The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, this week ordered an annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, which he says will help to maintain military readiness.
Many medical professionals say testosterone can have other effects if it is used inappropriately.
Hegseth, along with other Trump cabinet members, have implemented several changes to healthcare policies in recent years. These policy shifts have caused controversy amongst experts, and led them to question whether they are backed by any scientific evidence.
Hegseth also reversed a long-standing military mandate to administer flu vaccinations, which was changed after an outbreak of the flu. The Department of Health and Human Services, on the other hand, removed 17 people from their vaccine advisory panel and changed its recommendations.
Five out of six male health specialists contacted by Reuters to write this article said that they were confused by the news about testosterone testing. They also expressed concern it could lead to an unnecessary – and even harmful – treatment.
Hegseth stated that the tests would come with advice for soldiers to make their own decisions regarding treatment. This would be a voluntary decision.
He said that the goal is to make sure the troops are at the optimal testosterone level to perform their best, and also to increase their endurance, performance and resilience to enhance the combat readiness of the military.
According to four of six doctors, there is no evidence that screening all US military personnel over 30 for low testosterone would improve their combat readiness.
Patients tell us that cognitive awareness and stamina are improved when low T is treated. The evidence, however, isn’t concrete and comes from patients treated for symptoms, said Kevin McVary. He is a physician on the medical board of Rugiet.
The Pentagon has declined to make any further comment beyond the brief statement it issued.
Tests recommended to diagnose symptoms
American Urological Association (AUA) and Endocrine Society recommend testosterone supplementation for only those patients who have a confirmed deficiency of testosterone and show symptoms like reduced libido and erectile function, as well as fatigue, decreased muscular mass, and low bone density.
McVary says that giving testosterone to patients without any medical indications can lead to an overtreatment of the patient, with its own negative consequences.
As you age, your levels naturally decrease. This decline begins around 30 years old. According to Dr Haleem Mohammad, the chief medical officer at Gameday Health and a network of men’s health clinics, age 30 is not a good point for screening.
Mohammed explained that the decline in population levels is about 1% per annum after the age of 30-40, and it accelerates with increasing age. However, the pattern does not apply to everyone.
The majority of studies on testosterone replacement therapy have been conducted in older men. Dr Ugis Grintmanis is an endocrinologist from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center who says that the new mandate allows for data collection among younger men.
Nevertheless, he added that widespread screening would put the cart before the horse if preliminary data were not collected.
FDA lifts warning
The US Food and Drug Administration has revised the labels of testosterone to remove the warning about increased heart attacks and strokes. This was partly based on Dr Steven Nissen’s study at the Cleveland Clinic involving over 5,200 men between 45 and 80 years old with low testosterone and a high heart disease risk. Nissen noted that the participants had higher rates of bone fractures and atrial arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat. This finding may be relevant to military personnel.
All the experts contacted also spoke about the negative impact testosterone treatment has on male fertility.
McVary stated that many of our young men in the armed services are still planning to have families. If you give testosterone to the men, their testes shrink. You can’t count on the testes coming back.
Additional risks may include hair loss, mood swings, and other issues such as acne, prostate problems, or even breast tissue growth.
Hegseth stated that the objective of the new mandate for screening is to address operator syndrome. This condition affects Delta Force and Navy Seals members, and also includes low testosterone, traumatic brain injuries, metabolic and hormonal dysregulation, and sleep dysregulation.
The syndrome is not unique to special forces, but it does affect all members of active and reserve service, according to Dr B Christopher Frueh of University of Hawaii. His team described this syndrome for the first time in 2020.
Frueh stated that “these operators are on the extreme end of the spectrum.” They are exposed to more blasts and airplane jumps.
He said that other soldiers may have some of the symptoms, but should we screen everyone? Maybe. “I don’t really know.”
He thinks that many young soldiers can regulate their hormones by sleeping, eating and resting to raise testosterone levels, instead of relying on replacement therapy.
Low testosterone and weight
Medical professionals still emphasize the potential benefits of testosterone testing as well as other types of medical tests.
Gameday Health’s Mohammed stated that military reservists may also be overweight. This is another factor which can lead to low testosterone.
Mohammed stated that testosterone is one of our most valuable blood tests to determine men’s health. A broader screening could identify men who have reversible conditions and others with true deficiencies. The clinician would guide both groups, whether it means treating reversible conditions or starting treatments when they are truly needed.
There is no detailed information from the Pentagon on abnormal results or screening for men and women.
Frueh, from the University of Hawaii, said that a broad screening may also provide new information on female soldiers’ hormonal levels.
He said that “females won’t need testosterone replacement, in all probability. But they might need to have other hormonal interventions.”

The growing Cyclospora epidemic in parts of the United States is raising concerns amongst consumers, and questions are being asked about fresh produce safety.
If left untreated, the parasite may cause severe gastroenteritis with symptoms lasting for several weeks.
Although Utah confirmed Cyclospora cases, officials from the state said that none of these cases had been connected to the national outbreak.
According to Phil Cowley, pharmacist and health educator, it is crucial that consumers do not panic when buying local produce.
Cowley stated that it is highly unlikely any of the produce produced in Utah will be affected.
Cowley is known as “Phil’s my pharmacist” on the internet. He regularly posts health-related information to social media. Topics range from sunscreen and toothpaste to weight loss medications. He recently focused on Cyclospora, and the reasons why it can be hard to get rid of this parasite from fruits and vegetables.
Cowley explained that the problem was a weird gel coating. It builds up this gel and then it tightens.
The protective coating on the clothes makes washing them less effective than most people think.
Baking soda doesn’t work. Baking soda doesn’t work. Cowley stated that soap doesn’t work because it only activates the mucus.
Some residents in Liberty Park, Salt Lake City said that the news about this outbreak had already affected their purchasing habits.
One man stated, “I and my wife threw out some pre-packaged salads the other day for fear.” We didn’t mess around with it in case.
One resident stated that she will be avoiding greens until further notice.
She said, “I told my husband that we would DoorDash dinner after I got home, with hibachi to avoid all the greens.”
Some people said that they do not change their daily routines.
Are you concerned? Are you concerned?” One resident was asked.
The case that occurred in Utah happened last month. The woman replied, “That’s not related to current cases.”
Infections with Cyclospora are usually accompanied by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. If you suspect that this illness has affected you, contact your doctor.
Cowley stated, “I’d just go on InstaCare and start taking antibiotics.” The antibiotic works quickly after three or four days.
Experts said that local produce was unlikely to be affected but still recommended taking precautions. This includes thoroughly cleaning produce, and cooking food whenever possible.
Utah’s message to consumers is one of caution rather than panic: Although confirmed cases in the state have been reported, officials say they are unrelated to the outbreak at large.

Pernell is an educator in an outdoor high-school academy in Westwood.
Two bills are currently being considered by Congress. One would label alpha gal a food allergen, and the other would force manufacturers to list ingredients that contain major allergens in medications prescribed.
Pernell, according to an estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2023, is one of almost half a millon Americans who have AGS. Some must be extremely cautious to prevent a potentially fatal anaphylactic response. A lone-star tick bites a victim and injects alpha gal into their body. Some people become allergic to this molecule which can be found in milk, meat, medications, medical devices, vaccines and prosthetics.
AGS cases are increasing rapidly across the nation and in Martha’s Vineyard, where they have increased fivefold between 2023-2025. This increase can be largely traced to an expanding population and habitat of lone-star ticks.
According to that estimation, alpha gal allergy is the 10th most common in the US. However, experts think it affects “far more people than was previously thought,” according Sung Poblete CEO of nonprofit Food Allergy Research and Education. Advocates say that this, as well as studies showing 75 percent of AGS sufferers experience anaphylaxis warrants the inclusion of alpha gal on food labels.
The Alpha-gal Allergen Inclusion Act was introduced in 2025 to the House of Representatives. It would force food producers to label alpha gal like other allergens, either by listing its common name in the ingredient list or in conjunction with other allergens on the package’s “contains”.
Jennifer Platt was diagnosed with AGS 2023. “Everything that you buy in the supermarket, you examine to see if there are ingredients which could cause a response,” she said. Platt co-founded Tick Borne Conditions United, an educational and advocacy organization, in 2019, after she was diagnosed with ehrlichiosis, another tick-borne illness.
Food manufacturers often list their ingredients in broad categories such as “natural flavors” or “thickeners”, and are only required by law to divulge ingredients that have been classified as food allergens. These common agents can be made from animal-derived components that contain alpha gall. It can be difficult to determine if packaged foods are safe without clear labels, according to advocates.
Lea Hamner is an epidemiologist from Dukes County in Massachusetts, the area that includes Martha’s Vineyard, which has a reputation for being a hotspot for alpha-gays. But there are things labeled as natural flavors that may be beef stock.
Some medications and supplements are made using proprietary blends. This means that the amount of each component in a tablet is secret. Sometimes, however, it’s the gelatin derived from collagen that is used in some capsules or lactose based fillers.
Poblete stated that a bill introduced in the House will require drug manufacturers to list ingredients that are major allergens in their drugs. This would make it easier for consumers to trace the ingredients of every batch. The federal law mandates that manufacturers of food supplements list the major allergens clearly, but this rule does not apply to prescription drugs.
Think of all the ingredients that are derived. Poblete added that the list is endless.
A 2022 survey found that 74% of 100 commonly prescribed drugs may contain animal ingredients. In a 2023 study of over 550 alpha gal patients, more than 75% of respondents said they had reacted negatively to medication.
Patil says Mass General Brigham treated AGS with chemotherapy drugs that contained animal products. Patil added that “we do not have substitutes” for some of the medications.
Pernell said that the absence of an alternative can sometimes lead to difficult choices, such as “whether I want allergic reactions or if I take this medication which might help me.”
Some medical procedures can be dangerous: sutures may contain collagen and some dental products (including toothpaste) could include carrageenan – a seaweed extract containing alpha gal. Pernell and other people who have AGS may want to ask medical professionals for a list that includes the ingredients of any equipment.
Hamner explained that AGS can be referred to by many as an “anytime allergy” and not an “everytime allergy”, due to the wide range of reactions.
Hamner explained that alpha-gal reactions can vary greatly from person to person and even within the same individual. This is extremely frustrating for patients.
Hamner stated that scientists do not fully understand why some people develop severe allergies to the alphagal molecule while others never experience symptoms. AGS may also trigger delayed reactions, whereas typical food allergies typically cause symptoms within minutes.
Hamner stated that mandatory reporting is a major tool to answer these questions. Massachusetts, along with 13 other states, began mandating that doctors report AGS cases to the Department of Public Health in April.
Hamner says that although AGS has become more widely known in the past few years, there is still much to learn about this allergy. This includes what makes some AGS sufferers at high risk for severe anaphylactic reaction.
The federal grant program is a great way to fund this type of research. Since President Trump took office, his administration has drastically cut back or delayed funding. The New York Times reported that the National Institutes of Health has cut its spending on medical research about $1 billion since previous years.
Hamner stated that “funding cuts at the NIH are not a good sign” for future research into this allergic condition.

This article contains spoilers about Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Normally, you wouldn’t have to warn readers of spoilers in an adaptation of 2,700 year-old texts. Matt Damon’s Odysseus will eventually make it to Ithaca. Along the way, we know he will meet a woman who transforms men into pigs, as well as a monster with one eye. Nolan’s Odysseus, however, is not just a hero who fights to return home and rejoin his family. He’s also an abused veteran from a bloody war and burdened with a personal kind of guilt. He may even not want to return home.
Nolan’s version of the most oft-told story in history begins with an onscreen phrase that seems oddly precious and defensive. “In a Time of Apparent Magic… “We’re expecting sea monsters and sorceresses, why hedge your bets?
Nolan may have been referring to Arthur C. Clarke when he said that “apparent” is a nod to his observation that magic can be used to describe phenomena which we are unable to comprehend. Without the understanding of static electricity in clouds, lightning could just as easily be launched from the mountaintop by an angry god. It also shows that the world is seen as it was by characters, with Odysseus’ fantastic journey being as much an emotional as physical experience. Nolan, to paraphrase Tenet’s words, doesn’t wish for us to fully understand Odysseus ordeal. He wants to make us feel it.
Nolan, like Homer, takes on multiple points of views, such as those of Odysseus’ wife Penelope, (Anne Hathaway), or his son Telemachus, (Tom Holland), who’s only update on Ithaca’s absent king comes in the form stories, which have been told so often that it’s impossible to tell if they are true. The suitors, who are gathered around Penelope to try and take Odysseus’ place, will be regaled at one point by the tales of a bard, which is like The Iliad breaking out into The Odyssey. For a good chunk of the film, however, we are inside Odysseus’ story. The movie begins in the present with Odysseus, the sea nymph that has been taking care of him for seven years. Nolan portrays her as an enabler who feeds him lotus flowers to keep him in a perpetual state of forgetfulness. In his drugged up stupor one might wonder how much he will retain, but when Calypso begins to urge him to remember what he has been through and who he was, he refuses to.
Telemachus tries to discover what happened to his father from an objective perspective. Odysseus, or the odyssey portion of The Odyssey is played as a psychological drama, where each stage brings him to a greater understanding that his war, that has made him a legendary figure, was neither just nor honorable. The battle over the trade routes was the reason for the capture of Helen (Lupita Nyong’o). When we see her, she has scars on the beautiful face that launched thousands of ships. Homer praises the hero’s cleverness for the way he broke through the walls of Troy with a wooden horse that was filled with enemies. In Emily Wilson’s English translation of Homer’s poem, the phrase “lord lies” is meant to be a compliment. Nolan, however, reveals Odysseus’ ruse as an egregious betrayal. It is a “offering for peace” which exploits Trojans’ trust, and breaks Zeus’ sacred law.
Nolan’s version of Homer’s epic is based on the ancient Greek idea of hospitality (xenia), which plays a major role. It is a concept that Nolan believes must be at the core of any civilization. The “Zeus law” is constantly repeated as Odysseus, his dwindling band of soldiers, and the rest of them make their way to each stop. (The phrase appears so many times that you would be unlikely to live through all 172 minute.) It’s not always a good thing to be welcoming strangers. Penelope’s suitors, for example, have used it as a way to get themselves unwelcome guests. Circe, who lives alone on a deserted island, is also reluctant to accept a group of men armed with guns. Zeus is a powerful god, and going against his will can have serious consequences.
Odysseus survives only because others follow Zeus’ Law. Without it, he would have died long before anyone could sing about him. In what Nolan describes as the pivotal moment of the story, he decides to break it. It may have won the battle, but the Trojan Horse lost something much more significant, by using the gesture of peace as a pretext to commit a brutal massacre. Odysseus, the hero of the movie, is known for his fairness. He even twangs his string when hunting for food to warn his prey that he was coming. The Trojans have no chance and the massacre that follows when soldiers jump off the horses and enter the city is not one of victory, but rather a slaughter. The same violence is used to kill women and children as it is for armed men. Some are even dragged away from the screen in such a manner that suggests they are about be raped. They are not heroes. These are war criminals.
Nolan has Odysseus act as a passive witness rather than a participant, but Nolan’s hands are not clean. No oracle is needed to tell what’s going to happen once an army, which has been trying for 10 years to break through the walls of Troy finally gets inside. Odysseus, like Nolan’s hero in the previous film, is too enamored with his innovation to consider its implications. Odysseus, like J. Robert Oppenheimer in his breakthrough set off a series of events that threatened to end the world. It’s no accident that all of the main characters in a film about a society which cannot survive if it turns its back to strangers speak with American accents. They know they are living in the last days of a great empire. Penelope tells him that “those stories are true” and that “our civilization is crumbling.” Odysseus realizes only too late that it’s his own men who are responsible for the collapse. He finally confesses that “to burn the walls” of Troy would be to “burn the entire world.” By then, however, he is unable to do anything but watch.
Christopher Nolan has never encountered a time line he could not scramble. Odysseus feels remorse long before we know what it is he regrets. The first scene we witness is the frightened, small soldier Sinon, played by Elliott Page, who was imported from Virgil’s Trojan War account. A spear pierces through the wooden horse of Odysseus, but narrowly misses its architect, as he hides within it. We later learn that Odysseus was responsible for Sinon’s death as he let him swap places with Robert Pattinson’s Antinous who stayed in Ithaca, and became the most persistent, and womanizing, draft dodger of Penelope’s suitors. Odysseus’ journey back to Troy brings him ever closer to a realization of the emptiness and inglorious nature of war. Bill Irwin’s portrayal of the Cyclops, who eats the heads off Odysseus men like lollipops is sad, lumbering, and writhing with pain after Odysseus blinds the beast by a stake in the eye, shows that Nolan could be a great horror director if he put his mind to it. Circe transforms his men into pigs by reshaping the flesh of their bodies with her hands. This scene, similar to Oppenheimer’s visions of people being incinerated in his machine, proves that Nolan is capable as a horror director, if only he puts his mind towards it. The pile of armor in front of her home shows this is not her first experience with soldiers. And though they are only hungry for food now, one can imagine the previous groups who were more violent. The pig-like behavior of Odysseus and his soldiers suggests that the lions, tigers, and other predators they see on the way to Circe’s shack were once more dangerous human predators.
There’s also the Laestrygonians. A tribe of cannibal giants, they slay Odysseus and his men in a matter of minutes. They sink every ship but one. Homer only devotes a few words to the battle, which is not as memorable as the Cyclops or Circe. Nolan turns it into the most unshakeable scene in the film. Odysseus, his crew and the fog are walking through a forest and suddenly they find themselves surrounded by assassins who can grab his men like branches and throw them. Their faces, though they appear to be mostly men, are so veiled in shadows, that the armor could as well move on its own. Odysseus and his battle-hardened band have been forced to confront the warlike versions of themselves. They are stripped of all human qualities that could hold them back. It’s also the way Benny Safdie portrays Agamemnon in the film, who’s jet-black armour and wordless appearance make him look more like a death angel than the commander of the Greek Army.
Odysseus is haunted by the image of Athena. Zendaya plays the goddess throughout the film. She is the only manifestation of the divine in Nolan’s story, despite Homer’s many instances in which the gods appear among mortals. In the original Athena was Odysseus’ champion. Here, she is more like Odysseus’ conscience. She appears in times of doubt, to guide him in the right path. It’s only at the very end of The Odyssey when we realize why Athena keeps appearing. Odysseus, as he nears the end of the journey, finally remembers the destruction of Troy. Images that had been intermittently interrupted by the film now make more sense. The first shot shows a statue that is being beheaded. Another shot shows a young girl with Athena’s face being prepared for the same fate. Odysseus is he conflating his desecration of an artifact and the death of Athena, the goddess whose face he has taken? Has the goddess we have taken as a figure just died in war and her memory will not leave Odysseus?
The movie’s frame of Athena, like the disclaimer about “apparent magical” in the film, gives Nolan the wiggle-room to provide a rationale explanation. It also establishes the fact that what we have been seeing aren’t simply stories, or memories. They’re his intrusive and distorted thoughts from a past he would rather forget. Odysseus is not entirely happy to return home because, according to this Odyssey, he has to face who he was during war. Love is the key to understanding time in Nolan’s films. It allows Coop to reach across space to find his daughter and Leonard to understand a world where cause and effect are reversed. His Odysseus, however, is stuck in a perpetual present where he relives the worst moments of his life like they never ended. It’s impossible to leave it behind.

More food consumers are buying local because of growing concerns about the parasite cyclospora.
Farmers like Nicole Reese of Kinship Gardens, located in Beltsville, Maryland will see more business.
Reese said to WTOP that “you don’t need to be concerned when you know the source of your food.” When it comes to parasites, you won’t need to be concerned if your food is local.
Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic infection that can lead to watery diarrhea and even explosive diarrhea.
In more than 30 States, a record number of cases has been reported. Some states have been hit harder than others.
The outbreak in five states — Indiana (Indiana), Kentucky (Kentucky), Michigan (Michigan), Ohio, and West Virginia — has been linked to Taco Bell’s shredded iceberg salad. The CDC reported that the Food and Drug Administration and the supplier are working together to find out if there is any more lettuce on the market which could be contaminated.
In the meantime, food safety experts have encouraged shoppers to buy their produce at farmers’ markets or other local vendors.
Reese stated that there are many options in the area, so you do not need to shop at the supermarket.
Kinship Gardens is a direct seller of food. The People’s Market delivers local food to the homes of customers and also sells at farmers’ markets in D.C.
Brandon Starkes said that the company has received a large number of orders in this past week.
Starkes stated that cyclospora was not an issue for them because they work with local, regional and small farms. We know our farmers and we know their food handling practices.
The People’s Market also sells locally produced produce in the area at farmers’ markets. It will be in Northeast D.C. on Sunday, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Black + Forth Market at 2201 Channing Street.
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