Posted by Jack Boyd (167.206.58.39) on October 27, 1999 at 19:37:26:
How come no one seems to talk about testosterone?
A mention or two here or there, but not much.
Men and women have this hormone in varying degrees. It decreases with age among us males. I don't know how it changes over time with women.
One could make a circumstantial case for testosterone being involved :
1) clusters often strike men at their height of production - late teens early twenties
2) in spite of some anecdotal evidence to the contrary we tend to outgrow this thing - as we produce less ( albeit very slowly )
3) significantly more men then women get clusters
4) I am on thin ice here but here goes - the earliest profiles talked about very masculine males - strong jaws, coarse wrinkled skin, tall, blah, blah ,blah
Testosterone I am sure has a relationship to serotonin and other nuerotransmitters so none of this is mutually exlcusive.
When things like this are thrown out there, we usually get someone with a personal story to discredit the theory. Allergies - I never get allergies but I get clusters. Smoking - I quit smoking and I still get clusters. Drinking - I drink like a fish and it never prompts an attack. Sleep - I never sleep but I still get clusters.
Testosterone? - Give me a break - I don't have any of this testosterone and I still get clusters.
Is there someone who once was a male and is now a female and still gets clusters?
PS - I am trying to be provocative here and I do not wish to offend anyone, especially the fine ladies in our exclusive club who from what I have seen and heard are extremely feminine and lovely.
Any one know what their testosteone level is? And if they did would they admit it? What is normal?
I better quit while I am ahead.