A few months ago, a 72-year-old judge walked into Dr. Damon Raskin’s Pacific Palisades California internal medicine office with a problem he could barely articulate. The judge, well-known in his community, was fatigued all the time and had lost his passion for life. With a simple blood test, Raskin was able to figure out something else the man had lost: testosterone.
Low testosterone levels were zapping the judge’s zest for living, diminishing his sex drive, reducing the results of gym workouts and even causing him to lose the sharp focus he held for his life’s work. But he was one of the lucky ones. He knew things didn’t have to be this way just because he was 72 and he sought help.
After using a testosterone gel for two weeks, the judge called Raskin and reported he had renewed intimate relations with his wife of 40-plus years, was feeling more like his old self and had basically found his mojo. Huff/Post50 caught up with Raskin, an expert on the subject, to talk about the problem that is popularly known as male menopause. Raskin is the supervising doctor for Ageless Men’s Health, a nationwide facility dealing with men’s health and anti-aging issues.
HP: How common is male menopause? Raskin: Over the last five to seven years, we are seeing many more patients with male menopause. I think, to some degree, the problem has always existed but now men are starting to come forward realizing that low testosterone levels impact their lives adversely and that needn’t be the case.
HP: Any hard numbers? Raskin: The leading research on the problem of male menopause is the Hypogonadism in Males study, known as the HIM Study. It found that 38 percent of the men over 45 tested by their doctors have low testosterone. And that doesn’t count the men who aren’t presenting themselves in medical offices seeking care. I believe it is an underdiagnosed condition and is way more prevalent than we think.
HP: But just like female menopause, isn’t this just a fact of biology? You get older, systems fail kind of thing? Raskin: Female menopause is very different for a number of reasons. For one, we have points that help us define what’s going on — perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause. We use markers that are very obvious to denote where a woman is, when her menstrual cycle stops, when she experiences hot flashes, when she notices a diminished libido. With men, there are no milestones like that. Men’s bodies are changing, but many of them don’t understand that it could be because of hypogonadism — lowered testosterone levels.
HP: What are the symptoms that typically bring a patient to see you? Raskin: Interestingly, it isn’t only lowered sex drive although that’s certainly one of them. Often, they just feel almost depressed, not like their old selves, they don’t want to do the things that used to bring them pleasure. They have lost their zest for life. Yes, in some cases, there is also erectile dysfunction and diminished sex drive.
HP: So, it’s the husband telling the wife that he “has a headache?” Raskin: Yes, and he worries about why he’s not in the mood anymore. Sometimes it feels like general fatigue and there may be other conditions going on that we need to rule out.
HP: Like what? Raskin: Underactive thyroid, anemia, their body composition is changing and they have more belly fat. They are working out but not seeing the results.
HP: So is this something that is confined to older men, guys in their 60s or 70s? Raskin: Absolutely not. There are men in their 80s who don’t experience lower testosterone levels and men in their 40s who do. Men with Type 2 diabetes are more prone to low testosterone. So are men with high blood pressure and men taking certain medications. Opiate use can lower testosterone. Men who have used — abused — steroids in the pursuit of athletics are also prone to it when the steroid use is stopped. Obesity has also been linked to low testosterone.
HP: What’s the diagnostic process and treatment like? Raskin: We run a screening blood test and testosterone levels are low, we screen to see what other causes might be present. If those are ruled out, the testosterone replacement therapy is fairly simple. It can be a patch, a gel — that’s the most common — or even shots. These are all prescription medications.
HP: And that’s it? Raskin: No, there are follow ups to make sure the levels don’t get too high. If testosterone levels are high, it can cause some irritability and aggressiveness. There are some potential links to prostate cancer, although no long-term studies have been done linking testosterone replacement therapy with prostate cancer. In some cases, a woman might complain that before the therapy, her husband wasn’t interested in having sex … and now she says he wants to have it all the time. There are side effects
Angus T. Jones, the fraction in the CBS sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” made news recently when he called the series “filth,” bemoaned his own participation in it, and advised people not to watch it. The call came in the course of what he at least would call a religious testimony, delivered on video and posted on YouTube.
On ABC’s “Nightline,” Dr. Damon Raskin, a former child actor himself, described Jones’ behavior as “very self-destructive”; on his blog, TV comedy writer Ken Levine called him “an incredibly ungrateful confused young man who has just committed career suicide and left himself open for major lawsuits.”
Some of the reaction to Jones’ announcement has really been a reaction to self-styled minister Christopher Hudson, who made the video and appears in it. Hudson’s Forerunner Chronicles mixes Seventh-Day Adventist notions of the apocalypse with a wider selection of popular paranoid conspiracy theories; Jones, who attends an Adventist church in Los Angeles, thanks his new friend for “the information” he provides, without specifically endorsing his views.
It may well be that he is being fooled — “exploited,” worries mother Carey Jones — or being foolish. But he isn’t only being foolish, it seems to me.
Rather, he appears to be making a stab at becoming a better person and some version of a responsible adult. The story of worldly dissatisfaction and sudden spiritual revelation he relates on the video is not out of the ordinary. And his malaise, if not necessarily his response to it, seems typical enough for a 19-year-old — an age susceptible to outsized attacks of seriousness, elation, frustration, boredom and despair. It’s not for nothing that Shakespeare made Hamlet a college student.
Jones is not the first 19-year-old, after all, to conclude that television is bad for you. Nor is he the first rich kid — his 2010 contract with “Two and a Half Men” guaranteed him $7.9 million over the next two seasons — not to be made happy by his riches. Nor is he the first actor to attack a vehicle, or the first performer to feel himself swayed toward a holier path: I give you the Rev. Al Green, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens and actress Dolores Hart, who left Hollywood to become a nun. To the extent we look at such transitions as comical or sad, misguided or self-defeating or limiting, we only confirm the narrowness of our own ideas of what can constitute a Good Life.
“Filth” is a loaded word, admittedly. It is not like “smut” or “porn,” which have become almost cute. It suggests contamination. But is it even controversial? As to the sitcom’s actual content, let me simply refer back to my review of the first episode of Season 9, the dawn of the Ashton Kutcher era, which “hunted for laughs in herpes, chlamydia and vaginal warts” and gave Conchata Ferrell a line about “hosing the vomit off the occasional drug-addled hooker.”
The number of viewers that will heed his call to rejection will be, I would guess, statistically close to zero. The ratings for the first episode after the news broke, an episode in which Jones’ character, Jake, announces he’s contracted an STD (title: “I Scream When I Pee”) were as good as any this season, and I would guess that everyone is sleeping just fine over at Chuck Lorre Productions. Given their experience with Uncle Charlie Sheen, they may regard this as an opportunity, assuming the show is picked up for another season.
Times change, of course: One generation’s cutting edge is a dull blade to the next. Pornography is now just another thing that lives on your Internet. But if we have long understood obscenity to be something relative, subject to the venue — sexual matters that can seem lazy or cynical on CBS’ “2 Broke Girls” might feel perfectly fitting on HBO’s all-but-explicit “Girls” — the fact is that broadcast television runs chockablock with sex nowadays. And there remain plenty of viewers for whom that makes it a minefield.
Jones also had the proximate example of former costar Sheen, a walking cautionary tale in the way that youthful celebrity can arrest development, if not necessarily success. Seeming to miss the point, the Rock Star from Mars has invited Jones on to his own, raunchier new series. And though Sheen pictured Jones as undergoing a “Hale-Bopp-like meltdown,” nothing of that sort seems to be underway. Jones, for his part, quickly issued an apology to “all of the wonderful people” he’d worked with and for on the show and acknowledging their “support, guidance and love.” To the extent that he has mentioned anyone by name, it is not, as Sheen did, to pick a fight.
It seems not unlikely that Jones may be nearing the end of his major-league acting career. He does not seem to have been particularly passionate about it, even before these recent developments, and history is in any case littered with former sitcom stars who never caught another break.
Still, I wish you well, Angus T. Jones. I would, however, recommend you take a sliver of your enormous salary and invest it in a first-class liberal arts education, to put that “information” you’ve been scraping off the Internet into better perspective. The end may be further off than you imagine, there is much to learn, and you are young yet.
A New Trend In Beauty with Dr. Constantino Mendieta
Men and women alike are known to dibble and dabble in plastic sugery. Whether it is a nose job, liposuction, tummy tuck, Botox, and any other surgery they can get to achieve the ‘ultimate look.’ Well, the trend that is now is butt augmentations. Everyone looks at stars like Beyonce, J-Lo, and Kim Kardashian and want to have what they see as the perfect booty. Look no further; Dr. Constantino Mendieta is the ‘Master of Booties.’ Located in Miami Florida, Dr. Mendieta makes sure all of his clients have a well sculpted bottom they are happy and proud of. Leaving clients more confident that ever.
Why the ‘booty’? What was so intriguing about the butt that made you want to focus on that specific aspect of the body?
Constantino Mendieta:
Believe me it was not an easy road. You see I am married man you have no idea how many times I got knocked off of a bench from a right elbow to the rib cage while starring at buttocks. So how do you tell your wife you want to stare at buttocks all day long?
Well after two weeks of therapy I was able to approach the subject again. Just kidding she was actually very helpful she helped me see things from a woman’s perspective and gave me a different outlook.
So the research began, in the beginning I was obsessed to say the least thinking about it almost day and night. I was very frustrated since I did not know what I was really looking at, they all looked alike, two buns with a central part some were pretty, others- well!. I started by gathering hundreds of buttock pictures and dividing them into “attractive”, “not so attractive” and “where did this come from”. I found myself thinking of this all the time and made several mistakes along the way, on one occasion I woke my wife up at 1 in the morning and I said; honey- stand up- she thought a cockroach or a rat had entered into the bed so she jumped quickly with her hair all up in the air and barely conscious she said what? What happened? I then- said-do me a favor turn around for a minute, I have been thinking of something that I think is important, I need to measure your buttock. Well the buttock project had to go on hold for while at least until I straightened out with the therapist the appropriate times to discuss the butt.
With therapy I could now return to the buttock project but my determination was strong, every walk in the park was an opportunity to study
Actually my wife turned out to be a tremendous help and gave my first start at figuring out what I was looking at. With my wife’s help I noticed that the attractive buttock was not related to size but rather shape and proportions. She helped me find relationships in the surrounding parts of the buttock (she noticed there were different buttock heights and widths) and with this little push it really got me thinking in the right direction.
As a side note it is interesting to see how men and women see things very differently. I showed her two beautiful buttocks and asked what she saw. I realized that women tend to have sharper eye for aesthetics and beauty while men are much more sexual (comments like I’ll tell you what I see? Or howling noises, on one occasion ‘wait a minute that’s my sister!’.
It took me about 8 years to really understand how to reshape and change the buttock region. I now teach all over the world and have written and authored a book on the subject. There are only two in the world.
How long have you been sculpting booties?
CM: This is a passion that started 12 years ago. When I developed the interest there was absolutely nothing in our literature (in the history of plastic surgery) to help guide surgeons in the aesthetic of the buttocks, how to contour, what makes a pretty buttock, how do you transform the buttock to be perkier, prettier more youthful appearance. There were some articles on how to make the buttock bigger but nothing in the aesthetics of beauty of the buttock. This therefore became my mission and it took me seven years to develop the process and then teach others around the world.
What prompted you to write The Art of Gluteal Sculpting?
CM: The seven years it took me to develop a new booty vision was cemented in my book. There was a need for this in our specialty. There are only two books in the world on this subject and I am fortunate to have been able to write one of them.
The fat is an excellent way to augment the buttock it is completely natural therefore no chances of rejection since it is your own body. However we need the transplanted fat to survive it is like transplant trees from the back yard to the front yard, it needs the right nutrition, water and the best soil but not all the tree will survive. When it comes to fat not all the transferred fat will survive and it will take six months for the final results to be seen.
How is the butt augmentation done? How is the fat transferred in the bottom?
CM: The fat is obtained from unwanted areas of the body, areas that you cannot get rid of no matter how much your work out or diet. This liquid gold material (fat), is then prepared by separating the fluid from the fat and then transferring the pure fat cells to the buttock. The trick is not just making the buttock bigger but also rather reshaping it, making it perkier and more youthful. You don’t necessarily need to make it bigger and you can just reshape, but if you desire a larger buttock this also can be done. The fat in injected into the muscle into the fat and in all layers of the buttock.
What is the recovery time? Are you able to sit on your bottom right after the procedure?
CM: It is 10 days to get back to work, one month to feel normal (like you feel before surgery), two months to get back to the gym and six months to see the final results.
Women are going great lengths to achieve the perfect bottom; they are even going so far as to getting butt injections; what are the dangers of these injections?
CM: You have three ways to augment the buttock; implants, fat grafting and these unapproved and deadly liquid injections (they consist of silicone, fix a flat, PMMT). The biggest “con” is selecting an unqualified doctor. The horrors of these back alley quacks who criminally inject industrial chemicals, cement and who knows what cause irreparable damage and death to desperate people. The pros are numerous, Life changing for many, as your entire shape is re-jigged, literally. I give women with blocky midsections a waist, and a booty that they have always wanted with their own fat tissue. The confidence boost is tremendous, and I cannot tell you how ecstatic people are to live a life in a body they are proud of. Also, removing fat from the abdomen is a healthy move for many people too.
From, the before and after photos (which are amazing by the way!), your clients are pretty much getting liposuction in addition to their augmentation. You can see the way the back is sculpted from the end product…. Have you ever had any client that was not satisfied with your work?
CM: Sure, plastic surgery is not an exact science and complications occur or just results that were not what they desired. When you deal with the human psyche there are many variables, and not every patient will be happy. There is nothing in life where all people are happy every single time no matter what industry you are in. It is just a fact of life. But to minimize these issues you need to feel comfortable with your surgeon. Go to surgeons who love performing the procedure and do it on a regular basis. It is not about self-promotion but rather about educating the public on safety issues, understanding the options that exist and avoiding pitfalls, educating patients on what to look for in a surgeon and how to select a surgeon.
Frankly there are many very good board certified plastic surgeons. It is imperative that you do your homework and look at three things:
Board certification
Before and after photos to make sure you are on the same aesthetic sense make sure you like his way of looking at the aesthetics. You are selecting and artist and just like art there are many different taste. Select the one for you.
Feel comfortable with your surgeon; therefore see several doctors before you decide.
Is the augmentation reversible?
CM: Well you can always liposuction the area that was augmented, making the buttock smaller but why would you want to do that? This would make me cry.
Can you tell us some of your celebrity clients and/or famous faces that our readers may know?
CM: Unfortunately while we have many high profile people I cannot disclose names due to HIPPA and privacy issues. But they are shaking their ‘money-makers.’
Tell me about your upcoming reality show The Best Seat in The House? How did the idea of a reality show come about, and how did you get involved?
I was approached by a production company called 44 Blue, and they had the idea since they felt the buttock is the new hot topic and patients are flying from all over the world. People are mortgaging houses, taking out loans, getting sugar daddies, and scarffing up savings to get a new booty. This is the latest craze in plastic surgery. So they felt this was a world worth exploring the lengths that people got to, to improve the back side. I am super excited about this look into the plastic surgery world from a different perspective
When can we expect the show to air?
CM: Not sure we are still pitching to the various networks
There was a photo of a male patient you worked on; do you get a lot of male patients who want the butt augmentation just as much as females? Is your fee still $14,000, and, does the same fee apply to male clients or is it a bit more because they are males?
CM: Men are a huge untapped market currently they are about 10% of the practice but they should be higher, one of the first things men lose is their buttocks and they have to overcompensate with large wallets in the buttock. But really when it comes to men a flat buttock is a current epidemic that we need to cure.
Tell me about your Booty Camp? What does it consist of? Squats, running, and special foods?
CM: Booty camp is when patients don’t have enough fat so I need them to gain weight. I send them on eating workouts to McDonalds, pasta places, dessert places, and high calorie shakes. It is booty training.
Your professionalism and hard work really were quite apparent in your work on this project.
Paul Dougherty, MDLaserVision
It seems the Arlene Howard team is always searching for that next opportunity that presents in the media. I have been surprised to be contacted by Arlene or her staff on weekends, or later in the evening when something exciting is about to happen. Arlene’s personal relationships and attention to detail has provided our practice with opportunities that have added to our cache in the field of plastic surgery throughout the world. Arlene’s service has, even in these tough economic times, added to my bottom line. The media hits she's orchestrated have allowed me to enhance my website with videos from a list of television shows that gives my practice a competitive edge, along with prestige and future opportunity.
Dr. Constantino MendietaBeauty Aesthetic Institute for Plastic Surgery
“I’m impressed with how quickly the AHPR team was able to deliver, and how little time and effort was required of me. The secret to their success is their team approach. Imagine what one seasoned, highly creative publicist with great media contacts can do for your PR campaign. Now multiply that by seven.”
Jaime Hernandez, M.D.Southern California Orthopedic Institute
