Androgen Resistance - 90% of men over 50 need testosterone supplementation.

95% of men over 50 need testosterone supplementation. 100% of men over 60 need it. Many women over 40 need testosterone supplementation, while other women have too much. There are just no good statistics for women. Some men and women cannot use the androgens DHEA and testosterone. Even  non-androgen hormones, like pregnenolone, aromatize into estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1). Even progesterone in doses over 10 mg stimulates aromatase. Yes, this includes all the androgenic supplements like boldenone, nandrolone, HCG, and aspartic acid. It, unfortunately, includes the "suicide aromatase inhibitors" such as Formestane, 6-oxo, ATD, and boldione. No matter how, or how much of, they ingest any androgen or androgen precursor, it simply turns into estradiol and/or estrone. It gets worse...some natural amino acids like carnosine, carnitine (any form), and TMG will raise estrogen levels by stimulating aromatase activity. Even proven products like flax oil, fish oil, vitamin D, and sulforaphane will do the same. Even DIM can eventually reverse and raise E1 and E2. Some men and women are naturally this way, while others develop this years after successfully taking DHEA, testosterone, and pregnenolone. Men and women just have to do a saliva or blood test for (free) testosterone, estradiol, and estrone to find out. Aromatase was only recently discovered, and we have no tests for it! We cannot even draw the aromatase molecule. It can only be measured by "inference". This condition exists in women, as women on high dose anti-aromatase therapy soon develop resistance. At least 10% of men over 50 are androgen resistant, or will become so. There are no statistics or tests. It may be much worse, but there are no studies. We have no idea how many women are. We just don’t know, as there are almost zero studies and research on this situation. It could be much worse. The enzyme aromatase rises as men age, and it is almost impossible to stop this, even with diet and lifestyle. Aromatase probably rises in women as they age. Again, we don't know because we can-not even measure it directly. We can only go by estradiol and estrone levels. It is aromatase that converts androgens to estradiol and estrone. Read the article Estrogen in Men and Women in our library.

The classic symptoms of estrogen dominance are 1) weight gain in your waist, 2) gynecomastia, and 3) bloating in men, and breast growth in women. If you see any of these signs, just test your E1 and E2 with a saliva kit. You want BOTTOM range results. For men and postmenopausal women ZRT has clear ranges. The ZRT range is 0.5 to 1.5 for E2, so you want 0.5 as close as possible. The ZRT range for E1 is 1.3 to 3.6, so you want 1.3 as close as possible. Estrogen deficiency in women simply does not exist for E2, and is rare for E1.

The normal anti-aromatase and anti-estrogen drugs are so toxic they cannot be used. These include Arimidex, Tamoxiphen, Clomid, Evista and others. They are hideous, and should be banned for human and veterinary use. These are patented and most profitable of course. Also, we have no safe 5-alpha reductase (5-AR) inhibitor drugs. 5-AR turns testosterone into DHT. Even if we did have them, lowering 5-alpha reductase would just increase estradiol and estrone along with the testosterone. We have no way to prevent testosterone from binding to SHBG either. 98% of testosterone is bound.

There are, of course, massive published studies on testosterone, DHEA, estradiol and estrone, but almost nothing valid on aromatase and androgen resistance. You would think the scientific literature would cover this situation. They don’t. We're walking in the dark. So many hundreds of human studies are done on DHEA and testosterone, that this condition should be obvious. In most studies a full array of hormones are not measured when giving people DHEA and testosterone. You just don't see studies where estrogen spillover is reported. Even when giving people excessive amounts, or giving people DHEA or testosterone they didn’t need, their estradiol and estrone are rarely measured. It’s just not in the published literature. Medically, androgen resistance just doesn’t exist. Again, there is no way to measure aromatase directly, and we don’t even know what the molecule itself even looks like. Aromatase is a recently discovered mystery.

Progesterone converts to 17-OH progesterone, to androstenedione, and then to testosterone in normal people. Progesterone is the most effective protection against excessive estrogens. Even high doses of progesterone raise estrogens when you are androgen resistant. This is really contradictory! There should ALWAYS be a safe, natural answer to hormone imbalance, but there isn't with excess aromatase. There isn't, and probably won't be for decades to come.

The problem here is excess aromatase activity. Please be clear about that. Aromatase turns androgens into estrogens. Men and women do not really suffer from a testosterone deficiency per se as they age. They suffer from high aromatase. 1) 98% of testosterone is bound to SHBG. 2) high aromatase changes androgens to estrogens. (aromatase deficiency is very rare). We do not know how to lower aromatase activity safely and naturally. It may take decades to find out. Science has totally fallen on their collective face here.

There are “suicide substrate aromatase inhibitor” hormones that showed great promise here. Unfortunately, these turn into estrogens after a short period of use by those who are androgen resistant. They certainly can and should be used by people who are not. The four most popular are analogs of androstenedione (4-androstene-3,17-dione). 3,6,17-androstenetrione, or 6-oxo, is effective if 100 mg is used orally (10 mg in DMSO or sublingually). 1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione, aka boldione (not boldenone), works at only 10 mg in DMSO or sublingually. You need 100 mg orally.1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-dione or ATD is effective at only 2.5 mg sublingually, or in DMSO. You need 25 mg orally. Formestane is 4-OH-androstenedione, and is effective at 50 mg orally (5 mg in DMSO or sublingually). Using any of these orally only results in 10% absorption, with 90% unwanted and harmful metabolites. They all seems safe and without any side effects when used in these doses. Doctors and weight lifters use these in toxic, irrational, much higher doses with resultant serious side effects. All the other basic hormones (low dose progesterone, estriol (in women), estrone (rarely ever low), melatonin, T3, and T4) can be used for the rest of your life without resistance developing. Not DHEA, testosterone, pregnenolone, or any testosterone prescursor like androstenedione.

One problem is these suicide inhibitors are illegal and not approved as pharmaceutical drugs. It is almost impossible to get ATD, formestane, 6-oxo, or boldione on the Internet. Actually, Formestane is a rarely used prescription drug. All four should be freely sold without a prescription inexpensively (like they used to be), instead of the current, expensive, toxic, prescription-only dangerous anti-aromatase and anti-estrogen drugs. The  pharmaceutical drug Aromasin® (exemestane) is the methylidene analog of androstenedione (6-methyl-ene-androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione). This is not recommended, as it is just too far away from natural molecule. It cannot be used by androgen resistant people either.

Any man or woman over 40 (or anyone who feels they may have a hormone imbalance for any reason) should get a saliva test kit, and test their DHEA and testosterone. You want the youthful level you had at about age 30. If you are low in DHEA, men should use about 25 mg of oral DHEA, and women half tabs or 12.5 mg. If you are low in testosterone, men should use about 4 mg of testosterone enanthate (3 mg actual testosterone) sub-lingually (unsalted testosterone tastes terrible!) or in DMSO on thin skin. Women should use about 200 mcg (150 mcg actual testosterone) sublingually or in DMSO on thin skin. Men should look for a youthful, ideal ZRT saliva testosterone level of about 100, and DHEA of about 6. Women about 40 for testosterone, and 3 for DHEA on ZRT. You are looking for YOUTHFUL LEVELS. Retest after 90 days to see if you are using the correct amount. You must retest every year, since you will be on these hormones the rest of your life. It costs you all of $35.00 each to test your hormones by ZRT. When using DMSO solutions, use them on thin skin like your inner wrists, neck, or abdomen. Doctors cannot prescribe these, but you can easily make them yourself.

Men and women have plenty of testosterone throughout their lives. 98% of it is bound to SHBG. Much of it is aromatased into estrogens. If we could just stop a little SHBG binding we would have an answer. If we could just lower aromatase activity, without resistance developing, we would also have an answer. It just does not seem right or fair that people with androgen resistance have no answer in the foreseeable future. Again, don't look for a natural, effective, safe answer for decades,

Please read my book Testosterone Is your Friend, as well as the hormone chapter in Macrobiotics for Everyone. Women can also read the hormone chapter in Natural Health for Women. Also read the articles Balance Your Hormones, New Ways to Use Testosterone, and You Don't  Need an Rx . Men have 8 basic hormones to balance, and women 10, due to estriol and progesterone. Natural hormone balance is vital to good health and long life. All our hormones work together as a team in concert. All illness is based in part on hormone imbalance. This is simple, easy, cheap and requires no doctor. Use online sites like www.walkinlab.com, www.healthlabs.com, and www.requestatest.com.