You have most of it right, but not all. Yes, I graduated from MSU in 2001, but then did the required Traditional Rotating Internship in order to qualify for my Medical License as a General Practitioner. But that was as "traditional" as I could stand, as I then completely abandoned conventional medical training (it is SO repressive, and requires jack-booted marching--definitely not for me) and went off on my own. I have never regretted not spending another two years suffering horribly during a traditional residency, just to become a completely nontraditional doctor. Some chose to mock me as I went off, but they could hear my big brass you-know-whats dragging as I did. Now they are still all suffering terribly, just to live a life of being on call, fighting with insurance companies, and being stressed out. Thank my gracious God, I do none of that.
I call myself 'Ol Doc because I am PHYSICALLY old (ya, how did I get so old, so soon?). I really did not go to college in any serious way until I was almost 37 years old. Then I started out by getting a BS (the degreed kind) in Genetics. On the other hand, I have found that the rich and varied life I have enjoyed prior to medical school has equipped me well to understand patients from nearly every walk of life. But ESPECIALLY the Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) athletes, for I can talk the talk because I spent nearly ten years walking the walk. My personal experiences manipulating hormones allowed me to FEEL what I wanted to accomplish through testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and also to know, in my heart, how being hypogonadal really sucks. When a hypogonadal patient, or Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) athlete who is crashing, comes to me, I know EXACTLY how he feels, and that empathy definitely improves my quality of care.
My older age makes other doctors assume I have many more years of training than I do. This is especially helpful when I am, for instance, trying to teach an Endocrinologist how to administer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Once I begin to speak on it, all doubt is lost, but I need to be able to get in front of them. And I sure do not tell them how many patients I have taken away from Endo's, because they want their testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) done right and best. Here's a little secret: Endo's are virtually untrainable when it comes to proper testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Many seem like they just want to sit back on their training--and laurels--and not move forward. It is as if they just look for a bunch of letters after my name, and finding few, just write me off. UNTIL we begin a conversation on the subject. As the Rep for a drug company I represent told me at the end of our first meeting "Dr. John, you say things about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) that I have never heard of (and he deals with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) docs all day long)--but now that you explain why, it makes perfect sense to me". He is, BTW, a physician himself. You can probably see why I have lost a lot of respect for the "conventional" medical community. How many posts have we all read on the Boards where a Bro was criticizing some doc because he/she was, well, wrong (I am being kind).
Sure, I acomplished some things before starting medical school, such as building a transmission electron microscope when I was fifteen, patenting an invention, and founding a national health services program following the death of my finace' from leukemia. But I enjoyed conventional scientific training very little, and knew that when I could get off on my own, and head out to the woodshed with a bunch of books, I would come up with something that would make a diference. I sure hope I am now.
The minute I got loose of all that, I sought out the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and availed myself of their excellent educational opportunities. I read through everything I could get my hands on, and rediscovered the true joy in learning. A week spent at a training seminar put on by them taught me tons, but I soon realized that I had surpassed most of my teachers (I have never been shy about cornering some expert and picking their brain). Why? Because of all that I had learned during years of reading, and thinking about, steroids. You guys have no idea how much you know about how to use these medications, compared to many testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) Providers. Few docs know how to use the ancillaries which are a very necessary part of optimized testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Any number of guys on the Boards would find themselves snickering at some of the statements made by physician speakers at these conferences.
I will tell you something else that REALLY shaped my thinking: hanging out on these very Message Boards. Look at all the studies--some pertinent, others largely misinterpreted--that are posted here. I always tell doctors who ask me how I got so far, so fast, that if they want to learn about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), then learn how to treat steroid athletes. I thought maybe this would result in a few more of them competent to take care of us around the country. I also feel like I owe the BB'ing community in return for the educatiuon I got here when I started, and also was just very proud to come back to my Bro's with my Medical License in my hand.
Besides the actual personal experience manipulating hormones, I do not know why it is I have been able to get so far with it so fast, but I notice that, for some reason, I am just able to "see" the hormonal "matrix" in its entirety. Either way, I am proud of the two brand new testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) protocols I have already developed, and am beginning to speak on them nationally now. A third one is on the way.
Well, I guess that's my story. Don't ask me what time it is: I'll tell you how to build a watch. But thank you for asking.
