TIME magazine’s cover boy this week is a shirtless middle-aged man under the headline,”Manopause?! – Aging, insecurity and the $2 billion testosterone industry.”
Overall, it was an interesting story, well told. It discussed the hype, the amount of money some people are making off of Low T “therapies,” the uncertainties, the potential hazards, and the fact that the FDA has “scheduled a meeting of experts for September to sort out red flags from red herrings in the disputed science of T therapy.”
I had a few criticisms.
Network television morning programs gave the TIME cover even more of a boost.
The NBC Today Show featured Siobhan O’Connor, TIME’s health director, who said, “The promise is absolutely incredible.” The relatively unfocused 3 1/2 minute segment wandered back and forth among the hype and the unknowns and the potential hazards of Low T therapy. But, hey, what do you care if the discussion is unfocused when your cover story is getting 3.5 minutes of free network TV promotion? (Note to readers: The video doesn’t appear to be available online anymore.)
Uncertainties and potential hazards didn’t stop one anchor from displaying what one writer called a “reckless attitude.” On MSNBC’s Morning Joe program, there was this exchange among anchors:
THOMAS ROBERTS: I want to know more about “manopause.” If the doctor told me that I had low-T, I would take this without hesitation.
NANCY GIBBS, TIME managing editor: And without wondering what the possible health risks are?
ROBERTS: No. I want to live today, I will borrow from tomorrow.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Wow! Okay!
NICOLLE WALLACE: Oh, my God.
ROBERTS: We only got the now. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.
Men’s Journal reviewed the TIME cover story:
“the story outlines the boom in testosterone products without providing real insight on what, exactly, can help prevent it or when testosterone supplements are even needed. Unlike for a woman, for whom its very clear when she hits menopause — her menstrual period stops — it’s much more slippery for men to define if or when they’re in “manopause,” especially since men can father children into their 80s. And therein lies the problem with the the term: There’s a good chance that men of a certain age are only looking for an easy way to lose weight, add muscle, and get more energy.”
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer
https://twitter.com/healthnewsrevu
Comments
Please note, comments are no longer published through this website. All previously made comments are still archived and available for viewing through select posts.
Comments are closed.
Our Comments Policy
But before leaving a comment, please review these notes about our policy.
You are responsible for any comments you leave on this site.
This site is primarily a forum for discussion about the quality (or lack thereof) in journalism or other media messages (advertising, marketing, public relations, medical journals, etc.) It is not intended to be a forum for definitive discussions about medicine or science.
We will delete comments that include personal attacks, unfounded allegations, unverified claims, product pitches, profanity or any from anyone who does not list a full name and a functioning email address. We will also end any thread of repetitive comments. We don”t give medical advice so we won”t respond to questions asking for it.
We don”t have sufficient staffing to contact each commenter who left such a message. If you have a question about why your comment was edited or removed, you can email us at feedback@healthnewsreview.org.
There has been a recent burst of attention to troubles with many comments left on science and science news/communication websites. Read “Online science comments: trolls, trash and treasure.”
The authors of the Retraction Watch comments policy urge commenters:
We”re also concerned about anonymous comments. We ask that all commenters leave their full name and provide an actual email address in case we feel we need to contact them. We may delete any comment left by someone who does not leave their name and a legitimate email address.
And, as noted, product pitches of any sort – pushing treatments, tests, products, procedures, physicians, medical centers, books, websites – are likely to be deleted. We don”t accept advertising on this site and are not going to give it away free.
The ability to leave comments expires after a certain period of time. So you may find that you’re unable to leave a comment on an article that is more than a few months old.
You might also like