Hormone Balance For Men

By John R. Lee, MD
Reviewed by Carol Petersen, RPh, CNP - Women's International Pharmacy

Dr. Lee's book gives us a primer on the workings of the prostate gland and how it may dysfunction. He has a long list of causes of estrogen dominance, which in turn disturbs prostate function and all of which can be corrected.

He throws a dart at the infamous Dr. Charles Huggins, who in 1941 showed that castration slowed the progression of prostate cancer. Dr. Huggins assumed that testosterone was the culprit and today's conventional treatments adhere to that theory. Men with prostate cancer are today still faced with castration by surgery or chemically by Lupron and blocking of the receptors by drugs. Dr. Lee offers three lists in his references of studies that indicate prostate cancer has no relationship to testosterone and studies that show that low testosterone increases the risk of prostate cancer and finally, studies that show that estrogen is the culprit in prostate cancer.

Progesterone is a forgotten hormone in men. Dr. Lee writes that progesterone is a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor and thus helps manage the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Progesterone has anabolic or energy raising qualities and like testosterone promotes the p53 gene which allows for normal cell death. This is important for cancer prevention. He recommends that men use 5 to 8 mg per day.

Finally, Dr. Lee discusses the pitfalls of relying on PSA tests as a marker for prostate cancer. This book is very neat summary for anyone questioning the prevailing attitudes towards prostate issues and cancer.

(Published in 2003 and available from www.johnleemd.com)

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