Shouldn’t I try to find non-medical treatments or just accept the symptoms I am experiencing?Some symptoms of aging can be eased by natural lifestyle choices that everyone should make such as daily exercise and excellent nutrition. However, if your testosterone levels are low enough to be associated with a characteristic set of signs and symptoms that negatively affect your enjoyment of life, there may be no reason to accept it as “natural.”
Furthermore, there is a body of evidence low testosterone is unhealthy and restoring your balance may not only make you feel better, but may positively affect your health. It is important for you to understand that InBalance’s testosterone replacement therapy seeks only to add back to your body a substance that is found there naturally
Furthermore, there is a body of evidence low testosterone is unhealthy and restoring your balance may not only make you feel better, but may positively affect your health. It is important for you to understand that InBalance’s testosterone replacement therapy seeks only to add back to your body a substance that is found there naturally
Some of my friends are real athletes, but my goal is just to feel the way I did when I was younger. Is testosterone treatment right for me?Testosterone replacement is not a one-size-fits-all therapy, but a customized treatment that is sensitive to the severity of your signs and symptoms and the symptom relief you experience over time. It is also designed to bring you to the lowest level that relieves your most significant symptoms. InBalance simply seeks to add back to your body a substance that is found there naturally, in the same molecular, or bioidentical, form.
World-class athletes sometimes try to achieve testosterone levels many times physiologic levels in order to achieve new levels of performance. Their goals–and our goals–are very different.
World-class athletes sometimes try to achieve testosterone levels many times physiologic levels in order to achieve new levels of performance. Their goals–and our goals–are very different.
My doctor says high testosterone levels cause prostate cancer. Is this true?Studies in human patients do not show that high or increasing testosterone levels cause prostate cancer (castrated men are an exception). This makes intuitive sense since young men with high testosterone levels rarely develop prostate cancer.
Thinking on this subject began to change with the publication of a landmark article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004.1 The article concluded “there appears to be no compelling evidence at present to suggest that men with higher testosterone levels are at a greater risk of prostate cancer or that treating men who have hypogonadism [low testosterone] with exogenous androgens [testosterone supplementation] increases this risk.” Other studies have shown testosterone treatment does not increase the risk of prostate cancer even in men at high risk for metastatic cancer.2
In fact, studies have shown low testosterone levels may be associated with prostate cancer. This makes intuitive sense since prostate cancer is rare in men under 40. A study published in 2006 in Urology found that cancer detection rates increased as testosterone deficiency increased and other studies found that low testosterone is associated with more aggressive prostate cancer and cancerous tissue that extends to the margin of the prostate.
In the interest of providing conservative care, however, anyone who has had prostate cancer or who has had an abnormal evaluation for risk of prostate cancer would not be a candidate for testosterone treatment. In addition, if you are receiving testosterone replacement therapy, your PSA levels will be monitored.
1Rhoden EL, Morgentaler, A: Risks of testosterone replacement therapy and recommendations for monitoring. New England Journal of Medicine 2004; 350:482-492.
2See, for example, Rhoden, EL, Morgentaler, A: Testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men at high risk for prostate cancer: results of 1 year of treatment in men with prostatic epithelial neoplasia. Journal of Urology 2003; 170:2348-2351.
Thinking on this subject began to change with the publication of a landmark article in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004.1 The article concluded “there appears to be no compelling evidence at present to suggest that men with higher testosterone levels are at a greater risk of prostate cancer or that treating men who have hypogonadism [low testosterone] with exogenous androgens [testosterone supplementation] increases this risk.” Other studies have shown testosterone treatment does not increase the risk of prostate cancer even in men at high risk for metastatic cancer.2
In fact, studies have shown low testosterone levels may be associated with prostate cancer. This makes intuitive sense since prostate cancer is rare in men under 40. A study published in 2006 in Urology found that cancer detection rates increased as testosterone deficiency increased and other studies found that low testosterone is associated with more aggressive prostate cancer and cancerous tissue that extends to the margin of the prostate.
In the interest of providing conservative care, however, anyone who has had prostate cancer or who has had an abnormal evaluation for risk of prostate cancer would not be a candidate for testosterone treatment. In addition, if you are receiving testosterone replacement therapy, your PSA levels will be monitored.
1Rhoden EL, Morgentaler, A: Risks of testosterone replacement therapy and recommendations for monitoring. New England Journal of Medicine 2004; 350:482-492.
2See, for example, Rhoden, EL, Morgentaler, A: Testosterone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men at high risk for prostate cancer: results of 1 year of treatment in men with prostatic epithelial neoplasia. Journal of Urology 2003; 170:2348-2351.
I am experiencing many of the symptoms of low testosterone, but my doctor says I don’t need treatment because my blood levels are at the low end of the normal range. What should I do?It is important for both you and your doctor to understand what is meant by “the normal range.” Diagnostic laboratories use different definitions, but many generally consider “normal” to be whatever testosterone level is exhibited by 95% of the population (representing two standard deviations from the mean). The remaining 5% of the population is then equally divided between those whose levels are too high and those whose levels are too low. Lost in this calculation is an understanding that a significant number of men suffer many varied symptoms even though their testosterone falls within the normal range. Imagine if the same method were used to define normal vision: only 5% of the population would be told they need vision correction, though approximately 81% of Americans are symptomatic and have their vision corrected. This is a classic example of treating numbers rather than patients.
Have your doctor contact us. We would be happy to speak with her or him. Your doctor will be kept informed of your laboratory results so all aspects of your health can be evaluated with full information. If you feel your doctor still won’t listen to you, however, you can visit us for a consultation.
Have your doctor contact us. We would be happy to speak with her or him. Your doctor will be kept informed of your laboratory results so all aspects of your health can be evaluated with full information. If you feel your doctor still won’t listen to you, however, you can visit us for a consultation.
Are there men who should not use testosterone replacement therapy (TRT)?InBalance provides testosterone only to men who present with certain testosterone levels in the blood and a characteristic set of symptoms or signs. Even if clinically indicated, however, you should still not use testosterone replacement therapy if you have prostate or breast cancer or have had a previous adverse reaction. In addition, you should not use testosterone if you are trying to conceive a child, because it may make you infertile. Your InBalance physician will discuss the risks of and alternatives to this treatment during your visit.