Men´s Services
With heart disease as the leading cause of death amongst us, and 90% of us tipping the scales, it’s time to pay more than lip service to the fundamentals in men’s health.
It’s time to connect the dots.
For heart disease, you go to a cardiologist. For cancer, an oncologist. For depression, a mental health expert. And for obesity, maybe an internist or a bariatric surgeon. The point is that in our modern medical world, we work in silos and rarely toward the horizon.
So let’s ask some relevant questions. What if your cancer was promoted by obesity? And the heart disease that runs in your family by diet rather than bad genes? What if your heart disease, risk for cancer and obesity could be linked?
That’s where the Performance Medicine Practice of SocolMD in Beverly Hills, California excels. We isolate your risk factors, connect the dots, and give you a comprehensive understanding of where you are and what we need to do to change your trajectory. And for some men, testosterone is a part of the conversation, so let’s dig in with some solid information, while at the same time acknowledging that lifestyle is king.
common signs & symptoms
Testosterone Deficiency
Men reach peak testosterone levels around the age of 25. Lifestyle, environmental influences, genetics and aging push the decline in testosterone. And while this cascade may be entirely normal, it is probably not optimal.
Every man has a unique threshold where he starts to exhibit symptoms of a testosterone deficiency. Typical symptoms can include decreased energy, decreased drive & motivation, hot flashes, weight gain, loss of muscle mass, loss of muscle strength, insulin resistance / diabetes, and decreased sex drive.
Symptoms can also develop in a man who is mindful of lifestyle and otherwise doing everything right.
Blood testing can show if a man’s hormone levels meet the standard definition of low testosterone, or hypogonadism.
For a man whose testosterone levels are normal but with symptoms of a deficiency, he may have “partial androgen deficiency of the male.”
Treatment
the literature & medical consensus
Common Misconceptions
The FDA illuminated a controversy regarding testosterone therapy and cardiovascular risk in 2016 when it required a black box warning on all testosterone prescriptions. Initial efforts to require the warning were rejected by the agency in 2014, but it then reversed its position in 2016 in the absense of any new information.
So where’s the issue?
There were two published articles which suggested that testosterone therapy increased cardiovascular risk. When you try to answer the question “why,” it really boils down to understand who is and who is not a good candidate for therapy.
Dr. Socol’s opinion, as well as current international medical consensus, is that testosterone therapy reduces cardiovascular risk in appropriately selected patients.1, 2, 3 Our practice’s diagnostic workup and specialty training provides patients with a safe, best practice approach to testosterone therapy.
If you are interested in learning more about this recent history, look for the references at the bottom of the Men’s Services page for some valuable links. For additional conversation, please contact Dr. Socol.