Man To Man

Natural Health, March, 1999 by Rob Ivker

Finally, remember these four important points: 1) Beauty (and sex appeal) are in the eyes of the beholder (Telly Savalas, Yul Brynner, Michael Jordan); 2) bald men are cooler in hot weather; 3) bald men, on average, have higher testosterone levels (see below for the implications of this); and 4) God created only a few perfect heads--the rest are covered up with hair!

Short-Lived Erections

I am 40 years old. My erections quickly become semi-rigid and my doctor has told me that my testosterone level is below normal. It is 280 and I'm told that 300 is the lower limit of the normal range. Is this causing my erection problems? If it is, how can I increase my testosterone?

According to E. Douglas Whitehead, M.D., director of the Association for Male Sexual Dysfunction in New York City, only 5 percent of erectile dysfunction is due to low testosterone (even though before Viagra nearly 20 percent of the prescriptions for treating impotence were written for testosterone). Therefore, your impotence problems might be a result of low testosterone levels, but it's unlikely.

In fact, most authorities believe the normal testosterone range is between 275 and 850 (nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood). By that standard, you are not below normal but at the low end of normal. In men with borderline testosterone levels such as yourself, it may be useful to get the more complex and expensive blood test that measures bioavailable testosterone. You probably had the general test, which is not as specific.

You can also use the following list of symptoms to help determine if your testosterone is low. (This list comes from Adrian S. Dobs, M.D., associate professor and vice chair of the department of clinical research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.) If you notice one or more of these, you can suspect that low testosterone is causing your erection problems.

1. Low sex drive

2. Few erections in the morning

3. Osteoporosis, thinning of the bones, repeated fractures

4. Depression

5. General fatigue

6. Loss of body hair for example, you don't need to shave as often

7. Increase in the pitch of your voice

8. Increase in fat around your hips

Statistically, only 7 percent of men have low testosterone by the age of 40, and those who do would likely notice diminished sexual desire. (You didn't comment on that.) The average testosterone level for a 40-year-old man is about 500. But even by 60, only 20 percent of men have a level considered abnormally low. Conventional medicine usually treats low testosterone levels with biweekly injections or a skin patch. The patch costs about $100 a month.

A more natural method of increasing testosterone was highly publicized during the 1998 major league baseball season. Mark McGwire's epic achievement of 70 home runs was marked by the controversy over his having taken androstenedione, a natural hormone and a direct precursor of testosterone. Although it has not been widely tested, it has been shown to increase testosterone levels. Androstenedione is sold in many health food stores.