Testosterone: A Man's Guide- Second Edition

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review my book. It is very much appreciated!
If you want to stay updated in the fast moving men's health research field, I suggest that you subscribe to my site ExcelMale.com (over 14,000 members) and to review Discountedlabs.com 
I also have a Facebook group page with over 9,000 men called Testosterone Replacement Discussion.   Also, feel free to watch educational videos on Youtube.com (ExcelMale channel).Stay tuned for my next book!My story:My relationship with hormonal replacement has been a long and fruitful one. I was diagnosed with low testosterone in 1993 at the age of 34 after I had been living with HIV for 11 years. I had lost 14 pounds unintentionally, felt tired and depressed, and had no sex drive at all. I was convinced that it was the beginning of the end for me. Many of my friends with HIV began looking like skeletons due to wasting syndrome, a severe unintentional loss of body weight. And then many died. I was starting to buy into the myth that feeling tired and ending up in bones were normal if one is HIV+. 
Luckily in Los Angeles I met some guys in support groups who were already using testosterone in an underground manner. They boasted about how great they felt and looked. At the time I was terrified to consider the hormone since I had heard that it caused liver and prostate cancer, destroyed one's immune system, and that it would supposedly induce horrible "steroid rage." I was finally convinced to take an educated risk when my fear of dying of wasting became stronger than my fears of testosterone. 
I was able to get some testosterone cypionate and had a friend help me inject 200 mg of it in my upper buttock. After two injections (a week apart), I started to improve:  My mind was less foggy, my sex drive was returning, my depression lessened, and my weight loss stabilized. I felt like I was alive again and regained my appetite not only for food, but for life itself.What I thought were symptoms of immune dysfunction were symptoms of having low testosterone.  I began to feel like a healthy 34-year old should. With the help of exercise and proper nutrition, I was able to gain 35 pounds of lean body mass, even with uncontrolled HIV virus in my blood.  I had hope again.
My amazing transformation inspired me to read all I could about testosterone and androgens in medical journals. This started a journey that has taken me through 16 years of self-education on the subject. In 1999 I co-wrote a book called "Built To Survive: A Comprehensive Guide to the Medical Use of Anabolic Hormones" with Michael Mooney on the medical uses of androgens, exercise, and nutrition to reverse HIV-related wasting and to improve quality of life. After that book was launched, I received many emails from healthy HIV-negative men with questions about testosterone.  I realized that the information we gathered in HIV was invaluable also for men without the virus.   So I decided to write this book for all men who need help, regardless of their health status. 
Since its discovery in the early 20th century, the world has learned a lot about testosterone. Unfortunately testosterone is probably also one of the most misunderstood hormones in medicine. Stigma, denial and misconceptions have been barriers for most men to consider its use--even in the presence of all the debilitating symptoms of testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism). These fears have been fueled by a media that equates testosterone supplementation with aggression and with the athletes who abuse it, as well as by physicians who have a poor understanding of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
Results from one of the largest studies ever done on testosterone deficiency, the Hypogonadism in Males (HIM) study published in 2006, estimated the overall prevalence of hypogonadism in the United States at approximately 39 percent in men aged 45 years or older. Recent estimates show that 13 million men in the United States may experience testosterone deficiency, although fewer than 10 percent receive treatment for the condition.  So why are so many men receiving treatment for hypogonadism?
Con­sider that men are known not to proactively visit doctors.  And consider that the two main symptoms of testosterone deficiency, depression and sexual dysfunction, are topics that most men feel uncomfortable discussing even with their physicians. So even if he is feeling bad enough to finally make it to the doctor, a man is probably more willing to take a physical gut punch than the metaphorical one by admitting out loud that he has problems with his sexual performance or his mood.   
Many men suffer needlessly with these problems that dramatically affect their quality of life and how they relate to others. Depression and sexual dysfunction both have been linked to cardiovascular risks factors that affect not only the length of life but more importantly, its quality. Growing older while remaining healthy and independent is surely everyone's wish. This book will provide one of the pieces of the puzzle on how to attain this goal. 
Since my last book, several studies have demonstrated that testosterone is an important and relatively safe hormone for those with testosterone deficiency who are monitored by a trained physician. New products like testosterone gels have entered the market and have helped raise testosterone literacy among physicians. But demonization of this hormone and its cousin molecules, anabolic steroids, has not gone away, mostly due to unfounded fears based on lack of information. Regrettably, the media and the U.S. Congress have focused on theuse of testosterone by athletes who utilize these compounds at high doses without consulting trained physicians. This media hysteria may also add to the fears about testosterone's side effects present in the minds of potential patients living with hypogonadism who are suffering needlessly and quietly.
Besides researching data on different options, I have purposely tried most of the products that I discuss in this book to provide practical tips on each. I have also been lucky to learn from experiences of many people using these products via my online listserve and lectures in the past 16 years.  It is my hope that this book will save readers time and trouble by preventing costly mistakes, wasted time and needless suffering. I tried to write it in accessible language.  My suggestions are not intended to be medical advice and I strongly urge every reader to seek the opinion of a qualified and trained physician before engaging in any of the health solutions reviewed in this book.
I have also included valuable information on patient assistance programs and how to find physicians trained in testosterone replacement therapy to save valuable time and money for men searching for solutions to their hypogonadism.
Even though this book focuses on men, you will notice that I included some information about testosterone in women. As of 2010, there is no Food Drug Administration (FDA) approved testosterone product for women, although many doctors have been prescribing small doses in specially compounded creams for lack of libido in females. There are even some products in studies and close to potential approval for women. 
Please do not hesitate to email me via my web site ExcelMale.com, a site created to provide updates on new information as it becomes available.  Also, please let me know what you think by posting your review on amazon.com.
Wishing you the best health and prosperity,
Nelson Vergel          

There are several testosterone books on Amazon.  What makes this one so different is that it is written by Nelson Vergel (Founder of ExcelMale.com and DiscountedLabs.com) , a chemical engineer and  33+ year HIV and cancer survivor that discovered in 1993 that testosterone could save him from wasting syndrome and death.  Since then, he has been his own lab rat as he worked with research groups, doctors, compounding pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies to evaluate all available testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) options (gels, injections, pellets, etc) as well as products to reverse and minimize side effects of testosterone (HCG, anastrozole, and others).
Nelson fully explains myths and misconceptions surrounding testosterone. After reading this book you will know: -If you have low testosterone blood levels -What your best TRT option is more suitable for you, if you need one -How to avoid the main mistakes that men make when using TRT  -How to identify and treat potential side effects before they become a problem  -How to talk to your doctor about getting TRT, or how to find a doctor who prescribes testosterone -What foods and medicines can lower your testosterone -The truth about non-prescription testosterone boosters  -How to apply for financial assistance from testosterone manufacturers -What compounding pharmacies are and how they can customize TRT options for you.
To stay updated on the subject, register on the author's site ExcelMale.com and check his affordable lab test company DiscountedLabs.com and his many videos on the ExcelMale youtube channel.

Unlike other testosterone book authors, Nelson's search for health pushed him to try most of the options that he describes in his book that can save a lot of time and trouble for any man that is serious about his health! --Carlos Barrero MD- Mexico

Nelson's straight-forward and scientific approach to sexual vitality and health restoration makes his new book trustworthy and practical. Someone once told him "Nelson, you were always the kid who did everyone else's homework for them." He is still doing our homework for us.- Tony Adams, journalist- Fort Lauderdale

This is a users guide, written by an activist who has used many of the available approaches for over 16 years and he shares his experiences of different approaches. But the author professionally trained as a chemical engineer, and this informs his discussion on the chemistry behind a daunting range of formulations. Simon Collins- HIV i-Base UK

Ø  Are you experiencing fatigue and low or no sex drive?
Ø  Do you seem to have less mental focus?
Ø  Do you have less tolerance to stress and feel down?
Ø  Is your body getting softer while you are gaining fat?
Ø  Have you been exercising for months or years without improvements in your body?
Ø  You do not have the problems mentioned but you want to how to keep your testosterone within healthy ranges?
Then, this book may be for you.

You may be one of the 15 million men in the United States that are suffering from testosterone deficiency and who are suffering needlessly by not knowing it.  This book will explain in clear and practical language the symptoms and treatments of testosterone deficiency to help determine if you are a good candidate for this therapy.  Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can dramatically boost sex drive and function, strength, energy levels, mood, mental focus, and lean body mass while decreasing fat in men with testosterone deficiency syndrome (hypogonadism).  However, it is not a therapy to start without proper knowledge about potential side effects and their management.   There are several options for testosterone replacement available by prescription but many men do not know how to decide which is best for them. This book reviews all options from the author's point of view as an educated patient who has used all available options and has researched the current scientific data.  Al myths and misconceptions surrounding testosterone are fully explained and resolved.

After reading this book you will know:

Ø  If you have low testosterone blood levels
Ø  What your best TRT option is more suitable for you, if you need one.
Ø  How to avoid the main mistakes that men make when using TRT
Ø  How to identify and treat potential side effects before they become a problem
Ø  How to talk to your doctor about getting TRT, or how to find a doctor who prescribes testosterone
Ø  What foods and medicines can lower your testosterone
Ø  The truth about non-prescription testosterone boosters
Ø  How to apply for financial assistance from testosterone manufacturers
Ø  What  compounding pharmacies are and how they can customized TRT options for you

Nelson Vergel, BsChE, MBA, is practicing what scientists can only theorize. He started testosterone replacement therapy in 1993 as a desperate attempt to survive and overcome wasting syndrome.  Testosterone gave him his health back which propelled him to become an expert on its use. After years of trial-and-error and self-empowerment, he is ready to share his knowledge with the world.  With a chemical engineering degree, countless of hours in scientific conferences and memberships in several metabolic research and wellness groups, he was been able to digest scientific information on the subject to translate it in layman's terms for all to benefit.  He is the co-author of the book "Built to Survive: A Comprehensive Guide to the Medical Use of Anabolic Therapies, Nutrition and Exercise for HIV+ Women and Men" and the founder the non-profit organizations Program for Wellness Restoration (PoWeR) and the Body Positive Wellness Clinic in Houston, Texas.   He has given over 700 lectures in English and Spanish in the United States and abroad about testosterone, nutrition, exercise, aging, and general wellness to men and women. To stay updated on Nelson's writings, visit ExcelMale.com
Facebook page: Testosterone Replacement Discussion