Yale Physician Takes on Mainstream Medicine in Male Menopause Controversy, Featured in NY Times
Dr. Florence Comite, noted Manhattan endocrinologist and founder of Women's Health at Yale, pushes total men's health to the forefront
New York, NY (PRWEB) January 28, 2010
Dr. Florence Comite (http://www. drflorencecomite. com) is a noted Manhattan endocrinologist with a previous 24-year faculty tenure at Yale University School of Medicine, most recently as an Associate Clinical Professor. With these impeccable credentials, Comite is leveling a substantial philosophical and clinical challenge to mainstream medicine, as featured in last week's NY Times Magazine article "Vigor Quest" by Tom Dunkel. Comite practices in the emerging specialty area of age management medicine and, like her colleagues in that field, interprets the medical research literature in conjunction with individual factors such as lifestyle and genetic background. Visit her online at www. drflorencecomite. com (http://www. drflorencecomite. com).
As the article points out, Comite--founder of Women's Health at Yale 20 years ago--is well known for getting women's health on the radar screen: A cause she continues to champion. Now she's doing the same thing with total men's health (http://www. drflorencecomite. com/nycantiagingmedicine/program. htm), sounding the alarm on a male concern that has fallen through the medical cracks: male menopause, known as andropause. The problem, she says, is that few doctors are trained in andrology (counterpart of gynecology), which creates a real and present danger for men.
"It's preposterous to say andropause doesn't exist and that men's bodies don't change. Just think of the iconic beer belly and extensive Viagra use. Men's bodies change every decade like women's. That change begins in their 30s and early 40s, with male menopause typically in the 50s and 60s, but can extend out even to the 70s. What does that mean? Our bodies change metabolically every decade--by understanding those changes that are greatly affected by hormones and metabolism (http://www. drflorencecomite. com/nycantiagingmedicine/index. htm), we can help prevent disease," Comite said.
Per Comite, andropause is a triggering event that sends the body into a decline, causing men to lose their edge. The middle-age bulge both men and women experience is often directly related to a downward shift in testosterone levels--a shift that produces diminished energy, strength, libido and sexual function, bone loss and a reduction in lean muscle mass, setting the stage for other health issues.
Probing deeper into the system to see what's behind the decline helps Comite determine what potential disorders of aging may manifest in her male or female patients and guide treatment to prevent their occurrence.
At her Manhattan office, about 75% of her patients are men. Of those, 40% are male doctors. Comite stays focused on andrology to help men keep their edge and maintain total health (http://www. drflorencecomite. com/nycantiagingmedicine/patient_testimonials. htm), which she believes is a stepping stone to the bigger idea that aggressive prevention is really about identifying disease that hasn't emerged yet--like diabetes and heart disease.
She says the path to that is exploring hormones and metabolic optimization. . . a belief rooted in her extensive training in endocrinology.
Comite trained in endocrinology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and completed a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology (medicine, gynecology, andrology and pediatrics) at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). That led her to further research at Yale centered on perimenopausal women followed by her work in the field of age management medicine, including her role as advisor to the global leader in the field, Cenegenics® Medical Institute.
"Hormone optimization is a means to the end--not the end game. There's more to my medical approach than looking healthy and fit. It's about universal health and extending health span, which ultimately will save society billions of dollars on people who aren't going to get diabetes and heart disease because they are aggressively maintaining their health. Healthy aging (http://www. drflorencecomite. com/nycantiagingmedicine/index. htm) begins with extensive evaluation and identifying pre-disposing factors, based on family history, genetics and lifestyle along with the changes that happen metabolically in a man's body every decade," Comite said.
For more information about Florence Comite MD (http://www. drflorencecomite. com/nycantiagingmedicine/contact. htm), please visit www. drflorencecomite. com.
To schedule an interview, please contact Ann Castro, Cenegenics Director of Public Relations: 702.953.1588.
For more information about Cenegenics (http://www. cenegenics. com), please visit www. cenegenics. com. Register for quick access to the informative Guide to Healthy Aging, Executive Summary and GQ article excerpt.
About Florence Comite, MD
Dr. Comite is an endocrinologist, who is a nationally recognized advocate of prospective, preventive, integrative and patient-centric medicine. She publishes and performs ongoing research on the impact of physician-patient communication on health outcomes as well as mid-life issues. She has defined new approaches to optimize health for men and women at the mid-life and beyond. Dr. Comite founded Women's Health at Yale and was an Associate Clinical Professor, Yale University School of Medicine over the last decade and a full-time faculty for the prior 14 years. Her research and clinical work generated patents using fertility agents to build bone, as well as new therapies for endometriosis, fibroid disease and infertility. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Comite has worked with numerous corporations as consultant, management, founder and director. Via her clinical programs, Dr. Comite pioneered an integrated approach to healthcare delivery with an emphasis on customized health strategies.
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