Understanding Low Testosterone And Its Health Repercussions
Understanding low testosterone and its health implications is essential to making an intelligent decision on getting medical treatment for this condition.
Paid advertising is arguably not the most objective source for obtaining reliable news and information that affects people’s health.
But for some men, it is basically the only information source that they have utilized for understanding the male health repercussions of having low testosterone (Low T).
Yet to objectively comprehend what the ongoing debate on this increasingly more common hormone deficiency is all about, an individual is really going to need a broader base of data to consider than that.
Understanding Low Testosterone
A synopsis of the current debating points on Low T would go something like this:
Some health “experts” claim that it is an invented medical malady while others claim that this is scientifically shown to be a legitimate medical disorder.
Even those who agree that it is a recognized disorder cannot seem to agree on what the best methodology is for its treatment.
The medical community seems united on the use of bio-identical supplementation therapy. But other factions appear to promote holistic and other non-traditional methods over the medical approach, which they fear are not sufficiently safe.
Agreement on its symptoms, among those who recognize low testosterone as a bona fide clinical condition, seems nearly universal.
However, ongoing studies and new research continue to provide a deeper understanding of its symptomatology.
Ongoing research is also adding to our comprehension of Low T’s implications on an individual’s physiological and emotional health. Yet as in all-new research, the results are usually debated for years by its community of professionals.
How can any individual who is not a health or endocrine expert be expected to wade through all of these facts, opinions, and theories on low testosterone and make something intelligible of it all?
Many people can’t, which is unfortunate for them because many solidly credentialed medical experts staunchly believe science has proven beyond doubt that Low T is real – and that it presents some very real health risks to men.
How To Know If Your Symptoms Are Due To Low Testosterone?
As scientists and physicians say, you can guess or you can test. And today’s highly reliable clinical testing has ensured that no man has to spend years guessing if his symptoms are being caused by low testosterone.
So what is behind the dramatic increase in the number of men who are getting tested for Low T?
Can some of it be attributed to the obvious increase in paid advertising for prescription hormone medications?
Very possibly it can be because the first goal of all advertising is to create public awareness.
However, not many people run to their doctors requesting all sorts of tests whenever they see an advertisement for a new drug.
It is the age of viral information and virtually any individual can access information, data, and news 24/7 by going online. And when they do, they will find that there are plenty of articles there addressing the symptoms and health implications that have been associated with Low T.
Most men are already fairly familiar with the “big 3” symptoms to look for:
- A decreased or non-existent sex drive;
- Chronic fatigue;
- And energy depletion.
Yet how many of them would be aware of a study that recently concluded linking borderline to low testosterone levels with a higher rate of depression?
Unless they attended the 2015 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society that was held in San Diego, where these findings were presented, probably not many.
Many men also don’t realize that obesity can be a Low T symptom and a contributing factor.
So physician-ordered blood testing is always going to be required in order for a confirmed diagnosis of this, as well as many other hormone deficiencies to be reached.
Finding The Right Testosterone Treatment For You
More and more, Americans are turning away from remedies that can only mask their symptoms and looking for better alternatives.
They are holding out for solutions that address and can resolve the causes of their health problems such as low testosterone. And by anyone’s standards, that represents a genuine step forward in health awareness.
It also represents another healthy trend: Individuals are becoming more personally involved in and taking responsibility for making health care decisions that their parents would never have questioned and left to their doctors.
Whether you are into holistic health care, conventional healthcare, or minimal health care, people are finding their place in the overall healthcare picture and are staying committed to it.
How does this affect individual choice pertaining to low testosterone treatment?
Is the use of injectable or topical treatments that must be prescribed left up to each patient?
By definition, if a physician is legally required to prescribe certain medications before a patient can obtain and use them, they bear the ethical responsibility of ascertaining that patients medically require them.
So using prescription hormone replacement therapy is not a choice that any individual patient can make alone.
This is a decision that has to be made mutually, between patient and doctor – and it should only be made in an environment of mutual trust and respect.
When that exists, both parties can be confident that the right choice has been made and treatment can proceed under the best circumstances for success.
Doctors And Experts Are Debunking Low Testosterone Myths
What many have found to be the most off-putting aspect regarding the low testosterone debate is that has such a fear-fuelled focus.
Scaring people into a certain point of view rarely works in the long run, even if it inaccurately manages to temporarily give some people pause.
Wary of the misrepresentations and mistakes that have at times characterized both sides of the debate, many people who truly could benefit from receiving low T treatment often abandon the whole idea because of their uncertainty about the facts.
However, the tide of mistrust is turning as additional highly credentialed and unquestionably qualified doctors are coming forward to publish their well-researched data that debunks the old myths about low testosterone, point by point.
These medical experts have shown that among other oft-repeated myths, the treatment of low testosterone:
- Is not overly prescribed, or prescribed inappropriately;
- Does not lead to a higher CV (cardiovascular) or prostate cancer risk;
- And has real and proven health benefits.
Now, understanding low testosterone and its health repercussions will definitely help you make the first step in the epic fight against low T.
