The Daria Hamrah Podcast
Do you want to change or simply improve your life? Take your business or your personal relationships to the next level? Have you ever thought why change is so difficult? Ever wondered how people become successful and we just call them "lucky". The Daria Hamrah Podcast gives you Dr. Hamrah's personal insights and pathways to his successes and what he calls "true happiness". Featuring interviews with some of the most successful entrepreneurs, authors and experts in their field, he shares their insights into what he calls the "Secret of Life".
The Daria Hamrah Podcast
Hormone Optimization: The Key to Male Vitality
Dr. Christopher Asandra pulls back the curtain on men's health in this riveting conversation about the testosterone crisis sweeping through modern society. The alarming reality? Today's average man has approximately half the testosterone levels of men from just 40-50 years ago – a biochemical shift with profound implications for energy, mental clarity, sexual function, and overall vitality.
For too many men, the first signs of hormonal decline – fatigue, irritability, brain fog, decreased libido – are dismissed as "normal aging" or worse, treated with antidepressants without addressing the root cause. Dr. Isandra explains why conventional medicine often fails these patients and outlines a more comprehensive approach to men's hormonal health that goes far beyond simply prescribing pills.
The conversation tackles persistent myths about testosterone therapy, exploring why the FDA recently removed its "black box" warning and how properly administered hormone optimization differs dramatically from black market steroid abuse. Equally valuable are the actionable lifestyle strategies Dr. Asandra shares – from resistance training (particularly lower body exercises) to sleep optimization – that can naturally boost testosterone by 20-30% in many men.
Most powerful are the transformation stories from Dr. Asandra's practice – men who reclaimed their vitality, saved their marriages, and rediscovered themselves after proper hormone optimization. As one patient tearfully confessed, "it saved my life." Whether you're experiencing symptoms yourself or care about someone who might be, this episode provides the knowledge to recognize hormonal decline and the roadmap to address it effectively.
Dr. Christopher Asandra contact:
https://asandramd.com/
IG: @asandramd
Tweet me @realdrhamrah
IG @drhamrah
Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. I'm your host, dario Hamra, and today's episode of the Dario Hamra podcast is one I've really been looking forward to, because we're diving into the raw and real science of men's health, longevity and what it actually takes to live with strength, energy and clarity well into your 40s, 50s and beyond. Joining me is Dr Christopher Isandra out of Beverly Hills, one of the top anti-aging hormone optimization doctors in the country. You've probably seen him on the Doctor Show years ago or maybe you've heard of his work with elite athletes, high performers and men who want more out of their life than just aging gracefully.
Speaker 1:Today we're breaking down testosterone myths, sexual health, muscle and longevity, muscle as a longevity organ, and cutting-edge therapies like peptides, hormones, nad and more. But beyond the science, we're also going to talk about what it means to feel like yourself again and how to take ownership of your health one step at a time. So let's dive in, christopher, really excited to have you on making time in your busy, busy schedule. Now. Most guys in their 30s or 40s feel the crash less energy, poor sleep, low sex drive and they just kind of chalk it up to aging. But is it really that, or is it something else. It's something that particular men I don't know if it's a pride thing, it's a masculine thing they don't like to talk about it much. How is it being brought up in your practice, and how do you lead the horse to the water?
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for having me, daria. I think you know part of it is because it's becoming more talked about on things like your podcast. People are opening up more on podcasts. You know we've got Joe Rogan and all these biohackers that are talking about testosterone therapy and hormone replacement therapy in general for both men and women, and it's, I think, becoming more accepted as our society has gotten more stressful. Um, you know they did studies where they checked people's testosterone from today versus, you know, 40, 50, 60 years ago and the average male is like like their average testosterone is like almost in half of what it used to be and what's causing it and what?
Speaker 2:Why are people losing hormones and feeling the way they are now? You know there's there's many theories on it. One, it could be the foods that we're eating. Two, it's a lot of the estrogens xenoestrogens are found in our water from plastics and all that. Now we can't really pinpoint it, I can't say. But I also think it's also the stress that we deal with every day from I don't know social media. It's being bombarded from every direction now digitally.
Speaker 1:People don't sleep as well. Now I'm really curious to talk about these causes that you mentioned, these potential causes that it's hard to pinpoint because there are just so many. It's hard to conduct a study where you're going to isolate one versus the other and where you have a real control group. But what are the first warning signs when your hormones are crashing and most guys kind of miss them? What are those signs that you can?
Speaker 2:look out for?
Speaker 2:We look out for a few things, and it could be anything that brings them in.
Speaker 2:Sometimes it's erectile dysfunction, sometimes it's just simply fatigue, no libido, or I'm grumpy we always hear the term grumpy old man and I think that comes from low testosterone, but it's a myriad of things now I think that are symptom wise because, like, maybe I don't know for you, for example, or me we're kind of at that age now where it would benefit us.
Speaker 2:We start noticing things aren't functioning as well, whether it's our muscle mass, our gym performance, our erection quality, our libido, or we just feel more tired lately in the fatigue, and I've noticed that people are noticing that a lot more, as they in their thirties now, even more so than I think you know, maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago, but it's usually the first time it's like, oh, mental clarity it's down, I've got that brain fog, I crash in the afternoon, I don't feel like myself, and I'm also noticing that, you know, things aren't functioning as well physically on me, and that's really what brings men in and unfortunately, the doctors that they go to don't really address it, and so, you know, we're kind of their last hope sometimes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's interesting that you said that Now you used to be a conventional doctor. I mean, you went to conventional medical school and I believe you did a residency in emergency medicine. And I believe you did a residency in emergency medicine and so tell us a little bit about that experience compared to how and of you know, just sexual drive, tiredness, grumpiness and those things and and their doctors may have just given them an antidepressant or told them, like I was told, you're just working too hard or well, you're getting older, so better age, gracefully. How do you address that? How do you explain that to the patient? And tell us a little bit about your journey, how you transitioned from conventional medicine, emergency medicine into this field.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I was doing emergency medicine for a while. We work a lot of night shifts and I've noticed in my early 30s I wasn't functioning as well. But when you saw people come to the ER, you look at the list of medications they're on. I mean, they're on sometimes a laundry list of 10, 15 different medications. Oh, this one's used to counter the effects of this one and this one's used to counter the effects. It becomes this whole melting pot of medications that they're stuck on. It becomes this whole like melting pot of medications that they're stuck on.
Speaker 2:I was like there's got to be a better way to get these patients healthier without just reactive medicine where we just stick them on. We look at your numbers, we stick you on a medication and suddenly, boom, we treated the patient. No, no, no. We need to go back and look at the beginning and the history on this patient. Why they're feeling this way. What led up to why that they started? Why were they put on the antidepressant at 50 years old, when they were going through menopause or whatever the cause may be?
Speaker 2:But I started researching it and looking into it because a lot of my patients, even in the ER, would ask me you know, hey, doc, can you get me Viagra, can you get me testosterone? And I thought to myself, why do? Why do these older men want this? And I was like there's gotta be a reason why. So I started looking into it more and really dealt, diving into the basic fundamentals of medicine that we learned in medical school. We forget about all that because we become polluted by just big pharma and what they tell us to prescribe, where it becomes, like I said, reactive medicine.
Speaker 2:And so I started my journey kind of looking into, you know, what keeps men younger, what makes them feel better, what keeps them sexually, you know, younger, you know, and more potent. And so I started with that area and I really I joined the way a four and the American Academy of anti aging medicine and I really opened my eyes to a lot of things that there's other ways to treat patients, not just with meds but with, you know, natural things like hormones, change of your lifestyle, sleep, you, you know, and I think in medicine doctors are just so you know we have to move fast. It's like five, ten minutes with the patient max, but when you can't get a good history, where you're just looking at their labs and their numbers and intriguing that so yeah, one I wonder why that is that we have to move fast.
Speaker 1:You know, is that really in service of the patient or in service of something else? But that's a different topics. But I commend you for at least responding to your own curiosity and not just accepting the status quo. And I mean, that's how medicine or science should be. We should ask, we should be asking questions and not accepting something that we were told Right. And how do you feel medicine in general is moving along in that department, your colleagues in particular? Do you think we're on this trend, that finally they're realizing it, or do still many physicians live under the rock and do you think it's going to be a very uphill battle?
Speaker 2:Well, it's both. I think the good news is a lot more physicians are opening up to this and I think it's not necessarily because suddenly they had this epiphany. I think it's because their patients are demanding it. Their patients are coming in and said hey, I heard this podcast with whomever it was, and they're doing this type of treatments. How do you feel about it? And nine times out of 10 or more doctors don't know what it is or what they're talking about. So they start doing their own research and I think it's coming from that. But then on the other side of it too, um, I think, unfortunately.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of doctors have ego and you know, we've been kind of trained a certain way. They think they're always right with their treatments. But when a lot of my patients come in and we get them healthier with just our treatments, they look better, they lose weight, their numbers look better. Sometimes doctors don't like that. So a lot of times these primary doctors will call me and literally bitch me out and say you know, why do you have my patient on this, this and that? And I'll tell them. Well, let's look at their numbers. How's their blood pressure now? How's their cholesterol? Is he more active and they don't like that. They actually get offended by it. So I don't like the fact that a lot of doctors are still stuck in that bubble and, like you said, being under a rock. I think we need to be more open-minded about medicine and really look to turning to the patient and seeing what the best type of treatment is for the patient, not what suits our ego and what we've been taught all the time.
Speaker 1:Interesting that you said that because, even though it makes sense what you're saying and I deal communicating with doctors all the time about my patient's health I feel the ones that respond that way I think it comes more from a point of insecurity.
Speaker 1:I feel the ones that respond that way, I think it comes more from a point of insecurity, yeah, but I think the patient today, more so than ever, is in a position where they are their own best advocate, because we live in the day of information where living unhealthy honestly at this point is a choice. Living unhealthy honestly at this point is a choice Because in a world of information we live in today, there's no excuse and I feel the patient is more empowered than ever to keep their doctors honest and keep them on their toes, to enforce them to do their research, to make that progression into the modern type of medicine, the medicine 3.0, where they educate themselves beyond what they were taught in medical school 20, 30 years ago, and this almost this perpetuating this dogmatic group thing that doesn't really serve anyone health-wise. So I think the patients, more so than ever, thanks to the internet and social media, is in the best position to find people like you, becoming aware through podcasts like this or Joe Rogan, you know who's the other one.
Speaker 1:Maybe, Huberman, atiyah those guys you know. They raised great awareness and, I think, a lot of men. I don't know what your experience is. Do you feel men are more open to admitting that they have a problem than maybe five or 10 years before, before these podcasts came out? Do you see any trend there in your practice, huge, huge trend.
Speaker 2:I think it's the same thing with, like, botox and laser hair removal. I mean, people were embarrassed to go talk about it before. Now it's like, oh, I got my Botox appointment coming up, I got to go. You know, it's like people are understanding that it's more about longevity and health and it's interesting you bring that up. I just someone was telling me the other day that you know, the youth are not drinking as much alcohol. Now, right, they're going for wellness. Now they're, they're onto this biohacking wellness thing, and so people are losing money because, um, you know, kids aren't drinking as much alcohol. But to me that's awesome and I think it's because, like you said, the internet, these podcasts that are making people more aware of, of you know, what health is, and I'm glad that we're. We have the internet to to do things like what we're doing, to to spread the word and really get the word out there about what makes us healthier.
Speaker 1:It's it's. You're so right, it's all about education. It's funny because I have, for every patient above the age of 50 that's asking me about supplements, I have two Gen Z-lers asking me about supplements like NAD. And I'm like you're 20, you don't need NAD, your body is generating enough NAD. Just go exercise, don't eat junk, and you'll be fine.
Speaker 1:And it is a testament to the fact that this awareness and that they're so smart, you know, and even my four-year-old. Every morning he wakes up, he's like Dada, I need my vitamins. So this morning I gave him his vitamins and he has his probiotics, his prebiotics. He has his vitamin D, you know, and he literally I actually just posted it on my stories because I thought it's funny he literally went into our supplements drawer, pulled it out and he knows where his supplements are. He took it out, put it on the table.
Speaker 1:But that goes back to education. You wouldn't expect a four-year-old to be this aware, but we, as parents, made them aware so he knows what junk food is. He doesn't ask for it. So I think education is key and I think the current, younger generation is much more educated than we were when we were that age. And a lot of these myths are easy to bust, which want to bring me to the next myth, about testosterone in particular, where those doctors you talk to kind of come at you and ask you why you're putting their patients on this, and I would think that it's because of these myths around these peptides and therapies. So is testosterone dangerous, or is everything we've heard just outdated science? Can you kind of um you know um dive into it and explain for the, for our colleagues, but also for the layman that is listening, in simple terms, and we'll, we'll talk about the, these specific medical terms, what they mean in layman's terms, so our audience can understand Right.
Speaker 2:Listen, anything in excess is not good. And I think where we start hearing about the bad side effects of testosterone one is you know, there was I think there was this myth that it caused heart attacks. But we also have the myth on the other side where you hear about bodybuilders dying from using steroids. But we also have the myth on the other side where you hear about bodybuilders dying from using steroids and a lot of my patients ask me you know, is this safe? Because I heard about this bodybuilder dying and all this person dying. And I tell them listen, those people are abusing it. There's a difference between therapy and abuse. Okay, people are using 10 times the amount they should. They're combining it with other black market steroids. They're probably not even using real testosterone or they don't know what they're getting because it's literally made in someone's kitchen. So that's where it kind of came out. But we're starting to see this. You know, just one or two weeks ago they just took the black box warning off testosterone. Uh, the fda just removed the black box warning because we're finding out more studies that it doesn't cause heart attacks and it's not as dangerous as people think.
Speaker 2:The studies that came out the traverse study, traverse study show that it's not increasing heart disease. It's not, you know, versus placebo. It's actually in some studies are shown it helps men with heart disease because it makes you get more active and healthier and the heart is a muscle. So, and and you also have to control the estrogen with it too, you got to make sure everything's in balance right. So you can't just take testosterone, expect miracles, and it can't be a one-size-fits-all. We've got to check your blood work, adjust the dosing so it's exactly in the right levels that we want it at, versus just bombarding you with a one-size-fits-all. So I think that's where the stigma comes that you were mentioning about why it's bad. But if it's done under doctor supervision, it's monitored, it's completely. If not, it's very healthy for you in many ways it's completely.
Speaker 1:If not, it's very healthy for you in many ways. Yeah, it's. Uh reminds me of a quote. Say that the uh greatest enemy of knowledge is not, uh, ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge, and a lot of these doctors they think they they know it because of certain myths that they follow. But it's, it's, it's not so true. So tell us a little bit about, also, the estrogen in combination with testosterone, because a dude listening here this is like wait a second, I don't want estrogen. Isn't that a female hormone? So talk a little bit about the importance of the balance between estrogen and testosterone.
Speaker 2:Right, right, so the big myth is that men don't need estrogen. It's bad, you're going to grow boobs, you're going to be moody and emotional and all that. But in reality we need some estrogen for our brain health, for our bone health and also for our mood. But it's got to be in the right amount. So when we hear about roid rage from a lot of bodybuilders, it's not necessarily the testosterone that's too high. They're not controlling their estrogen. The estrogen is through the roof. So they're super emotional and that's what makes them more snappy and more hot-headed.
Speaker 2:We want to keep it in the right balance. We don't want to bottom it out either, like a lot of bodybuilder myths do. They completely try to wipe out their estrogen because they think it's bad. We see a lot of side effects. With that too, memory goes down. I had one patient who was, you know, crashed his estrogen for so many years taking anti-estrogens that he started having osteoporosis. I mean, he had bone loss because he had no estrogen. So having the right amount and it can fluctuate in many people because some guys will say you know what.
Speaker 1:Their estrogen will be lower, but they have no libido or it'll be too high. And they watch a disney movie and they start crying. So it's really that fine balance. Wait, I I do cry when I uh watch some of these movie, but my, actually my estrogen and testosterone is is perfect, um and um. You know, I don't want people to think just, it's not okay to cry, it's okay, but I guess not uh, to an excessive emotional, right, uh, sense, that's interesting. So so, um, okay, so it seems to me that a lot of people they manage their hormones themselves. First of all, how is that even possible? Like, where do they get these hormones and how? Why would they do that? Why wouldn't they come to someone like you, like a professional?
Speaker 2:Right? I think a couple of reasons.
Speaker 2:One, it could be a cost issue. I mean, you know, we've got to run regular blood work on people. That takes time and we have to see the doctor. Hormones aren't something you mess around with. It's something that really needs to be followed.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of people go to the gym and they're influenced by people at the gym. They say, oh, this guy, wow, look at his body, he's ripped, he looks great. I just want to be like him. And so they go and ask him and they start getting all these. They use Dr Google and they go on these forums and they kind of advise you on what dose to use and all that. But it's really something that needs to be monitored. But also, don't be using stuff that you get from the guy at your local gym. You don't know where it's coming from. It may be good, it may be bad, we don't know. I've seen guys come up with abscesses injecting themselves with this or they really screw themselves up and they want a quick fix. They think going to a doctor may be too cumbersome, but it's so important that we watch you, we monitor your levels, we give you the right amount and it's being followed. It's not something you want to mess with. It can be very dangerous too if it's not done correctly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's very bizarre to me for someone injecting themselves with particularly something like hormones and under no supervision and having no clue where the source is. I mean this is probably the most bizarre thing. I mean I wouldn't even take a pill if someone gave it to me. I didn't know where it comes from if I don't see the bottle etc. But I think a lot of it has to do with especially in those circles. It's kind of normal. They look at it as just a supplement as opposed to a hormone. Look at it as just a supplement as opposed to a hormone, right? So let's say, a patient walks into your office and says hey, doc, I just don't feel like myself. Like where do you start?
Speaker 2:Yep, the first thing we do, let's do some blood, let's check a blood panel on you, see what's happening in the body, see if you're deficient in anything, you know, check their thyroid, their testosterone, estrogen, even check their PSA, you know, their CBC, chem, all that stuff to kind of see what's what's going on in the body. And we then we set up the consultation and I think really a lot of it comes in the history. So how long have they been feeling this for? What are their symptoms? How's your sleep? Do you have sleep apnea? I mean, there's so many factors that we ask that you're probably your regular doctor doesn't ask, and and we want to really touch on those things so that they improve it overall.
Speaker 2:But I had a patient this morning. You know he's 260 pounds now and his testosterone levels total was like 200 and he's only 34. And you know he he was abusing steroids from the gym and all that. But I said you know, and he wanted to start right away. But he came in for blood work. I said let's get your blood work first and see where you're at. And I spent like 30, 45 minutes with him just asking the history to try to get the best type of treatment for him.
Speaker 2:And so that's really key is understanding the history, their medical problems, the medications they may be taking, why they feel this way. Is it because they abuse steroids, or is it just because they're getting older, and or is it some other factors that are causing this? Um, so we we always we don't necessarily treat the number all the time we also treat the patient. So you could have a normal testosterone level let's say it's 500 and still have those symptoms. Your 500 to you may not be the same 500 as somebody else you know. So for me, like optim, optimally, I feel good around a thousand. That's where I feel normal and I have the motivation to do what I do and have the energy to work out whatever it may be. But someone else maybe find it 800. I have some guys that only function at 1200. It really depends on the patient and that's why it's so important to find the history, keep checking the blood work and then really fine-tuning what, where they need to be at.
Speaker 1:So when you, when you talk about function like someone functions at that best someone, how does one actually know if, especially if they've been not functioning well for a decade and to them that's their norm, how would they? What would they compare it to? I mean, I guess any guess, when you're low, any improvement is great. Like, how do you know if you can actually feel greater than that improvement that you initially got, and how do you find that optimal range for each individual?
Speaker 2:Right. So one thing about testosterone is like, as we age, we kind of slowly decrease and kind of just get used to it. And so I'll ask them questions like oh, were you as high function as you were 15 years ago? 10 years ago, did you have as much energy? Were you working out as much? Are we able to recover easily or better at the gym than you did 10 years ago? And nine times out of 10, it's no. I mean, I don't have the same energy, I don't have the same mental clarity.
Speaker 2:And then you ask also people in their orbit, because people will say that he's grumpy now. He is not. His libido is down, he doesn't want to, you know, have intimacy with me or whatever it may be, it may be their significant other. And so, asking these Questions because men sometimes don't realize it because we've gotten so used to it over the years and we just gradually decline it's important that we ask the right question to see what's what they're lacking in. And sometimes I'll ask them how did you feel now versus you know, 20 years ago? Oh, it's huge different. You know, I didn't feel that way, I couldn't do this and that. So I think it's, it's setting the, the, you know the, the standards here and understanding where their baseline or where they feel the best in is, especially even with their job performance. And now we know because our job I feel like we're just so so much more stress and more demand that people need that extra boost to feel optimal because they just feel wiped out by the end of the week.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm sure you have patients that are not very honest about these things, or they're honest but they're kind of in denial, which is a very masculine thing. Especially the older I feel men get, the more they're in denial. Do you ever get their spouses involved into getting that information and how do you bring it up? How do you involve or bring in the spouse to get that information? Because I think the spouses know a lot of stuff, since they're living together, about what your patient might not admit or be in denial about 100%.
Speaker 2:And I encourage them to bring their spouse and sometimes their spouse is the one who makes the appointment and drags them in and says hey, listen, you need to come in, we need to figure out what's going on with you, because something's not right. You're grumpy, you don't want to have intimacy with me, there's ED, whatever it may be. So sometimes it's them dragging them in too. And I encourage them to come in because, like you said, some men don't want to admit it. I mean, all the time if their wife sitting next to them, they're like no, honey, it's you're really this, that, this that you know. So it's important that they come in and understand it too. But that led me into you know, kind of, and sometimes I'll be treating a woman and she'll be like gosh. I feel 10 times better. I need to bring my husband in now because I'm up here, he's down here. We're not on the same level. So it's funny how and it vice versa.
Speaker 1:So it works both ways so and I think for people that I guess for the female audience that's listening, this episode is not just for men. It's for women that have men in their lives and want to help them and want to think outside of the box and beyond their primary care. So this is interesting, I think, for both sexes. So this is interesting, I think, for both sexes. As to the biomarkers and lab tests, what are the important things to note and as far as, for example, total testosterone, free testosterone and other biomarkers that you're looking for, because I think there's a lot of confusion when it comes to analyzing or ordering these lab studies too, so can you kind of dive a little bit into that?
Speaker 2:Sure, you know, I think it's all of the above Testosterone total free, even their hemoglobin sometimes, because I notice a lot of guys with sleep apnea have higher hemoglobin levels. It's almost like training at elevation. They're not oxygenating it as well. So I always follow the hemoglobin and have people do a phlebotomy if needed. So it's things like that their PSA to make sure it's nothing.
Speaker 2:With the prostate Thyroid too, we check a lot of thyroid to make sure their thyroid's optimal. I see it more so with women, where we have a lower thyroid, more thyroid issues with women, obviously. But for men we want to check all those biomarkers. We want to check their cmp, make sure their liver, renal kidney function is good. You know I I usually leave the cholesterol and all that to their primary care doctor. But I will say that those improve after they get on hormone therapy because they're more active they're they're doing more um. And then we also check some other biomarkers too, sometimes like their a1c, to make sure it's not out of range or if we can improve that. It really depends on the patient and we kind of specify it for the patient depending on what their needs are.
Speaker 1:And so what is the importance between measuring? So, when you look at testosterone levels, what do you really look for? Which value do you look for? And based on the decade of of age I know we talked a little bit about everybody lives in their ideal range and so that you can't really compare numbers from person to person but what kind of basic guidelines do you go by within those lab tests, and which number do you look for? Do you look for the total testosterone, for the free testosterone, and why is that important?
Speaker 2:Most of the time I check just the total and because it kind of correlates with the free a lot of times, unless they've got a high SHBG level and they have some sort of liver issues or something like that. So I really look at just the testosterone. The total is what I mostly look at most of the time, along with their estrogen levels right, to make sure. But I also correlate along with their estrogen levels right To to make sure. But I also correlated with their symptoms. So if someone has a 600, 700 level and they're like man, that's a really good level, but he's still got ED, he's still tired, he has no libido. Maybe he functioned at a thousand when you know 10, 15 years ago. Maybe that was his baseline. So I really go based on the symptoms as well, not just the number. The numbers are great because it helps me kind of adjust the dosing for the patient, but I always say treat the patient, not always the number.
Speaker 1:So it seems like a baseline is important. It's important to establish a baseline early. So do you recommend younger patients in their 20s or 30s to come in to get their hormones tested to, and not just to see if there's any issues, but also to establish a baseline for their future? Is this something you recommend or you think? Yeah, it would be a good thing, but not really necessary?
Speaker 2:yeah, it's a good thing, not necessarily unless they're having symptoms. I'm seeing more and more patients in their you know, 20s, 30s and 30s now that are having symptoms and sometimes they do have low testosterone. Now, testosterone I wouldn't necessarily just start them on actual TRT yet Sometimes I try to say can we modify your lifestyle? What's causing it? Or we put them on some testosterone supplements or boosters to kind of stimulate their own body production again. Right, we don't just want to jump into TRT right away, but I think it's good to at least get a baseline. If you have the symptoms, ask your doctor hey, doc, can we just can we check our test? Can I check my testosterone? See where I'm at?
Speaker 2:I think all men should be doing that. It should be part of every doctor's. You know battery, a test that we do If we're running a CBC and a chem on them. Yeah, they're. Whatever it is, why aren't we checking the men's testosterone? It baffles, baffles me. But I see why. It's probably because they don't know how to treat it. They don't know what to. Okay, I got a low value or whatever it is. What do I do with it? And so it's it's. It needs to be educated more, I think, among healthcare professionals that it's okay to check, you know, testosterone levels on patients and we should be doing that regularly.
Speaker 1:Do you know if there's anything happening in that department in our current medical school education? Is that now integrated or still not?
Speaker 2:I still don't think it is. I deal with. You know, new graduate internal medicine docs all the time still don't check a testosterone unless their patient asks for it. And the reason they ask for it is really because of podcasts. Like you're doing it, they're hearing about what we're talking about and they're saying hey, doc, you know I heard I should be checking the testosterone. Can we do that? That's the only reason that doctors are doing it.
Speaker 1:Well, I have patients that said they asked their doctor to check their testosterone and their doctor literally told them that it's not necessary and they were fighting with them and then so they ended up going to one of these direct-to-consumer labs like Function Health or what's the other one Inside Tracker. They just do their own biomarkers and then they go and shop for doctors that understand, like you and do. You have sometimes patients come to your office that had already direct-to-consumer lab testing and say, hey, here's my lab and fix me up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you see that trend. Yeah, and I do. I do get that. But I also tell these patients you know you really want someone that you can see, maybe in person. More so I think telehealth it works sometimes if you have a really good doctor that understands. No.
Speaker 1:I'm not talking about telehealth. I'm literally talking about getting their labs. Oh, the labs, just labs, just getting their biomarkers and then going physically to a doctor to break it down and kind of guide them. Yes, yes, that's, that's.
Speaker 2:I see that a lot. Now They'll bring it into me and they'll say hey, I did this online test, look what I have here. But if you bring it to your regular doctor, I think you're going to be blown off. I really do.
Speaker 1:I think your, your regular internist is just going to be like, okay, well sorry Because, honestly, you know, a couple of years ago I started just doing my own labs and just getting more of the biomarkers than the traditional CBC and BMP that my primary care takes, just because I wanted to get to the bottom of things. And you know, my testosterone level was actually always normal, was within range, was even higher for my age group, which is I'm 51 now. So I started changing my lifestyle habits and I want to also now kind of segue into what can one do to improve their testosterone and hormones levels without particular hormone therapy, just with other methods, and I want you to talk about those so I could tell you, coincidentally, how my testosterone levels went up without hormone therapy. And it was an accidental thing where I just changed my lifestyle. I ate clean, I reduced um eating uh, fats and starches, I my performance increased.
Speaker 1:So I went to the gym a lot, I bulked up on muscle mass and all those things, and then my testosterone levels they went up by 30%. Wow, and I was surprised, and so I know I'm N of one. So I don't know whether, gosh, one could even argue it was a lab error, but the trend is going up because I did three tests. Talk to us a little bit about what one can do today, literally at their home, to work towards improvement, or, if they have, if they don't have low testosterone levels or hormone levels, how they can maintain and sustain that level into the, into the next decade, yeah well, I think there's a few things one is like you're doing.
Speaker 2:Is is really doing the resistance training and exercise, particularly in the lower body. A lot of guys neglect the lower body but you know we need to increase blood flow below the waist. I tell guys our biggest muscles are there. You're going to increase blood flow to the, the growing area, which which helps stimulate things. I actually I tell them that if they have ed is to do more lower body exercise, squatting, everything to get blood flow moving. Uh, I think, like you, improving our diet is huge. I think what we've been polluted with so many things. I just got back from Asia. I'm like why is?
Speaker 2:everybody here. So thin and like nobody's fat here. Right, you know they, I know they walk more, but like it's what the content in our food is. So eating clean number.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can't out walk a bad diet, so I'm pretty sure it's more of the diet than anything.
Speaker 2:It's more of the diet, what's in our food, I would say that. But at number three, sleep. I mean we're not getting as much sleep. We're on our phones, we're seeing that blue light. It's hitting us. We're waking up several times a night. Sleep apnea is a big one that I see that a lot of guys are underdiagnosed with. You know you need to make sure. Ask your spouse or whomever are my snoring a lot, because maybe that's what's driving your test that's what how I noticed I had low testosterone for me because I had sleep apnea.
Speaker 1:It's not because I was overweight, it's more functional thing for me.
Speaker 2:But I had sleep apnea and I'm like that's why my testosterone levels are in the gutter. I wasn't getting good sleep, I wasn't oxygenating at night. So sleep is hugely important. And then you know, getting sunlight, vitamin d, all these things that help us naturally to, to help improve our immunity and improve our health, really help with the testosterone. And, like you, I do see 20, 30% inclines. Once a patient will change their lifestyle and start paying attention more to these little things that could influence their testosterone levels. So very important. And giving up drinking I mean I don't drink alcohol and I tell people to try not to drink so much. I think it ages you quicker and I think there's more side effects with it. I can tell their skin doesn't look as good. I mean you know more about it than me, but yeah, I think it's, it's big.
Speaker 1:It's interesting that you mentioned those points because I could tell you the first thing that I did more is, um, do more, focus more on lower body, which I traditionally hated and I still hate it. Um, and I never did anything for like I hated like days, but I started integrating that, especially doing squats. Um. The other thing is I significantly cut down on alcohol. I would drink like maybe three or four glasses of wine a week and one might might say, well, that's nothing, I do, like double, and that that's normal. It isn't. I mean, you know, we now it's been established that alcohol is just bad for you. It doesn't matter one glass or 10 glasses, alcohol is just bad. And so that's one thing I reduced.
Speaker 1:And the other thing is I make sure I get more sleep. So I traditionally used to get about six hours of sleep and now I make sure at least I get seven and a half to eight hours of sleep. And actually I saw my cortisol level significantly drop and my hscrp level significantly drop, which are all signs of stress reduction and and so you look at those. It totally makes sense and um, it's, it's just something that, if you talk to the patient about it. How do you? How should I say it? How do you say it without them not thinking that this is like woo-woo signs, or you don't sound like a broken record and they're like well, I know, my mom told me I need to eat healthy and exercise, blah, blah, blah, blah. How do you really, I guess, get them to do it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's cliche I know, yeah, it's totally cliche it is, but sometimes our parents do best, and these are things that have been passed down generations right.
Speaker 1:More like grandparents.
Speaker 2:Right, get some rest when you're sick versus just thrown out. You know you don't be surprisingly not. A lot of doctors will ask those types of things instead of just telling them oh, get better sleep, exercise, good luck. I asked him how are you sleeping Like when you go to sleep? Are you really getting eight hours? How many times do you wake up? Do you snore?
Speaker 2:I mean, these are questions that we need to ask our patients, beyond just saying telling them to get more sleep. You exercise, okay. What type of exercises do you do? How often Are you doing resistance training? Are you just doing the elliptical and doing cardio? And if they'd say that I said you really need, at your age, to start integrating things that add more muscle mass to you. By adding muscle mass now, we're going to reduce osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, all these different things. I think it's in the questioning that we do for our patients to ask them little details and not just tell them diet, exercise, diet, exercise, eat better, go to the gym more. We need to ask them what they're doing and then give them pointers on what they can do to help themselves optimize all of these little aspects that they're taking part in.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent. And one thing I also consider, which is actually based on studies they've done when asking patients about their diet and about their exercise over 80% over-report their exercise habits and their good diet habits Over 80%. And it's shocking, because it's not that they're lying, they're just under the wrong perception. They believe they're doing better or they're doing more than they're actually doing. I think that creates a lot of disconnect between us telling them what they should be doing and them thinking well, I'm already doing that, I'm already doing a great job, then nothing will change and the needle won't move Correct.
Speaker 1:And so I haven't figured out how to address it other than just specifically asking them okay, so you exercise four days a week. Exactly what are you doing and how many minutes each day do you exercise? And now I get into the bottom of exactly what they're doing and then get them to realize that, oh shoot, I'm actually not doing that well. And so it requires spending a lot of time with them, a lot of Q&A, to get to the bottom of it. And so how much time, on average would you say, do you spend with your patients? Of course it depends on how much they already know and how much they understand, or whether this is completely new to them. They just crawled from under a rock or even patients that are skeptic do you, you know? Or skeptic, or even cynic?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean initially. Sometimes we spend I mean I'm in the patient room and doing, talking to them or doing whatever sometimes over an hour initially, just to figure out what's going on and we follow up with them in six weeks for more blood work and for more an update on how they're doing, and we want to guide them too in finding the right resources for them, and maybe sometimes they do need a trainer to realize that the way they're training currently is not really like you said.
Speaker 2:it's not as good as they think it should be, really like you said. It's not as good as they think it should be, because with hormone therapy and all this, we should be seeing results rather quickly If you are exercising correctly, if you're doing the right amount of workouts and eating correctly. If not, something else is going on. And you know, and now we've got this whole, you know, glp one, those epic kind of craze Now that we're seeing it's like people are cheating even more and thinking they don't need a workout and they're doing all these GLPs and they're losing muscle mass and they're you know, they're losing weight, but they're losing all this muscle mass too. So it's become this whole like yeah, it's a wild west.
Speaker 1:It's not any different than people getting their testosterone elsewhere. It's what the GLPs do. I mean, they can get it anywhere If it's not under supervision of a doctor. You know, I treat my obese patients preoperatively with GLPs, but we have a very strict criteria for starting them. I have all my patients submit a food diary for about four weeks and their exercise schedule, and if they consistently perform well, then we will start them on it and then we'll continue to monitor. So we keep them honest, or else we just don't give it to them or if we gave it to them, we take it away from them because of the things you mentioned. I think we have a bigger responsibility than just writing a prescription or giving them a drug and thinking it will do the thing, because we're our own worst enemy here and we could make or break things. But what do you all your success stories, your patients that have figured it out, what do they all have in common and what percentage of the patients that you see fit in that group you would say?
Speaker 2:I would say you know, the majority of them are happy and they're they're. They're feeling like they have a second chance again, they feel like their life they always describe it, they're all in yes, it's, life-changing, it's it's it's improved them, not just physically and stopped all that. It's improved them mentally. It's improved the relationships they're in um and those are really good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's. That's. The best success story is when they said they're a different person.
Speaker 2:Now I'm a changed person, I'm a new person and I feel better about myself. I have confidence again. People around me love me again. You know, uh, that's really what. What I really look forward to, it's not just the physical aspects and looking you know muscular, you know, looking great Um, that's, I think, a byproduct, but it's how they feel and everybody around them that's telling them that you are a better person.
Speaker 1:now it's amazing. It's amazing because last week I had a patient and I always now focus on a more comprehensive, holistic way to assess my patients, more than a CBC or a PMP, preoperatively what used to be the standard or still is and this patient told me that he's on hormone therapy. I'm like, oh great, like under whose care are you? Because I want to know if they're getting it off the black market or they're really being treated by someone like you. And he was really being treated by a legit clinic that I knew is local. I said that's fantastic.
Speaker 1:And then he started tearing up and he said it saved my marriage, it saved my life, it made you know he was I wouldn't say he was suicidal, but he was almost a brink of just letting things go just because he couldn't get his life together, he couldn't get his marriage, was falling apart for all the reasons that we talked about. And for me to see this grown man being beyond excited, to the point he got emotional and saying it saved his life and he saved his marriage and his wife was sitting right next to him and I could feel that energy. I was like man. I mean what a responsibility you have as a doctor. It goes beyond just making someone feel good you are, you are fixing relationships. I mean, we're talking about two people that at some point fell in love, assumably, and got married, have multiple children and all of a sudden, you know, they part ways. People saying, well, you know irreconcilable differences and stuff like that. But how much of that is really based on hormone dysregulations?
Speaker 2:you know, it's funny, you see it, both men and women, by the way yeah, because we see it when, when women start going through menopause, they start changing jobs. They have depression, they're you know, their husband wants to leave them because they're they're they're emotionally, you know, distressed, whatever it may be. But, um, yes, we see that all the time with in terms of how they've changed internally and how it really influences their mood. And how often, if you went to a regular doctor and told them those symptoms here's zoloft, here's prozac, here's um effects or whatever it may be can you just stop for a minute and maybe check their hormones. Perhaps that's what it may be Like, instead of just being reactive and throwing every antidepressant, like you're taught to these patients, maybe check and see if it's hormonal and maybe that's what they're missing, and giving that back is going to change their life and bring them back to normal.
Speaker 1:It's so sad. Yeah, this is, I mean I could tell your story. I went with my wife to back then, like many years ago, 10 years ago, when we just met. She says I got to go to my new doctor and get my thyroid medicine and I said, well, I'll come with you, you know. So I went there and was literally sitting there and it was a new doctor, so took a new HNP and everything.
Speaker 1:And she didn't't know her doctor, didn't know that I'm a doctor, I was just sitting there, I don't like to kind of get involved. And then she, my wife, was like yeah, you know, I'm here for my prescription, for to get a refill, my thyroid prescription, and you know, I haven't had my thyroid medicine in three days now I feel really tired and uh, you know, um, you know my mood, it's affected my mood and everything. And then so the doctor was listening, she was writing things down. She's like, hmm, um, have you ever thought of, uh, antidepressant, I might describe you. And also I was on my phone, just like reading something, and I looked up and said what happened, what happened, I swear to God. So I said, excuse me, did you say antidepressant?
Speaker 1:And my wife, she threw a fit Back then. She wasn't my wife, she was my fiance. She threw a fit. She's like excuse me, I just told you I have Hashimoto's. I've been on thyroid medicine for 10 years. I'm here for a refill. I'm not here for antidepressants. I don't have depression, as a matter of fact, I'm very happy, yeah. And so the doctor started arguing. She's like well, I'm not so sure, your symptoms, the things that you've been telling me. And then I kind of I didn't flip out. I said, look, just, you know, don't worry about it, we can just find someone else. Thank you very, very much. We literally got up and left and I was like I just can't believe it. I was so embarrassed in front of my wife that that actually happened, because there's no wonder that patients lose trust and start going rogue because of experiences like that. Yes, 100%.
Speaker 2:I mean, how sad is that, isn't it? Yeah, we've come to this now, where, you know, I see it all the time with family members that go visit their GP or their regular doctor about how they want to start them on all these like medications right away, statins and and and and, antidepressants and all this. I'm like hold up, hold up. Did they talk about maybe exercising first, changing your diet or whatever it may be? It's really sad that it's just and I think a lot of it's influenced by, maybe a lot of times, pharmaceuticals. They're saying, if your patient just says they're unhappy or whatever, maybe boom.
Speaker 1:Check a box. Yeah, check a box here's a drug.
Speaker 2:Good luck.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they don't understand these things have side effects.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no kidding it can make things worse for them.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of preventative things when it comes to, like, diet and exercise simply to, for example, raise your serotonin levels, which they've done. Comparative studies to SSRIs, and you know, those remedies beat them all day long, but you know so, but people don't know that because the doctors don't know these things. The studies are out there, it's not really a secret, and so I think the consumer is starting, hopefully, to get smarter and doing their own due diligence before getting on those SSRIs in particular, which I'm curious to see what the next several years teach us about the truth about these SSRIs.
Speaker 2:Well, I think we're on the brink of that now. I think we have RFK in office who's a big proponent of natural remedies, hormone therapy, peptides and all that. So I think we're kind of breaking through that. The more exposure we do like what we're doing, I think more and more people are.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm excited about new signs emerging in those departments. You know we do have signs, but really more controls, uh data on larger uh subjects and subject groups. But you know, um, we talk a lot about hormones and as they're related to mood and as related to erectile dysfunction, and even saving the marriage. But how about saving your health, you know? So erectile dysfunction do you think it can be the first sign for something that's more serious, like cardiovascular disease? Do you ever connect that, when someone comes with erectile dysfunction also to check if they have cardiovascular disease, could it be the first sign?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think it's a window to the body. You know, ophthalmologists will say the eyes are a window to the body, because if something's wrong there but I also think the way they function down there is also a sign. Now you have to determine is it possibly mental? Is it from medications they're on? Is it from drugs, is it from whatever it may be, or is it just unhealthy? But I tell guys, if that's not working, something else is going on in the body, something is not right, something needs to be corrected. You need to start getting, and that sometimes is the spark to get men to start exercising and changing their lifestyle again. Because you know women, it's more about beauty and all that for them. But guys, we want to make sure we function down there, you know. So I tell them, if you don't use it you'll lose it, and so that usually kicks them in the butt, gets them going yeah, that's a, that's a masculine pride.
Speaker 1:But you know, sexual health is definitely the cannery in the coal mine. You know, sure, something is off this, really just about sex it's. It's to me, I think, it's typically a system, wide message, absolutely, and, um, you know, I don't know, um, if you know, do you ever uh, feel it's warranted to get maybe a calcium score or, you know, a more detailed cardiovascular examination with these patients? Is this part of your protocol? At what point would you say you would order that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I mean, if I do see any of those signs in a patient, I do encourage them to, you know, refer back to their primary, to their cardiologist, to get this done. I'll refer a lot of people for sleep studies, um, because I think it's underdiagnosed, the sleep apnea, all these little things that we see. Uh, sometimes these men don't want to talk about it with their doc, or they talk about erectile dysfunction and it's immediate. Here's Viagra, good luck, you know. So I will try to refer them to the right people and to get, have them do the those type of tests, calcium scores sometimes we even do, like the prunovo, mris and all these type of different things that we want to encourage our patients to get ahead of their health. Um, so they can be proactive in it, certainly.
Speaker 1:I actually did a podcast with the ceo of prunovo and I did that. Yeah, it's, I think it's uh two from two months ago. Uh, feel free to listen to that. I do prenuva scans every year. I just want to be ahead of the game.
Speaker 1:I'm not one of those that is scared to know the truth or find out, because I like to kill the monster while it's little and I don't like to wait for a tumor to grow the size of a tennis ball or a football to treat it. But many argue against it. They think it's too much. But look to each their own. I mean, you can check your oil levels or your gas levels on your car and top them off before you hit the bottom. I'm just not that guy. But I think everybody has to look for themselves. But let's shift gears here a little bit, because one thing I know you've definitely been ahead of the curve on the cutting-edge therapies, and now I know you stay on top of the latest biohacks and longevity tools. What's got you most excited right now when it comes to the next-gen therapies?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, several things I think we're starting to see and it's difficult because, you know, in the United States we're somewhat limited but what I hear about around the world… what do you mean by that? Well, for things like stem cells, even Like we're starting to see more emerging you know I don't want to cures because that's kind of a taboo word in medicine we're seeing a lot of better treatments, treatments, yeah, treatments for stem cells, these types of emerging treatments that are, I want to say, more allowed or more liberal in other countries to do. I think that's huge. I wish we could I don't want to say experiment with it, but conduct more studies here to see how those things help.
Speaker 2:The peptides are huge now too, I know that they were somewhat banned by the FDA for being manufactured, but I think that was. I think there was ulterior motives behind that to get them. It's probably more political than anything, you know. I think it had to do with, you know, economical reasons as well, because you know we were seeing such great results with patients and peptides and they were healing quicker.
Speaker 2:They were with less side effects of the medications they would get just from their local drugstore. So I think that's going to become the next thing with generations is finding these peptides. Because they're so specific, we can kind of tailor it to the individual patient. That's going to be big. Even the things like, um, we're seeing with uh, I'm seeing more with, like the ozone therapy uh, it's kind of growing as well.
Speaker 2:Um, it's one thing I really want to start integrating into my practice, because we've seen a lot of people with long covid or people that were injured from a certain shot, if you, if you will, um, we're seeing a lot more, uh, people with side effects.
Speaker 2:So I think there's a lot of emerging therapies that are going to be helpful, and including the things you can just do at home the cold plunging, the red light therapy but I think we're still on the verge of doing even just hormones. I think it's becoming so much more accepted now, and when I visit other countries they don't really have this yet. We're kind of ahead of the curve here, but I think it's becoming more accepted and we're going to start seeing people live not only longer but better quality of life. The more people we could get to optimize their hormones, the more it becomes more popularized and I feel like it already is in the media, which is a good thing, and people are starting to catch on more to that and I hopefully we can start bringing some of the other integrative therapies like the stem cells hopefully eventually if we will, but um yeah, I think those are, I think we're.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and any, any peptides on your radar that you would like to, or that you already integrated in your practice, or that you would like to, that sound promising to you, that you would like to see more research on yeah, I think any of the peptides that boost growth hormone levels naturally are great, because obviously, when we boost our growth hormone levels, we see, you know, increased muscle mass, longevity, less fat.
Speaker 2:You know even the copper peptide. A lot of ladies are liking to do the copper now because they find it works well for their skin and collagen production. There's some other ones, I think, that work well too, that we and in collagen production. There's some other ones I think that work well too, like BPC-157, I think is a great one for healing post-op. Usually a lot of people use that with the copper peptides post-op to help their wounds heal quicker, whether it's orthopedic, whether it's plastic. They notice a big difference when they use those type of peptides. Holy cow, I really healed quickly, and sometimes doctors will call me and be like, hey, can you get my patient on this before and after? Because they're healing faster, and so I think surgeons are going to start, I think they're going to start using it more too in their practice, or send them to people like myself to start doing it. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1:I already know surgeons. I actually did a podcast with Matt Thompson, an orthopedic surgeon friend of mine, who is using bpc for 157 and copper in in exactly what you said post-operatively and seeing amazing acceleration in the whole healing and regeneration process. And, um, you know, I think other countries like, I think, mexico or brazil they are really, uh, using those, um, have been using those with a lot of data. But I totally agree, agree with you.
Speaker 1:I think there's so much promising stuff out there. We need more controlled human trials to convince, first of all, convince us what we have seen clinically, from an observational standpoint and talking about it anecdotally, to have evidence, to make sure it's not confirmation bias, right, um, I think we owe that to to approach this scientifically. But then again, we science needs funding and I think up until now, hopefully, with rfk uh in charge, we get more financing for for studies like that, which I think everybody will benefit from it. And to the cynics out there, it's like, hey, look, unless we look for evidence we won't know. So let's not debate uh right now. Let let that history teach us, like it has with all the other stuff. You know, one of the biggest, I think I think disasters in medicine has been the hormone therapy for women, the HRT study.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like what was it 25 years ago? Yeah, I mean, that was, I think, wasn't it like the most expensive study of all time, like something like $2 billion? What a disaster yes, what a disaster. I mean, whole generation of baby boomers were omitted and I believe for for female hormones. I know we're talking about male, but for female hormones. I think the window is like about five to ten years where you can get them on it to make the difference and reduce their chance for stroke or cardiac events in the future.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean they were using equine derived and using synthetic hormones. Now we have the bioidenticals, but unfortunately it's just stuck around, and so when you hear doctors calling me I literally had a Kaiser doctor call me the day just ream me a new one about how I should you know you shouldn't be using hormones are going to cause cancer and heart attacks and all this, and it just. I'm just like I didn't even want to argue, it's just okay, you know, if that's what you think, you know they were referring to the studies from 25 years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's sad, but but talk to us quickly. You mentioned something about the different types of hormones by identical versus. So can you, can you? There's a lot of confusion in that with with a lot of people can you kind of?
Speaker 2:explain those terms yes, so easiest way to look at it is like this when you go get a birth control pill or you, you know, when people look at the birth control packaging, it's always some weird chemical hormonal name levo, norgestrel, syntholol, whatever. It is Something you can't pronounce.
Speaker 1:If you can't pronounce it, that's it. You can't pronounce it. Right, that's it. That's the one.
Speaker 2:Right, that's synthetic. But if you have something like estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, those are naturally found in your body, those are what your body naturally makes. So when you say bioidenticalical, you're matching the hormone one for one. It's the same one that you're using versus a synthetic which may have extra I don't know element of carbons or whatever hydroxyl, whatever you know those, but they're all made in the lab, they're all right, and so those aren't considered bioidentical, um meaning it's not like the human body produces right so why would they make the other ones?
Speaker 1:then you can patent, because you can patent it. Oh, this is okay, monetize it. Actually, muller is talking here, I see.
Speaker 2:Okay, that's good to know you can't patent a hormone it's already found in nature, just like they can't patent marijuana, right, it's already found in nature it's kind of like ozempic and semi-glutides.
Speaker 1:Right, right, right that you can easily compound it.
Speaker 2:The active ingredient, yes, versus adding a side chain and calling it something exactly a side chain yeah, that's what it is and those side chains come with side effects interesting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is there any studies that compare one with the other?
Speaker 2:I don't think so I mean, who would fund that right exactly? Who's gonna fund it right? That's, that's kind of the secret.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let me shoot myself on my own foot and fund this study real quick.
Speaker 2:Right cause my business to crash, oh my.
Speaker 1:God.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think, man, you clearly walk the talk. I think I can tell the vast knowledge you have about these things. To me, this is the essence of what medicine should look like, and it's the more I get into it it becomes my world. I feel now I'm so deep into this bubble that I just can't fathom. I'm too far away from conventional medicine now that sometimes it makes me a little bit angry, to be honest. But that is what motivates me, and it motivated me enough to write a book on, at least for my own field, how to integrate all of this functional medicine into my aesthetic practice so that patients don't just look good but also feel good, and vice versa. If they feel good, they come to me and want to look good. That's what actually rose my awareness to do it both ways, and you know we need more doctors like you doing that. Yeah, awareness to do it both ways.
Speaker 2:We need more doctors like you doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's coming, I think the time has come, I think more. I can't tell you that there is not a day when a patient comes to my office and I don't know whether it's a national selection process. That's why they find me. They always say like finds, like they're not aware about these things. And so, especially the middle-aged one in their late 40s and 50s, especially the men, more so than the women. There is so much bro talk going on and so much awareness in that department that I don't have a middle-aged man come into my office that still lives on their rock, and to me that's a testament that I think the cat's out of the bag.
Speaker 1:Good People are waking up, yeah, so that's cool. I love what you do and how you address it. But let's talk about now about the brain function, how it affects brain function, mood and and the role of testosterone in that equation. You've mentioned how, you know, optimized hormones can boost, you know, clarity and mood, initially with your patients. What's the connection between testosterone and mental health? You know, is low testosterone the real reason why so many men feel anxious or tired or moody? Uh, above the age of 35, how much of it is testosterone? And kind of um educate us a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, certainly it could be definitely could be a factor um, it could, you know, be related to that, and I think a lot of times, you know, being on testosterone boosts your mood because it helps boost neurotransmitters to the brain, blood flow to the brain. It's the male hormone that really vitalizes us and makes us feel like men. That's why when we're in our early twenties like teens, early twenties we have so much more energy, we have more mental clarity, we're able to, we're happier, I guess. But yes, it does. It does boost a lot of the neurotransmitters to the brain. So we have less depression, and in women too, it's for both.
Speaker 2:I don't want to just limit to men, but we do see it that in both men and women, the increased blood flow, neurotransmitters everything increases after that and that's why a lot of my patients are off able to get off a lot of their antidepressants.
Speaker 1:Got it and so okay. So, yeah, I want to wrap this up with something super practical, kind of to bring it all together. If a guy's listening right now feeling run down or stuck, what are a few simple steps he can do today to reclaim his health over the next like 90 days?
Speaker 2:Yeah so, first and foremost, I think, you know, you got to make a commitment to yourself and to commit to the lifestyle change If you are, if you're not living that optimal lifestyle. Number two, you need to go to your doctor If you're feeling that way to figure out what the problem is and ask them to run your hormones, ask them to run your thyroid, whatever it may be, and have them sit down with you to explain, if they can, what's going on in the human body. But being proactive and getting motivated to do that. Now, a lot of times men, they're so low in their testosterone they can't get the motivation to do that, to start exercising again or whatever it may be. So maybe you do need to go get your levels checked. But go get your levels checked, find out what's going on. If you know and you feel in your heart something's wrong, we know our own bodies better than anybody Ask the people around you, you know, if they've noticed a difference in you as you age.
Speaker 2:So really take that first initiative, that first step and go check yourself out.
Speaker 1:Thanks, christopher, that was phenomenal. I really I can't believe it's already time I could talk to you for hours and, um, I will pick your brain in the future. But thank you for sharing your insight and your experience and giving men real hope that aging doesn't have to mean decline. Um, that's was my personal experience and that's why I'm deep into this, and if you're listening and you're tired of feeling like a shell of who you used to be, this is your wake-up call. Guys, you don't need to accept fatigue like I didn't, low sex drive or brain fog as normal, whatever normal means. You just feel you know, just need the right tools and the right guidance and just make sure you follow Dr Sandra online. Check out his clinic If you're in California, if you want to go there I mean, he is right in Beverly Hills and, as always, don't forget to subscribe and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and this is also for the women in our audience. So, chris, how can people get in touch with you if they want to hit?
Speaker 2:you up. You know, I know. Go to my website. It's asandramd. A-s-a-n-d-r-a-m-d dot com or a-s-a-n-d-r-a-m-d at Instagram. Just follow me there and get in contact with me thank you, chris.
Speaker 1:Until next time, guys, stay strong, stay curious and stay Stay Optimized. Bye-bye.