Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-327-2277
www.biofitmedical.com