The Highs and Lows of Testosterone

Bio-Identical pellets are by and far the best method for delivering the hormones to you.

We just got back from a conference of Age Management Medicine Specialists. We attend this conference every year. Doctors from around the world come to share with each other their knowledge and experience of age management medicine.

Dr. Maupin’s practice focuses on the use of testosterone and estrogen pellets. There are other ways to deliver these two hormones, but in her experience, pellets are by and far the best method for delivering the hormones to you. This has been both a scientific and trial and error experience for Dr. Maupin. She spends a lot of time with her patients discussing their symptoms and concerns and she watches the areas of concern that we call side effects very carefully.

Kathy wants to make her patients feel better. She wants them to experience symptom reduction. So, she does not try to put them on drugs and manipulate a dozen different data points. She has learned that HRT pellets work best for this goal. In order to make these determinations, Dr. Maupin has new patients get some lab tests and send the results to her before she ever takes a meeting with the patient. (or prospective patient) After looking at those data points she meets with the patient. She explains that she has looked at the labs and that the results are either within “range” or not. Range is what a layman would call normal. However, the complication arises from the fact that there is no real “normal” on the lab sheets from the two largest lab providers in the country. She does not get a number that is normal she gets a range of numbers where the patient might be fine.

The challenge is to determine the lowest level at which symptoms are relieved. Dr.’ are looking for what we call the sweet spot of testosterone where the patient feels good and his symptoms have declined, and he is healthy. She has learned through years of practice the delicate art of dosage control by looking at labs and interviewing the patient. She wants to know how they live their lives, their stress level, their sense of sexual energy, and other factors of their life style (alcohol, exercise, other health concerns). Then she determines a dosage that her experience tells her will be the right amount for those individuals.

At the conference doctors were focused on the new research that is being debated about the measurement of PSA and the determination of prostate cancers and how to treat them. It is often said that if a man lives long enough he will get prostate cancer and if nothing else kills him, prostate cancer will. There are doctors who are afraid of giving testosterone to men who have had prostate cancer. It is a challenging topic of concern for all doctors. What do we do and when and how do we do it? Those are the questions, often they are asked and answered by referrals to other doctors.

It is important to speak with your doctor about your lab values their philosophy of dosing testosterone replacement and their management strategies for any and all side effects that might be a concern. You want to make a good decision about where and to whom you should go for information and treatment regarding hormone replacement therapies.

This Health cast was written and presented by Dr. Kathy Maupin, M.D., Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Expert and Author, with Brett Newcomb, MA., LPC., Family Counselor, Presenter and Author. www.BioBalanceHealth.com.