Testosterone levels

[Guest guest]

The current discussion of

testosterone is important, but I'm wondering, has anybody bothered to

read Built To Survive lately?

These issues were discussed and addressed as long ago as the first

edition 10 years ago.

For instance, in Built To Survive, you will find Dr. Lark Lands

showing that men with HIV need twice as much testosterone, just to

remain on an even keel.

When there were no protease inhibitors and many of us had less then 100

T cells, having the extra muscle mass that came from taking steroids

and exercising allowed us to survive OI's and live a generally healthy

life. In 1995, in the teeth of some of the worst days when there were

few drugs, Dr. Cazen at Davies, said it to me quite simply: the

patients on steroids lived, those that weren't, died.

This was important to me as I had 73 t cells, but I also had a life

because of testosterone use. Also that was the year I came in 2nd in

the World GYM SF bench presssing competition...I still have the plaque.

Things are much better now in terms of available new drugs, but I have

not forgotten what kept me alive then, and using the protocols

described (more or less, often more) in Built to Survive, I have,

(under my doctors care and direction), continued to use Anabolic

Steroids as an integral part of my HIV healthcare. I'm 52, years old,

and I'm not interested in having the same 'normal' testosterone levels

my father had at 52. "Normal" testosterone levels in "normal" men

who don't have HIV don't apply . I guess my attatude is that since HIV

stole a decade of my life, I get to live it over with the same vitality

of a man 10 years younger . Thanks to the information in Built To

Survice, I'm doing it.

Ok , now don't everybody start shooting at once....al