As men age, their natural levels of testosterone will decline. But for some men, they decline more than a little and this can cause you to feel tired, unable to focus, irritable, decreased muscle mass and unable to sleep well.
Unlike the natural aging process in women which happens all at once with menopause, decreasing testosterone levels happens slowly over time. Abnormally low levels of testosterone are also being found in younger men due to increased stress, lack of exercise and obesity. Other factors can also inhibit the body from producing testosterone naturally, such as certain medications taken for chronic illness.
When discussing your low testosterone levels with your provider they will look at your personal health history and current lifestyle to see if these are negatively affecting your testosterone levels. There is help, and increasing your testosterone levels through testosterone replacement therapy can be very beneficial to your health, energy levels and possibly even weight loss.
Despite being around for over 20 years and being an approved medical procedure by the FDA, many men have incorrect preconceived notions surrounding their declining testosterone levels. The fact of the matter is that as many as 4 in 10 men can be affected by low testosterone levels due to the natural aging process. (National Health Institute)
Whether you are worried about what others might think of you, or you just haven’t asked yet, a private conversation with your provider could help you to find out if you are experiencing low testosterone levels. Here at Oregon Man Clinic we help our clients with increasing their testosterone levels through testosterone replacement therapy. Schedule your appointment today to see if you could benefit from this treatment.
For those suffering from this natural aging process, there is a treatment plan; and when followed by a professional it is very safe and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A simple blood test is all that is needed to find your current testosterone levels. However, a full work up of your endocrine system and looking at your lifestyle is also necessary to determine if testosterone replacement therapy could benefit you.
There are a lot of myths out there surrounding testosterone replacement therapy. Here at Oregon Man Clinic, we wanted to dispel a few of them. Here are the top three we hear most often:
3 myths of TRT
- It will make me overly aggressive – early studies (done in 1972) looking at testosterone levels in men were done in prisons, which according to the National Institute of Health is an “environment in which a majority of its inmates have shown violent behavior in the past and where dominance behavior prevails” (National Health Institute). Early studies showed that the most violent criminals did have higher levels of testosterone than the prisoners who were there for less violent crimes. More studies are needed, and as the demand for TRT increases so will the studies. Also in the past, studies involving testosterone levels and aggression levels relied heavily on observation and questionnaires. Now, thanks to MRI’s and PET scanning devices, much more objective data can be gathered to study the effects of testosterone levels and aggression.
- Erectile dysfunction vs. libido – low testosterone levels usually do not directly affect erectile dysfunction. However, testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to increase one’s sex drive. Usually ED is affected by other health problems such as: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, excessive alcohol use, stress and anxiety (Healthline). Solving these problems through lifestyle changes can also improve your sex life.
- It is an automatic fountain of youth – Dr. Canfield at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston warns that testosterone replacement therapy is not a fountain of youth. If you are not healthy to start with, and not exercising or eating healthy, then replacement therapy alone will not replace a healthy lifestyle. Exercise and a healthy diet in conjunction with testosterone replacement therapy however, can make you feel like your younger self again. If you want to read more about other benefits of increasing your energy and feeling younger again due to testosterone replacement therapy you can read about it here.
Here at Oregon Man Clinic we work with each patient individually and look at all the risks and benefits of testosterone replacement therapy. If you have any concerns we will gladly go over each of them with you. Usually, for most men however, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Schedule an appointment with us today so we can discuss any concerns you might have and see if testosterone replacement therapy can be beneficial for you in getting back to feeling like your younger self again.
To learn more about testosterone replacement therapy and it’s many benefits, check us out over at: www.facebook.com/pg/oregongmanclinics/about/?ref=page_internal. We would love to speak with you and help you with finding out if testosterone replacement therapy would be a beneficial option for you.
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