Monday, May 09, 2011

The feminization of men.




In men, the hormone testosterone guides behavior and reproduction. It controls growth and development of sex organs and other typically male characteristics, such as facial hair and a deep voice.

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Haven't you noticed how short a lot of young guys are today?  How- 'metrosexual' so many men have become?  They highlight their hair, dye their beards, shave their chests, wear really tight women's clothes and jewelry, and they are really, really sensitive.  Or haven't you wondered why there is an epidemic of gay men?  How about those stay at home dads?  Oh! Oh!  And the wife always drives the car now, and she's the one who mows the lawn and fixes the plumbing and stuff.  I know
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At first I thought it was because of no fault divorce - especially as to why there are so many gay people.  You know, no dads, single moms raising kids - that makes so much sense.  Then I thought, maybe it's the result of contraception - not that I believe gays are born that way - but because contracepting couples leveled the playing field on sexual behavior.  You don't see the connection?
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It's like this, heterosexual couples - straight singles - began to view sex as recreative instead of procreative; the next logical conclusion being that same sex couples having sex do nothing different from their promiscuous hetero counterparts?   Thus homosexuality soon gained a wider tolerance and acceptance socially, permitting even more homosexually inclined people to chose to come out and embrace gay culture.  Which also explains why the fashion and cosmetic industry, as well as the anti-depressant market soared!  But I digress.
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However, it looks as if I might have been mistaken.  Turns out testosterone may the problem.  The following from The Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolisticespialtbealadocious:
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In one of the largest study of its kind, Travison et al. report a population-wide decline in Massachusetts's men’s testosterone levels during the last 20 years that is not related to normal aging or to health and lifestyle factors known to influence testosterone levels.  They found that testosterone concentrations dropped about 1.2% per year, or about 17% overall, from 1987 to 2004. The downward trend was seen in both the population and in individuals over time. The decline is consistent with other long-term trends in male reproductive health, including decreases in sperm quality and increases in testicular cancer, hypospadias and cryptorchidism.
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The strongest association was observed in same-aged men from different sampling years. - Read more.
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Did you get that?  "Same aged men"! 
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What? 

Oh - I thought it said "same-sex men".  Never mind.


Photo:  Ryan Seacrest


18 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:43 AM

    this is kind of random but have you seen those Athenos commercials, Terry?

    I thought you might get a chuckle out of them - have a look:

    On Relationships,
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmD-wDEeOds&feature=relmfu

    On Fashion,
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We3MxsWdqOc&feature=channel_video_title

    And sort of related to your post, on Parenting,
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9LinzE_85I&feature=relmfu

    LOL

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  2. This post is kind of random too. LOL! But yeah, I have seen them - they are quite good.

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  3. Anonymous9:37 AM

    There are reports of increasing numbers of intersex fish in major river systems. The hypothesis is that it is due to contraceptives in the water supply. Also Soy has estrogenic compounds.

    Vickie

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  4. Vickie - I was actually going to include that in the post but I forgot - thanks for doing so. Hormone additives in livestock diets ending up in cow's milk have also been mentioned.

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  5. Austringer11:30 AM

    Who is Ryan Seacrest?

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  6. Austringer11:34 AM

    Oh -- sorry, I hit "publish comment" without finishing...

    I too have heard that a possible culprit is contraceptives in the water supply (it is not metabolized by the body, apparently), but I am unsure as to the validity of the claim. The first person who told me of this was someone who believes in all kinds of conspiracy theories, so I didn't give it much credence. But I think I read it also in a Steven Mosher/Population Research Institute article, which is a more relaible source (and I believe the article cited some actual research).

    And the main-stream media is all over this one....yeah right.

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  7. LOL! he's the host for American Idol. You've got to watch more TV!

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  8. +JMJ+

    Hi, Vickie! =D

    Terry, I had seen that picture before, on an American Idol fan site, but didn't remember whose younger self it was. If you hadn't identified him and someone had pressed me, I would have guessed Adam Lambert! =P

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  9. There are studies and they are not just conspiracy theories - the official line is that there is only trace elements in the water and therefore have little or no effect. Like they know. LOL!

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  10. Anonymous12:03 PM

    "Hi, Vickie! =D "

    Hi D! (Although I think you may have the wrong Vickie.-LOL)

    About the fish: I don't think it is proven yet. (I am in the biomedical research field and I have not reviewed the papers myself) Some investigators argue that a certain number of intersex fish may occur naturally. My non-Catholic secular boss's boss thinks the evidence for estrogen contamination of waterways is credible.

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  11. I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I discovered that the photo was of Ryan Seacrest.

    He looked just like one of our nieces at that age - specs and all, right down to the haircut.

    What on earth is the species going to look like in fifty years if things continue in the same way? Or, if they are ALLOWED to continue in the same way???

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  12. Kyrie Eleison. Kyrie Eleison.

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  13. Regarding pollution in the water, it is known that organophosphate pesticides have estrogenic effects and are androgen receptor agonists.
    (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241442/)
    Plus there is the widespread feeding of antibiotics to healthy farm animals in confinement settings. It makes them gain weight faster; possibly also due to an estrogenic effect.
    So there is not only the problems of artificial hormones used by humans which find their way into the environment; but some modern farming practices. Actually this may be the more serious because of the sheer volume of these chemicals which are used. It worries me because agriculture is our state's mainstay. We have a filtered drinking water system, and I would recommend that to everyone.

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  14. +JMJ+

    Or perhaps this is less about us screwing with the natural world than about us screwing with our own souls. If war can be both the natural result of political hubris and a divine punishment for sin (see the post from last Saturday, which was, of course, a First Saturday), then so can this phenomenon. Which means there's no way to fix it except to repent. (Makes you wish it was just chemicals, aye?)

    (Well, it's nice to meet you, anyway, Vickie. =) I only leave comments when I want to disturb Terry's peace--LOL!--but I hope I see you around.)

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  15. Anonymous7:49 AM

    Enbrethiliel

    Ditto!

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  16. Great insight E!

    I was watching Chaz Bono yesterday as 'he' makes his rounds promoting his book. He/she is really screwed up - I may do a post on it.

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  17. +JMJ+

    I thought it was your insight! ;-)

    Seriously!

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  18. I suppose it was. What's my name? Where am I? LOL!

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