A man who found himself constantly irritable and emotionally flat has revealed that what he was experiencing wasn’t just a bad mood – it was actually a condition often dubbed the “male menopause.”
Phil Whittaker, 44, from Buckinghamshire, began to notice unusual changes in his mental and physical health around 2017. It started with persistent brain fog and quickly escalated to sleepless nights and a general feeling of emotional numbness.
Growing increasingly uneasy, Phil sought medical advice and was eventually diagnosed with hypogonadism – a condition where the body produces an abnormally low level of testosterone
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. Though it’s not widely talked about, it’s sometimes referred to as male menopause due to its hormonal nature and the impact it can have on a man’s mood, energy and overall wellbeing.
Doctors suggested a lifestyle overhaul and prescribed a hormone replacement gel to help regulate his testosterone levels. But Phil wasn’t keen on relying on the medication long term.
He was concerned about the side effects associated with synthetic hormones and didn’t feel the approach addressed the root of his problem.
Things came to a head when he began losing hair in his beard, developing a bald patch roughly the size of a 20p coin. It was a turning point.
For Phil, the visual confirmation of his internal struggle was impossible to ignore. He realised something had to change.
“I was constantly on edge and felt totally disconnected from the things that usually made me happy,” he explained. “Once I saw that bald spot in my beard, it really hit home. That was the final straw for me.”
Determined to take control of his health, Phil began researching natural ways to address his symptoms – looking for alternatives that could help him regain clarity, sleep better, and lift the fog that had settled over his mind.
Alongside his wife Kaz, 40, he scoured the wellness market but found most of the products lacking in quality or effectiveness.
That’s when he stumbled upon functional mushrooms, a staple in traditional Chinese medicine. He tried a few products available at the time, but none met his standards.
Some were loaded into coffee blends, which he wanted to avoid due to the potential impact of caffeine on anxiety and sleep. Others came in powder form, which he found clumpy and wasteful, with most of the product drying out before he could use it.
Phil and Kaz decided to go a step further and began sourcing purer, more potent ingredients. They experimented with combining mushroom extracts with water and other natural elements, eventually developing a formula that Phil used for several months.
To his relief, the fog began to lift, his energy returned, and he began feeling like his old self again. Even his beard started looking fuller and healthier.
Motivated by the transformation, Phil decided to turn his personal solution into a business. That’s how Cognihax was born – a natural wellness brand focused on brain function, energy, and emotional balance.
Its flagship product, Cognihax Boost, made its debut and sold out within just nine days of launch, reflecting the growing interest in holistic health solutions for men.
Phil’s journey from grumpiness and exhaustion to renewed vitality has not only reshaped his life but also opened the door for others seeking a more natural path to hormonal and mental balance.
