I was at a program last week and we were talking about testosterone replacement in men and how our patients often go for years with low levels. There was a lot of conversation about testing and why it does not get done and one of the prescribers in attendance shared her secret for deciding if a man needed to have a testosterone level drawn.

She described it as "boney bottom syndrome" and let us know she asks her older patients if their bottoms hurt if they sit on a hard chair for more than 20 minutes. If they answer yes then she orders the test. Accordingly, most of the time if the bottom hurts then the testosterone is low. This week's Item #7, Testosterone Treatment Helps Older Males Lose Weight, Plus Other Benefits, lends credence to her idea and takes it a step further by adding a few more benefits.

There is even more reason to focus on any therapy that will help with weight loss as Item #11, Obesity Projected to Grow to 42% in U.S., points to the tremendous increase in obese patients we will be seeing in the next 18 years.

If you are attending the AACE Conference in Philadelphia next week be sure and stop by our booth to enter our contest for a free Kindle Fire. 

*****

Announcements:

dLife.com: May 13, 7PM ET on CNBC

Topics: dLife’s Benno Schmidt reports on the controversial topic of medical alert tattoos, and gets inked himself. Plus, a look at how diabetes may impact memory, and how to keep yours sharp; and a low carb chocolate treat from the dLife kitchen. Sundays on CNBC at 7 PM ET, 6 PM CT, and 4 PM PT. Catch up on dLife.com. 

TCOYD Conference and Health Fair, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, Saturday, May 19, 2012

Join Steven Edelman, MD and Featured Speaker, Ben Vereen, (Singer, Dancer, Actor) for a day focused on diabetes education, health and wellness.

Please answer this week's poll: Generics are usually just as safe and effective as the corresponding name-brand product....

Vote in and then see results from previous polls here.

Check out this week's "Test Your Diabetes Knowledge" question!

Dave Joffe, Editor-in-chief 

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