Hello Lex.  I have been following your journal for 3 or 4 years now.  You are my hero in so many ways.  I was vegetarian for over a decade and became very ill and found that I couldn't eat anything that I normally ate so I had to eat meat much to the aghast of my vegetarian friends.  I was very knowledgeable in natural medicine and had done most all of it.  Some of it works on minor things like cuts and boils but for the most part I find it all junk - at least in my experience and I don't want to discount it for those whom it works.  I do however believe in supplementation because parts of the intestines absorbs only certain vitamins and if that part isn't working appropriately you will become deficient - also, our foods are not raised the way nature intended even with organic farming because the soil is so depleted and you cannot control the toxins in the water and air.

I was so scared when I started to eat copious amounts of meat but I knew I was getting better because I really was on death's door at the time with so many issues I could hardly get around the house let alone sleep at night.  It was terrible for months until I figured out that meat made me feel better and nearly everything else felt like poison.  It wasn't the total answer though.  I only really got healthy once I discovered bioidentical hormone supplementing.  I'm a woman in my 40's and had no idea that I could be losing my hormones so early.  I did a lot of research, some blood tests and some experimentation with the hormones.  After almost a year of introducing the idea and finally on hormonal patches, I am healthy enough to return to work.  After years of being so ill and even on good times not having much capacity, this is amazing to me.

Something you had written about women's bladder leaking got me to sign up to relay some things I learned.  Bladder issues in older women come from the lack of hormones.  I know this first hand.  With my hormones back and without exercising the muscles I do not leak anymore.  I do believe this is the same case for men.  I know lack of testosterone in men create muscle issues in the sphincter but I do not know off the top of my mind about urine leakage but I am willing to bet it will improve the muscle structure in the bladder to help you void. 

Testosterone supplementation is scary for men because it is taught that it causes prostate cancer.  From what I understand that was a very small study (like only 2 or 3 men) many decades ago.  It is very old information and probably not too accurate.  I have read many reports of men going on testosterone patches only to have excellent reports.  I know a guy personally who took my recommendation and he is far better with it now and would not even entertain the thought of not using them. 

An interesting fact is the heart has the most testosterone receptors of any organ in the body.  I take several hormones including testosterone.  I had terrible arrhythmias without it.  My thyroid meds alone won't take care of the palpitations - I know because I tried living without the testosterone for a while. 

As for normal levels of testosterone or any other hormones for our age, I used to believe in that but I don't anymore because I believe in feeling my best and if it takes hormones, so be it, though I am very against most medicines.  Sometimes you just have to give it a chance and see how you feel.  I would recommend a slow introduction to the body - lowest amounts possible and raising up a little at a time.  The sudden jolt of what doctors like to give takes a couple weeks to balance out from what I've seen. 

That being said, you might look into DHEA.  It didn't work for me, at least at this point.  I might give it another shot in the future.

There is also a ton if misinformation on hormones out there.  I have done months of research on it for myself.  The one doctor who seems to have very good information is Dr. Elizabeth Vliet.  She focuses more on women, probably because women's hormones are so complex, but her first knowledge was on men's hormones.  She doesn't listen to all the blab by the pharma driven information but deals with many international studies.

Please do not be afraid of testosterone but definitely do the research like you do before making judgement against it.  But remember to stay with bio-identical if you do.  That is very, very important.

Thanks so much, Lex.  I rarely speak up in forums but I felt I owed you this for you had given me much comfort when I was starting down the paleo road myself several years ago.

Take care and the best of luck in your situation.