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Stem Cells in Focus – Blog – Closer Look at Stem Cells

Posted: October 10, 2017 at 12:51 pm

Oct 03, 2017

Stem cell research is revolutionizing the way scientists study human disease in many ways. One of the most fascinating, is through the creation of human diseases in a dish, which are giving scientists a better way to study disease biology and test new drugs. Read how Dr. Kevin Eggan from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute is using this technology to better understand diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and schizophrenia.

Sep 07, 2017

Scientists and clinicians have long suspected and recently confirmed that a persons genetic makeup contributes to the likelihood of their having a heart attack. However, there has remained a gap between our knowledge of genetic indicators and medicine; a gap that Dr. Chad Cowan, of Harvard University, is trying to bridge with stem cell research.

Sep 07, 2017

The ISSCR celebrates Stem Cell Awareness Day on October 8 with a Stem Cells in Focus webcast entitled The Science of Regenerative Medicine, presented by PhD candidate Ben Paylor of the Canadian Stem Cell Network. The webinar will explore the basics of stem cell biology and will include three StemCellShorts*, voiced by stem cell experts Drs. Jim Till, Janet Rossant and Mick Bhatia, as well as a question and answer period.

Sep 07, 2017

This week, nations around the world recognize Remembrance Day and Veterans Day. The ISSCR is proud of the role stem cell research is playing in advancing the field of regenerative medicine, which stands to benefit wounded servicemen and women. Dr. Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, North Carolina, U.S.A., leads the consortium of researchers that make up the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM). We spoke with him about the organization, which is working to develop advanced treatment options.

Sep 07, 2017

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have discovered a new way to model malaria using stem cells in a petri dish, which will allow them to test potential antimalarial drugs and vaccines.

Sep 07, 2017

Today, we welcome you to the blogs new home, the expanded Closer Look at Stem Cells website (www.closerlookatstemcells.org). The website is a perfect complement to the Stem Cells in Focus blog, housing informational pages on basic stem cell biology, the process by which science becomes medicine, clinical trials and the use of stem cells in understanding and potentially treating specific health conditions.

Sep 07, 2017

In the past few days, you may have heard about new research describing the editing of the DNA sequence in human embryos. This new research raises critical scientific, social, legal and ethical questions to be addressed by all of us.

Sep 07, 2017

You may have heard the news this week about exciting new developments in the field of stem cell research, published in the January 30 issue of Nature. A Japanese scientist, Dr. Haruko Obokata, and her colleagues demonstrated a new way to reprogram specialized stem cells from a newborn mouse to a pluripotent state; which is to say, the cells gained the ability to turn into any sort of cell in the body, much the same way embryonic stem cells can. Learn more about this discovery and its potential implications.

Sep 07, 2017

What if, in this dawning era of regenerative medicine, we could help the body heal itself? Not by replacing diseased or damaged cells, as is so often the paradigm in this field, but by stimulating the stem cells already present in a given tissue to differentiate and then repair the damage. No, this isnt science fiction, like using one of Dr. McCoys futuristic devices from Star Trek to heal the injured Captain Kirk. This approach is now being assessed as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Sep 07, 2017

Stem cell researchers are getting closer to a new treatment for sickle cell disease, moving promising laboratory research into human clinical trials. Millions of people worldwide suffer from this hereditary disease.

Sep 07, 2017

At the ISSCR public symposium in Stockholm, stem cell scientists from Germany, Sweden and the U.S. will explore during a moderated panel discussion the role of stem cells in the brain during our lives from development and through adulthood. Panelists will discuss how scientists are investigating what happens to these cells as we age, how this knowledge is being used to guide new strategies to boost brain health and to develop therapies utilizing stem cells to treat diseases of the brain.

Sep 07, 2017

Organoids, or miniature organs, are a relatively new model system that has emerged from stem cell research and are making a big impact. These laboratory-grown, three-dimensional, mini-organs are microscopically small and are started from stem cells. Within a specialized growth environment, the stem cells, either adult or embryonic, depending on the tissue needed, are stimulated to grow and specialize into specific types of organoids. Although they are not exact replicas of the adult organ, they do replicate many aspects and thus give us a model of human development that we would not otherwise have.

Sep 07, 2017

Summary of a panel discussion at the recent annual meeting of the International Society of Stem Cell Research in Stockholm, featuring international experts discussing the complex issues surrounding the sale and marketing of experimental stem cell treatments.

Sep 07, 2017

Professional guidelines provide a practical and ethical framework for decision making and instill a sense of responsibility and accountability. Learn more about the ISSCR's guidelines for stem cell research and clinical translation.

Sep 07, 2017

Sleep is important for our body. With modest sleep deprivation it can be a struggle to function at our highest level and long term sleep deprivation, or disruption, can have significant health effects. It turns out that your sleep deprivation may also impact others....if you are donating your hematopoietic stem cells.

Sep 07, 2017

Question: What part of the nervous system has over 500 million neurons - the cells that transmit electrical or chemical signals throughout the nervous system and beyond - and regulates important bodily functions? Sounds like the brain, right? What if you knew that this part of the nervous system also spans approximately 30 feet in an average adult? Thats right, its the enteric nervous system (ENS). Never heard of it?

Sep 07, 2017

Stem cell science is advancing at a pace greater than ever before, and researchers are making significant discoveries toward medical therapies to treat diseases and injuries - many of which currently have no cure. In May 2016, the ISSCR developed guidelines to help protect the integrity of stem cell research and assure the public that it will proceed efficiently and remain responsive to public interests.

Sep 07, 2017

The ISSCR joins organizations and individuals around the world in celebrating the cells that are the building blocks of life: stem cells. Unlike other cell types, stem cells are unspecialized cells uniquely capable of making copies of themselves (self-renewing), differentiating into specialized cell types, and helping to maintain some tissues in the human body.

Sep 07, 2017

I dont even know whats in the soup, was the shocking quote from the founder of a chain of clinics highlighted in a recent Associated Press article about the increasing prevalence of clinics offering unproven stem cell therapies. The soup referred to the mixture of cells and fluid he extracted from a patients fat for re-injection into the same patients knees, one of many stem cell procedures being tried for more than 20 diseases and conditions.

Sep 07, 2017

Bacteria. What do you think of when you hear this word? Germs, antibiotics, or bleach may come to mind, depending on the context. What about powerhouse of scientific discovery? Thats a string of words, but one that accurately describes the impact this single-celled organism is having on stem cell biology and human health.

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Take a scalpel to $345 million in Californias stem-cell …

Posted: October 9, 2017 at 8:49 am

Just as good scientists are drawn to conclusions by solid data, the decision whether to spend another $345 million by Californias state-run stem-cell research project should be based on an objective analysis as to whether it would be cost-effective. A rigorous cost-benefit analysis is not only fiscally prudent, it avoids being drawn into the moral dilemmas posed by stem-cell research, especially with respect to cells from human embryos.

Created in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine was authorized to spend $3 billion in bond proceeds. But as is typical with most bonds, the interest payments would double the cost to $6 billion. CIRM has made $2.4 billion in grants and used $255 million for administration and prepaid interest leaving $345 million remaining to disburse.

Should CIRM distribute the remaining $345 million (which, with interest, would amount to $690 million in repayment costs)? Should this remaining pool of funds be doled out?

According to the ballot pamphlet mailed to voters, proponents promised the bond proceeds would advance the cure and treatment of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, spinal cord injuries, blindness, Lou Gehrigs disease, HIV/AIDS, mental health disorders, multiple sclerosis, Huntingtons disease, and more than 70 other diseases and injuries.

But actual outcomes for these promised advances are speculative at best and nonexistent at worst.

Similar benefits were promised to the California economy to generate millions of new tax dollars.

In a Prop. 71 ad, actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinsons, urged, Vote yes on 71, and save the life of someone you love. Initiative backers also promised royalties to the state could be as much as $1.1 billion, thus providing a source of funds to pay off the bonds.

This past August, almost 13 years after Prop. 71 passed, CIRM announced it would cough up its first royalty check to the state on the new technologies it developed. Can anyone say bust?

With such a dismal record, this would be a good time to shut the spigot on issuing the remaining $345 million meaning some $690 million would be saved by state taxpayers. That money could be better spent on pensions, schools, roads, housing or better basic medical care for our residents.

And required bond payments include $313 million from the 2017-18 budget, which began on July 1, and another $309 million from the 2018-19 budget. Total: $622 million for just two years. No wonder the Democratic supermajority raised the gas tax to find money for roads.

Unbelievably, a recently proposed $5 billion initiative for the 2018 ballot to extend the subsidy effectively a second opinion on the project was dumped last June. Even supporters didnt think they could resell their snake oil.

When it seemed the new initiative might be advanced, the California Stem Cell Report ran an op-ed by Joe Rodota and Bernard Munos. CIRM has over-invested in academic research, and under-invested in translating that research into therapies that cure diseases and prolong heathy lives, they noted. California needs to right that balance.

But with the new initiative now moribund, CIRM therefore continues to operate as a kind of advanced high-school science project, instead of moving toward the cures promised to voters in Prop. 71.

Thats why Sen. John Moorlach (coauthor of this piece) sponsored Senate Constitutional Amendment 7. Requiring a two-thirds vote of both houses of the Legislature, it would have repealed Article XXXV of the California Constitution, which codified Prop. 71.

Gov. Jerry Brown, among others, has prudently warned of the coming inevitable recession. And recent federal data show jobs growth in the state rising at only a 1.2 percent annual rate. This should be a time for excising waste and terminating this disappointing abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Jon Coupal is the president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, is a state senator representing the 37th District.

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Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) Dr Mark …

Posted: October 9, 2017 at 8:45 am

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) Dr Mark Richards

Mark E. Richards M.D.

Get Started, Call(301) 468-3458

Bio-identical testosterone or estrogen hormones taken by mouth are inactivated in the liver before ever getting into your circulation. Bio-identical creams or injections have large variations in their blood levels and an inconsistency in the amount of hormone they provide to your tissues. Bio-identical pellets have been shown to provide close to a steady state availability of hormone for months. Bio-identical hormone pellets have been used in the United States since 1939.

Bio-identical hormones have the exact same chemical and molecular structure as hormones that are made in the human body. The difference between a bio-identical hormone versus a hormone that is not bio-identical is the molecular structure and shape of the hormone. Why is this important? Think of a hormone as a key and the receptor which it activates as a lock. In order for a replacement hormone to exactly replicate the function of the hormone that humans naturally produce, the bio-identical replacement I provide must exactly match the human hormone. It is the structural differences that exist between human bio-identical and non-bio-identical hormones that are responsible for serious side effects and sometimes fatal health risks that occur when non bio-identical hormones are used in humans.

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Ready to Get Started? CLICK HERE or Call: (301) 468-3458

Dr. Mark Richards is one of a handful of nationally and internationally recognized experts in the emerging field of bio-identical pellet hormone therapy. He instructs physicians in how to start this therapy in their practices. He also lectures to physicians at medical specialty conferences (Plastic Surgery and Anti-Aging) regarding the extensive science of the last 70 years supporting the use of bio-identical hormone pellets to enhance and restore health and well-being in aging humans. He has practiced and taught Plastic Surgery for over 21 years, and has practiced and educated others in bio-identical pellet therapy since 2008. He is board certified in Plastic Surgery.

Has Been Selected by The Washingtonian Magazine as one of the best Washington DC area cosmetic surgeons

Recognition in the Consumers Research Council of Americas Guide to Americas Top Surgeons has been an annual accolade since 2002

Has been selected as a Top Doctor in Plastic Surgery by U.S. News & World Report in 2012

*Individual Results May Vary

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Stem Cell Of America – Breakthrough Stem Cell Treatments …

Posted: October 8, 2017 at 3:50 am

Treatment

The Stem Cell treatment performed at our clinics is a painless medical procedure where Stem Cells (cellular building blocks) are usually administered intravenously and subcutaneously (under the skin). The whole procedure takes approximately one hour and has no known negative side effects.

Following the treatment, the Fetal Stem Cells will travel throughout the body, detecting damaged cells and tissue and attempts to restore them. The Fetal Stem Cells can also stimulate existing normal cells and tissues to operate at a higher level of function, boosting the bodys own repair mechanisms to aid in the healing process. These highly adaptive cells then remain in the body, continually locating and repairing any damage they encounter.

As with any medical treatment, safety should be of the highest priority. The Stem Cells used in our treatment undergo extensive screening for possible infection and impurities.

Utilizing tests more sophisticated than those regularly used in the United States for Stem Cell research and transplant. Our testing process ensures we use only the healthiest cells to enable the safest and most effective Fetal Stem Cell treatment possible. And, unlike other types of Stem Cells, there is no danger of the bodys rejection of Fetal Stem Cells due to the fact they are immune privileged. This means that you can give the cells to any patient without matching, use of immunosuppressive drugs and without rejection. This unique quality eliminates the need for drugs used to suppress the immune system, which can leave a patient exposed to serious infections.

With over 4,000 patients treated, Stem Cell Of America has achieved positive results with a wide variety of illnesses, conditions and injuries. Often, in cases where the diseases continued to worsen, our patients have reported substantial improvements following the Stem Cell treatment.

Patients have experienced favorable developments such as reduction or elimination of pain, increased strength and mobility, improved cognitive function, higher tolerance for chemotherapy, and quicker healing and recovery.

To view follow up letters from patients, please visit the patient experiences page on our website.

All statements, opinions, and advice on this page is provided for educational information only. It is not a substitute for proper medical diagnosis and care. Like all medical treatments and procedures, results may significantly vary and positive results may not always be achieved. Please contact us so we may evaluate your specific case.

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Meetings

Posted: October 8, 2017 at 3:49 am

Stem Cell Biology

September 25 - 29, 2017

Abstract Deadline: July 28, 2017

Organizers:

The meeting will focus on the basic biology of stem cells and the dynamic interactions between stem cells and their microenvironment or niche. Topics will include the mechanisms controlling stem cell proliferation, differentiation, pluripotency and reprogramming. Emerging concepts about the regulation of multipotent cells during early embryo development, tissue regeneration and tumor progression will be emphasized.

Topics:

Keynote Speaker:

Irving Weissman, Stanford University

Confirmed Discussion Leaders:

Salvador Aznar Benitah, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, SpainKristin Baldwin, The Scripps Research InstitutePhilip Beachy, Stanford UniversityHongkui Deng, Peking University, ChinaGiacomo Donati, University of Turin, ItalyValentina Greco, Yale University School of MedicineKonrad Hochedlinger, Harvard Medical SchoolBrigid Hogan, Duke University Medical CenterMeritxell Huch, University of Cambridge, UKAllon Klein, Harvard Medical SchoolChris Lengner, University of PennsylvaniaSally Lowell, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, UKEmmanuelle Passegue, Columbia University Medical CenterKathrin Plath, University of California, Los AngelesJayaraj Rajagopal, Massachusetts General HospitalKristy Red-Horse, Stanford UniversityHongjun Song, Johns Hopkins UniversityBen Stanger, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of MedicineKiku Tachibana-Konwalski, IMBA/Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, AustriaMagdalena Zernicka-Goetz, University of Cambridge, UKYi Zhang, Harvard Medical School

Please bring this notice to the attention of any of your colleagues who may be interested in participating in the meeting.

All abstracts must be submitted by the abstract deadline. Late registrations may be accepted after the abstract deadline if the meeting is not oversubscribed. In the event of over-subscription, every effort will be made to ensure that all groups who wish to participate will be represented. The status (talk/poster) of abstracts will be posted on our web site as soon as decisions have been made by the organizers.

We are eager to have as many young people as possible attend since they are likely to benefit most from this meeting. We have applied for funds from government and industry to partially support graduate students and postdocs. Please apply in writing via email to Maureen Morrow and state your financial needs; preference will be given to those who submit abstracts.

Social MediaThe designated hashtag for this meeting is #cshlstemcell. Note that you must obtain permission from an individual presenter before live-tweeting or discussing his/her talk, poster, or research results on social media. Click the Policies tab above to see our full Confidentiality & Reporting Policy.

We look forward to seeing you at Cold Spring Harbor in September.

Pricing:Academic Package $1,455Graduate/PhD Student Package $1,210Corporate Package $1,865Academic/Student No-Housing Package $985Corporate No-Housing Package $1,250

Regular packages are all-inclusive and cover registration, food, housing, parking, a wine-and-cheese reception, and lobster banquet. No-Housing packages include all costs except housing. Full payment is due four weeks prior to the meeting.

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Meetings

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Can Testosterone Help You Lose Weight? | Men’s Fitness

Posted: October 6, 2017 at 6:48 pm

Testosterone could be the magic weight-loss drug that men are looking for. Then again, it might not. A new study shows that obese men receiving testosterone shots lost weight, but doctors are divided on the value of the results.

Over the course of five years, obese men on hormone replacement therapy lost an average of 35 pounds each. Their body mass index also dropped from 34 to 29, moving them from the obese to overweight category. This coincided with improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as lower blood pressure.

The results are impressive, but some doctors doubt that its time to start ordering testosterone shots for obese men. The preliminary study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, has yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal, and was also sponsored by Bayer, which makes testosterone supplements.

Testosterone levels start to drop in most men between the ages of 40 and 50, with some menlike the ones in this studycomplaining of symptoms like erectile deficiency, fatigue and lack of energy. Testosterone replacement therapy is sometimes prescribed for these conditions. Low testosterone has also been linked to obesity.

In this study, men were prescribed testosterone shots because of their low hormone levels. Researchers also noticed that they lost weight during the study, although its unclear whether this is a direct result of the hormone therapy. Normalizing the mens testosterone levels could have increased their energy levels, which may have led to increased physical activity and weight loss.

The good news is that, in this study, testosterone therapy wasnt linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer.

It is too soon, however, to say that the hormone is a miracle weight-loss drug. Larger, more rigorous studies are needed.

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Advanced Integrative Medicine | A Contemporary Blending of …

Posted: October 5, 2017 at 12:46 pm

A Contemporary Blending of Traditional Medicine & Complementary Therapies

Career Opportunites at Advanced Integrative Medicine:

Lisa Durham won for having the most positive reviews posted on AIM. Congratulations, Lisa!

28-day Guided Summer Detoxification & Nutrition Course - Led by Dr. Diana Milling, ND

Career Opportunites at Advanced Integrative Medicine:

Advanced Integrative Medicine is excited to announce:

Advanced Integrative Medicine is looking to grow!

We are very excited at how well we have been received in our community and we are now looking to expand! We are now interviewing for Internists, Physicians Assistants and Osteopaths wanting to be involved in a leading medical office that offers alternative options to our patients. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants an unlimited possibility for income. Please call the office at (303) 708-0246 or email us your resume at info@aim4yourhealth.com if you are interested. We are also OPEN to New patients!

Advanced Integrative Medicines primary goal is to provide our patients with team based health services that combine Western (Allopathic) medicine with complementary treatments in a modern setting emphasizing integrated treatment modalities.

We believe that your active involvement with our providers who are Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Family Practice along with two highly trained Physician Assistants are essential to your personal health and wellness.

In addition, our professionally licensed health care providers in Clinical Psychology, Diet and Nutrition, Chiropractic, and Acupuncture services work closely together with our traditional medical providers

Mon - Fri : 8am - 5pm

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Stem Cells Can Be Collected Without Destroying Embryos …

Posted: October 5, 2017 at 12:45 pm

But obtaining human embryonic stem cells has been controversial, because until now it required the destruction of living embryos.

In the current technology, embryonic stem cells are derived by extracting a mass of cells from an embryo.

Since an early embryo is made of only a few cellsabout eight to tentaking enough to create viable cultures kills the embryo.

"Many people, including [U.S.] President Bush, are concerned about destroying life in order to save life," Lanza said.

U.S. law currently prohibits the use of federal funds for research in which a human embryo is destroyed.

Colony of Stem Cells

Last year Lanza's team showed that it's possible to remove a single cell from a mouse embryo without destroying the embryo.

Through various manipulations, the team grew that cell into a colony of mouse embryonic stem cells.

The extraction procedure is similar to that used during in vitro fertilization to remove a single cell for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

PGD is a very early form of diagnosis that tests a human embryo for genetic abnormalities before it is implanted in a woman's uterus.

"This is a relatively simple biopsy procedure that has been used to generate over 2,000 healthy babies," Lanza said.

(See 3-D illustrations of a fetus growing in the womb.)

Using spare human embryos from in vitro fertilization for their most recent study, the scientists used a tiny pipette to extract one cell from each embryo and then grew each cell in a hormone-laden culture.

Just like in the case of PGD tests, embryos with only one cell removed would have survived and gone on to grow into fetuses. To get the most from their samples, however, Lanza's team took several cells from each embryo, destroying the embryos in the process.

From a total of 91 cells taken from 16 embryos, Lanza said his team "obtained two stable human embryonic stem cell lines, which have been growing over eight months at this point."

He says the new stem cell lines behave exactly like conventional embryonic stem cells.

"The resulting cells could be used for genetic testing as well as to create stem cells without affecting the subsequent chances of [the embryos developing into children]," Lanza said.

Ethical Quandary Resolved?

Ronald M. Green, director of the Ethics Institute at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, says the research directly addresses the ethical concerns that many people have about stem cell research.

"It is very, very unusual for scientific research to resolve an ethical quandary, and this is one of those rare instances," Green said. "I do believe it solves the ethical problems."

(Explore the stem cell debate in National Geographic magazine: see photos, take a poll, and join the forum.)

Scientists hope the results will soon lead to the release of U.S. federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

"This could conform to both the ethical and maybe even the legal thinking that has motivated the [U.S.] President to oppose this," Green said.

"I hope he sees this as an opportunity consistent with his values."

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Erectile Dysfunction and Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Posted: October 4, 2017 at 2:46 am

Testosterone is a hormone produced by the testicles and is responsible for the proper development of male sexual characteristics. Testosterone is also important for maintaining muscle bulk, adequate levels of red blood cells, bone growth, a sense of well-being, and sexual function.

Inadequate production of testosterone is not a common cause of erectile dysfunction; however, when ED does occur due to decreased testosterone production, testosterone replacement therapy may improve the problem.

As a man ages, the amount of testosterone in his body naturally gradually declines. This decline starts after age 30 and continues throughout life. Some causes of low testosterone levels are due to:

Without adequate testosterone, a man may lose his sex drive, experience erectile dysfunction, feel depressed, have a decreased sense of well-being, and have difficulty concentrating.

Low testosterone can cause the following physical changes:

The only accurate way to detect the condition is to have your doctor measure the amount of testosterone in your blood. Because testosterone levels fluctuate throughout the day, several measurements will need to be taken to detect a deficiency. Doctors prefer, if possible, to test levels early in the morning, when testosterone levels are highest.

Note: Testosterone should only be used by men who have clinical signs and symptoms AND medically documented low testosterone levels.

Testosterone deficiency can be treated by:

Each of these options provides adequate levels of hormone replacement; however, they all have different advantages and disadvantages. Talk to your doctor to see which approach is right for you.

Men who have prostate cancer or breast cancer should not take testosterone replacement therapy. Nor should men who have severe urinary tract problems, untreated severe sleep apnea or uncontrolled heart failure. All men considering testosterone replacement therapy should undergo a thorough prostate cancer screening -- a rectal exam and PSA test -- prior to starting this therapy.

In general, testosterone replacement therapy is safe. It is associated with some side effects, including:

Laboratory abnormalities that can occur with hormone replacement include:

If you are taking hormone replacement therapy, regular follow-up appointments with your doctor are important.

Like any other medication, directions for administering testosterone should be followed exactly as your doctor orders. If you are unsure or have any questions about testosterone replacement therapy, ask your doctor.

SOURCE:

Get-Back-On-Track.com.

The Hormone Foundation.

News release, FDA.

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Testim VS Androgel – Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Posted: October 4, 2017 at 2:46 am

The two major testosterone gel brands are Testim and Androgel. They are very similar and generally prescribed interchangeably, but sometimes insurance wont cover one or the other. Often, I hear that they wont cover Testim and people want to know if Androgel is just as good. So here is a general guide to choosing if you are lucky enough to have the choice which one is right for you.

Testim Vs AndrogelI would try whichever your insurance covers first. If your insurance covers both medications, try whichever one has coupons or kickbacks. Ive heard people say they didnt pay any/much for Testim for the first year because the company (Auxilium) that markets the drug has a financial assistance program available for the first year.

Now that price and availability are out of the way, lets deal with smell: Testim smells. Some people think it smells good, and some cant stand it. Personally, I like it and my wife likes it. Ive found that women ask me what cologne Im wearing, and mention that they like it too. Still, if you or your wife dont like the smell of something you have to put on every day, that would be a deal-breaker. So try out a tube and see what you and, if applicable, your partner thinks about the Testim scent. Androgel doesnt have much of a smell at all.

Testim is sticky. Androgel goes on much like that hand-sanitizer stuff, while Testim seems to remain stickier longer. Some say this is why Testim seems to work better for them: Because it stays on the skin and soaks in better. These personal statements of efficacy cant be relied on as empirical data, however. But the fact that you can feel it on your skin longer, does bring up a question about Testim gel Vs Androgel: Does it take longer to soak in and, if so, does that increase the exposure time I have to worry about when it comes to my wife and children? The short answer is: NO. In-fact, according to US National Library of Medicines website, the wait-time for AndrogGel is much longer:

You should not shower, bathe, swim, or wash the place where you applied the medication for at least 2 hours after you apply Testim gel or at least 5-6 hours after you apply AndroGel .

WasteTestim comes in little single-use tubes so you go through more of them and it generates more waste. If you are eco-minded this may factor into your decision. Androgel comes in a dispenser with a little pump on it (like soap) so there is less waste.

But the real question when considering AndroGel Vs Testim is: Which works better? Which is the best? Which testosterone topical gel is going to get my testosterone levels on track fast, keep my levels steady, and keep me there for the long term since Ill be taking this stuff for many years to come? As you might guess, both brands have their fans. Personally, I like Testim. And here is a study to back up my personal preference:

Efficacy of changing testosterone gel preparations (Androgel or Testim) among suboptimally responsive hypogonadal men.Grober ED, Khera M, Soni SD, Espinoza MG, Lipshultz LI.Division of Urology, Mount Sinai Hospital and Womens College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.Summary of the study:

A change in testosterone gel preparation among initially unresponsive hypogonadal men is justified prior to abandoning or considering more invasive TRT. Changing from Androgel to Testim offers hypogonadal men the potential for improved clinical and biochemical responsiveness. Changing from Testim to Androgel is indicated to eliminate or minimize unwanted side effects.

Note: This study was done to find out if switching brands would help men who were unresponsive to one brand or the other.

More important to me than such a study is to find out from others who have been on TRT for more than a year, preferably several years or more, and hear about their experiences with both or either drug. Please comment below with your own experiences.

I am inclined toward a weekly injection over a daily application, but what does ones rear-end feel like after being used as a pin-cushion for decades? I dunno any bodybuilders out there want to elaborate on that?

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