What is Testosterone?
- Testosterone is an androgen hormone that plays a vital role in maintaining good health and preventing long-term disease risk.
- Androgens are hormones that stimulate male characteristics, such as a deeper voice, body bulk, and body hair (virilization).
- Androgen hormones include testosterone and androstenedione, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S).
Testosterone is produced mainly in the testicles in men and the ovaries in women. The adrenal gland produces small amounts as well. Men have far more testosterone than women (about 10x as much), which is why people call it the 'Male Sex Hormone.' Women don't have the same levels as men, so they don't take on the male characteristics in the same way.
What Does Testosterone Do?
Before puberty, androgen levels, including testosterone, rise in both boys and girls, exhibiting in ways such as oily skin and hair, acne, the emergence of pubic hair, armpit hair, growth spurt, accelerated bone maturation, and facial hair. Over time, as levels continue to rise, full-on sexual development begins with the testicles dropping and the sexual organs in both men and women enlarging and eventually reaching maturation.
Other effects of androgens (mainly testosterone) include increased muscle mass, broadening of the shoulders, expansion of the rib cage, the development of the Adam's apple, the voice becoming deeper, increased pubic and body hair, and increased sexual appetite.
Testosterone helps regulate many bodily functions and maintains overall health. It increases confidence, reduces symptoms of depression, and increases motivation.
What else does testosterone do?
- Helps the development of red blood cells
- Increases bone density
- Regulates Fat distribution and reduces visceral fat
- Increases muscle strength and mass
- Stimulates facial and bodily hair growth
- Helps sperm production
- Maintains sex drive
Total vs. Free Testosterone
When your body produces testosterone, most of it binds to a protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and another protein called albumin. The testosterone that remains unattached to SHBG is called free testosterone. This free testosterone is available to enter cells and get to work, maintaining the metabolism and triggering other cellular functions.
Total testosterone is the testosterone floating around your body in total, either bound to a protein or in your blood. Therefore total testosterone will always read a higher level than bound.
Interestingly, free testosterone is a measurement that determines testosterone deficiency because it shows how much is free to support the body actively. Total testosterone levels can be a little misleading because they could read within what is considered 'normal,' but free T could be showing as low.
What Happens if You Don't Have Enough Testosterone?
Falling hormone levels can have a very dramatic effect on the body, with reduced testosterone levels leading to:
- weight gain especially visceral fat
- reduced libido
- fatigue and memory fog
- muscle loss and difficulty gaining lean muscle
- loose skin
- depression and lack of drive
- osteoporosis
Hormones such as testosterone are chemical messengers that travel around the body, stimulating responses such as sperm production, sex drive, metabolism, and increased bone strength. Testosterone brings about changes to the developing body and plays a vital role in maintaining health during adulthood. Unfortunately, when you reach around 30 years old, testosterone production begins to fall by about 1% a year. At first, you won't notice, but many start to experience symptoms both physically and emotionally over the next few years.
Symptoms of low T in men usually start in their early to mid-forties. This is when men often experience the classic symptoms of middle age, particularly the development of a 'spare tire' aka the 'Dad bod,' and a reduction in 'get up and go.'
An optimum testosterone level is a level where you feel 'optimized,'
There is no such thing as a 'normal' testosterone level. There is an average level for guys at a certain age, but how these levels affect different men varies greatly. Blood tests will give you part of the picture, but this is only a snapshot of the reality. Only by looking at how reduced hormone levels make you feel can doctors ever make an accurate assessment.
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Mainstream Medicine Often Ignores Low Testosterone (Low T)
Often when a guy heads to the doctor with typical symptoms such as decreased libido, trouble sleeping, lack of focus, mood swings, and no motivation, the doctor will simply put it down to depression or stress. The likely outcome is a prescription for antidepressants and being shown the door. This short-sightedness isn't the doctor's fault. Many doctors have no training in hormones and are doing what they think is best. Unfortunately, they are in the dark about the fact this poor guy's hormone levels are probably the cause of his problems.
Confirmation bias is the tendency only to believe information that confirms and supports one's prior beliefs or values. People tend to select the information that supports their views unconsciously.
People often confuse depression with the symptoms of low T. Think about it, you are tired, your sex drive is gone, you are putting on weight and have no desire to hit the gym. Even when you do, the results are not what they used to be!
Guys with these symptoms often look at their reflection and dislike what they see, a depressed former version of themselves. So, it is not surprising that doctors prescribe antidepressants as medicinal 'band-aid' to treat the symptoms of depression and not the cause. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for many men restores vitality, refuels energy tanks, and enables them to get fighting fit and feel good about themselves again.
What Can Bioidentical Hormones Do for You?
The most common misdiagnosis of low T is 'you're just getting old.' In truth, as you age, hormone production slows, and symptoms of old age creep in. Thanks to medical advancement, we now enjoy longer lives, but our biological clock hasn't adjusted to this fact. We have pretty much doubled our lifespans. However, you do not have to accept this as the 'normal aging process.'
Bioidentical testosterone replacement therapy is the most reliable and safe way to get your hormone levels back to where you feel your best. These hormones are as close to what your body produces as possible. Your body cannot tell the difference. Maintaining optimal testosterone levels in men has been shown to improve symptoms that significantly reduce cardiovascular disease risk, such as decreased visceral fat, lowered total cholesterol, improved glycemic control, and increased lean muscle mass.
It is mind-blowing that something as simple as TRT does not get supported more by mainstream medicine. It can save millions of dollars in hospital and doctor fees, saving patients millions spent on unnecessary medication. It's no wonder huge medical corporations don't want you to know about it. It would cost them millions in lost profits!
The inevitable reduction in testosterone levels often leads to unwanted symptoms in both men and women. The symptoms are pretty easy to read; just by looking at symptomatology, our doctors will gain a pretty accurate insight into any hormone issues a patient may have. Then via an easy at-home blood spot test, we can accurately put together a treatment plan to get you back to 'optimum levels.' Optimum testosterone is where you not only feel relief from symptoms but will likely feel the vigor of youth return.
