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A comment on Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the industrial revolution. Parent comment

Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by shpongled on Thursday January 09, 2020 @12:49PM (#22003537)
Last year I got my hormone levels checked for the first time (normal), and I'm going to continue to do so yearly to keep track. Given how important it is, it's really surprising to me that testosterone levels aren't part of regular health exams/bloodwork panels - I had to convince my doctor add it on.
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by castlecrasher2 on Thursday January 09, 2020 @05:32PM (#22006620)
You might know this but be aware that lab testing companies have lowered the acceptable range of testosterone from 348-1197 ng/dL to 264-916 ng/dL, a ~25% decrease. Source: https://www.labcorp.com/assets/11476
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by nradov on Thursday January 09, 2020 @01:59PM (#22004278)
Hormone levels fluctuate significantly from day to day based on a variety of factors so a single snapshot testosterone level test doesn't really tell you anything useful (unless it's way outside the reference range). If you suspect a deficiency then you'll need multiple tests over weeks taken at different times of the day in order to get a reliable diagnosis.
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by shpongled on Thursday January 09, 2020 @02:11PM (#22004385)
Yeah I'm aware. Didn't suspect anything wrong, just wanted to get a baseline established while I'm young
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by lowTthrowaway54 on Thursday January 09, 2020 @03:55PM (#22005629)
Right, and even then, different doctors/specialties have different standards for what counts as low testosterone. My primary swore up and down that my 300 was fine (and even 200 would be) but men's clinics would insist I need to be at 900.
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by castlecrasher2 on Thursday January 09, 2020 @05:35PM (#22006639)
I'm not sure I'd agree with the men's clinics that will probably more easily sell you appointments for test. prescriptions, but on the other hand LabCorp recently lowered their average range because of the declining measures in the population: https://www.labcorp.com/assets/11476

I think assuming this is the new norm for humans is a mistake, and should instead be treated as a widespread health issue.

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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by JamesBarney on Thursday January 09, 2020 @01:20PM (#22003845)
Because the only real fix is giving the patient testosterone which has very real stroke risks.
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by nabla9 on Thursday January 09, 2020 @01:32PM (#22003970)
Only slightly increased risk in the first two years

https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20190723/testostero...

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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by Axsuul on Thursday January 09, 2020 @01:28PM (#22003928)
Citation? If you are deficient in testosterone, replacing it is giving your body what it needs.
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by JamesBarney on Thursday January 09, 2020 @06:02PM (#22006811)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgen_replacement_therapy#A...
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by Axsuul on Thursday January 09, 2020 @06:13PM (#22006885)
There are also lots of conflicting studies like this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26248567/
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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by rexpop on Thursday January 09, 2020 @01:35PM (#22004018)
> the only real fix is

What an irresponsible statement. Science has not yet exhausted the frontiers of biomechanics.

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Re:Decreasing human body temperature in the U.S. since the i... by JamesBarney on Thursday January 09, 2020 @03:41PM (#22005456)
No reason to test for a condition now for a future better fix. Test in the future.
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