Dr. Karron Power Says Testosterone Replacement Could Help More Men
Dr. Power, a San Francisco Bay Area specialist in preventive medicine says that testosterone cannot be patented by drug companies, and insurance companies wish to limit the number of patients who qualify for testosterone replacement therapy.
/EINPresswire.com/ San Francisco, CA - Testosterone replacement therapy can make a tremendous difference in a man's life, but treatment is frequently denied to men who could benefit. The crux of the issue lies in the definition of "normal." The normal range for testosterone is not set to predict the presence of disease or absence of symptoms. Rather, the range simply reflects testosterone levels found in 95% of men tested. The 5% found outside this wide range are defined as abnormal, and only the bottom 2.5% are considered testosterone deficient, warranting treatment.
Imagine if this was the method used to set normal cholesterol levels. A person's cholesterol would be considered normal so long as only 2.5% of all Americans had higher levels than him or her. In this scenario, any level below 330 would be considered normal. Of course, doctors know that average in this case does not equal healthy, so the normal range for cholesterol is set for optimal health (below 200) rather than average health (below 330). We know that men at the low end of the normal testosterone range have a higher risk of death, primarily due to increased heart disease and cancer. So current normal testosterone ranges are not set for optimal health and should be adjusted, as cholesterol ranges have been.
A doctor needs to know if a man's testosterone level is optimal for health, not just if it's average. Unfortunately, health insurance companies prefer wide normal ranges to limit the number of patients that qualify for treatment. Move the low end of normal for testosterone up to where it should be, and the insurance industry is on the hook for millions more in treatment costs. Typically the interests of the insurance industry are balanced by the opposing interests of the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical companies prefer narrow ranges: the more lab results deemed "abnormal;" the more prescriptions are written. But when it comes to testosterone therapy, pharmaceutical companies are simply not that interested. They can't patent the testosterone used for replacement as it is "bio-identical;" that is, identical to the testosterone produced by men naturally. You can't patent what you didn't invent. Without a patent, there's little profit in testosterone replacement therapy. In a perfect world, doctors would practice evidence-based medicine, without regard for the financial forces at play; however, the treatment bias introduced by these two powerhouse industries cannot be ignored.
Testosterone therapy may be a win-win proposition for men with low levels - they feel better and have better health -- but it's a lose-lose proposition for the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Source: Karron Power, M.D., M.P.H. - Youth Renewal Center, San Francisco and Corte Madera, CA
For more information visit www.yrcenter.com or call 415-785-7995.
About Dr. Karron Power
Karron L. Power M.D., M.P.H. is board certified under the American Board of Preventive Medicine and is a board diplomat with the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the International Hormone Society, the California Academy of Preventive Medicine, the American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery, and the American Medical Association. Dr. Power founded the Youth Renewal Center after years of investigation in the field of Age Management and Regenerative Medicine. The primary goal of the Center is to provide innovative treatment in the emerging field of Advanced Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Power received a Bachelor's degree in Biology cum laude from Whittier College in 1992. She earned a Master's degree in Public Health with an Environmental Health focus from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from the University of California, San Francisco Medical School in 1996, she served as Research Fellow in Dermatology. Dr. Power completed internship, residency, and fellowship programs in Internal Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and then pursued further training in Aesthetic Medicine and Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Power is a past Scholar of the Occupational Physicians' Foundation and the John Stauffer Science Foundation. She has received awards from the Air Resources Board of California and from the Thai Research Foundation for her research in Environmental Medicine. Dr. Power is medical director of the Marin Laser Center and continues to serve as a research physician at the UCSF Human Exposure Laboratory, and as a medical-legal expert in environmental exposure and disease.
Media Contact:
Gary Grasso, Director
Doctor's P.R. & Medical News
626-698-2213
http://www.doctorspr.com
PR courtesy of Online PR Media.
/EINPresswire.com/ San Francisco, CA - Testosterone replacement therapy can make a tremendous difference in a man's life, but treatment is frequently denied to men who could benefit. The crux of the issue lies in the definition of "normal." The normal range for testosterone is not set to predict the presence of disease or absence of symptoms. Rather, the range simply reflects testosterone levels found in 95% of men tested. The 5% found outside this wide range are defined as abnormal, and only the bottom 2.5% are considered testosterone deficient, warranting treatment.
Imagine if this was the method used to set normal cholesterol levels. A person's cholesterol would be considered normal so long as only 2.5% of all Americans had higher levels than him or her. In this scenario, any level below 330 would be considered normal. Of course, doctors know that average in this case does not equal healthy, so the normal range for cholesterol is set for optimal health (below 200) rather than average health (below 330). We know that men at the low end of the normal testosterone range have a higher risk of death, primarily due to increased heart disease and cancer. So current normal testosterone ranges are not set for optimal health and should be adjusted, as cholesterol ranges have been.
A doctor needs to know if a man's testosterone level is optimal for health, not just if it's average. Unfortunately, health insurance companies prefer wide normal ranges to limit the number of patients that qualify for treatment. Move the low end of normal for testosterone up to where it should be, and the insurance industry is on the hook for millions more in treatment costs. Typically the interests of the insurance industry are balanced by the opposing interests of the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical companies prefer narrow ranges: the more lab results deemed "abnormal;" the more prescriptions are written. But when it comes to testosterone therapy, pharmaceutical companies are simply not that interested. They can't patent the testosterone used for replacement as it is "bio-identical;" that is, identical to the testosterone produced by men naturally. You can't patent what you didn't invent. Without a patent, there's little profit in testosterone replacement therapy. In a perfect world, doctors would practice evidence-based medicine, without regard for the financial forces at play; however, the treatment bias introduced by these two powerhouse industries cannot be ignored.
Testosterone therapy may be a win-win proposition for men with low levels - they feel better and have better health -- but it's a lose-lose proposition for the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Source: Karron Power, M.D., M.P.H. - Youth Renewal Center, San Francisco and Corte Madera, CA
For more information visit www.yrcenter.com or call 415-785-7995.
About Dr. Karron Power
Karron L. Power M.D., M.P.H. is board certified under the American Board of Preventive Medicine and is a board diplomat with the American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the International Hormone Society, the California Academy of Preventive Medicine, the American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery, and the American Medical Association. Dr. Power founded the Youth Renewal Center after years of investigation in the field of Age Management and Regenerative Medicine. The primary goal of the Center is to provide innovative treatment in the emerging field of Advanced Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Power received a Bachelor's degree in Biology cum laude from Whittier College in 1992. She earned a Master's degree in Public Health with an Environmental Health focus from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating from the University of California, San Francisco Medical School in 1996, she served as Research Fellow in Dermatology. Dr. Power completed internship, residency, and fellowship programs in Internal Medicine and Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and then pursued further training in Aesthetic Medicine and Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Power is a past Scholar of the Occupational Physicians' Foundation and the John Stauffer Science Foundation. She has received awards from the Air Resources Board of California and from the Thai Research Foundation for her research in Environmental Medicine. Dr. Power is medical director of the Marin Laser Center and continues to serve as a research physician at the UCSF Human Exposure Laboratory, and as a medical-legal expert in environmental exposure and disease.
Media Contact:
Gary Grasso, Director
Doctor's P.R. & Medical News
626-698-2213
http://www.doctorspr.com
PR courtesy of Online PR Media.
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