Dr. Abraham Morgentaler

No, they gave estrogen as a form of blocking the testosterone effect. They both worked. But what was compelling about it was just like I told you that I saw with my own eyes, just talking to the patients who came in when I was a resident, and we would remove their testicles and their pain would get better. This was the first treatment for these guys. Otherwise, they just got pain meds.

No, they gave estrogen as a form of blocking the testosterone effect. They both worked. But what was compelling about it was just like I told you that I saw with my own eyes, just talking to the patients who came in when I was a resident, and we would remove their testicles and their pain would get better. This was the first treatment for these guys. Otherwise, they just got pain meds.

There was nothing else. And Huggins rightly won the Nobel Prize awarded to him 25 years later. He didn't just work on, he was really the first or one of the first to ever show that any cancer could be sensitive to hormonal manipulation. And so other doctors did what he did and they saw with their own eyes that this worked. So that became the thing.

There was nothing else. And Huggins rightly won the Nobel Prize awarded to him 25 years later. He didn't just work on, he was really the first or one of the first to ever show that any cancer could be sensitive to hormonal manipulation. And so other doctors did what he did and they saw with their own eyes that this worked. So that became the thing.

And it wasn't just, and where the things went awry is the idea, not just that lowering testosterone to severely low levels was beneficial, but it got thrown in with this idea that testosterone must be dangerous. And that's where things are off.

And it wasn't just, and where the things went awry is the idea, not just that lowering testosterone to severely low levels was beneficial, but it got thrown in with this idea that testosterone must be dangerous. And that's where things are off.

Yeah. So here's how that happened. And just to lay the background a little bit. The reason nobody challenged it is because testosterone had just started. We didn't think about it the way we think about it now, right? So there's a lot of physicians now who are very pro-testosterone. Let's find these guys who are doing poorly in one way or another.

Yeah. So here's how that happened. And just to lay the background a little bit. The reason nobody challenged it is because testosterone had just started. We didn't think about it the way we think about it now, right? So there's a lot of physicians now who are very pro-testosterone. Let's find these guys who are doing poorly in one way or another.

Let's make them feel better and their health better, right? But that wasn't true back then. It And there was no doctor who had a huge number of patients in his practice that could say, now, hold on a second. I've treated 200 guys. This doesn't happen. They don't get prostate cancer. Those things didn't happen because it was a self-perpetuating concept.

Let's make them feel better and their health better, right? But that wasn't true back then. It And there was no doctor who had a huge number of patients in his practice that could say, now, hold on a second. I've treated 200 guys. This doesn't happen. They don't get prostate cancer. Those things didn't happen because it was a self-perpetuating concept.

Like, if you really believe it, you're not going to use testosterone. Why would you put your patient at risk? So nobody did it. And the only reason I did it was because of my experience with lizards. And the desperation of some of these men. So I lined up when I started. I wasn't trying to change the world and I had no idea if testosterone would be good for him. No idea.

Like, if you really believe it, you're not going to use testosterone. Why would you put your patient at risk? So nobody did it. And the only reason I did it was because of my experience with lizards. And the desperation of some of these men. So I lined up when I started. I wasn't trying to change the world and I had no idea if testosterone would be good for him. No idea.

But they were willing to try. And I told them this could cause prostate cancer for you. They said, Doc, I'll sign anything. I don't care. I'm in trouble right now and I'll do whatever it takes. And so we tried a few things. And right away, what these guys said to me is, yeah, not only was sex better, sex drive, erections were firmer, but they said things to me I had never expected to hear.

But they were willing to try. And I told them this could cause prostate cancer for you. They said, Doc, I'll sign anything. I don't care. I'm in trouble right now and I'll do whatever it takes. And so we tried a few things. And right away, what these guys said to me is, yeah, not only was sex better, sex drive, erections were firmer, but they said things to me I had never expected to hear.

And I didn't really know what to do with it. They said, my wife likes me again. They said, I have four small children. I've never had so much patience with them before. One guy says, I wake up in the morning, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, and I'm optimistic about my day. I haven't felt that way in 15, 20 years.

And I didn't really know what to do with it. They said, my wife likes me again. They said, I have four small children. I've never had so much patience with them before. One guy says, I wake up in the morning, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, and I'm optimistic about my day. I haven't felt that way in 15, 20 years.

And I wondered, maybe this is, you know, in medical school, you learn a lot about placebo effect. These guys were getting the male hormone. 30% should improve. And maybe this is a placebo effect, the non-sexual part. But what convinced me that it wasn't was that when I had to find out how do you treat men with testosterone. So I say nobody gave testosterone.

And I wondered, maybe this is, you know, in medical school, you learn a lot about placebo effect. These guys were getting the male hormone. 30% should improve. And maybe this is a placebo effect, the non-sexual part. But what convinced me that it wasn't was that when I had to find out how do you treat men with testosterone. So I say nobody gave testosterone.

There were exceptions, but they were rare. And they were treated by endocrinologists for these young men generally who didn't get through puberty. even though they were in their 20s, because of genetic issues like Kalman syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, or they had pituitary tumors, or maybe they had lost their testicles, both of their testicles, to trauma or cancer.

There were exceptions, but they were rare. And they were treated by endocrinologists for these young men generally who didn't get through puberty. even though they were in their 20s, because of genetic issues like Kalman syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, or they had pituitary tumors, or maybe they had lost their testicles, both of their testicles, to trauma or cancer.