TESTOSTERONE DUMB SCIENCE, DUMB DOCTORS, DUMB ATTORNEYS

RECENTLY, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMMERCIALS ON TV ABOUT OVERLY LITIGIOUS ATTORNEYS TRYING TO SUE COMMERCIAL DRUG COMPANIES WHICH PRODUCE TESTOSTERONE PRODUCTS. THEY CLAIM THAT USE OF SAID PRODUCTS CAN DOUBLE THE RISK OF A CARDIOVASCULAR EVENT IN OLDER MEN AND TRIPLE THE POSSIBILITY IN YOUNGER MEN WITH A PRIOR HISTORY OF THE DISEASE. THERE ARE MANY ISSUES WITH THESE STATEMENTS. FIRST, THEY ASSUME TESTOSTERONE IS THE ONLY VARIABLE (MORE ON THIS IN A BIT). SECOND, THERE ARE SEVERAL STUDIES THAT SAY THE OPPOSITE, IF FACT, TESTOSTERONE THERAPY HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE RECOVERY IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS AND OTHERS, THIRD, AND MOST IMPORTANT !!!!!.... NO ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO AROMATIZATION , THE PROCESS WHICH OCCURS VIA AN ENZYME NORMALLY FOUND IN FATTY TISSUES OF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. THIS ENZYME CONVERTS TESTOSTERONE INTO ESTRADIOL AND ESTRONE WHICH HAVE BEEN DEFINITIVELY SHOWN TO INCREASE BLOOD VISCOSITY (THICKNESS) IN MEN. “THICKER” BLOOD IS A WELL ACCEPTED CAUSE OF CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS SUCH AS STROKE OR HEART ATTACK. THIS IS LIKELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT A VISCOUS SUBSTANCE WOULD ENCOUNTER GREATER RESISTANCE TO FLOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO TRANSVERSE A NARROWED AREA SUCH AS A PARTIALLY BLOCKED AREA (LIKE NARROWING OF AN ARTERY DUE TO PLAQUE FORMATION). THE AFOREMENTIONED AROMATASE ENZYME, LIKE PREVIOUSLY STATED, IS FOUND IN FATTY TISSUES, THEREFORE A MAN (OR WOMEN) WITH A HIGH BODY FAT PERCENTAGE, WOULD CONVERT A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF TESTOSTERONE TO ESTROGEN, AND THUS, INCREASE RESISTANCE TO BLOOD FLOW.......BUT HERE’S WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING. TESTOSTERONE POTENTLY DECREASES BLOOD VISCOSITY (THICKNESS). HENCE, ONE WOULD POSTULATE THAT HIGH LEVELS OF TESTOSTERONE ( AND LOW ESTROGEN FOR THAT MATTER) WOULD GREATLY DECREASE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. I BELIVE THAT MEN SHOULD BE ROUTINELY TESTED FOR ESTROGEN (AND DHT-MORE ON THIS IN THE FUTURE) AS WELL AS TESTOSTERONE AND, FURTHERMORE, STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO BLOCK AROMATIZATION. SOMETHING I WOULD INSIST UPON BEFORE STARTING A MAN ON ANY HORMONE REGIMEN. UNFORTUNATELY, AS RIDICULOUS AS THIS SEEMS, MANY PHYSICIANS AREN’T EVEN AWARE THT MEN HAVE ESTRADIOL IN THEIR SYSTEMS AND NO, I’M NOT KIDDING! I’M SURE THE STUDIES CURRENTLY BEING PERFORMED ON MEN AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK SHOW A HIGH STATISTICAL CORRELATION, UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S ANOTHER CASE OF GARBAGE IN-GARBAGE OUT. IF YOU DON’T KNOW ALL THE VARIABLES, WHICH ISN’T REALLY POSSIBLE I MIGHT ADD, YOUR RESULTS WILL BE FLAWED. OLDER MEN GENERALLY HAVE HIGHER BODY FAT AND YOUNGER MEN WITH HIGH BODY FAT WOULD HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH CONVERSION OF TESTOSTERONE TO ESTROGEN. SO, ADDING AN EXTERNAL SOURCE IN THESE CASES IN LIKE THROWING GASOLINE ON A FIRE.YET AGAIN, UNIFORMED, PSEUDOSCIENCE MASQUERADING AS MAINSTREAM INFORMATION.

SALIVA KITS NOT WORTH A SPIT

SALIVA KITS-NOT WORTH A SPIT !

IT WAS CLOSE TO 15 YEARS NOW AND MANY MILLION DOLLARS AGO THAT A GROUP OF PHARMACISTS STAGED A GREAT REBELLION. NOT ONLY DID $400/HI SEEM AN EXCESSIVE PRICE FOR PATIENTS WANTING HORMONE INFORMATION, BUT WHEN MANY...MANY...MANY PHARMACISTS STARTED TO NOTICE A COMPLETE DISCONNECT

 SYMPTOMS DID NOT MATCH LEVELS, FURTHERMORE, THERE REMAINED ROUGHLY A 85% CO-RELATIONSHIP TO SERUM. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, WE FOUND THAT CURRENT PATIENTS ON TOPICALS WERE SHOWING ASTRONOMICAL LEVELS IN SALIVA (SO MUCH SHOW THAT WE FOUND DIRECT I.V. INFUSION COULDN'T ACHIEVE THE STATED LEVELS), WHILE SERUM LEVELS IN PATIENTS ON TOPICALS, SHOWED, LITTLE OR NONE IN THE SERUM.
FURTHERMORE, WE TESTED SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT WORKED IN THIS PHARMACY, MANY OF WHOM SHOWED ALARMINGLY HIGH LEVELS IN SALIVA, BUT WHEN CROSSED REFERENCED WITH SERUM ALL WERE IN "NORMAL" RANGES.
WHEN WE APPROACHED THIS SALIVA COMPANY ABOUT THE TOPICAL SITUATION, THEIR ANSWER WAS...."WHY DON'T WE JUST MAKE UP SOME NEW RANGES ?"
"WELL SURE..WHY DON'T WE JUST GO TO DISNEYLAND !!!" "IS THIS SCIENCE?" THE PROBLEM IS THE SCIENCE SOUNDS GREAT ON PAPER. MANY,MANY DOCTORS HAVE BEEN DUPED. THESE SAME COMPANIES HAD THE AUDACITY TO STATE THAT THE REASON THAT THE LEVELS DID NOT APPEAR IN SERUM IS THAT THEY ONLY MEASURED "FREE" AND OR "BIO-AVAILABLE' LEVELS.
THE PROBLEM HERE--------SEX HORMONES ARE, FOR THE MOST PART, OVER 98% BOUND, FURTHERMORE, REGARDLESS OF THE METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION, THESE HORMONES ARE BOUND IMMEDIATELY. THERE IS NO HORMONE THAT CAN COVERTLY REACH TISSUES WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, AVOIDING SHBG AND/OR ALBUMIN (THE 2 MAIN BINDING PROTEINS). IT IS SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE. COME ON!!!!!!!!! REALLY??? HOW CAN ANY HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL FALL FOR THIS NONSENSE. SAVE THE MONEY, SAVE THE TIME. CHECK SYMPTOMS, CHECK THE SERUM, AND USE COMMON SENSE !!!

WHY IS MY DOCTOR SO DOUBLE BLIND

Recently, there was a study done on Testosterone replacement in older men, the results of which, were reported in the "prestigious" JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). In this study, elderly men with clinically low Testosterone (TotalTestosterone less than 250 ng/dl and or Free less than 35 pg/dl). In this study ALL Men were given the same dose or a placebo). The study was a double-blind crossover design. Patients were all given a topical, commercially available formula. The average elevation in total Testosterone was a paltry 100 ng and the free elevation was proportionately even less. Therefore the patients that did manage to squeak by in to the "normal" ranges, were in the bottom 5% of normal.
Not surprisingly to the experts in the Clinical, Compounding arena, the patients reported little or no benefit >95% of the time. WOW WHAT A SHOCKER !!! You raise their levels from non-existent to "pathetic" and you are surprised that the didn't report any change......HOW SURPRISING !! How about setting a target range of that for a younger man in his 20's when he , undoubtedly, felt better. With the amount they administered, patients would benefit more from a glass of water and NO, I'M NOT KIDDING !!! Are these Practitioners REALLY this stupid or are the Naive and ignorant because it HAS to be one or the other.
In addition the poor study design, other essentials were ignored. I believe this is due to a complete lack of understanding of the Male endocrine pathways. In Men, Testosterone is metabolized to 2 potentially negative metabolic pathways. 1) is via Aromatase found in adipose (fatty tissues). This enzyme converts Testosterone to Estradiol (E2). In Men, high E2 can increase blood viscosity, cause weight-gain, and slow metabolism by increasing a substance called TBG (Thyroid Binding Globulin). Worst of all, and most relevant to this study, is that high E2 in the serum shuts down normal Testosterone production. This is because the Hypothalamus receives neuronal impulses directly from E2 receptors. In theory, this feedback mechanism would work fine since under normal circumstances only a small number of receptors are occupied. HOWEVER, age related over-induction and increased body fat drastically increase serum E2 thus "fooling" the body into thinking it has plenty of Testosterone.
So, why is all of this relevant ? 1) Physiologic response to Testosterone is dose-dependent and NO ATTENTION was given to this very simple and most basic fact and 2) No compensatory mechanism was considered in patients with higher levels of body fat so in these patients, administering Testosterone would be the equivalent of trying to fill a bottomless bucket with water !!!!!
THE MORAL OF THE STORY HERE IS....JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A DOUBLE BLING STUDY, DOESN'T MEAN THE RIGHT CONCLUSION IS REACHED ! i.e. GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT.
Stay tuned, our next topic will be HRT, "The Women's Heath Initiative Study" and Breast Cancer. MISLEADING THE PUBLIC !!!!