Customer Reviews

The Testosterone Solution: Increase Your Energy and Vigor with Male Hormone Therapy

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rated at a one only because there was no zero!

This book takes a very simplistic view of the problem of "male menopause". Strictly an FDA / AMA / Drug Industry approach. One finds no mention of the serious problem of estrogen dominance. One finds that the natural hormone DHEA / DHEA(S) is treated as if it is a poison. Very little mention is made of the impact that various hormonal systems have on each other. Very outdated.

A much, much better basic book would be Eugene Shippen's "Testosterone Syndrome". What is unfortunate is that most endocrinologists and primary care physicians also take the view put forward in this book (garbage) over the much more comprehensive and intelligent position put forth by Dr. Shippen.

I checked this book out from the local library while I was waiting for "The Testosterone Syndrome" to arrive. It was written by a family practitioner, not a specialist who deals with low testosterone such as a urologist or endocrinologist. Essentially, the entire book discusses using external testosterone (TRT) to correct the problem, which is the last thing you want to do, since any external testosterone or pro-testosterone hormone (e.g., DHEA) will cause the body to immediately shut down its own testosterone production, resulting in shrinking of the testicles (you can't add "just a little" testo). Additionally, external testosterone can often lead to a portion of that testosterone being converted to estradiol (E2), or estrogen. Suffice it to say, too much estrogen in your body, if you are a male, is very bad!

The proper treatment for low testosterone is to do a blood test for LH and FSH levels. If they are low, one has secondary hypogonadism, meaning that the pituitary gland is not secreting enough of these substances to stimulate the testes to produce the proper amount of testosterone. Then, the proper solution is to stimulate the body to increase in its own testosterone production by taking either clomiphene or HCG (human Chorionic Gonadatropin).

If the LH and FSH levels are high, one has primary hypogonadism (very rare), meaning the testicles cannot produce testosterone at the proper level, requiring supplemental testosterone. However, a person's T/E2 ratio must then be carefully monitored to prevent a significant rise in estradiol levels. This is typically done through zinc supplementation, along with using DIM or Arimidex.

Testosterone is more than just a "sex hormone". It affects virtually every part of a man's health. Failure to correct low testosterone will ultimately cause debilitating consequences, including depression and suicidal thoughts. Only when all of the complex hormonal interelationships are brought back into balance, will one feel "normal" again. Taking the wrong kind of testosterone supplement can actually make one feel worse, by altering the critical T/E2 ratio.

Very few doctors understand all of this, and I am not aware of any family practitioners that do. You will have to work hard to find a doctor who uses clomiphene or HCG to treat low testosterone. My own board-certified urologist admitted that I know more about the treatment of low testosterone than he does. Most are stuck in the old way of doing things, simply add external testosterone if the levels are low. Wrong!