Persian Gulf monarchies are quietly reorienting away from Tel Aviv and Washington toward Tehran and a more promising multipolar-led security order.
The recent
confrontation between Iran and Israel marked a decisive shift in
regional power equations, particularly in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s
direct and calibrated military response – executed through the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – exposed
the strategic vulnerabilities of Tel Aviv and forced Gulf capitals,
chiefly Riyadh, to reassess long-standing assumptions about regional
security.
The Saudi-led recalibration did not emerge in isolation.
Years of cumulative political, military, and diplomatic failures under
the umbrella of US-Israeli tutelage have pushed Persian Gulf states to
seek more viable, non-confrontational security arrangements. What we are
witnessing is the slow dismantling of obsolete alliances and the
opening of pragmatic, interest-driven channels with Tehran.
Iran’s war strategy resets Gulf expectations
Tehran’s handling of the latest military clash – with its reliance on precision strikes, regional alliances, and calibrated escalation
– demonstrated a new level of deterrence. Using its regional networks,
missile bases, and sophisticated drones, Tehran managed the
confrontation very carefully, avoiding being drawn into all-out war, but
at the same time sending clear messages to the enemy about its ability
to deter and expand engagement if necessary.
The message to the
Gulf was clear: Iran is neither isolated nor vulnerable. It is capable
of shaping outcomes across multiple fronts without falling into
full-scale war.
Speaking to The Cradle, a well-informed Arab diplomat says:
“This
war was a turning point in the Saudi thinking. Riyadh now understands
Iran is a mature military power, immune to coercion. Traditional
pressure no longer works. Saudi security now depends on direct
engagement with Iran – not on Israel, and certainly not under the
receding American security umbrella.”
At the heart of Saudi discontent lies Tel Aviv’s escalating aggression against the Palestinians and its outright dismissal of Arab peace initiatives,
including the Riyadh-led 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intransigence – particularly the
aggressive expansion of settlements in Jerusalem and the occupied West
Bank – has alarmed the Saudis.
These provocations not only
sabotage diplomatic efforts but strike at the kingdom’s pan-Islamic
legitimacy, forcing a reassessment of Israel’s utility as a strategic
partner. As the diplomatic source notes:
“This Israeli
political stalemate pushes Saudi Arabia to reconsider its regional bets
and view Iran as a regional power factor that cannot be ignored.”
Riyadh turns to Tehran: containment over confrontation
Behind
closed doors, Saudi Arabia is advancing a strategy of “positive
containment” with Iran. This marks a clear departure from the era of
proxy wars and ideological hostility. Riyadh is no longer seeking
confrontation – it is seeking coordination, particularly on issues of
regional security and energy.
A recent study found that 51% of young Indians seek astrological insights daily.
Astrology and religion are becoming cool again for Gen Z thanks to technology, AI, and social media
Sidhharrth S Kumaar is an astrologer,
relationship coach, and psychic. He works with NumroVani, a
Gurugram-based numerology company with a mission to ’empower businesses
and individuals’. With over six years of experience, Kumaar has built a
loyal following – both in real life and across social media.
He
consults more than 100 clients every month, most of whom are between the
ages of 24 and 35. But his youngest client? Just 8. A growing number of
teenagers and young adults are reaching out to him – often struggling
with relationship challenges or grappling with identity issues.Advertisement – Scroll to continue
“A
25-year-old came to me asking, ‘Why am I here?’ and ‘What’s my
purpose?’ Their North Node was in the 9th house, which indicates a deep
connection to travel, philosophy, and teaching. They left the session
with tears in their eyes – not because they were lost, but because they
finally realised they were simply being redirected,” Kumaar shares.
He
also recalls a 14-year-old girl who had just come out of a brief but
intense relationship. “She wanted to know why she gets so emotionally
attached to people,” he says.
Stories like these – of people stuck
in confusion about relationships, careers, or life – reflect a growing
trend: young Indians are turning to spirituality to make sense of their
inner chaos and emotional blocks, often using it as a way to disconnect
from an overwhelming reality.
With technology, AI, and social
media, guidance is now just a few taps away. Whether you’re scrolling
through an astrology app or texting your personal astrologer for advice –
you’re far from alone.
What The Numbers Reveal
Data paints the same picture.
A 2024 study by
NumroVani found that 51% of young Indians seek astrological insights
daily. Around 88% read horoscopes at least once a week, and 75% rely on
astrology for matters of the heart.
Digital astrology is booming,
with platforms like Astrotalk and AstroVed offering AI-powered,
personalised horoscopes and matchmaking services. The online astrology
market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14%, reaching over USD 750 million (approx. Rs 6,200 crore) by 2025.
The pandemic only accelerated this trend – with online consultations rising by 20-25% in 2021 alone.
They haven’t a clue about diplomacy on the big stage nor about getting along, leave alone being popular, with the neighbours. Hindutva and its leaders are all about a parochial and violent quest at home they want to fulfil by tearing up a centuries-old social fabric, a challenge in which they will likely never succeed. Their USP was their anti-communism. The West needed it for its Cold War objectives. The West backed a military coup in Pakistan where communist parties were banned. In India, they had Nehru’s Fabian socialism to keep them in check. In any case, the comrades quarrelled with each other so furiously that they lost the plot. The Hindu right remained united and fleet-footed. It used the left to come to power first in 1977 and then in 1990. It didn’t need help after that.
Successful at home, the Hindu right fell on its face, dealing with
the wider world on equal terms. The Congress had inherited its instinct
for diplomacy from Nehru and Indira Gandhi, which the Hindutva right
lacked. Its anti-communist USP was of little use post-Cold War, so it
found other ways of courting the US, for example by joining anti-China
military measures. Hindutva’s obsequiously pro-Western diplomacy found
earlier occasions to bungle. When A.B. Vajpayee was foreign minister,
Moshe Dayan paid a secret visit to Delhi, but the story was leaked.
Jimmy Carter came, but lost the election.
The Shah of Iran was invited, but was overthrown soon after visiting
Delhi. This is hilarious. Vajpayee struggled to find a Shia maulvi as a
conduit to the new Khomeini regime. It picked the wrong cleric, who was
publicly berated by Khomeini as a pretender. Hindutva’s proximity to
Israel suggests they need the Chabahar port without investing the
political capital in Iran. The bungling continues today. They tapped
Sheikh Hasina as an ally and had to contend with her opponents, who
chased her out to India. They canvassed for Donald Trump. He lost. When
they didn’t canvas for him, he won. The result was humiliating. Hapless
Indians were deported in handcuffs and fetters.
Skipping the Brics summit in Brazil at the weekend, Vladimir Putin
and Xi Jinping allowed member states to give that extra space to the
next important member in the group, India. And India under Narendra
Modi’s watch always craves that extra spotlight. There’s an anomaly
here, however. Under Modi’s leadership, India is seen as lacking the
enthusiasm it once had for ushering radical change, the kind that Brics
promises.
Presented as a ‘beautiful’ fix for growth and security, HR 1 actually funnels wealth to America’s richest, arms a $1?trillion war machine and thickens domestic repression, all with the aim of propping up a waning imperial hegemony.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. !), heralded as a transformative economic and security package for the United States, is less an economic stimulus than a manifesto for American supremacy. It weds two imperatives of the US ruling class: an upward transfer of wealth and a vast expansion of militarised power, thereby entrenching its domestic and global dominance. Cloaked in rhetoric about jobs, growth and border security, the Bill arrives at a moment when Washington’s hegemony is fraying thanks to rising multipolarity, domestic inequality is at an all time high fast – the top 1% hold 32% of wealth – and popular discontent is increasing.
Ruling elites secure dominance not merely through coercion
but by manufacturing consent via ideological control over civil
society—media, politics, and cultural institutions. The Big Brutal Bill,
framed as a “beautiful” solution to economic and security challenges,
exemplifies this process. Its proponents, including Republican leaders
and sections of the corporate media, have deployed neoliberal and
nationalist narratives to mask the legislation’s true aims:
redistributing wealth upward, strengthening coercive state mechanisms
and escalating militarism to sustain US global primacy. This demands the
US power elites discipline both domestic and global populations.
This wealth transfer is not merely economic but ideological. Ruling elites,
through Fox News and various well funded corporate think tanks, frame
the bill as a universal economic boon, echoing neoliberal myths of
“trickle-down” prosperity. Yet, the bill’s regressive tax structure and
social cuts weaken the economic base of the working and middle classes,
limiting their capacity for resistance. Such policies fragment the
potential for a radical “historic bloc” – a unified working-class
alliance capable of challenging capitalist dominance.
The bill’s economic impact aligns with America’s global
imperial strategies. By prioritising corporate tax breaks, it mirrors US
strategies in the Global South, where austerity and privatisation
entrench elite power. This domestic imperialism treats the US working
class as a colonised population, extracting wealth while offering
ideological platitudes about “growth.”
Chinese firms iFlytek and Hytera highlighted AI translation and public safety tech — sidestepping disputes over surveillance and trade secrets.
On a sweltering June day, an artificial intelligence-powered humanoid
robot built by Chinese firm Ubtech entertained a crowd of hundreds
waiting to enter the China pavilion at the Osaka World Expo.
Robotics is just one of several industries where Chinese companies are challenging
their Western rivals — Ubtech’s latest model can speed-walk, scan
barcodes, and handle receptionist tasks. But rather than presenting a
cold futuristic ambience, the design of the 3,500-square-meter pavilion
embraced traditional materials and culture: bamboo panels etched with
poetry, wooden displays, and augmented reality experiences where
visitors can toss virtual snowballs and rake autumn leaves.
The serene setting highlighted Chinese prowess and masked any
potential tension regarding tech firms entangled in U.S. sanctions and
the broader geopolitical rivalry over AI.
Staff throughout the pavilion used handheld radios from Hytera, a Chinese walkie-talkie maker that has admitted conspiring to steal trade secrets from Motorola and faces a potential injunction restricting global sales. Hytera proudly demonstrated
its products at the expo, emphasizing that their durability and
extended battery life can play a role in protecting public safety.
An interactive AI display, featuring the Monkey King from the classic tale Journey to the West,
showcased technology from iFlytek, a partly state-owned company making
voice recognition software and AI translation tools. The U.S. had
sanctioned iFlytek in 2019 and 2021
for “actively cooperating” in Beijing’s repression of ethnic and
religious minority groups and working against U.S. foreign policy
interests. A senior executive said the sanctions have hurt global partnerships, and that iFlytek is seeking business in Japan. In 2019, China’s foreign ministry called the sanctions interference and denied human rights abuses.
More broadly, Chinese tech companies face mounting barriers
from tariffs and expanded export controls on microchips, aimed at
curbing their ability to advance in AI and high-performance computing.
In recent years, Chinese firms have rapidly scaled their businesses in
non-Western markets, according to an Atlantic Council study.
Rest of World visited the Osaka World Expo to understand how Chinese technology companies are marketing themselves to a global audience.
The Middle East’s only real weapons of mass destruction are
Zionism, U.S. imperialism, and Israel’s nuclear arsenal—a toxic trifecta
fueling endless war.
Last
week, in response to Israel’s latest aggression against the Islamic
Republic of Iran, the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) issued a statement
with a title that adroitly articulates the current situation, The Middle East is on Fire Because U.S. and Israeli Imperialism Lit the Match.Therein, BAP, in part, declares, “The
idea of Israel, the zionist occupation, claiming a moral position is
absurd. And the fact that the international community continues to give
Israel any credibility is a dereliction of duty and forms a vacuum of
morality…” To this end, any prosecution of the zionist ethnostate’s
continued aggression against Arab and Persian people in the region
requires an analysis of the variables that prevent even a semblance of
interdiction for Israel’s impunity that’s bringing the Middle East
region and the entire world to the brink of a new season of armed
conflicts with the potential to draw in multiple nations directly and indirectly. Some would argue that this is already happening.
The
zionist ethnostate has been spoiling for a war with Iran for decades.
Who can forget the comedic, cartoonish, yet dark presentation of
Benjamin Netanyahu to the United Nations in 2012 when he suggested that
Iran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu and
other neocons have been peddling the false narrative about Iran’s
nuclear timeline for decades, but this time is much different because it
was acted upon, which has resulted in more death, more illegal acts
that are egregious violations of international law and more global
instability at the hands of the zionist ethnostate and its willing
collaborators in the U.S. and the West. Even a recent report by the
bourgeois media outlet, CNN, indicated that according to U.S. intel, Iran was not only years away from possessing nuclear capabilities, but was also not in the process of doing so.
Nonetheless,
Israel is in the process of attacking Iran, taking out its military
leaders and scientists, targeting its main source of income – oil
refineries and infrastructure – and signaling a desire for regime change
against this sovereign nation. And Israel is doing so with the full
blessing of the U.S. and Donald Trump, who declared that he was fully
aware and supportive of the first round of Israeli strikes against Iran.
This vindicates BAP’s statement, which also asserted, “BAP rejects the
notion that the U.S. was unaware of this attack. The U.S. had the
ability to stop this attack if it was serious about containing Israel’s
perpetual war crimes and disregard for international law, which is a
major threat to any form of true peace.”
Black Agenda Report’s Glen Ford says AIPAC sent a long-time member to discredit Cornel West and give the impression that blacks oppose the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement
One day, a young prince died in the city of Unch in the Indian subcontinent. The boy had had great respect and love for a Shia Ismaili Pir Shams. (Pir means saint and Shams means Sun – Saint Sun.) The king was devastated; he ordered his magistrates and jurists to get a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad because only he could revive the prince. Failure to do so would result in severe punishment for them and their families. They went to Pir Shams and begged him to come because otherwise they would be victims of the king’s wrath.
Pir Shams came to the palace and without invoking Allah held the prince by arm who then came back to life. The prince recognized Pir Shams and they both left the palace. The nonbelievers were stunned. They shamed Pir Shams and charged him with acting like God. Pir Shams and the boy left the town. When it dawned upon Pir Shams, while he was meditating, that he had played the role of God, he removed his skin from head to toe as penalty. He, with the boy, returned to the city and gave his skin to the people.
Pir Shams and the boy were hungry but no one wanted to give or sell them food. Eventually, Pir Shams was able to get raw mutton, but was unable to get fire to cook it, so he prompted the Sun to descend and thus was able to cook the mutton.
The people were terrified by the heat and started burning, and they thought the Day of Judgement had arrived.
Once the mutton was cooked, the Sun went back to its celestial abode.
(This Ismaili saint Pir Shams (died 1356 CE) should not be confused with Mawlana Rumi’s spiritual mentor Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248 CE)).
The People’s Sun — today’s reality
350,000 people are homeless in NYC as of April 2025.
53% of New Yorkers’ debt has gone up due to high food costs. The number is 62% for New Yorkers, with children, who are under more debt.
$4200 is the rent New Yorkers pay for 1 bedroom apartment — the highest in the country.
Prior to losing the Democratic primary for NYC mayor in June 2025, Andrew Cuomo had been governor of New York state from 2011 to 2021. He was accused of cheating and screwing immigrant workers who cleaned the subways during the COVID 19 pandemic.
The people of New York City, when Cuomo was governor, suffered many cuts in Medicaid, public schools weren’t provided enough money because of austerity measures, and it was the same with the New York City’s subway system.
Corruption, inequality, injustice, police brutality, unemployment, underpaid, overworked, frustrated New Yorkers screamed enough is enough. They brought Zohran (means Sun) on the NYC mayoral platform making so many people happy. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Democratic Party was also supported by the Working Families Party. He won the primary.
Zohran Mubarak
Zohran Mubarak to the US ruling class.
The word “mubarak” is of Arabic origin but is also used in many non-Arab countries and means “auspicious, blessed, lucky propitious, happy.” It is used in greetings such as Eid Mubarak,” “Diwali Mubarak,” Christmas Mubarak,” Wedding Mubarak,” “Ramzan Mubarak,” etc.
Gheraoe-d (Encircled or Besieged)
“We were gheraoed by every Age, No one ever came to our rescue! Then, one day, we gheraoed them, And every tyrant shouted his rage. No reason to worry: We shall rise soon despite the pain. And every city which is now dark Will see the light once again.”
The rise of a people’s Sun burned the tyrants badly. The tyrants — the elites, racists, and moneyed class of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party; the Israeli Lobby; Israeli assets; Israeli agents; the billionaires; the media moguls; corporate bosses; Modi’s Hindutva supporters; and so many others shouted their rage.
Mamdani’s parents Mira Nair, a filmmaker, and Mehmood Mamdani, an academic, are Indians. So why are Modi’s supporters opposing Mamdani? Well, answering a question, Mamdani uttered the truth: like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a “war criminal” too.
Trump is 50% wrong, Mamdani is not a communist otherwise he would have said: “Let’s nationalize all industries; tech companies; universities; pharmaceutical companies; all financial institutes. including banks; Trump Towers, and so on and make common people’s life easy and give each family a house, free education, free healthcare, 10 hour work week, etc.”
Trump is 50% correct on the lunatic thing. Mamdani is a lunatic because:
Only a lunatic would think about providing free bus service for the common people.
Only a lunatic would criticize the 24/7/365 Israeli genocide of Palestinians, and risk losing easy-election-campaign money and support from the Israel Lobby to win the New York Mayor’s election with free trips to Israel.
Only a lunatic like Mamdani would refuse to be an Israeli asset. He could have become one of the Israeli assets like Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Andrew Cuomo, Kamala Harris, Hakeem Jeffries, and uncountable others in the Congress, US government, state governments, news media, universities, corporations, armed forces, and so many other organizations. Don’t be surprised, Israel is over the entire US body — like an end-of-life stage of cancer. Only people like Mamdani can save this sick state of affairs and people like Kshama Sawant and her Workers Strike Back can make it alive again.
In the first week of November 2026, Trump will most probably see 100% lunatic in the US House with the name of Kshama Sawant. The US desperately needs her, and many more like her.
“Zohran the Destroyer” is the title given by Fox TV’ reporter. Zohran is the destroyer, indeed. The New York City is stinking with the Farts Of Xenophobes which he is going to eliminate and make it a nice smelling city.
“Civilised people in America don’t eat like this,” says US House representative Brandon Gill (Republican from Texas). He was criticizing Mamdani for eating with hands rather than fork, knife, and spoon. A photo of Gill’s father-in-lawDinesh D’Souza, of Indian origin had been posted eating with his hands.
The “civilized people” use hands to accumulate all the money for themselves, to send arms and ammunition to Israel and other countries to kill people, to sign bills cutting Medicaid, etc., and so on.
Many more such criticisms have been hurled, suffice it to say much hatred has been spewed against Mamdani.
Interrogation by US-based Israeliagents
“Do you recognize Israel as a state? Does it have a right to exist?” and six other questions asked by Politico‘s Jason Beeferman and Jeff Coltin were all related to Israel and antisemitism.
“Does the State of Israel have the right to exist?” was the question Steven Colbert asked on his show.
“The first foreign visit by a mayor of New York is always considered significant. Where would you go first?” was one of the questions asked by one of the moderators David Ushery during the June 4, 2025, NBC Democratic mayoral primary debate.
Mamdani’s reply: “I would stay in New York City. My plans are to address New Yorkers across the five Burroughs and focus on that.”
“Mr. Mamdani, can I just jump in? Would you visit Israel as mayor?” was the question by the Israeli agent Melissa Russo, pretending to be another moderator, who just couldn’t accept Mamdani’s concern for New Yorkers.
Mamdani’s reply:“I’ve said in a UJA [United Jewish Appeal? – ?Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, Inc.] questionnaire that I believe that you need not travel to Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers. And that is what I will be doing as the mayor. I’ll be standing up for Jewish New Yorkers and I’ll be meeting them wherever they are across the five Burroughs, whether that’s in their synagogues and temples or at their homes or at the subway platform because ultimately we need to focus on delivering on their concerns.”
Agent Russo was mad: “Answer just yes or no. Do you believe in a Jewish state of Israel?”
Mamdani: “I believe Israel has the right to exist …”
Agent Russo jumped in: “As a Jewish state?”
Mamdani:: “As a state with equal rights.”
Now Mamdani was attacked by Cuomo, an Israeli asset running for NYC mayor. Watch the entire video of this exchange after 1:56 here.
Israel has occupied Palestine and has been existing, expanding, and executing Palestinians regularly. So the question wasn’t: As a mayor, will you stop the genocide and end Palestinians’ misery?
The battle begins
All the forces arrayed against Mamdani are going to use full fledged power with all means, right or wrong, available at their disposal to defeat Mamdani in the election. They’ll go to any extreme because, this time it’s a people’s candidate and not a billionaires’ candidate — which is never acceptable in the US.
Mamdani should counter his opponents as he did during the June 12 second and final debate. When Cuomo, whose PACs received $25 million from billionaires, went after Mamdani’ inexperience, Mamdani shot back:
“To Mr. Cuomo, I have never had to resign in disgrace, I’ve never cut medicaid, I’ve never stolen 100s of millions of dollars from the MTA, I’ve never hounded the 13 women who have credibly accused me of sexual harassment, I’ve never sued for their gynecological records, and I have not done those things because I am not you Mr. Cuomo. And further more the name is Mamdani, m-a-m-d-a-n-i, learn to get it right.”
Mamdani has a once in the US lifetime chance to change things, if not in the country, then at least in the most populated city.
The country’s major newspaper, the New York Times, during the 2024 presidential election, refused to publish hacked information on Donald Trump and his VP candidate JD Vance but in case of Mamdani, it didn’t hold off on publishing hacked information, supplied by one “who opposes affirmative action and writes often about I.Q. and race.” The info was about Mamdani’s 2009 college admission form. The paper had stopped endorsing any candidates except presidential but it criticized Mamdani in an editorial which “effectively served as an anti-endorsement“, Gabe Whisnant noted in Newsweek.
Mamdani should always remember his middle name Kwame, named after independent Ghana’s first Prime Minister and then President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, “Pan-Africanist visionary” who was voted as “Africa’s Man of the Millennium.” By the grace of Uncle Sam, in the form of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Nkrumah was overthrown, like many others before and after him, while he was on a state visit to China and Vietnam in February 1966.
Nkrumah wrote in his book Dark Days in Ghana what methods the US uses in ousting foreign leaders:
“It has been one of the tasks of the CIA and other similar organizations to discover … potential quislings and traitors in our midst, and to encourage them, by bribery and the promise of political power, to destroy the constitutional government of their countries.”
Former Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York lost in 2024 when the AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee) poured $20 million to help their opponents. Bush and Bowman had called for ceasefire in Gaza.
This happens regularly to many candidates. Cynthia McKinney and Earl Hilliard were the victims too. More than two decades back, Alexander Cockburn pointed out,
“Don’t you think that if Arab-American groups or African-American groups targeted an incumbent white liberal, maybe Jewish, congressperson, and shipped in money by the truckload to oust the incumbent, the rafters would shake with bellows of outrage.”
“All the powers of predatory capitalism, militarised fascism and genocidal Zionism have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre.”
Don’t be Obama or Sanders
As President, Barack Obama had a great opportunity to change the course of ruthless capitalism that it has been on for many decades. He and his advisors instead strengthened those very forces who were responsible for the 2007-2008 financial crisis by bailing them out.
Multimillionaire Obama is a system’s man who is making millions and is ever ready to protect it when he senses even slight danger as he did it in 2020 when it seemed Bernie Sanders might overtake Joe Biden.
Bernie Sanders, an independent (but works with the Democratic Party), had twice, in 2016 and 2020, a chance to form a third party when he lost the presidential candidacy to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, respectively. His supporters were crazy for him and he could have changed the course of history. But no, he betrayed his cause and his supporters, and supported Hillary and Biden, instead.
So Zohran, don’t be like Obama or Sanders. If the anti-people-forces succeed in derailing your pursuit, join hands with Kshama Sawant and Jill Stein to form a third party. If Elon Musk with his hundreds of billions could make a third party, America Party, you could do too with your millions of voters, as the following video of yours acknowledges the voting power of people. Even if you’re elected, the Israel Lobby, the New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and all others will try to make your victory as miserable as they can as Cuomo had done with former mayor Bill de Blasio during his 2014 – 2021 rule.
IMAGE/Violet Frances; Source: Abraham Morgentaler (scientist reviewer)
To boost mood and manliness, men are spending lots of money on the hormone testosterone—yet they may see trouble instead of benefits
Rob, 42, is a fitness guy. He loves working out, spends his spare time in the jujitsu gym and eats a high-protein diet heavy on avocado oil. He cares about his health and wants to optimize it, and a lot of the social media influencers he follows are the same.
So a
few years back, when Rob started seeing ads for testosterone replacement
therapy—TRT—pop up in his feeds, he was intrigued. (Names of patients
in this story have been changed to protect their privacy.) Rob was
already a man in good shape. But testosterone sounded like a great way
to get an extra edge.
“I
bought into what I was listening to on social media, which is, ‘You’re
going to feel better, you’re going to get stronger, and you’re going to
look better,’” he says.
Rob
went to a local, privately owned clinic. There he got a blood test,
which revealed that his testosterone was well within normal range. “I
certainly didn’t need TRT,” he says.
The clinic prescribed it anyway.
Rahim,
48, tells a similar story. He walked into a men’s health clinic a
decade ago looking for an energy and fitness boost. He got an injection
that very day. On subsequent visits the clinic pushed his dose higher
and higher, but he perceived little benefit. “I just felt like I was
taken advantage of,” he says now. “I felt like somebody was using my
body to make money.”
Testosterone
therapy—prescription supplements in the form of pills, patches,
injections or implantable pellets—has probably never been more
publicized or popular. Podcaster Joe Rogan is on it. On Reddit and on
TikTok, on highway billboards and in TV commercials, you’ll see
testimonials in praise of TRT promising mood boosts, better sex, extra
energy and quite possibly an abdominal six-pack. The global market has
been estimated at $1.9 billion.
For the right men, usually those with seriously low levels of the hormone, TRT can improve mood, energy levels and sex drive. It can increase muscle, decrease fat and lower levels of biomarkers for heart disease. Rigorous studies have dispelled once common medical concerns that the supplements increase the chance of prostate cancer; they don’t. And many responsible clinics that prescribe TRT inform their clients of the potential risks and benefits and monitor them closely.
But many men getting
supplements may not have low testosterone to begin with, and for them,
boosting levels of the hormone even higher could cause harm. There is a
lot of medical disagreement about what constitutes “low,” driven by
several studies with different populations and different cutoffs.
Because of this uncertainty, some clinics will legally prescribe TRT for
men whose hormone levels are, according to many measures, just fine.
“It will not make you live longer. It will not make you otherwise
healthier,” says Channa Jayasena, who is a reproductive endocrinologist
at Imperial College London.
And TRT carries risks. Supplemental testosterone can increase the chances of infertility and shrink testicles. It can lead to an abnormal blood condition called erythrocytosis. It is also associated with heightened rates of acne and painful swelling of male breast tissue. So urologists and endocrinologists who study the hormone caution men thinking about TRT to proceed very carefully.
