Are you the type of person who settles for average in life?

Probably not.

Would you prefer to have average sex or fantastic sex? Do you want to perform average at work compared to your peers – or superior?  You want to excel, right?  So why would you settle for “normal” hormone levels when you can have fantastic, or optimal, hormone levels?

Many patients come to me and say their doctor told them everything in their lab work is “normal” or “looks great.” But the truth is, most physicians are not educated in hormonal optimization or the importance of hormone levels in maintaining optimal health.  Many doctors don’t even check hormone levels – or they check the wrong ones.

Would you see a dermatologist if you had a heart problem?  No way.  You’d see a cardiologist because he or she is trained in cardiology.   So when it comes to optimizing hormones and healthy aging, the best type of doctor to see is one who specializes in Hormonal Optimization and Age Management.

What are Optimal Lab Ranges?

If your doctor has told you that your hormone levels are “normal” what he or she most likely means is that they fall within the normal lab range.  Normal ranges are determined by sampling a large number of average “healthy” Americans and creating a range of numbers from the high end to the low end.  Anything within this range is then called “normal.”  But “normal” is not necessarily optimal.  If fact, in most cases, it isn’t.  With chronic disease rates on the rise and obesity approaching 50% in the United States, I certainly don’t want to be considered an “average” or “normal” American when it comes to my health. Do you?

Let’s take testosterone in males, for example.  When you look at a copy of your blood work, “normal” free testosterone ranges from approxiamtely 5 pg/mL to 30 pg/mL, depending upon which lab you use.  This is a huge variation!  But if your level was at  30 pg/mL last year and it’s at 5 pg/mL this year, your doctor would tell you that your testosterone is “normal” even though it has fallen about 80% from a year ago!  Does that sound normal to you?

Why is Optimal Better? 

The truth is your hormones should be in the top 1/3 of the normal range for your age group for the hormones you want high and the lower 1/3 for the hormones you want low.  Because when it comes to hormones, men and women who have optimal hormone levels typically feel better, perform better, have less body fat, better libidos and are generally stronger and more fit. Not to mention they’re at a significantly lower risk for virtually all the chronic degenerative diseases of aging.

So, again, why would you settle for “normal” if being optimal means you can look and feel better than ever and at the same time be at lower risk for heart disease, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, insomnia, and depression?

I encourage you to get your hormone levels checked by a physician specializing in Age Management and Hormonal Optimization.

Let’s make optimal your new normal!

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