There has been a misconception as to what is really the function of testosterone in the human body. Others may not know the roles of testosterone which may later on cause some health problems if not taken cared of. There are also some beliefs that too much testosterone can cause cancer and other imbalances in the body. Dr. Paul Turek who is a leading surgeon and former endowed chair professor at University of California San Francisco and head of the Turek Clinic explains the importance of testosterone and how it affects their health. Dr. Turek is specializing in men’s reproductive health especially in male fertility.

Dr. Turek explains that testosterone is the major sex steroid hormone for men which is responsible for growth and other sexual functions. He said that testosterone is critical in boys during puberty and for men for normal growth and proper reproductive and sexual functions. It influences mood, memory and intellect aside from the sex drive. Testosterone is also responsible for other body functions such as the development of muscles and strength. It helps maintain normal blood counts, controlling cholesterol level and bone strength. Testosterone is also responsible for fertility and prostrate functions and maintains erections. According to Dr. Turek, testosterone is an essential hormone for a healthy body.

With the countless functions of testosterone for males, there are still some myths that is being attached to it especially to the synthetic ones. Others would say that testosterone is illegal. Turek says that testosterone is a controlled substance under the Drug Enforcement Agency but it can be legally obtained with a prescription from a doctor. It becomes illegal if acquired without prescriptions.

Since testosterone is a steroid, others believed that it is dangerous. Dr. Turek said that this is both true and false. As steroid hormone essential for a healthy male body, testosterone becomes dangerous only when taken above and beyond what the body needs. User can experience side effects like sterility but it can’t be compared to the effects of hallucinogenic drugs.

Dr. Turek also disagreed that testosterone my cause uncontrollable violent behavior. Although testosterone can affect mood and low levels of it may also cause depression in some cases but it doesn’t cause violent behavior. Excessive testosterone in the body may cause anxiety and insomnia but it doesn’t make them more aggressive or docile than men with low levels of testosterone.

Even if there was a previous study that prostrate cancer is hormonally sensitive to testosterone, Dr. Turek doesn’t believe that it causes prostrate cancer. “Men with higher levels of testosterone are at no greater risk of developing prostate cancer than men with low testosterone. In fact, evidence is emerging that, if anything, men with lower testosterone levels may be at higher risk of prostate cancer,” he said.

Another myth about testosterone is it causes baldness in men. It is false since baldness is associated with genes. Dr. Turek said that on the average, testosterone levels of males suffering from baldness are just the same with men having normal full head of hair. Baldness is genetically determined. “Male pattern baldness (that is, balding in the center of the crown but not all over) is inherited through the mother’s side, so to guess whether a man will have this, he should look at his mother’s father. All-over (not crown centered), early onset baldness, however, is usually through the father’s side, passed through the Y chromosome,” added Turek.

Testosterone is naturally produced by the body but it can be synthetically produced. There are more than 100 variants of anabolic steroids or testosterone in the market and usually requires a prescription before you can obtain it. Arnolds, gym candy, pumpers, roids, stackers, weight trainers, and juice are just some common street or slang names for anabolic steroids.

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