Book Review: Testosterone for Life by Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, MD

A review of

Testosterone for Life

by Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, MD

Published by the Harvard Medical School Press

For many people the word testosterone conjures up a variety of stereotypes and catch phrases: muscle bound athletes and "roid rage," old men, beer bellys and "ED (erectile dysfunction)," the childless couple and "Low Sex Drive," as well as, other colorful phrases that lend themselves to stigmatizing the sexuality, drive and power of older men. Despite being naturally produced by the human body, testosterone, has until the last decade been shrouded in misinterpretation, fallacies and out right incompetence. Dr Abraham Morgentaler, a leading researcher and practicing sexual medicine physician explores the "world" of testosterone. His prompt for authoring this book is the sexual dysfunction that many men over the age of 40 experience, when there testosterone levels start to decline. He covers the role of testosterone in the human body, prostate cancer and a variety of related topics that any adult male or his partner should know about.

Who could use this book?

Dr. Morgentaler fills this book with anecdotes from his practice, research findings and data from previous work with subjects related to testosterone. The anecdotal form used throughout most of the book makes it an interesting read for the most part. It can be read from front to back or used as a reference by paging though selected chapters. This makes it very accessible to the average individual who suspects low levels of testosterone within himself or within the adult male they care for. Stories alone don't make a convincing argument, so Dr. Morgentaler backs up his with established data and real life experiences that many physicians will find invaluable.

My two cents

I think the first thing I should say is that whether or not you like Dr. Morgentaler's writing style, the information is important to any adult male or his physician. I am big fan of libraries, so if you don't have the $16.95 US (£9.99 UK) check and see if yours has access to a copy.

I did like the anecdotes (taken from his own practice), the Q&A section at the end of each chapter and the positive energy that Dr. Morgentaler puts into the writing. Make no mistake about it though, this is a reference piece. There are a variety of subtopics within testosterone and the author covers as many as he can with data, images and references.

The main audience for this is the man who suspects that he has low testosterone or feels that he is no longer happy with the quality of this life. In my opinion Dr Morgentaler does an excellent job of going through the array of symptoms, testosterone delivery systems and any maintenance issues with these systems.

I volunteered to review this book, because I have for the last few years been unfocused, lethargic, gaining weight and on too many occasions prone to angry emotional outbursts; symptoms similar to those shown in men with low levels of testosterone. After reading through the first six chapters, the evidence pointed to depression more than any malady of the body.  Dr. Morgentaler states throughout the book that this is common in many men and that the best solution to divining the correct course of action is to arrange for a initial consultation with a physician. A physician that is knowledgeable about the effects of testosterone and is also willing to listen to the day-to-day data that a patient brings into examining room can seperate the two during the discussion.

If I had to choose one reason for everyone to read this book, it would be the three chapters on prostate cancer. For nearly fifty years men have been treated incorrectly for prostate cancer. Based on a single case, the medical community has been assigning castrations to those men who showed any signs of prostate cancer and low testosterone. Thanks to the research that Dr Morgentaler himself spearheaded, this is no longer the case for the majority of men who suffer from this form of cancer.

This may not seem like a book for your coffee table, but maybe it should be. For middle aged men or older who no longer feel vital, perhaps this should be the topic of conversation the next time you visit your physician. I am not ready for that conversation yet, but having read the book - I will be ready for it when the need arises.