Re: Fwd: [BULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

[Guest guest]

would you suggest an aromatase inhibitor since i am just about to get my husband on some testosterone?

Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 , "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat >Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important.

http://www.nthadren alsweb.org/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid- rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

LEF: "Plant extracts such as chrysin and certain plant lignans, flax or sesame, inhibit the aromatization (conversion) of testosterone to estrogen, effectively enhancing free testosterone levels. Nettle root liberates testosterone in the body by preventing it from being bound to sex hormone-binding globulin. To: RT3_T3 Sent: Sat, July 31, 2010 8:04:32 AMSubject: Re: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

would you suggest an aromatase inhibitor since i am just about to get my husband on some testosterone?

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadrenalsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid-rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

LEF has been saying this for yrs. we have found Arimidex to work the best you can get it from the ADC or try Indolplex/DIM this works much better.

http://www.iherb.com/Enzymatic-Therapy-Pure-Rip-with-DIM-60-Tablets/12814?at=0

and most men find they only need a half a table a day. Chrysin if you can get it compounded into a cream. Other wise it gets killed in your stomach I have been at keeping Estradiol levels down for many yrs.Phil

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadrenalsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid-rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

will these work for women also...since on t3 i seem to be having issues with testosterone too..

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadren alsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid- rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

Dawn are you low on Testosterone or is it to high. DHEA will if you take to much of it make hair grow on your face. So keep an Eye on adding Testosterone if your low.Co-Moderator Phil

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadren alsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid- rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

Sorry about the Co-Moderator for get to take it off my sig. Phil

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadren alsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid- rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

i am low on testosterone..when i started to use the cream i felt better for about a month..then all the postive feelings went away...i am assuming that is because teh shbg went up ....can afford to keep testing blood ....

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadren alsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid- rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.

[Guest guest]

I am not sure about this with women but in men as they add in Testosterone there body stops makeing it and all they are left with is what the gels, creams or shots are doing some times they need more. But you need labs to tell.Phil

From: T <artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com>Subject: Fwd: [bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on DisplayTo: RT3_T3 (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com, "NTHA-Chat" <NTHA-Chat@yahoogrou ps.com>Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 6:45 AM

For all those guys (and women wiht guys) needing Testosterone, this is an excellent article showing how twisted medical studies have become. And why our OWN research is so very important. http://www.nthadren alsweb.org/http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

http://www.faqhelp. webs.com/

http://www.health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid- rt3.com/

---

[bULK] Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display

Date:

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:12:12 -0400

From:

Life Extension <lifeextension@ lefbc.com>

Reply-To:

customerservice@ lef.org

To:

artisticgroomer@ jfwebs.com

Mainstream Doctors’ Ineptitude Put on Display in The New England Journal of Medicine

A study published in the June 30, 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine confirms how little conventional doctors know about prescribing testosterone to aging men.

The Life Extension Foundation® (and its medical advisors) long ago recognized that maturing men have a propensity to convert (aromatize) testosterone into estrogen. When you see an overweight man growing breasts, it is not directly because he eats too much. This phenomenon is instead caused by the testosterone he converts to breast-enlarging estrogen.

When men are prescribed testosterone gels or creams, they sometimes have to take an aromatase-inhibitin g drug (like Arimidex®) to prevent their estrogen (measured as estradiol in the blood) from climbing to dangerous levels.

Optimal estradiol blood levels in men are between 20-30 pg/mL. Elderly males can have much higher estradiol levels that place them at substantial risk for developing coronary atherosclerosis and thrombotic stroke.

If elderly men are prescribed large doses of topical testosterone gel or cream, their estradiol blood levels have to be tested and properly controlled. Failure to manage estradiol in men receiving high-dose testosterone gel or cream can result in a catastrophic estrogen surge that increases vascular disease risk and premature death.

Enormous tax dollars squandered on flawed testosterone study

The Federal government provided a financial grant to an armada of doctors to evaluate the effects of high-dose testosterone on men that were so severely debilitated that they struggled to climb more than 10 stairs or walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

These men suffered numerous risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated blood lipids that placed them at higher risk for cardiovascular events. Obese men tend to produce loads of estrogen in their abdominal fat — and typically have higher estradiol levels than thinner men.

The men with the worst vascular risk factors (such as highest triglyceride levels) were placed on a dose of topical testosterone that is TWICE the standard starting dose. These debilitated men were given testosterone in a way that is more likely to aromatize through the skin into estrogen.

Men with fewer vascular risk factors were given a placebo gel.

It should be no surprise to learn that this study was halted prematurely because the debilitated men given the high-dose testosterone (with no aromatase inhibitor) suffered more “atherosclerosis- related events†such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.

The official title of this study is “Adverse Events with Testosterone Administration.†A more accurate title may have been: "Elevated Estrogen Leads to Cardiovascular Events in Older Men."

Click here to read Life Extension®’s recent review about the dangers of estrogen imbalance in aging men, click here

Life Extension writes a letter to these doctors

The day this study was published, Life Extension wrote the doctors who conducted the study asking if there was any data regarding baseline and post-baseline blood estradiol levels. We have waited over four weeks, and the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine study have not responded to our repeated requests as to whether estradiol levels were ever measured.

From what was written in the paper, it does not appear that any attention was paid to the estrogen levels in these debilitated men. The authors wrote in the discussion section of the paper, “Testosterone and associated increases in estradiol may promote inflammation, coagulation and platelet aggregation.†Yet these doctors don’t appear to have done anything to evaluate estradiol levels in the unfortunate study subjects given double-dose testosterone with no aromatase inhibitor to suppress the expected estrogen surge.

This study had numerous other flaws

Leaving aside the failure to manage estradiol levels in men given high-dose testosterone gel, there were numerous design flaws that call into question any conclusion that can be drawn from this study.

As mentioned earlier, the testosterone group at baseline was at greater risk for cardiovascular events as manifested by a greater proportion of men in the testosterone group with dyslipidemia who were undergoing statin and antihypertensive drug treatment.

In addition, triglyceride levels (higher) and HDL levels (lower) were trending against the testosterone group. Clearly, the baseline cardiovascular risk for the testosterone group was higher than the placebo group. The authors claim that a sensitivity analysis, as well as controlling for cardiovascular risk factors, did not change the results, but the small sample size and relatively short trial duration serve to magnify, not minimize, differences due to chance.

The study was not designed to systematically assess for cardiovascular events, and given the small sample size, lack of consistent pattern of events, diversity of serious events, and small number of serious adverse cardiac events (10 vs. 1) in the two treatment groups before study stoppage in this short duration trial strongly suggest that the results are due to chance. Another explanation of course is that the adverse vascular events were caused by the uncontrolled conversion of the topically-applied testosterone to estradiol in men who were already likely to have dangerously high estradiol blood levels to begin with.

Fodder for the media

The published scientific data documents low testosterone as being an independent risk factor for heart attack and a host of other age-related ailments.

The authors of this study acknowledge the benefits the testosterone group obtained from the drug and openly admitted the limitations of this study in providing guidance about the effects of testosterone on different population groups.

The media, however, has a propensity to publicize one negative study while ignoring hundreds of positive ones. We will not be surprised to see this horrifically flawed study used for decades to discredit the safety and efficacy of properly prescribed testosterone cream and aromatase-inhibitio n therapy.

Importance of blood testing in men supplementing with testosterone

In response to overwhelmingly favorable studies, record numbers of aging men are rubbing testosterone creams or gels on to their skin each day to restore this vital hormone to youthful levels.

Within 45-60 days of initiating testosterone replacement therapy, the following blood tests should be done to ensure safety and efficacy:

PSA (prostate specific antigen) – To rule out prostate cancer

Estradiol – To make sure testosterone is not converting to estrogen

Free & Total Testosterone – To make sure enough testosterone is being absorbed

CBC/Chemistry – To make sure liver enzymes are normal and red blood production has not increased too much

These tests can be done at your doctor’s office, or you can order them all directly from Life Extension by calling 1- (24 hours a day) and asking for the Male Testosterone Panel (item LC100001). These tests can retail for over $500.00 at commercial labs, but Life Extension members pay only $125.00. Order your blood tests now!

To review Life Extension articles describing benefits of testosterone replacement in aging men, click here: Optimizing Testosterone Levels in Aging Men, Vindication.

Summary of 5 recent peer-reviewed studies noting adverse cardiovascular effects associated with elevated estrogen in aging men:

1) After adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, adiposity, cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, and other characteristics were made in a group of 2,197 men aged 71 to 93 years of age, men with the highest blood levels of estradiol had a 2.2-fold greater risk of stroke compared with those whose estradiol levels were lower. {Reference: Abbott RD, Launer LJ, BL, et al. Serum estradiol and risk of stroke in elderly men. Neurology. 2007 Feb 20;68(8):563- 8.}

2) In a study of 313 men whose average age was 58, carotid artery intima-media thickness was measured at baseline and then three years later. After adjusting for other confounding risk factors, higher levels of estradiol were associated with thickening of the carotid artery wall. Researchers concluded, “Circulating estradiol is a predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men.†{Reference: Tivesten A, Hulthe J, Wallenfeldt K, et al. Circulating estradiol is an independent predictor of progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness in middle-aged men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Nov;91(11):4433- 7.}

3) In an angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in a group of men with stable coronary artery disease, significant positive correlations between estradiol levels and other known atherosclerotic risk factors was observed. Researchers concluded, "Our results indicate a possible role of estradiol in promoting the development of atherogenic lipid milieu in men with coronary artery disease.†{Reference: Wranicz JK, Cygankiewicz I, Rosiak M, et al. The relationship between sex hormones and lipid profile in men with coronary artery disease. Int J Cardiol. 2005 May 11;101(1):105- 10.}

4) In another angiographic trial of coronary atherosclerosis in men aged 40-60 years, compared with healthy age-matched controls, men with coronary atherosclerosis had higher levels of estrone and a low level of testosterone in the presence of a high level of estradiol. Researchers concluded, "Low levels of total testosterone, testosterone/ estradiol ratio and free androgen index and higher levels of estrone in men with coronary artery disease appear together with many features of metabolic syndrome and may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis.†{Reference: Dunajska K, Milewicz A, Szymczak J, et al. Evaluation of sex hormone levels and some metabolic factors in men with coronary atherosclerosis. Aging Male. 2004 Sep;7(3):197- 204.}

5) In a study of men having suffered an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), a prior heart attack, and patients with normal coronary arteries, the results showed significantly higher levels of estradiol in both groups of heart attack patients compared with those without coronary disease. {Reference: Mohamad MJ, Mohammad MA, Karayyem M, Hairi A, Hader AA. Serum levels of sex hormones in men with acute myocardial infarction. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2007 Apr;28(2):182- 6.}

Code CAE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For all inquiries, please contact generalquestions@ LifeExtension. com.We will endeavor to reply within 24 hours.

Periodically, we would like to inform you of some exciting offers from Life Extension. If you do not wish to receive these offers, please click here or cut & paste the following URL into your web browser’s address bar:https://mycart. lef.org/Membersh ips/UnSubscripti on.aspx?id= 0 & email=artisticgroom er (AT) jfwebs (DOT) com & promo=PRDOFR_ CNF20100730

Life Extension Foundation Buyers Club, Inc.1100 W. Commercial Blvd | Fort Lauderdale FL 33309Copyright © 1995-2010 Life Extension Foundation® All Rights Reserved.