I am delighted to announce the launch of my new book, Testosterone For Life: Recharge Your Vitality, Sex Drive, Muscle Mass, and Overall Health (McGraw-Hill). The book is now available online via Amazon.com, and should be in bookstores any day now.
This book is written to help men (or their partners) figure out if they have low levels of testosterone ("low T") and how to treat it. Remarkably, as many as one in 5 men over the age of 50 have low T and may benefit from treatment. But most doctors are only beginning to pay attention to low T, and so the vast majority of men with low T are never diagnosed, and so remain untreated.
The symptoms of low T include: low sex drive (what we call libido), weak erections, feeling chronically tired and without energy, and depression or a milder version, which I call "the blahs." Men with low T also often notice that their athletic performance is reduced, and may lose muscle and gain fat. A big surprise for many people, including physicians, is that men with low T are also at risk for osteoporosis, which can lead to fractures from minor injuries.
The treatment of low T has been a big part of my professional career, and I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to contribute to the medical literature on this topic. In particular, my work has uncovered the fact that the historical fear that higher T would increase prostate cancer risk is nothing more than a myth, and without scientific support. On the contrary, emerging data indicates that prostate cancer risk may be greater among men with low T.
Although the most frequent reason to treat men with T therapy is to help with symptoms, such as reduced sex drive or chronic fatigue, there is also increasing evidence that having a normal testosterone level may be important for overall health. Several studies have shown that low T increases the risk of developing diabetes and the metabolic syndrome (a marker of cardiovascular risk). Even more provocative are data from at least four studies now that showed that men with low T died sooner, on average, than men with normal concentrations of T. Clearly, this is a concept that requires careful study.
It's a fascinating subject, and one that is clearly in flux. However, the important thing is to know that there are many, many men in their 40s, 50's, and beyond who just don't feel that great, and who may benefit from T therapy. Testosterone For Life is full of stories from my practice of men who responded well to T therapy. If you're not feeling as well as you think you should, you might want to take a look at the book to see if you recognize yourself in any of the stories. If so, chances are you could be living a fuller, happier, and more loving life.
