22-06-2014, 08:41 AM
I'm not sure what to say about home test kits. They usually test levels in saliva. The alternative medicine practitioners who promote them claim they are more accurate than blood testing, but they also re-sell the kits on behalf of this or that lab, which tells me they get a cut of the action. Mainstream practitioners will tell you saliva can only tell if the hormone is present and blood is the only way to go if you want to know levels. I tend to trust blood over saliva.
You can get blood tests at your own expense without a doctor through the Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org).
I am 50. A year ago, my total T was 385 and free T was 7.75 (I can't remember the units of measure). After about 6 months on spearmint and Chinese skullcap (both Swanson brand, 1 capsule of each, 4 times a day) plus 2000 mg of PM. My total T is now 235, and my free T is 1.5. I think it is fair to say herbs can do a lot. I have now discontinued both spearmint and skullcap because I can't handle the physical weakness any more, but take 3000 mg of PM. I can't quite tell, but I think I'm starting to get puffy nipples. I've been on PM about 16 months.
You can get blood tests at your own expense without a doctor through the Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org).
I am 50. A year ago, my total T was 385 and free T was 7.75 (I can't remember the units of measure). After about 6 months on spearmint and Chinese skullcap (both Swanson brand, 1 capsule of each, 4 times a day) plus 2000 mg of PM. My total T is now 235, and my free T is 1.5. I think it is fair to say herbs can do a lot. I have now discontinued both spearmint and skullcap because I can't handle the physical weakness any more, but take 3000 mg of PM. I can't quite tell, but I think I'm starting to get puffy nipples. I've been on PM about 16 months.