Why has Testosterone Replacement Therapy become so popular? In a nutshell, it’s due to increased awareness of the importance of Testosterone for men. It's an established fact that Testosterone declines with age. Most men can expect a 1% decline in testosterone levels per year after age 30, some may experience a bigger drop. This drop in testosterone production is due to the dying off of the cells in the testicles that produce testosterone (Leydig cells). This doesn’t include the additional drop off in testosterone levels from acute injury or trauma. Anybody who has trained in martial arts or extreme sports is aware of these types of injuries.

Why should you care about your Testosterone levels? For one thing, most doctors are not informed of the ill effects of low Testosterone. Here are some the medical problems associated with Testosterone deficiency:

Loss of Sex Drive/Libido
Loss of Muscle Mass and Strength
Depression
Diabetes Mellitus type 2
Heart Disease
Loss of Energy
Osteoporosis
Obesity
Anxiety

Another important reason to care about your testosterone levels is that as your testosterone levels decline, your chances of dying prematurely markedly increase. In the Rancho Bernardo Study, men with lower testosterone levels had a 40% greater risk of death compared to men with higher testosterone levels, independent of risk factors such as age, adiposity(fat), lifestyle, diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome.

In the largest study evaluating Testosterone Replacement Therapy, 83,000 European veterans, who suffered from low testosterone and whose levels of testosterone were brought up to normal outlived those who were not treated. The 15-year study showed that Testosterone Replacement Therapy dropped all-cause mortality by 56%. Heart Attacks (MI’s) dropped by 24% and Strokes dropped by 36% in the treatment group compared to those not treated.

The Baltimore Longitudinal Study showed that Testosterone deficiency was even more common when Free Testosterone levels were measured. This is important because it's the Free Testosterone that is biologically active. If you haven't measured your free testosterone level, you could have a deficiency and not know it.

When your doctor checks your testosterone level, the lab usually gives results for total testosterone levels. Total testosterone is made up of testosterone bound to SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin), along with Testosterone bound to albumin, and Free Testosterone. Testosterone bound to SHBG makes up roughly 50% of your total testosterone, testosterone bound to albumin makes up about 45-47% of total and Free Testosterone makes up 1-3 % of the total. SHBG increases with age and thus can make your total testosterone look normal when in actuality you may have very little free testosterone available. So, unless you have measured both your Total Testosterone and Free Testosterone level, you could have a Testosterone deficiency and not know it. At Castellano Health Institute, Total and Free Testosterone levels are just one of the few hormones measured. When a deficiency is found, we bring those levels up to a healthy state so that you can feel and function at your best.