You Need A Doctor Not A Testosterone Booster

When I get a spammy email with the heading "Boost Your Testosterone & Get Muscular" my internal alarm bells start ringing damn quick. Why? Because there are few if any T-boosters on the market that work (Balasubramanian A et al, 2019).

In fact I would be pretty confident that if I asked any of the producers or suppliers out there to demonstrate clinical evidence they work, I'm gonna get a bunch of weird-arse comments and excuses, non of which leads to any concrete evidence of their efficacy.

Don't get me wrong, low testosterone can be a serious problem for men and needs to be addressed but it needs to be properly diagnosed with a GP and then an appropriate plan implemented. Which just might involve more exercise, better nutrition and weight loss.

What is testosterone and where is it produced?

Testosterone is a steroid hormone and is the major sex hormone of blokes.

It's produced by signals generated from within your brain (the hypothalamus working with the anterior pituitary gland) telling your nuts/balls/Batman&Robin/knackers/gonads/testicles/hairy beads....whatever you want to call them.....to produce this amazing and powerful hormone and to then circulate it throughout your body (via your blood stream) providing further signals to your body about functions such as growth, metabolism and reproduction.

It's powerful effects are most pronounced and profound during puberty (you get a bigger you know what, muscles develop and hair starts popping up everywhere...or at least for some blokes it does) BUT it has a critical role throughout your life and influences the health of your bones, muscles, your mood and sex drive.

Signs and symptoms of low testosterone.

As is the case with so many lists of symptoms on the internet, these can also be related to other medical issues or be nothing at all, so IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR!

Adulthood

• Mood changes (low mood and irritability)

• Poor concentration

• Low energy (lethargy, low stamina)

• Reduced muscle strength

• Increased body fat

• Decreased libido (low interest in sex)

• Difficulty getting and keeping erections (uncommon)

• Low semen volume

• Reduced beard or body hair growth

• Gynecomastia (breast development)

• Hot flushes, sweats

• Osteoporosis (thinning of bones)

Later life (after 60 years)

• Mood changes (low mood and irritability)

• Poor concentration

• Easily fatigued

• Poor muscle strength

• Increased body fat

• Decreased libido (low interest in sex)

• Difficulty getting and keeping erections

• Gynecomastia (breast development)

• Osteoporosis (thinning of bones)

Causes and treatment

As is the case with many states of disease, malfunctions of our body, causes can be wide and varied. Causes of low testosterone can stem from issues related to your genetics, medical issues such as diabetes, steroid use or even being overweight.

It must be medically diagnosed by a GP NOT AMAZON or any other spruiker with the desire to do nothing more than lighten your wallet.

Most importantly, seek help, don't do what so many of us blokes do and suffer in silence. It is a treatable issue and has a vital role in your wellbeing so take it seriously and have your concerns alleviated by your GP NOW.

Get back to healthy living.

References:

Balasubramanian A, Thirumavalavan N, Srivatsav A, Yu J, Lipshultz LI, Pastuszak AW. Testosterone Imposters: An Analysis of Popular Online Testosterone Boosting Supplements. J Sex Med. 2019 Feb;16(2):203-212. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.12.008. PMID: 30770069; PMCID: PMC6407704.

Healthy Male Australia. Testosterone Deficiency.

https://www.healthymale.org.au/mens-health/testosterone-deficiency