MMA Fighter Talks About ‘Andropause’
Professional mixed martial artist, wrestler and color commentator Frank Trigg will be in Hawaii to speak about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) at a free clinic July 26 at 6 p.m. at Island Club and Spa in Honolulu, and July 30 at 7 p.m. at HKF Martial Arts Center in Waipahu.
Trigg, along with Dr. Charles Arakaki of Universal Men’s Clinic, will discuss the benefits and medical protocol of TRT, including the abuses and dangers of the therapy if not managed by a physician, and its relationship to athletics and fitness.
“We want to educate the public about testosterone use, its risks and benefits, because testosterone has been such a buzz word lately, especially in the athletic community,” says Arakaki. “It’s becoming so popular now, it’s in television commercials and magazine ads, and we’d like to provide education to the public regarding who are candidates for TRT, and more importantly, who are not candidates for TRT.”
According to Arakaki, Trigg lives in Las Vegas but has been coming to Hawaii as a patient of Universal Men’s Clinic for the past year.
“We lose testosterone production as we age, and there’s a certain level at which we start feeling these effects of low testosterone,” says Arakaki. “So, what we do with TRT is to basically replenish the testosterone level. The age associated to loss of testosterone is a condition called andropause, and it’s a 1 to 3 percent loss each year from our early 30s. It’s sort of the male equivalent of menopause in women, but we sort of do it gradually over the years.
“Also, high levels of physical activities, over-training, can certainly lead to a much faster depletion of your testosterone levels.”
Arakaki says his patients range in age from their 30s to 70s, and lists symptoms of andropause as weaker erections, decreased sex drive, decrease in muscle strength and mass, and an increase in fatigue level. “They’re just not feeling themselves,” he says. “They’ve lost something and can’t quite put their finger on it, and these are the guys we are able to help.”
For more information, visit universalclinic.com.
