Testosterone Myths

Bringing awareness to men’s health is so important. To summarize, men are much more likely to die of most any illness than women are. They die younger and more frequently.

The only exception to this is Alzheimer’s Disease.

Men are more obese than women. Men commit suicide and homicide more. Men are more likely to be alcoholics or drug addicts.

Men need to pay attention to themselves. They simply need to do better.

They need to go to the doctor more regularly.

One of the reasons men come see us at Performance Medicine is hormones. Low T gets men into the doctor. And a doctor who knows men’s health can use Low T to really help a man’s health long term.

There’s so much misinformation out there about testosterone. Here are a few myths that we think can really help people.

While testosterone is a major sex hormone in men, it’s also the most metabolically abundantly active steroid in women. It’s a fact that can no longer be denied, and yet it’s mostly unknown.

Women should get their testosterone levels checked.

Women’s hormones are more complex than men’s, but they need testosterone just as badly as men do. It does not cause breast cancer, and you do not need to avoid it if you’ve had breast cancer, as it can help prevent recurrences.

Get this level checked. It benefits women tremendously, and helps make them feel the best.

Testosterone does not cause prostate cancer. In fact, it prevents prostate cancer. The men I see with prostate cancer have Low T, not High T.

Testosterone does not make men more aggressive. It calms them down. Even with extremely high doses, it doesn’t make men more aggressive or hostile. On testosterone men sleep better, joints ache less, they get more things done, and they’re calmer.

When a man’s t-level starts to lower he will feel the effects.

Testosterone does not cause or worsen heart disease or strokes. It prevents heart disease. Think about who gets heart disease. Older men with Low T. Think about it. Your heart is a muscle, and testosterone is good for muscle.

Note: You have to know how to regulate it by checking hematocrits and estrogen levels.

It’s the same thing with estrogen in women.

There are lots of myths around hormone therapy and testosterone. If there’s anything to be scared of, be scared of low testosterone.

If you’ve been told that you have a normal testosterone level, it’s not optimal. Normal is very low indeed. Get your free testosterone level checked if your total testosterone level is 500-600, and you have symptoms of Low T.

Total Testosterone needs to be 800-900.

Free testosterone is metabolically active. It’s protective in a lot of ways.

There are many ways to replace your hormones. You can do it through creams, weekly shots or pellets.

Pellets are my favorite for both men and women. The level you get with pellets is nice and smooth for 5-6 months. You can also put an estrogen blocker in there if you aromatize to estradiol.

There are also just a lot less side effects.

What we’re trying to do is prevent heart disease, the number one killer in men in the United States.

There are a lot of ways to prevent. If you’re tired, have Erectile Dysfunction,  or fatigued, you need to come in for a complete workup. We’re looking at what could happen to you 20 years down the road, not just your t-level.