If you are having low testosterone as a man, you are probably extremely frustrated. Any person would be. It not only feels horrible to have lower testosterone, but it also is extremely unhealthy.
Many people think that a man with low testosterone, or T as it can sometimes be called, can have lower energy, lower sexual drive, and softer erections. This is true, but they also can have depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Some health risks include risks to the bone, heart, and brain. A lot of people do not know that this important hormone can affect these other areas.
So, we know that testosterone is important. So if someone is low, shouldn’t we just shoot them up with a big fat needle full of testosterone? Or maybe give some testosterone suppositories since those are so comfortable?
The short answer for most of the time is, NO!
Many testosterone clinics have made big money off of giving testosterone to men in need of help. The man shows up with low testosterone on blood work and they immediately are given testosterone replacement without the doctor ever thinking of looking for the cause.
Many times, the person actually feels better. This is called the ‘hormone honeymoon.’ Why does it make them feel better? Because testosterone makes people feel really good. But then the receptors start getting resistant because of all the testosterone in circulation. This makes it so that the same amount of testosterone doesn’t make them feel good anymore. They need more now. So the doctor gives them even more. Next time they need even more. And even more. And even more. Until the patient no longer gets better from testosterone and the clinic is richer than ever.
It is true, that testosterone lowers as you age. But, you shouldn’t have symptoms of lower testosterone until you are much older in life. If someone is over 70 then it is possible that person would need testosterone replacement. But if every man who has low testosterone on blood work immediately is given lower testosterone then there is a high percentage of them that are being given a disservice. They will have to take testosterone forever until it stops working. At that point, they will have extremely high resistance in their receptors and an even worse ability to take in testosterone.
So they’re worse off because their hormone doctor didn’t really dig for the cause, to put it bluntly.
Over the next couple of blog posts, we’ll discuss the different CAUSES of lower testosterone.
