Low Testosterone

Low Testosterone

Just read your article via a tweet link thx to Tony Robbins. Interesting stuff on Leptin.
I have very low Testosterone and it has been suggested to start TRT by several docs. Am overweight 40lbs and have tried to lose but learned and experienced it is very hard to build muscle and improve metabolism with Low T. Been four years like this. I have concerns but may go the TRT route.
Any thoughts and suggestions? Do you advocate replacement therapy or go all natural? I suspect you advocate all natural.
Thanks for any feedback.

Answer:

Before one should initiate testosterone replacement therapy, one must determine why testosterone is low. This is generally due to one of two reasons; low production or increased conversion to estrogen. These must be treated entirely differently. If one's testosterone is low because of increased conversion to estrogen, as is extremely common secondary to high levels of leptin increasing aromatase activity within visceral fat that converts testosterone into estrogen, it needs to be treated by reducing aromatase. This can be done via natural or medicinal substances that are “aromatase inhibitors” and this is okay for short term. Long-term, one must reduce the aromatase production within the fat by lowering leptin.

If decreased testosterone is secondary to low production, then instituting testosterone replacement therapy may be a good option. The best form of this is a transdermal testosterone gel made by a compounding pharmacy.

The best way to determine the source of low testosterone is through salivary hormone testing where the entire male sex hormone cascade can be measured.