Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Is being on TRT normal?

Is being on TRT normal? Should all guys be on TRT? Is TRT the fountain of youth? Am I going to fall behind and be less of a man because I am not on TRT like my buddies who are?

The resounding answer to all these questions is no.

Testosterone replacement therapy is an amazing, I would say life changing therapy for men who need it. I have had patients who were suicidal, had very low testosterone we put them on testosterone and those overwhelming dark, depressive thoughts vanished. Testosterone is a fundamental asset for vigor and vitality but just like most type 2 diabetics don’t need insulin, they need a lifestyle overhaul, the same is true for most men when it comes to testosterone therapy.

Low Testosterone is rarely the cause or perpetrator of the undesirable life state but rather years of living a particular American standard hustle, hustle lifestyle with on-the-go meals, lack of sleep, misaligned priorities, and artificial everything. Just under performing in life because of poor habits or life routines is not a healthy reason to get on testosterone.

Symptoms plus blood testosterone levels are important to look at in tandem as some men feel amazing and have all the motivation, drive, workout recovery with a testosterone of 350 ng/dL and others feel like a train wreck at this level. Giving a man testosterone who otherwise feels great because of a particular blood level is just making his life more complicated and medical than is necessary.

I find the most value in using testosterone replacement therapy comes for patients with low or borderline levels, as a bridge to improved habits and life routines, not the answer to a health defunct lifestyle. Just taking testosterone while continuing in a pattern of processed foods, lounging, alcohol and late nights is a short health runway, any symptom relief will be short lived.

Excess testosterone converts to estrogen and serves to complicate the maleness we are looking to promote by using testosterone in the first place. There are other side effects but most related to testosterone replacement therapy come when it is being used excessively or unsupervised. This would include not using it if you don’t need it. You know the guy buying it from his buddy at the gym?

The value like every other pharmacologic input comes when a person utilizes it as a tool to enable them to adjust their lifestyle, rather than the cure.

Testosterone is a man’s friend but normal or optimal for each individual varies considerably. Testosterone is often equated with lots of muscle mass and charged emotions, but this is just a stereotype created by marketers. I have seen patients with a testosterone over a 1000 who were 6ft, 150lbs dripping wet and mild mannered. I have also seen guys with a testosterone of 78 who looked like they just came off the set of 300. However, I have not seen a male who looked like the doughboy with a testosterone of 800+ though. Men who are active, have consistent sleep/wake schedules and have a low processed food intake over and over come back with testosterone level on the higher end. I have seen the same guy with a testosterone of 250, go up to 920 with a change in lifestyle habits and no hormone replacement therapy. Life stress and how it is being handled as the most consistent challenge to overcome in these cases.

We are not a society deficient in hormone replacement therapy. We are simply not styling our lives in a way that promotes optimal testosterone production. So, what can we do to get ourselves on the fast track to testosterone wellness. I have put together the great eight that I have seen clinically, while also having published research to back their beneficial effects.

Natural Agents and Action to help restore testosterone levels

· Vitamin D3/K2 supplementation increases testosterone in deficient men. With upwards of 72% of men demonstrating deficiency depending on the area the live and season the year, Vitamin D is a no brainer for testosterone support.

· Zinc supplementation, especially for those 60+ or the ultra-processed food eating teen or 20 something year old spending late nights burning the midnight oil.

· Reduce abdominal fat. Abdominal fat is directly inflammatory and contains high levels of aromatase the enzyme that coverts testosterone into estrogen. Not only that but it suppresses the production of luteinizing hormone, which is supposed to signal the testes to make testosterone. We each pound added the cycle becomes more and more viscous.

· The act of strength training causes a transient spike in testosterone but it is the body composition change brought on by consistently training to become stronger and more capable that leads to elevated baseline testosterone levels. Once again it the lifestyle that makes all the difference.

· Purified Shilajit over 90 days can increase free and total testosterone upwards of 20% in otherwise healthy men.

· Ashwagandha works to promote ease when the body is experiencing heighted stress. It consistently shows moderate increases in testosterone likely as an effect of improved cortisol metabolism.

· Cancel the low fat, fat free foods. Stripping whole foods of their fat content and consuming only the protein portion is a direct assault on hormone production and metabolism. Low fat is a recipe for low testosterone and lack luster living.

· Go to bed. Quality sleep is a lost art but is a goldmine for testosterone production. Boring right? Well, do you want your testosterone to go up or not? Working with the rhythm God put in us is The Way!

In my experience working with 100s of men to raise their testosterone, those who are willing to put these methods to task, rarely still think they need TRT to assume a higher level of wellness. Yes, this takes more effort than applying a cream or injecting every week, but it is how we enable our body to do what it does best, which is promote life.