Where's My LIBIDO ?
This is way up there on the complaint meter with my patients. It comes in all shapes and sizes ;from single men and women to couples married 30 years. Libido is one of those more obscure emotions. It is affected by so many variables. There is certainly no one to one connection with anything. Many of my patients seek out my advice for libido related issues suspecting they have low hormones as the cause. I have to say that in my experience I see both men and women with great libidos and low hormones as commonly as low libido with great hormone levels. So, what gives here? Humans are sexual animals. Referring back again to the "Paleo Model", our sexuality exists for the sole purpose of procreation and preservation of the species. Yet, we have evolved! We enjoy sex for the pure enjoyment of it. We are not thinking about procreation or preservation. Sex was "engineered" to be too enjoyable! It guranteed that we would reproduce. However, now because of our immense intelligence we have learned how to harness sex, package it,market it, and reproduce it as a pleasure endeavor. Far from its initial design by 'Mother Nature'. As a result we enjoy sex well into our 6th,7th even 8th decades of life. We were designed as sexual animals only for procreation, yet we are engaging in "mating activity" well beyond our reproductive years. So, what's the point here? Well, we are genetically wired identically as we were in paleolithic times. We are programmed to reproduce with specific determinants. Mother Nature only wants people to procreate who are capable of sustaining the lives of their offspring. This is part of the guarantee of survival. Men would have had to be healthy and fit enough to hunt for food,provide shelter, as well as protect the brood from danger to assure survival of the offspring and their mother. Women would have had to be healthy enough to carry a pregnancy to term as well as produce enough milk to assure survival of the infant and feed the children. As we get older, both men and women lose physical attributes. It is 'Mother Natures' way of buiding in a guarantee of survival. Why would she want a man to have sex with a woman who was unable to conceive? And why would she want a woman of reproductive capacity to have sex with a man who was unable to assure the safety of her offspring? OK, now fast forward to the modern age. A" virulent man" is one who makes a good living. He doesn't have to fight or hunt or build shelters anymore. And a "reproductive woman" can take post menopausal hormones and still look and feel 20 years younger even though she is unable to conceive. Well, guess what? Mother Nature doesn't care about that,because we still have 'Paleolithic Genes'. And that means we are still governed by Paleolithic rules. Now we are getting to the nitty gritty of Libido. For men and women to feel sexual and have great sex, they still need to meet the criteria of our "Paleolithic Programming". In modern terms that translates into men needing to be fit,well rested, avoiding excessive toxins like alcohol caffeine and sugar,to have a good muscle mass,and to have good hormone levels, and not be overly consumed by stress. For women, it translates into optimal body weight, good muscle mass, enough rest, avoidance of stress and toxins,with balanced hormones. Stress is a major libido killer. And this makes perfect sense from a paleolithic perspective. If Paleo man were too stressed, usually from lack of food,shelter or illness, mother nature would prevent him from reproducing as he wouldn't be able to assure the survival of his woman and offspring. Stress plays the same role today. Why do so many couples seem to have better sex on vacation? Stress today is different than it was in paleolithic times, but it has the same physiologic effects on our bodies, from metabolism to libido. We are a highly evolved species,yet we are governed by our paleolithic genetics. We need to be more cognizant of our genetic roots. Many of my patients prefer to have me help them fix the problem with a pill or a shot. However, we are far too complex sometimes for just a simple fix. Lifestyle, diet and behavior modification is often what is needed. Balancing hormones can help provide a big step in improvement but without looking at the entire "picture" the problem may not be resolved.
Call the office and schedule a consult with Dr. Liebowitz to find out what you can do to get your modern lifestyle more in alignment with your Paleolithic Genetics and improve your sex life. | 
