Hi, I have some thoughts that I would like to share.
Soya is a phytoestrogen, a molecule that mimics Estrogen and acts on Estrogen receptors. The fact it is improving your symptoms is good evidence that your symptoms are caused by low Estrogen.
The dry hands and whiteness you are experiencing are certainly a consequence of low Estrogen.
Dry hands: Estrogen promotes collagen and elastin synthesis in the skin as well as moisture retention. This is a common problem seen in post menopausal women who are low on Estrogen. Further to this, Phytoestrogens have been shown to improve dry skin caused by low Estrogen in this patient group.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6451761/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2705153/)
Whiteness: Estrogen is a vasodilator and low Estrogen has a constricting effect and limits blood flow to the extremities. It is likely that if you are seeing this symptom that you also occasionally experience cold extremities (hands and feet). The vasodilatory and cardio protective effects of Estrogen are well studied and there is a surge in the incidence of heart disease as women pass the menopause. The evidence for this can be wiki’d. The cold penis reported may be an extension of this but that is conjecture.
I have recently come to the forum and I am a little surprised by the fixation on DHT and AR as the basis of PFS, for some sufferers this may be the case but for the larger majority I believe the focus should be on Estrogen. Testosterone, Estrogen and DHT are inextricably linked and any disturbance to one results in changes to the other two. There are two main reasons why I Estrogen deserves more attention than DHT 1) the role of Estrogen in adult male physiology far supersedes that of DHT. 2) The body is more sensitive to Estrogen disturbances- Estrogen must be maintained in a narrow optimal range with deviation above or below causing adverse effects, this is not the case for DHT where the entire spectrum from no DHT to supra-physiological levels of DHT usually present with a healthy phenotype.
I should add that I have a strong belief that the majority of attempts that aim to understand the condition with bloodwork as their basis are misguided, symptomology is far more important. DHT and Estrogen bloodwork is misleading as they are for the most part intracellular molecules formed by reactions in local tissue.
Symptomology is key, do not get lost in the detail, convoluted theories about gene regulation and receptor insensitivity may be interesting but you need to take a step back and focus on the factors you have good strong evidence for and understanding of. Focus on the most likely causes first and move on only when you have ruled them out. We will never be able to elucidate the underlying mechanisms on an Internet forum by piecing together research papers. It may seem harmless but there is a real risk of unsubstantiated theories gaining a herd traction and leading to protocols that cause more harm than good, and that would be a real shame considering how pure our intentions are.
There seems to be some overlap but also occasional sharp differences in the presentation of PFS, a common pathophysiology hasn’t been identified and so you need to listen to your body to figure out what has been disrupted in your particular case. This requires you to pay very close attention to your symptoms and have a good understanding of the role of the main hormones in male physiology. You must become your own doctor. As a start read everything about the role of DHT, testosterone and Estrogen in the body, be sure to understand how they interact with each other. Every change that is underpinned by hormones needs to be considered, they will all point you in the same direction.
Is your beard getting thicker?
Do you have cold extremities?
Are you able to maintain strength?
Is your skin dry?
What in particular about your memory is worse? (T and DHT are associated with spatial memory while Estrogen with verbal memory)
Do people comment that your eyes look tired?
Have you suddenly noticed that you recognise fear on people’s faces more often then you’re used to?
…
This list is endless. Once you understand the hormones you will know what to look for.
Use this information to figure out how your hormonal profile stands in relation to the three main hormones (High/normal/low Testosterone, high/normal/low Estrogen, high/normal/low DHT).
Scour bodybuilding forums for case studies of experiments that have been run tinkering with these hormones. This is a treasure trove of information into how these hormones affect people, you will get an insight that is not available through research papers.
Once you have a sense of your own particular hormonal profile experiment with natural and weak regulators that alter these three hormones.
E.g phytoestrogens, resistance training, masturbation, nofap, HIIT, supplements,
How do these interventions make you feel? Do these make you feel better or worse, how much better or worse? Use this information to further calibrate your sense of your own hormonal profile. This is the starting point for you to tailor your own solution.
I understand a lot of you are suffering and there is a real drive to fix the issue and it pains me that this condition has caused so much misery and suffering. I really do believe improvement is possible with the information available to us if a strong problem solving approach is applied.
All the best