A recent shakeup of a UFC event sparked some interesting conversation yesterday. In an admittedly deficient nutshell, fighter Nate Marquardt was undergoing treatment for low testosterone and when being tested before competing at the UFC event, showed blood levels of testosterone far above what the fighting commission would allow, for fear of fighters using steroids and other such unfair advantages. Marquardt was immediately pulled from the event and even released by the UFC. MMAJunkie, a mixed martial arts newsblog posted commentary from their regular medical correspondent Dr. Johnny Benjamin, discussing the topic of testosterone treatment among today’s fighters.
You can go into the details yourself if you’re interested, but a comment that the Doc made resonated with something that has been bothering me for years;
Many men in their mid-40s and early 50s, rightly or wrongly, are diagnosed and treated for low testosterone (low-T) because they want that old “fire back. Big pharma has spent a fortune on marketing to convince this demographic of men that they are suffering from “male menopause” and can live a much happier and more vigorous lifestyle by purchasing and taking their drugs. Rrrr! This normal age-related decline has nothing to do with young, amazingly fit, male elite athletes – other than creating the mindset that everything is a disease that must be treated with a drug.
That seems to be the way folks think today; that anything which hampers their being what, in their mind, they think they should be, should be treated with drugs. I for one and sick and tired of seeing Jimmy Johnson on my tv while I’m watching some innocent, happy show, talking about how much the little Blue pill has restored his vigor. How many times each day do you see advertisements for men wanting to “wash away the gray” hair? Whatever happened to the “distinguished gray gentleman”? When did balding become something to fear? Don’t misunderstand me guys; it’s a very good thing to be able to match your belt to your shoes and your tie to your pocket square. That’s just looking well-groomed and is a virtue being rapidly lost with each successive generation of boys without committed fathers.
My issue is the increasing similarity of men with women in the fight against nature and the battle to be “pretty”. Truly, I cringe every time I hear a guy, especially a slim guy, fret over a perceived need to lose 3 pounds. The number of hair products for men gets nearer the number for women every time I walk down that aisle in the supermarket. Whatever happened to men growing older and seeing their gray as a sign of maturity? How have men today become convinced that if they do not have the libido they had when they were 20 years old that something is “wrong” with them?
Hey guys, here’s a bit of advice that you can either take or not, that’s up to you. Don’t let advertisers convince you that you are less of a man just because you are getting older. Yes, some things will change physically; you’ll gain some weight, you’ll go gray and maybe lose your hair, you might not be able to make love with your wife like you did 20 years ago, but it isn’t those things which make you a real man. What makes you a real man is your commitment to those for who you are responsible, it is your self-discipline and self-control, it is in your willingness to defend those who need your strength, it is in your faithfulness to your friends, your character, your humility… believe me friend, if you are afraid that people will look down upon you because of your gray hair then you aren’t focused on the things that make you truly a man.
Are you married? A good woman will not be ashamed of your gray or missing hair, and as the two of you mature together you will know how to please her, and she won’t be looking for the 20 year old you anymore. Are you single? A woman who is looking for a real man will not need you to be pretty. Well-groomed, yes, but a good woman wants a good man and will recognize him the moment she speaks with him. Set aside the delicates and step forward as the protector, provider, warrior, and faithful man you thought only existed in movies.
Are you focused on being a good man, or a pretty man?
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