PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

LOW TESTOSTERONE: SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENTS  Low testosterone, or “low-T,” gets a lot of buzz in men’s health these days. Most people know testosterone drops as men age, but what counts as “too low,” and what to do about it, is still up for debate among doctors and researchers. What Low Testosterone Actually Feels Like You’ve probably seen lists of symptoms: low sex drive, tiredness that won’t quit, trouble building muscle, a bit more fat around the middle, and some foggy thinking. Guys often mention mood swings too—irritability, or even depression (see Huo et al., 2016, in PLOS ONE). But here’s the thing: these issues aren’t unique to low testosterone. Lots of other conditions can look similar, so you can’t blame “low-T” for everything. That said, research like a meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry found testosterone treatment might improve depression, mainly for men who’ve tried other options or truly have low levels (Walther et al., 2019). How Doctors Diagnose Low-T Doctors don’t ju...

  SEMAGLUTIDE PROTECTS THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM Forget everything you thought you knew about weight loss medications. A sweeping new study from University College London suggests that semaglutide — the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy — does much more than help people shed pounds. Even for patients who barely lost any weight, the risk of heart attack and stroke still dropped by a dramatic 20%. The secret? It appears that this medicine is working its magic deep inside the body, altering factors such as inflammation, blood pressure, and the health of blood vessels — benefits that extend far beyond the bathroom scale. Massive Study, Big Surprises The research, published in The Lancet and backed by Novo Nordisk, tracked more than 17,000 adults with cardiovascular disease who were overweight or obese. Half of the participants received weekly semaglutide injections, while the other half received a placebo. The result: Both groups experienced a significant difference, with those on semagl...

MOST POTENT ANTIBIOTIC SO FAR, UNCOVERED A team of chemists stumbled on a game-changing antibiotic hiding in a place no one expected: inside a familiar bacterium that scientists have studied for decades. This molecule is 100 times stronger than existing antibiotics, shows no signs of resistance so far, and could finally turn the tide against superbugs like MRSA and VRE. Old Bacteria, New Tricks The breakthrough, led by researchers from the University of Warwick and Monash University, was made possible through creative thinking. Instead of searching for exotic microbes, the scientists looked more closely at Streptomyces coelicolor, a “model” bacterium famous for producing antibiotics and a familiar presence in labs since the 1950s. Buried in its regular antibiotic production line, they found a chemical intermediate named pre-methylenomycin C lactone. Nobody had ever tested it for antibiotic properties before. And that’s where things got interesting. According to Professor Greg Challis, ...

 EXCESSIVE SCREEN TIME NEGATIVELY IMPACTS CHILDREN'S HEALTH Kids and screens go hand in hand these days, but new research from Denmark suggests that those hours spent in front of TVs, tablets, or phones might be setting them up for future heart and metabolic problems. Researchers found that with every extra hour of recreational screen time, children and teenagers faced a higher risk of trouble: things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and signs their bodies aren't handling sugar as well as they should. Looking at over a thousand Danish kids and teens, the study found a clear pattern—more screen time meant higher chances of early warning signs for heart disease and metabolic issues. And when those late-night gaming sessions or binge-watch marathons robbed kids of sleep, the risk grew even worse. It’s not just guesswork; the scientists could actually see the impact in kids' blood, spotting a kind of “screen-time fingerprint” that hints at changes long before disease...

  EXERCISE DOES NOT SHORTEN LIFESPAN It’s time to toss out the idea that working out “spends” your heartbeats and shortens your lifespan. Thanks to new research out of Australia, we now know the opposite is true: physically fit people actually use up fewer heartbeats per day—even when you count all those sweaty workouts. This isn’t just a technicality. According to the study, athletes clock in with an average heart rate of just 68 beats per minute. Sedentary folks? They're up at 76. Multiply that out and you get a huge difference: over 11,000 fewer heartbeats every day for those who keep fit. That’s nearly 10 percent less work for your heart, every single day. Professor La Gerche, who leads the HEART Laboratory at St Vincent's Institute and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, sums it up like this: “Athletes’ hearts work harder during exercise, sure, but their lower resting rates more than make up for it. Over 24 hours, fit people’s hearts are actually doing less total ...

 LYMPHEDEMA: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Lymphedema isn’t just about swelling — it’s a chronic, often frustrating condition that can reshape daily life. At its heart, lymphedema is what happens when the body’s lymphatic “drainage system” gets blocked or breaks down. Fluid starts to build up where it shouldn’t, usually in the arms or legs, and that swelling won’t go away. Sometimes, people are born with faulty lymphatic vessels (that’s called primary lymphedema). More often, it shows up after something damages the lymph system, like surgery, radiation, infection, or injury — especially in people who’ve had cancer treatments involving their lymph nodes. What’s really going on beneath the surface? When the lymphatic system can’t keep up, protein-rich fluid seeps into the tissues. The body tries to fix it, but that triggers a chain reaction: inflammation, fat deposits, and eventually scar-like tissue that makes the swelling even harder. The skin can become thick or leathery, increasing the r...

 Lead in Protein Supplements: Why It’s Still a Problem It's surprising that we still need to discuss heavy metals in our health products, but here we are. Recent research keeps turning up the same uncomfortable truth: some protein powders—plant-based, whey, or blends—contain traces of lead. In a few cases, those levels are high enough that, if you’re using these powders every day, you could be putting your health at risk. How Does Lead Get In There? It starts with the ingredients. Plants like rice and peas can soak up lead from soil or water, especially in areas where pollution is an issue. But even dairy-based proteins like whey and casein aren’t off the hook. Contamination can sneak in through water, ingredients, or even the machinery used in production. Recent studies (like one in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2024) have found lead in both plant and dairy protein powders—though the plant-based ones tend to be worse. What’s the Risk? There’s really no saf...