Joe Rogan has spoken openly about his use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). In a podcast, he admitted he started TRT in his early 40s to combat age-related declines in testosterone and the associated symptoms like fatigue and decreased sex drive. E.g.
Joe Rogan - TRT Makes a Big Difference!
Rogan has stated that TRT made a significant difference in his overall well-being. Rogan emphasizes the importance of pursuing TRT under the guidance of a healthcare professional who monitors blood and nutrient levels.
But let's get real. As Amanda Marcotte notes (see first link at bottom:
Rogan sells himself to a largely male audience as a role model of machismo, highlighting his history as a college dropout who eschewed the effeminate world of learning to be a martial arts fighter and Ultimate Fighting Championship promoter. On his show, he fetishizes weightlifting, fighting sports and other clichés of hyper-masculinity, and, like Johnson, capitalizes on his audience’s insecurities by selling them useless supplements with false promises that they can “biohack” their way to domineering manhood.
And one way to achieve that is by TRT. Listen to his podcast (or Youtube show) and you will see he also acknowledges the
existence of testosterone-boosting supplements (like Androgel) and has featured podcasts with guests like Andrew Huberman. However, it's important to note
that while Rogan himself has opted for the medical route (TRT) rather than exclusively using supplements to manage his testosterone levels, he isn't overbearing on his recommendations when spouting to his MAGA manjacks. This is unfortunate, because it means that they will likely take the less costly unsupervised route of applying high T supplements instead of the medical supervision route.
Why the fuss?
- Testosterone
supplements (as well as TRT) can have serious side effects. These can include reduced
sperm production, enlarged breasts, and an increased risk of blood clots.
- Testosterone
supplements are not always effective. A 2019 study found that many
"T booster" supplements lack scientific data to support their
claims.
Some years ago, the news that five million American males were brandishing their tubes of ‘Androgel’ and other testosterone-delivering gels, etc. was not surprising. The post-45 lot seemed to believe they’d found a new lease on life where biceps pump up, and flabby abdominals turn into hardened six-packs. Their brains worked better, or so they claimed and they returned to being "real men". So what could go wrong?
Well, how about aggressive prostate cancer – then having to get a surgery or
radiation treatment that leaves you with having to use penile implants, endless
Viagra and penile injections?
It is amazing how many sites one finds on doing a Google search that
pooh-pooh any evidentiary connection between testosterone increases and
prostate cancer. One site I located actually referred to any such connection as
a “myth”. I have news for them: they are living in a fool’s paradise and
furthermore are encouraging male readers over 45 into taking immense risks that
they’d be better off avoiding. The truth is that "testosterone fuels
prostate cancer growth" and prostate cancer is "the only type of
cancer susceptible to testosterone inactivating pharmaceuticals"
(According to Dr. Mark Scholz, in his book, 'Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers',
p. 42).
As if that isn’t enough to terrify any macho fool idiot into halting an
enhanced T -regimen unless absolutely necessary, there is the prospect of
surgical error leading to infection (c. diff.) and vesicularectal
fistula such as reported by Dr. George Rinaldi on p. 20 of 'Invasion
of the Prostate Snatchers'. Rinaldi, alas, wasn't one of the lucky 50%
who emerged from radical prostatectomy relatively unscathed. He ended
up farting through his penis and saddled with other complications before having
to get a colostomy!
Apart from such extreme consequences, something like 50% end up wearing diapers (Depends) for the rest of their days. This is possible because in the course of the
prostatectomy (the most frequently chosen treatment) the urethra has to be
sliced in two different places (since it passes through the prostate) then the
base of the bladder has to be resected to the remaining part of the urethra
excised from the prostate base.
One problem with the above is the typical response that “it won’t happen to me”. But I have news for these guys – it can
happen to you unless you’re lucky enough to get the skilled hands of a surgeon
that can minimize the collateral damage. Oh, and if you’re thinking about using
that fancy dancy da Vinci surgical robot to do it, think again.
Accumulating evidence discloses this thing will actually produce worse results
unless – I repeat – unless, the prospective surgeon using it has at least
600 such operations under his belt. You really want to take a chance with some
clown who's only done 12 or even only 100? Good luck on that!
Radiation treatments, which many opt for instead of surgery, are also
dependent on the soundness of the center's treatment planning
system and the skill, experience of the radiation
oncologists delivering the doses. One thing you don’t want is an excessive
dose of radiation which occurs in what’s called an “administration error” which
can leave your bowels suppurating and your bladder in a mess, or ulcerating.
Oh, and if you’re game for that new method using a giant linear proton machine,
just be sure the oncologists administering the treatments don’t have a
“geographical miss” – where the proton beam misses the cancer site totally and
uh, goes through your bowel or bladder instead! As for a geographical miss
hitting your penis instead, well we won’t go there, but it could make a clever
horror flick!
Apart from incontinence, the greatest risk that surgical patients face post-op
is loss of erectile ability .The incipient damage is called
"atrophy" which increases in probability the longer a patient goes
without erection post-surgery. (Mulhall, p. 98) Atrophy is, in fact (ibid.):
"a scarring of the erectile tissue, and if the erectile tissue scars, the
patient will never get his own erection back and will always struggle with
medication".
Dr. Mulhall goes on to note (ibid.) that "the incidence of erectile tissue
damage, as measured by the presence of venous leak is very uncommon before the
fourth month after surgery. However, at eight months after surgery it
"occurs in about 30% of men and at one year 50% of men".
If any former Mr. T-using Muscleman have these effects post -surgery, and is
also unable to sustain enough blood flow he has another little complication to
look forward to: a misshapen penis! Mulhall invokes the "use it lose
it" saying here. In some cases, indeed, prolonged disuse engenders organs
which are badly misshapen (bent as in a U-shape) and essentially unusable
because of unequal scarring in different tissues.
If a guy has no low T-problems and just wants to “muscle up” to look better, I say
just be prepared for what’s coming later. It might also help to imagine
yourself long past the cancer treatment stage when your dick is U-shaped, your
breasts are bigger than Mariah Carey’s (so much you want to hide from your
wife) and you have to wear giant diapers just to go to the corner 7-11.
According to Dr. John La Puma,
quoted in one notable AARP article,
"When you take testosterone your body shuts down production. As a
result the testicles shrink and you could be using supplementation
indefinitely."
He noted this circumstance meant "expense, inconvenience and
worst of all, possible catastrophic health consequences."
Think aggressive prostate cancer. But as the AARP article also pointed out:
"A study published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association reported a 30 percent jump in the risk of stroke, heart attack and
death among men undergoing testosterone therapy."
The AARP article also adds (ibid.):
"But what is a healthy T level for an older man? Doctors can't agree. Many laboratories use wildly varying reference numbers based on the average testosterone levels of young men, anywhere from 300 to 900 nanograms per deciliter."
The Bulletin adds that, incredibly, just about any purported "symptoms list" will ensure a low -T diagnosis.
The fact is, as Dr. La Puma observes, most men (maybe 80%) don't need this "therapy" at all, period. As he puts it:
"All men need to do is eat a healthier diet and be more active."
To reinforce that, "it's found that when obese men shed an average of 17 pounds, testosterone levels climb 15 percent."
This in addition to quality sleep and regular exercise can help any guy (even more advanced in age) improve his energy and muscle mass as well as sex drive.
See Also:
Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Myths and Facts
And:
by Amanda Marcotte | June 29, 2025 - 5:31am | permalink
A sure sign we live in a sci-fi dystopia is the way social media both rewards and encourages mental illness. With the necessary caveat that I am not a psychologist and cannot diagnose people, I must note that common sense alone revealed that not everything was okay with Brian Johnson, a MAGA-aligned “manfluencer.” He built an enormous online fanbase of nearly 3 million Instagram followers by developing a muscle-man physique so exaggerated it cannot help but call into question both his mental and physical health.
On June 23, Johnson shared a bizarre Instagram reel that I had the displeasure of watching, well, for the sake of journalism. Shirtless, and crowned with what appears to be a wolf’s head taxidermy hat, he issues some sort of challenge while holding what looks like a gold-plated gun — are they toys? — in each hand. “Man to man, I’m picking a fight with you,” he says. “You should dismantle me.” Then, after he talks himself out, he gyrates to the music, waving his veiny arms in the air.
And:
No comments:
Post a Comment