Testosterone deprivation, or "ablation," is a form of prostate cancer therapy for men. According to studies, men undergoing this therapy may forget things faster than healthy men.
The process of testosterone deprivation involves either surgically removing the testicles or taking medications to block the production of male hormones, specifically testosterone, which encourages prostate cancer growth. This prostate cancer therapy eliminates most male hormones found in the body.
In a study, researchers examined 30 age-matched men -- 14 men undergoing testosterone deprivation treatment and 16 healthy men. All were presented with lists of words. The men were asked to identify whether the words were in capital or lowercase letters, or if they represented objects that occurred in nature or were artificially made. These studies examined perceptual and semantic processing.
Researchers found that the initial learning of words, or encoding, for testosterone-deprived men was equal to that of healthy men. However, after only two minutes, word retention dropped sharply for men undergoing the prostate cancer therapy. It was concluded that memory loss occurs somewhere between encoding and retrieval.
Also, it was suggested that the lack of testosterone might have negative repercussions on the function of the hippocampus, a curved, elongated ridge in the brain responsible for learning and memorization. Ordinarily, hippocampus damage is a result of early Alzheimer's disease or lesions from strokes.
Since the success of long-term memory relies heavily on the functioning of the hippocampus, researchers are hoping to discover alternative prostate cancer therapies that do not adversely affect brain functioning. Studies are being developed to monitor blood flow changes within parts of the brain that are activated during memory tests. Future studies may also allow researchers to examine what testosterone deprivation does to structures of the brain.
Science Daily October 22, 2004
I don't believe it is wise to implement aggressive, traditional medical strategies to treat prostate cancer. It is a relatively slow growing cancer and is easy to control if caught early enough.
Much research has been done on what you can take naturally to assist in treating prostate cancer. One suggestion is to add a source of high-quality cod liver oil in your diet. Interestingly, cod liver oil is one of the best natural therapies you can implement to help a failing memory.
This is because cod liver oil is the ideal source of EPA and DHA for prostate cancer prevention. It is loaded with vitamin D, which may be even more important than EPA and DHA in prevention of prostate cancer.
Also, in a Harvard study including nearly 48,000 men, researchers found eating tomato sauce a couple of times a week may help prevent and treat prostate cancer. However, if taken in excess, tomatoes will adversely influence one's insulin levels.
In addition to vitamin D and tomatoes, some other tools you can use to fight or prevent prostate cancer include:
For men already dealing with memorization issues due to testosterone deprivation -- or for anyone seeking to "exercise" their brain -- I strongly suggest getting the Focus 2-CD set. The CDs work by training your brain to function at higher levels of consciousness by a brain wave entrainment technology that works very similarly to years of meditation. The CDs help improve your levels of concentration and clarity, increasing your memory, creativity levels and problem-solving skills.