Episodes

  • High Hematocrit Caused by Testosterone: How to Lower it.

    High Hematocrit Caused by Testosterone: How to Lower it.
    Jun 24 2024

    Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is one of the most effective ways to combat low testosterone levels, but it's vital that you understand the risks associated with the treatment. As with any form of hormone replacement therapy, there are a few downsides to receiving regular injections of testosterone. One of the main TRT side effects is increased hematocrit. This article will explain why this happens, the potential long-term health consequences, and how to prevent or manage this issue.

    Since abnormally high hematocrit values can pose serious health problems, this article will analyze the correlation between testosterone therapy and high hematocrit. TRT, sleep apnea, and smoking are contributing factors that can cause high hematocrit that can increase cardiovascular risks if not properly managed. This podcast explains the basics of how to manage high hematocrit while using testosterone therapy.

    How to Lower High Hematocrit Caused by Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)
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    11 mins
  • How to Increase Testosterone Naturally: What You Need to Know

    How to Increase Testosterone Naturally: What You Need to Know
    Apr 12 2023

    Discovering natural testosterone boost methods can significantly impact your overall health and wellness. Testosterone is a key hormone that helps to regulate sexual functioning, hair development, and sustaining muscle mass. As we get older, our testosterone levels drop, so it's important to find ways to raise and maintain healthy levels.

    To maximize your testosterone levels, we will look into the benefits of exercise regimens such as weightlifting and HIIT, dietary strategies with zinc, vitamin D and magnesium-rich foods, sleep quality for hormonal regulation, and stress management techniques like meditation and yoga. We'll talk about nutrition tips by looking at foods high in zinc, vitamin D, and magnesium, which help the body make the most testosterone.

    Furthermore, we'll discuss the significance of sleep quality for hormonal regulation while providing practical stress management techniques such as meditation and yoga. Last, we'll look at how a healthy body weight helps keep testosterone levels at the right level. Embark on this journey towards better health by incorporating these evidence-based approaches into your daily routine.

    How to Increase Testosterone Naturally
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    14 mins
  • Cost of Blood Tests With or Without Insurance

    Cost of Blood Tests With or Without Insurance
    Apr 7 2023

    In today's medical system we can all use lab tests to get a diagnosis for a wide variety of diseases such as diabetes, low testosterone, low thyroid, anemia, heart disease risk, etc.  After the lab analyzes your blood, health care providers can identify specific ailments quickly, helping you get the required treatment on time.

    However, the bad thing is that analyzing your bloodwork can be a seriously expensive and time-consuming procedure. Most people feel put off by surprising and unexpected medical bills of several hundred or even thousands of dollars for a blood test weeks after they got them done at their doctor’s office.

    How Does Bloodwork Get Processed?

    Let's say that you want to check the level of glucose or A1c in your blood or determine if your diabetes is in control. You can do that with simple blood tests which check for specific biomarkers. Based on that, the doctor can make lifestyle recommendations to avoid the disease or treat it successfully.

    But to get your blood test done, you need to speak with your primary healthcare provider first. This fact seems to make people run into a lot of different problems caused by a poorly managed healthcare system.

    This article strives to highlight some of these problems and help you find ways to deal with them. Luckily, direct-to-consumer blood tests are increasingly popular these days, and we'll be covering them in greater detail at the end of this article, so keep listening.

     

    https://www.discountedlabs.com/blog/getting-affordable-blood-tests-with-or-without-insurance:-top-barriers

     
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    12 mins
  • How to Use hCG and Testosterone Injections at the Same Time

    How to Use hCG and Testosterone Injections at the Same Time
    Mar 8 2021
    Today I'm going to be explaining the use of HCG together with testosterone injections (Video Transcript) Why Do Some Men on TRT Need hCG? Men with a low testosterone test result need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), either by getting a prescription from a doctor for a gel, like AndroGel, Testim, Axiron, Fortesta, or getting a prescription for testosterone injections, like Cypionate, Enanthate, or Aveed (testosterone undecanoate). There are many benefits of using testosterone to replenish or to increase your testosterone back to normal levels for your age. However, there are disadvantages. One of the disadvantage of using testosterone is shutting down your own body's production of testosterone. Your testicles basically stop producing testosterone. There are cells in the testicles called Leydig cells that go dormant when you start using testosterone gels or injections. This testicular cell shut down can cause testicular atrophy, meaning your testicles can shrink with time. Testicular atrophy can fortunately be reversed with the use of hCG together with testosterone injections, gels, pellets and other TRT options. TRT can also cause your fertility and sperm count to go down.  This decrease in sperm count and quality may impair your ability to get your wife or girlfriend pregnant. After long term TRT, some men may start feeling that TRT is not working as well when it comes to boosting their sex drive. Other men may feel that their penis is not as sensitive when performing sex. So, that's where Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) comes into play. hCG is a peptide obtained by prescription that it's legal and FDA approved in the United States for enhancement of fertility in men and women, and for increasing testosterone in men with hypogonadism (testosterone deficiency). hCG has had a lot of bad publicity due to its use in the “hCG diet”, which is not supported by clinical data and the FDA.  hCG has also been proven by studies to also improve testicular size when experiencing testicular atrophy due to TRT. And last but not least, hCG can  improve men’s libido and penis sensitivity. How to Use hCG with Testosterone Injections at the Same Time Most protocols used by different TRT clinics out there use two or three injections a week of hCG either under the skin or in the muscle. Along with hCG, they prescribe testosterone injections either once a week or twice a week. That protocol requires, when you add injections up, five injections a week. I don't know who likes to inject that much! Personally, I do not want to inject so many times per week as I'm really trying to simplify my life and to avoid what we call “needle fatigue”. We're all busy and yes, we want to have the best sex drive, the best mental capacity, the best mood, but not with that kind of commitment to multiple injections.  Therefore, I designed a protocol that will simplify my and everybody's life by using hCG together with testosterone injections only twice per week, with both products combined in the same syringe. I use a very tiny syringe- 27-gauge 1/2 inch.  These type of insulin syringes come in a bag that you can get online without a prescription. How to Inject hCG plus TRT You also need alcohol swabs to clean the vials and also your skin. And you obviously need to get a prescription of testosterone, either Cypionate, Enanthate or Undecanoate. This vial contains 200 milligrams per milliliter (or cc) for a total of 10 mL. Depending on the dose, so that you may need only 100 milligrams a week of testosterone, or only 200 milligrams. In severe cases of lack of TRT efficacy, the TRT dose can go as high as 250 per week. You can divide that dose in two injections. In my case, I use 100 milligrams of testosterone per week, divided by two, that's 50 milligrams twice a week. hCG comes in a vial of 11,000 units IUs (or other types of units depending on the compounding pharmacy). hCG comes in a powder and the pharmacies send bacteriostatic water with it that you have to mix it once it gets delivered to your place. The best way to do so is injecting 5.5 mL of bacteriostatic water it into the hCG powder vial of 11,000 IUs, which means basically every cc or mL will contain 2,000 IUs. So, for 50 milligrams of testosterone Cypionate that comes in vials that contain 200 milligrams per mL, I need 0.25 mL for every injection, twice a week. The same thing goes for hCG. I need only 0.25 mL to inject 500 IUs per injection.   Some men seem to derive benefits from hCG with 250 IUs twice a week. There is debate about what is the best dose of hCG with TRT. How Do You Know What hCG plus TRT dose is Right for You? You'll know it within two or three weeks if your testicles are not feeling fuller and you're not feeling more sex drive.  For increased sperm count, it takes a while (8 weeks) to find out if it's working or not. Take the top off each vial (testosterone and hCG). Use an alcohol swab to clean each vial top.  Then you can inject on my ...
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    15 mins
  • Facing HIV in the 80's and 90's: Interview with Nelson Vergel

    Facing HIV in the 80's and 90's: Interview with Nelson Vergel
    May 26 2020

    Is this interview, HIV activist, author and educator Nelson Vergel speaks about how he handled his HIV diagnosis in 1986 to propel him to become an activist and how we created a program to help HIV/AIDS patients survive HIV wasting syndrome. More information in NelsonVergel.com
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Restarting Testosterone and Sperm Production After Stopping TRT or AAS

    Restarting Testosterone and Sperm Production After Stopping TRT or AAS
    May 11 2020

    Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy speaks about testosterone, hCG, anastrozole, estradiol and male fertility with Nelson Vergel from www.ExcelMale.com and www.DiscountedLabs.com. Dr. Ramasamy is the Director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery as well as an Associate Professor in Department of Urology at the University of Miami in Florida. As a Urologist and Microsurgeon, Dr. Ramasamy specializes in the treatment of disorders of male infertility and sexual dysfunction. He is an expert in vasectomy reversal and penile prosthesis. More information on https://www.excelmale.com/forum/
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    48 mins
  • Does Testosterone Cause Prostate Cancer and Heart Attacks?

    Does Testosterone Cause Prostate Cancer and Heart Attacks?
    Jul 3 2019
    Nelson Vergel from ExcelMale.com and DiscountedLabs.com interviews Dr. Mohit Khera, one of the world's top experts in urology and testosterone therapy with over 100 publications. He debunks myths about testosterone and prostate cancer, cardiovascular risks and DVT / blood clots. He discusses the use of hCG, clomiphene and other products. He also reviews data on natural ways to increase your own body's testosterone production. For more information visit: Testosterone Interviews on ExcelMale Transcript: Nelson Vergel:                  Hello everybody, Nelson Vergel here with excel male dot com and discounted labs dot com. I'm very honored today to introduce my urologist here in Houston. I'm very privileged to have doctor has published more than a hundred articles last time I Googled his name, and he's one of the experts in the field of men's health, urology, testosterone replacement, prostatic issues. I think you also treat, Doctor Khera, female sexual dysfunction, too. Very happy to have him, he's going to give today a lecture that I think everybody's going to find extremely interesting covering the controversies of testosterone therapy Dr. Khera:                            Thank you for the introduction. I appreciate it. As you mentioned, there have been significant controversies with the use of testosterone therapy over the past five years. Cardiovascular risk, DVT, prostate cancer, BPH, and today I'd like to discuss some of those controversies and give you some further insight into the diagnosis and treatment of hypogonadism. Dr. Khera:                            I always like to give you some of the statistics. I'm not sure if many of you know this, or are aware that in 2012 testosterone was one of the fastest growing medications in the United States. There wasn't a single medication that was selling faster than testosterone. The concern that while the testosterone sales were increasing, the testing in the United States during this time was also starting to decline. One interesting statistic was that roughly 27 percent of men who initiated testosterone did not have a blood test before taking the medication, and 21 percent of men who started testosterone didn't have a follow-up test. So clearly there was some abuse with testosterone and some concerns. Dr. Khera:                            When I talk about controversies today I'd like to give you three different perspectives. I want to give you the perspective of what the FDA label has to say, as well as what the guidelines have to say. We were very fortunate in 2018; two guidelines came out. The AUA, the American Urological Association, came out with their testosterone guidelines the same time the endocrine guidelines also came out with their testosterone guidelines, as well. So I'd like to share with you these three different perspectives as we go forward. Dr. Khera:                            The first is on the concept of venous thrombosis embolism or VTE, and so you should be aware that in the package insert of a testosterone products in 2005 in the adverse reactions section of the label, it was appended to note that one patient during the open-label extension trial did suffer from the DVT. Now in 2009, the label was changed again under the new medication guide that lists blood clots in the legs among the serious side effects. If you open the package insert for testosterone products, you will see, and this is just for Androgel, that they do put in the section warnings and precaution a concern for VTE. I'll read this. There have been postmarketing reports of VTE events including DVT, PE in patients using testosterone products, Androgel in this case. Evaluate patients who report symptoms of pain, edema, warmth, and erythema in the lower extremity for DVT and those who present with acute shortness of breath for PE. If a VTE is suspected, discontinue treatment with testosterone and initiate appropriate workup and management. Dr. Khera:                            So this is in the package insert, and you should be aware that patients will read this and they will ask you about this. We should be very careful because the guidelines slightly differ, and if you look at the American Urologic Association guidelines, it states that patients should be informed that there is no definitive evidence linking testosterone therapy to a higher instance of VTE. The entering guidelines don't have a guidelines statement on this, but they do have some comments that they've made. They do state that case-control and pharmacoepidemiological studies have not shown a consistent increase in the risk of VTE with testosterone treatment. However, there is two huge testosterone associated VTE events in randomized controlled trials to draw meaningful imprints. Dr. Khera:                            So ...
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Estradiol in Men: Facts and Misconceptions

    Estradiol in Men: Facts and Misconceptions
    Feb 18 2019

    Dr. Ramasamy explains how testosterone and estrogen have been considered to be male and female sex hormones,  respectively.  However, estradiol, the predominant form of estrogen, also plays a critical role in male sexual function.  Estradiol in men is essential for modulating libido, erectile function, and spermatogenesis. Estrogen receptors, as well as aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen, are abundant in brain, penis, and testis, organs important for sexual function.  In the brain, estradiol synthesis is increased in areas related to sexual arousal. In addition, in the penis, estrogen receptors are found throughout the corpus cavernosum with a high concentration around neurovascular bundles. Low testosterone and elevated estrogen increase the incidence of erectile dysfunction independently of one another. In the testes, spermatogenesis is modulated at every level by estrogen, starting with the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, followed by the Leydig, Sertoli, and germ cells, and finishing with the ductal epithelium, epididymis, and mature sperm. Regulation of testicular cells by estradiol shows both an inhibitory and a stimulatory influence, indicating an intricate symphony of dose-dependent and temporally sensitive modulation.  Our goal in this review is to elucidate the overall contribution of estradiol to male sexual function by looking at the hormone’s effects on erectile function, spermatogenesis, and libido.
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    38 mins