OH no it's GYNO!!
Here's an article from Tmag concerning the comprehensive concern of gyno and its sources, symptoms, causes, treatments, options ect. What's interesting, is they cite a study in which DHT at 125mg twice daily for 10 months had actually completely regressed gyno in 10 patients, and partial in others, study lasting 18 months. Along with some other interesting gyno details along with the link and the study copied..
Link...
http://www.testosterone.net/html/body_111gyno.html
Oh No! It's Gyno!
What can you do about it?
by Nelson Montana
Anthony should have known better. If fact, he did. As an amateur competitive bodybuilder, Anthony was knowledgeable in all matters of performance enhancement. He knew how to use steroids in order to make the best possible gains with the least risk of side effects. In the past, he'd used short cycles in conservative dosages. He was fond of saying, "Nobody can tell me that 500 mg a week aren't enough." His progress was, by all accounts, impressive.
On the average, he put on an additional 10 pounds (7 of which he kept — post cycle) each time he did a cycle, and that wasn't bad at all. That's a total of almost 30 pounds of lean muscle tissue in a year's time! And the best part of it was that he never experienced any of the negative effects associated with steroid use. No crash. No noticeable suppression. No gyno. He was too smart for that. Or so he thought.
Since he wasn't particularly sensitive to potential side effects, Anthony decided it was time to "up the ante." He knew of several other competitors who pushed the envelope much harder than he had and suffered no problems. He also kept abreast of the latest information on steroid use and was familiar with the works of several authorities in the field. "Straight Testosterone is what the big boys take," was the suggestion of a renowned expert in pharmacology. Another infamous guru advised: "Try some Anadrol — it's not as bad as they say." An acquaintance that just moved up the ranks into the pros insisted, "Unless you're doing 1500 mg a week, you're wasting your time."
In the past, Anthony had always stuck with the milder stacks: Primobolan along with a little D-bol; Deca and Winstrol; Equipoise and Anavar. This time, however, he wanted to get the biggest bang for his buck.
Anthony decided on 600 mg of Testosterone cypionate a week along with 50 mg of Anadrol a day — still below what the consensus considered "moderate." He loved what he saw. Fast gains and vein-bursting pumps were noticeable within just a few days. He shot up 12 pounds in one week. After 14 days, he looked like a different person — huge, vascular and powerful. There was only one problem. He started to feel tenderness under his right nipple. He noticed a lump. "Damn!" he thought to himself. "I've got it. I've got gyno."
Suddenly, all the expert advice was meaningless. The only recourse was to abort the cycle. Unfortunately, the sudden cessation of androgens was too abrupt. His natural Testosterone levels were down and his estrogen was up. The gyno got worse. It was in both nipples now. He had developed tiny breasts. In an effort to look as manly as possible, Anthony was turning into a woman! It was tragically ironic. It was also poetically profound. Apparently, you can only pull the wool over Mother Nature's eyes for so long before she strikes back. In Anthony's case, payback was a bitch. Bitch tits, that is.
Anthony isn't alone. Each year, thousands of men develop gynecomastia. The technical definition is: "a benign growth or enlargement of the male breast tissue." Although gyno is more prevalent than ever, there are historical writings and artifacts showing that it's been a problem since the time of ancient Greek civilization. The term "gyne" comes from the Greek word meaning "woman" and "mastos" meaning "breast." Statues of the Pharaoh Seti depict a man with enlarged breasts. Aristotle, too, had reported encountering the problem and there's even documentation in the writings of Paulus of Aegineta (635—690 AD) which describes a primitive surgical procedure for the removal of gynecomastia. That must've hurt.
One reason why gyno reaches the advanced stages is because the early symptoms are barely noticeable. It may start as a slight itch in the nipple area. This can be easily ignored or overlooked since the sensation is not unlike when the nipples become irritated from either cold weather or wearing certain materials. In some cases, the lump, which develops under the pectoral, is often mistaken for muscle growth! No such luck.
There are several causes of gyno, all stemming from hormonal fluctuation. It's fairly common among older men. Once Testosterone levels begin to drop, the Testosterone/estradiol ratio can cause increased fatty tissue to develop under the breast. Combine that with looser skin, increased weight, and decreased muscle mass and the results aren't pretty. Those of you familiar with "Seinfeld" may remember the episode when George was horrified to see that his father had grown breasts! (Which prompted Kramer to invent the "Mansiere.") George was convinced he had witnessed his own future. He was right, since the propensity to develop gynecomastia is, to a great degree, genetically determined.
Gyno is also prevalent among adolescents. There are probably a couple of causes, but all stem from some sort of estrogen/androgen imbalance. Often, adolescents suffer from low T levels and thus have higher E/T ratios (estrogen to Testosterone). Additionally, some adolescents (and adults) have increased aromatase (the enzyme which turns T into estrogen) in peripheral tissue, and this is probably determined by genetics.
Another reason for adolescent gyno might be a direct cause of the buckets of hormones he starts producing at puberty. The Testosterone increases probably trigger an increase in aromatase activity, and the resultant increase in estrogen leads to gyno.
This is exactly what happens when anabolic steroids are introduced into the system. The body reacts, not unlike someone going through puberty. What is also common is the inability of the liver to handle the increased surge of Testosterone. In an effort to maintain balance, some of the androgen "spills over" and is converted to estrogen. The higher the level, as well as the more paid the rise of exogenous Testosterone, the greater the chances of aromatization.
Progesterone can quite possibly be another protagonist toward gyno. For instance, when athletes use a steroid like Deca or Anadrol, these drugs sometimes exert progestagenic activity at the progesterone receptor, and progesterone, as seen in females, can contribute to enlarged breasts. Consequently, it's not too large a deductive leap to assume that this progestagenic influence can contribute to the same problem in males.
Although it appears to be the scourge of youths, seniors and steroid users, anyone can get gyno. And your chances now are better than ever. Environmental toxins, pollution, heavy metals, radiation and even ions from computers have shown to decrease Testosterone and increase estrogen levels. Lack of natural sunlight can contribute to lowered hormone production. Alcohol consumption and marijuana use have also been linked to decreased Testosterone.
Diet is also a factor. Excess weight can cause "droopy pecs" (not really gyno, of course, but cosmetically undesirable, nonetheless). A diet low in fat (as in the case of many vegetarians) will cause a drop in natural occurring Testosterone. Certain foods, notably soy products, contain estrogen-like compounds, which can knock hormonal levels into an unfavorable ratio.
Probably the biggest instigator of gyno in the last few years is the use of prohormones. In the case of androstenedione, it converts not only to Testosterone, but more so into estrone, which is a mild estrogen. Oral prohormones also produce a sharp "spike" in Testosterone levels, which in turn causes some aromatization since the elevation occurs too rapidly for the body to handle them. And, since the body greets the increase in T levels by sending the balls on vacation, the use is left with decreased T levels. Add it all up and you have a triple whammied prescription for bigger boobs!
If you decide to use prohormones, it would make more sense to keep the elevation constant and controlled for a very short time. Prohormone expert Bill Roberts recommends hitting them hard and heavy for two weeks and two weeks only, and then getting off them.
Despite the increased potential for developing gyno, there are ways of fighting back. Let's take a look at some of the options.
Herbs and Nutritional Weapons in General
Herbology is a field which still has a big question mark connected to it. The research on herbs is sketchy at best. That's not to say that they're inert compounds, it's just that it's difficult to accurately determine the efficacy of a particular substance due to a host of variables. Herbs can work like drugs but with a far greater margin for error. For example, echinacea may have antibiotic properties, but its effectiveness is inexact. Penicillin, on the other hand is very precise. X amount will cure you — case closed. Still, you may want to try some herbal therapy for preventative measures against gyno and see for yourself how well you respond to them. Among the better options are....
Tribulus terrestris. You probably figured we'd get around to this sooner or later since Tribulus is the active ingredient in Tribex-500 a popular Biotest product. Be that as it may, the evidence supporting its effectiveness is the most strongly substantiated of the various herbal therapies. Keep in mind, among all the brands currently on the market, only Tribex contains the high concentrations of saponin extracts necessary to stimulate Luteinizing hormone enough to render an increase in Testosterone.
Avena sativa. Shown to increase libido and erectile function, Avena sativa may also increase Testosterone levels, which can help stabilize HPTA output after a steroid cycle. Incidentally, it's also contained in Tribex 500.
Mauira puama. Arguably effective in freeing "bound" Testosterone.
As far as nutritional weapons, the following may allow for some protection or, in some cases, partial relief of the problem:
Zinc. Zinc is vital for proper hormonal function. Although zinc deficiency, to the point where disease may occur is very rare, zinc levels in men are far lower than they were just 20 years ago. Besides the environmental issue, people today are exposed to greater stress levels. The soil in which much of our food is grown is depleted of naturally occurring nutrients. Supplemental zinc acts as an easy, economical safeguard for optimum Testosterone levels (thus helping to offset the chance of a Testosterone/estrogen imbalance).
Flax seed oil. Besides the increased essential fatty acids, (notably Omega 3's) flaxseeds contain lignans, which have been shown to have anti-tumor properties. What does this have to do with gyno? Gyno is, in a way, a benign tumor. Flaxseed oil should be a part of every bodybuilder's supplement regime for health, strength and prevention of gyno. Flaxseeds in their original state are also a great choice. (Great on cereal!)
Drugs
Our panel of experts, including Brock Strasser, Bill Roberts and Brian Batcheldor all agree that an anti-aromatase is a vital adjunct to any steroid cycle. The overwhelming favorite is...
Clomid. Intended for use as an ovarian stimulant, Clomid works in men as both an anti-estrogen and a Testosterone stimulator.
Among some of the other anti-estrogen drugs are....
Cyclofenil. Milder than Clomid but similar in efficacy.
Nolvadex. An anti breast cancer drug, which is also thought to lower IGF.
Arimidex. The latest addition used in the treatment of breast tumors. It works so well it may actually lower estrogen levels too much, leading to suppressed HDL (good cholesterol)
Teslac. Supposedly superior to Nolvadex but very expensive and virtually unobtainable.
Proviron. This isn't an anti-estrogen but a weak oral Testosterone. Some people claim that it helps maintain Testosterone levels when coming off a steroid cycle. The only way I see it helping is if the gyno was a temporary condition.
DHT. In one study conducted for 18 months on 40 men, twice daily application of DHT resulted in complete disappearance of gynecomastia in 10 patients; partial regression in 19; and no change in 11 after 4 to 20 weeks (Kuhn et al, 1983). The dosage used was 125 mg of DHT applied twice daily.
(Interestingly enough, the DHT was almost a complete failure in patients who had developed gyno as adolescents. It seems that the longer the condition persists, the more fibrous and thus, more resistant, the gyno becomes.)
Incidentally, most of these products aren't legally available to men for the purpose of preventing or alleviating gynecomastia.
Unfortunately, once you get gyno, if it's bad enough, it tends to be a permanent condition. Once that becomes the case, the only alternative is...
Surgery
The surgical removal of breast lumps is quickly becoming standard practice among professional bodybuilders. We spoke about this recent phenomenon with the man who has performed more gynecomastia operations than anyone else in the world, Dr. Bruce Nadler.
"After the gyno gets past a certain stage, surgical removal is the only option," says Dr. Nadler. He goes on to explain: "No medication can shrink the inflamed area. The good news is, once the operation is performed, there's less of a chance of re-developing gyno since the majority of the target tissue is removed."
Dr. Nadler sees men like our aforementioned friend "Anthony" every day. According to the good doctor, the first question out of their mouths is usually something like; "Doc, I got bitch tits! Am I fucked or what?!" The answer is yes! — unless you decide to do something about it. The condition can be reversed, but it'll cost ya. The total cost of an operation is around $6,000. (Light training can resume after 3 weeks.) If you decide to get the procedure, I would strongly recommend contacting Dr. Nadler.
A botched operation can leave you looking worse than you did when you had the gyno. When it comes to something as important as this, it isn't the time to bargain shop. If you've already developed gyno, Bruce Nadler is the man to see. For more information go to DrNadler.com.
Maybe you're lucky and have managed to avoid the malady thus far. But if you're even thinking about dabbling with anabolics, take all the proper precautions in order to keep the dreaded bitch tits at bay.
As the old saying goes: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." You can save yourself a ton of trouble if you avoid getting gyno in the first place. If you decide to use steroids, play it safe. Keep the hard androgens to the absolute minimum. After all, all the muscle in the world won't do you much good if you wind up sprouting tits! Think about it.
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