I first met Dr. Florence Comite and her exercise physiologist, Steven Villagomez at the American Nutraceutical Association conference in Memphis, Tennessee in October, 2008. Dr. Comite was giving a lecture on her work with Andropausal men and in her case study of a man 18 years my junior, I immediately recognized myself. Until that lecture, I had not even heard of the diagnosis of Andropause. When I learned that her practice was in New York City, only 1 ½ hours away from me in Princeton, New Jersey, I decided to undergo my own evaluation.
The initial phone consultation with Dr. Comite consisted of a very thorough (I was soon to learn that everything Dr. Comite and her associates do is thorough) medical history. In addition, we discussed which areas of my health I wanted to improve and what issues I wanted to address. I was to find this collaborative spirit present throughout all of our contacts. She discussed the blood work she was ordering for me and why the various parameters were being measured. We then set up several appointments: 1. for a phlebotomist to come to my home to draw blood and collect a urine sample, 2. for a phone consultation with Dr. C. 2 weeks later to interpret the results, 3. for a comprehensive physical exam by Dr. C. and an in-depth fitness evaluation by Steven taking over 3 hours in total, and 4. for a bone density assessment by a radiologist (as I learned that Andropause, like it’s female equivalent, Menopause, often involves a decreased bone density).
In order to gauge the results I have gotten, it’s important to know where I began. In November, 2008, I was a 65 ½ year old pediatrician, 28 pounds overweight, waist-40”, with a spare tire around my middle. I also had very low libido. And due to legal entanglements with my ex-partner, I had been under tremendous stress for the past year. Because of the stress, I had increased my alcohol intake to 3 drinks nightly (martinis and wine) to take the edge off. My exercise regimen consisted of the use of an elliptical machine in my home 30 minutes 4-6X/week all year long and swimming laps from May-September in my pool. My diet was fairly good though I was a breadaholic-high in protein, low in saturated fat, fair in fruits and vegetables.
I had also been supplementing my diet with JuicePlus+ for the past two years which consists of 17 fruits, vegetables and grains in capsule form. I had been impressed by the 14 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals and was able to get rid of Celebrex and Alleve for the arthritis of my hip after taking it for 5 months. I was also supplementing my diet with CoQ 10, Omega-3 Fish Oil, Saw Palmetto, Flaxseed Oil capsules, vitamin D3 and was on Nexium for GE Reflux.
My goals were to lose 28lbs, take my belt size down 1-2 notches and get rid of the spare tire, increase my libido, decrease my alcohol intake, and improve my diet and perhaps my exercise regimen. The results of this complete evaluation revealed that I had 31% body fat (considered obese), borderline elevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood sugar, uric acid and a decreased testosterone. I also had an elevated homocysteine and cardiao-C reactive protein (C-CRP), both of which measure inflammation in the body. In addition, I was hypothyroid-which had never been measured in the blood work done in the previous 10 years. My bone density evaluation showed I was osteopenic in my arms only.
Accordingly, I was put on thyroid medication, an injection of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) twice weekly to stimulate my body’s own natural testosterone production. DHEA, Crestor and Lovaza were prescribed to lower my lipids, increased vitamin D3 to stimulate bone density, and lower my risk of heart disease and cancer. In addition, she doubled my intake of JuicePlus (which she recommends for all of her patients).
We also discussed my alcohol intake; I decided that I liked a glass of fine wine with dinner too much to stop altogether and I now restrict myself to only one drink daily or less. In addition, Steven put me on a low glycemic diet including extra protein both mid-morning and mid-afternoon, increased water intake, and added weight resistance training to my exercise regimen.
After 6 weeks, I had blood drawn to assess the treatment. My thyroid function was completely normal, my cholesterol had decreased 75 points and my testosterone had increased to normal. The measures of inflammation decreased to some degree in this relatively short interval. I lost 12 lbs., have more energy and my wife and I have made love more times in the past 3 months than we had in the past year. Also, whereas in my fitness evaluation I was unable to do a single pushup and fewer than 10 sit-ups, I now do 20 pushups on my knees and 35 sit-ups daily after my elliptical workout.
During my most recent visit to Dr. Comite and Steven for a follow-up, we found that I had lost 4” on my waist. And the piece de resistance, is that my wife said yesterday, “Honey, we have to get you new jeans. Those are looking baggy on you”. And today I fit into a pair of size 38 jeans that I had in the back of my closet which I had not fit into in 9 years. I am definitely a happy camper.
Some meds have been tweaked, new ones added and further consultation and evaluations planned. Yes it is expensive-just under $5000 for the initial evaluation, including blood work. However, when I think of how proactive I am being and how much more expensive ill health would be in the future, not to mention the physical and emotional toll on my body and psyche, I’m clear that this is truly money well-spent. Also, I have more energy and libido and look healthier (no price tag can be put on all that).
