AMMG to Feature Extensive Hormone Related Courses at April Conference in Miami
Jeff Morris
Hormones are at the center of so many of the strategies for health optimization used in age management medicine, it is not surprising that they figure prominently in many of the lectures at the upcoming 30th Clinical Applications for Age Management Medicine Conference in Miami, Florida.
On Friday, April 16, Dr. Abraham Morgantaler, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School and Staff, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, will present a special 2-hour session, Testosterone Therapy in Men with Prostate Cancer: A Revolution in Understanding. Dr. Morgentaler’s research is credited with reversing the decades-old belief that testosterone therapy is risky for prostate cancer. Dr. Morgentaler has published over 120 scientific articles on testosterone, prostate cancer, male sexual dysfunction, and male infertility. His work has appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Cancer, and The American Journal of Medicine. In this lecture he will give a history of the concern regarding testosterone and prostate cancer. He will discuss the current status of the contraindication to use testosterone therapy in men with prostate cancer, whether testosterone causes prostate cancer, whether men with higher levels of testosterone have greater risk than men with low levels, and whether men on testosterone therapy have higher risk of developing prostate cancer. His presentation will include evidence in men on active surveillance, his recent experiences in men with metastatic prostate cancer, and his recommendations for treatment, monitoring, and medico-legal concerns.
Also on Friday, Dr. Mark Gordon will present The Endocrine/Neuroendocrine Laboratory of Age Management Medicine. Dr. Gordon is well known for his longstanding expertise in treating traumatic brain injury. In this lecture he will focus on understanding the differences between the technologies used to assess our hormonal well-being as well as what constitutes an optimal hormone level. The optimization of laboratory testing for our patients has always been a challenge, and looking at the differences between Salivary, Serum and Urine testing aligned with the gold standards of medical communities, can create a legal dilemma based upon the lack of research standards for some of these testing formats. He will discuss the technical formats, selection of lab protocols, and the interpretation of the results all to optimize the patients outcome. Dr. Gordon points out that just having a numerical result that fits within the standardized range does not guarantee optimal benefits or risks.
Dr. Derrick DeSilva, Jr. also appears on Friday to discuss Natural Aromatase Inhibitors. The aromatase enzyme is one of the most dangerous enemies to men when it comes to boosting testosterone. This destructive enzyme’s main role is to convert testosterone into the female hormone estrogen. It goes without saying that men who want to keep their testosterone at optimal levels need to take measures to keep this enzyme at reasonable levels because this will ensure that they are protecting testosterone and not allowing it to be converted into estrogen. Dr. DeSilva will focus on “natural aromatase inhibitors” that have well documented effects without the side effects of other medications for controlling aromatase, and have the potential for “side benefits” vs side effects. He will review these natural aromatase inhibitors along with some of the other potential side benefits that these natural compounds process.
On Sunday, Dr. Joseph E. Bosiljevac, Jr.’s lecture on dealing with COVID-19 talks about how important hormone optimization is to prevent and recover from this virus, while Dr. Daniel Purser, in a discussion of nutrigenomics, mentions how genetic errors may cause low testosterone or other hormones. And Dr. Carolyn DeLucia, in her presentation on sexual health, cites the latest advances in hormone therapy.
And, of course, prior to all of that, Thursday’s all-day pre-conference course, Advanced Workshop – BHRT Practical Clinical Applications, presented in conjunction with the Hormonal Health Institute, provides very practical and concise information that will allow you to be able to properly evaluate your patients and determine the best course of action to balance or replace the much-needed hormones: testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone. The lectures, taught by Dr. Angela DeRosa and Dr. Melissa Loseke-Ablett, will provide a nuts and bolts understanding on laboratory interpretation and optimal levels, pros and cons of different hormone delivery systems, how to properly dose each system, and the knowledge to properly manage inevitable complications of BHRT. They will also give a basic framework of best practices in protecting your license while practicing in the area of hormonal medicine.
Note that this advanced BHRT workshop has, as a prerequisite, completion of the Online Education Course Clinical Use of Hormones in Age Management Medicine Part 2, 9.5 hours of CME. The home self-study can be completed at your own pace prior to the conference. This prerequisite offers basic information that is critical to understanding this advanced course.
For full details, visit www.agemed.org.