Testosterone Dreams: Rejuvenation, Aphrodisia, Doping

by John M. Hoberman

Testosterone has inspired dreams—of restored youth, recharged sexual appetites, faster running, quicker thinking, bigger muscles—since it was first synthesized in 1935. This provocative book investigates the complex, bizarre, and sometimes outrageous history of synthetic testosterone and other male hormone therapies. Exploring many little-known social arenas—both inside and outside the medical world—in which these substances are becoming increasingly available and accepted, Testosterone Dreams examines the implications and dangers of their use in professional sports, in the workplace, in our sex lives, and beyond.

Testosterone Dreams tells the story of testosterone's growing and sometimes concealed influence in our culture over the past 70 years. It explores such controversial topics as the invention and marketing of the male menopause, the disturbing history of hormonal and other medical treatments aimed at boosting or suppressing women's sexuality, and hormone doping in sporting events such as the Tour de France and the Olympics, and in Major League Baseball. It brings to light the hidden use of hormone doping by policemen, soldiers, and other workers in a variety of jobs. It also discusses the burgeoning steroid use in the gay community and its relation to AIDS, and takes a hard look at the pharmaceutical industry's promotional campaigns to create new markets for testosterone products.

Testosterone Dreams is the first book to bring together the whole story of testosterone and to consider its social and ethical Where does therapy end and performance enhancement begin? How are changing medical technologies affecting how we think about our identities as men and women and the elusive goal of "well-being"? This book will be essential reading as we move inexorably toward the wide-open, libertarian pharmacology that is now making these drug regimes available to a wider and wider clientele.

381 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lexi]

this book is dry. and also boring. it's about the story of testosterone, if you think that only men who sport use testosterone. hoberman completely ignores trans folks, and non trans men on t. check minus.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outside of legitimate medical purposes, folks seek off-label use of sex hormones in three categories.
Rejuvenation (anti-aging), Aphrodisia, and as Performance Enhancement (PEDs). All three uses support and spur requests and use in one of the other categories.

Looking specifically at Testosterone, there is little evidence to support anti-aging or increase sexual prowess for the user. From a performance-enhancing perspective, excessive levels MAY aid the user but since Testosterone is a banned substance quantifying the improvement is difficult. Speculation indicates a faster recovery.

The governing bodies of most sports have failed at policing use and fans of these athletes care little if they do or they don't use.

There are lifestyle practices that promote healthy sex hormones while few over-the-counter supplements are effective. Individuals with normal range hormone profiles will likely experience little enhanced performance improvement and could in fact set the stage for other health issues.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can see why people might not dig this book: it's clunky and confusing, and the author always steps away from his sources to make some variation on his critical argument (we both want and don't want life enhancing drugs; popular sport demands anti-doping rhetoric and doped performances). but in between that, there's a shitload of research, even if it's not linked together smoothly til chapters 5-7 (which concern sport, and are almost like a totally separate book). that said, hoberman has easily produced the best SERIOUS book on steroid usage, and the best researched history of early arguments about testosterone usage, and it came out 11 years ago and even got some mainstream reviews (major newspapers and magazines, even if I'm really dubious about whether those guys skimmed this thing or actually dug through it, as i did), and here we're still talking about doping in this bob costas-ian "say it ain't so joe" way and the nfl is witch hunting james harrison b/c that superhuman has used a bunch of drugs to strengthen his body to spend 15 years playing a sport that quite literally destroys body and brain.

anyway, if this is your bag, read this book. also, if you're hella bored, you can read some of my super accessible work on this same subject: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/arc...

(and if you're really looking to dig deep, go here and read still more of it: http://www.oliverbateman.com/bibliogr...

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting however quite heavy. It really wasn't what I'd call a page turner. But, it isn't a novel and doesn't promise to be a page turner. I thought that Hoberman did a good job describing the history of synthetic testosterone and other male hormone therapies.

[Nicholas Decker · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring...