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DERRICK: Hello, I'm Dr. Derrick DeSilva and I'm joined by Dr. Victor Shabanah. We're part
of the medical team right here at AAG Health. Dr. Shabanah, thank you so much for joining
me once again.
VICTOR: Thank you.
DERRICK: So, testosterone. I know it's something that men have a problem with after the age
of 50, maybe even earlier. What's your take on testosterone?
VICTOR: Testosterone is a very important hormone for both men and women. And um it has many
benefits. In women, specifically improving desire for sex or libido, energy, and ability
to make muscle lose fat, if you're eating right and exercising. In men, it has all of
that, plus many effects on brain functions, such as uh short term memory, mood, motivation,
sharpness, focus. The confidence and antidepressant effect. And to me there is nothing more distressing
than seeing a man who's depressed, and then getting an antidepressant, instead of checking
his testosterone, and-and fixing it, if it's low. Um, so I would say um it's one of the
hormones that you really have to keep an eye on, in terms of it's level, and like everything
else in life, if you don't look for it, you're gonna miss it.
DERRICK: Right. And I think the level is something that you know, in various fields of medicine
have different uh interpretations if you will. You know, a lot of times somebody will be
at a low level, and doctors will say, "Well that's normal." Well, it isn't normal if you
have symptoms, right?
VICTOR: That's very true, and you know, I'm-I'm kind of like being a double agent, 'cause
I'm also a member of the endocrine society, and I know how they think. And their idea
of a normal testosterone for men is at the level of 400 total testosterone, and I have
to admit, I don't like to disagree with the authorities on the subject, but I don't have
anybody with 300, 400, 500, 600 who didn't come to me with symptoms. And to me it's more
important to eliminate symptoms than to look at the number.
DERRICK: Right, so it-it's-and I think this is something that we tend to forget when it
comes to the practice of medicine, the art and the science of medicine. We have to treat
the person; we can't treat the number.
VICTOR: Absolutely.
DERRICK: Dr. Shabanah, thank you so much for joining us once again today.
VICTOR: You're welcome, thank you.
DERRICK: And folks, as you can see it's not just about numbers. It's about how you feel.
It's a full integration, and that is exactly what we do here. Diet, nutrition, exercise,
along with hormones if you need it, and the optimization of your hormones. I'm Dr. Derrick
DeSilva, and thank you very much for joining us once again.