Product Liability Lawyer Blog
There is a pretty excellent chance that if you are a man between the ages of 40 and 70, you have probably been told by many commercials about the benefits of going on testosterone replacement therapy hormone. You may not have heard of it from your doctor, because most doctors do not appear convinced about the necessity or efficacy of testosterone therapy. It is the drug companies and so-called T clinics that are pushing the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) hormone.
The reason drug companies and TRT clinics are pushing testosterone hormone is fairly simple in that it is making them a lot of money. They are also doing an excellent job of convincing men who are gaining weight, getting tired, losing muscle tone, and having a loss of libido, that these can all be problems of the past if they take testosterone replacement hormone drugs. Doctors, on the other hand, do not seem to be convinced of what it means to have a low testosterone level. They are not convinced whether raising one’s testosterone hormone is necessary and whether it will actually reverse any of these normal signs of the male aging process. However, as our Boston testosterone therapy injury attorneys can explain, there is very little question that taking testosterone hormone can carry some significant risks. Those who take TRT drugs can be at an increased for stroke and heart attack, and we have seen many clients who have suffered this fate from taking testosterone hormone.
This is not to say that nobody should be taking testosterone replacement hormone. The reason it was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1970s is to treat a very rare medical condition known as hypogonadism. This medical condition, which normally affects much younger men, is characterized by an extremely low testosterone production to the point where it can affect development. This is the still the only reason that the FDA has approved the drugs, but they are being administered via an FDA loophole for an off-label use.
According to recent news release from Science Daily, researchers are working on a new way to treat hypogonadism that does not involve simply giving the patient extra hormone. With this new method, researchers are tying to convert skin into testosterone producing cells through use of a use of a stem cell method. In trials involving male rodents with hypogonadism, these converted cells not only survived the conversion process, but were able to return the subject’s testosterone cells back within normal range without the need of testosterone hormone supplements. The cells are known as Leydig cell and are actually reprogrammed skin cells.
While this may be promising in the research community, it is likely a long way off before humans will be undergoing the cell conversion process. The reason for this is because there are some serious risks that tumors will form when we are dealing with re-programed cells. This is still part of regenerative medicine that some researches believe holds real promise.
If you are the victim of Massachusetts product liability, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Stem cell strategy for boosting testosterone levels tested in rodents, December 22, 2016, Science Daily
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