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.
