QUESTION
Does HRT testosterone for guys increase a person's risk of cancer? Does using HGH -- humane growth hormone -- really work? And is it safe?

ANSWER
HRT or hormone replacement therapy with testosterone should used only under a physician's care to replace testosterone in people with low testosterone levels. Replacing naturally occurring low testosterone levels with exogenous (replacement) testosterone to normal levels should not be associated with an increase in the risk of cancer. Using excess testosterone beyond what is normally needed, however, could be associated with many different adverse (bad) effects and cancer could be one of those.

Human growth hormone works very well for people with low levels of growth hormones -- small children, people with acquired defects in growth hormone production and in some patients with chronic diseases. Current clinical trials are still trying to identify the role of growth hormone in the treatment of HIV/AIDS-associated wasting and abnormalities in fat metabolism.

To your health,
Dr. K