Dr. Thierry Hertoghe

[JimBob]

Can anyone offer an opinion as to this doctor's approach and ideas about TRT? My nurse says I'm ready for TRT, and she refers to Dr. Hertoghe's expertise. Thanks

 

[Vince]

Dr. Thierry Hertoghe

Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, a pioneer in various medical matters and well-known for his expertise in hormone and nutritional therapies.

hertoghemedicalschool.eu

 

[wondering]

Dr. Mariano always considered him one of the top TRT physicians in Europe.

 

[JimBob]

I was hoping someone here might be familiar with his TRT protocols, or views, good or bad.

 

[Zibernet]

Can anyone offer an opinion as to this doctor's approach and ideas about TRT? My nurse says I'm ready for TRT, and she refers to Dr. Hertoghe's expertise. Thanks

My father went to his clinic for his TRT.

First: you will never see him in person. You can only have an appointment with one of his disciples.

Second: they put everyone on a standard protocole of
Test E
DHEA
Pregnenolone
T3
Cortisone
Vitamin D
Melatonin

They don't looks in depth at your blood test, you get the same treatment as everyone.

 

[Systemlord]

They don't looks in depth at your blood test, you get the same treatment as everyone

Some of the things in that protocol would have given my serious problems (preg, DHEA, T3) as I tried most of it in addition to my TRT and regretted it.

They must have a high patient turnover rate.

 

[Anonymon]

My father went to his clinic for his TRT.

First: you will never see him in person. You can only have an appointment with one of his disciples.

Second: they put everyone on a standard protocole of
Test E
DHEA
Pregnenolone
T3
Cortisone
Vitamin D
Melatonin

They don't looks in depth at your blood test, you get the same treatment as everyone.

They put people straight on Cortisone?

 

[JimBob]

Wow! Thanks. I just listened to a webinar of his and was pretty impressed. But, I've been fooled before. I understand he's starting clinics in the U.S.

 

[JimBob]

Dr. Mariano always considered him one of the top TRT physicians in Europe.

Who is Dr. Mariano?

 

[Zibernet]

Some of the things in that protocol would have given my serious problems (preg, DHEA, T3) as I tried most of it in addition to my TRT and regretted it.

They must have a high patient turnover rate.

Yep, it's like a factory.
I would avoid them like the plague unless you know your body well and are there for a prescription.

 

[Jurek Kletsy]

Thierry Hertoghe is overrated. He isn't up to date on the current, modern trt-practices. He prescribes test E injections every 2-3 weeks and an AI to anyone above the range of estradiol.

I have a friend who's currently living in Belgium who went to the Hertoghe Clinic. He told me the Hertoghe Clinic apparently has two sides: the public side of Thierry talking passionately about hormone therapy and the money grabbing side of his uninterested doctors - Thierry himself only does consultations with high profile clients - who give everyone the standard protocol. They order expensive blood tests but don't actually do anything of importance with them. They don't track you but they still want regular appointments just to earn a paycheck.

 

[Zibernet]

Thierry Hertoghe is overrated. He isn't up to date on the current, modern trt-practices. He prescribes test E injections every 2-3 weeks and an AI to anyone above the range of estradiol.

I have a friend who's currently living in Belgium who went to the Hertoghe Clinic. He told me the Hertoghe Clinic apparently has two sides: the public side of Thierry talking passionately about hormone therapy and the money grabbing side of his uninterested doctors - Thierry himself only does consultations with high profile clients - who give everyone the standard protocol. They order expensive blood tests but don't actually do anything of importance with them. They don't track you but they still want regular appointments just to earn a paycheck.

Yep, exactly my experience with him.

 

[wondering]

Who is Dr. Mariano?

Dr. Romeo Mariano - was a prolific poster (marianco) on boards several years back. He is in Monterey, California.

 

[DorianGray]

There's an interview of Dr. Hertoghe in latest issue of Life Extension Magazine (August 2021). Among other things, he promotes Paleolithic diet to achieve most benefit from hormone therapy. I've talked to him and attended some of his lectures at the A4M conferences (2016,2017, I think). My impression was, don't make a trip to Belgium.

 

[Phil Goodman]

Thierry Hertoghe is overrated. He isn't up to date on the current, modern trt-practices. He prescribes test E injections every 2-3 weeks and an AI to anyone above the range of estradiol.

I have a friend who's currently living in Belgium who went to the Hertoghe Clinic. He told me the Hertoghe Clinic apparently has two sides: the public side of Thierry talking passionately about hormone therapy and the money grabbing side of his uninterested doctors - Thierry himself only does consultations with high profile clients - who give everyone the standard protocol. They order expensive blood tests but don't actually do anything of importance with them. They don't track you but they still want regular appointments just to earn a paycheck.

When starting to look into the topic I obviously came across some of his videos and originally found them interesting(and at the time I thought informative). The more I learned though, the more some of his stuff seemed off to me. As you said the AI thing(and yes I know there may be cases where they’re useful), and especially how he recommends finasteride for anyone at all concerned about losing hair. I also think a minimalist approach is good, especially starting out…but listening to him you’d think you need to supplement with 26 hormones just to be happy after the age of 50. I get the feeling you could go to him with a broken toe and he’d prescribe a hormone for it.

 

[fredrika bloggs]

I wasn't there for Testosterone replacement, but they saved my life.
I'm no longer with them as the "Disciple" who was treating me moved on and I followed her, but they saved my life when the Great British Medical profession had actively injured me.

 

[Andrada]

I wasn't there for Testosterone replacement, but they saved my life.
I'm no longer with them as the "Disciple" who was treating me moved on and I followed her, but they saved my life when the Great British Medical profession had actively injured me.

Can you please tell me her name cause I m not happy with the dr Iam now( from that clinic)

 

[Dr.V.P.C.]

Dr. Romeo Mariano - was a prolific poster (marianco) on boards several years back. He is in Monterey, California.

BTW , best knowledged ever .

 

[Cinnamon2002]

This clinic is a disaster. They charge €320 for a 45 min. consultation (May 2023), and tell you to schedule a new appointment in a few months. I was prescribed thyroid hormone, cortisone, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, growth hormone, pregnenolone, DHEA, melatonin and Ozempic and told to start them all at once. That is crazy. If you get side effects, how do you know which drug(s) to blame? I find their approach totally irresponsible. Also, I wonder how knowledgeable the doctors are about conditions such as hypothyroidism. I had severe hypothyroidism (high TSH, low free Ts), and high blood pressure and cholesterol which are common conditions in untreated hypothyroidism. The doctor asked me if I eat a lot of fat and salt...! He also seemed genuinely surprised I am overweight (is that not common in hypothyroidism?) and prescribed Ozempic to lose weight. Should not thyroid hormone levels be optimized first? They seem to put the horse before the cart. If I had started on all the hormones prescribed, I am not sure I would have survived. At the very least, I would have ended up with serious side effects.

For an additional €100, Dr. Hertoghe will go over your lab results and review your treatment plan. From what I have read here, I am not sure it is worth it.

To sum up: I paid €720 for the consultation and lab analyses. I chose not to buy Erfa Thyroid or growth hormone (both very expensive and not covered by my health insurance). Cheaper thyroid options are available online. If I had bought everything they prescribed, I could easily have ended up paying €2,000...

I don´t think I will go back. The doctor did not seem that competent or knowledgeable to me, and I don´t expect he would be much help if I needed advice.

Some forums suggest this clinic has been going downhill for quite some time now. The doctors working there are GPs and not specialists. Also, they only work part-time in the clinic, meaning there is not necessarily continuity of care. My impression is they are in it for the money more than anything. They seem to prescribe the same drugs to everyone above a certain age, and they don´t see patients often enough for proper follow-up. I suspect many patients go there once or twice and then either find a new doctor or decide to self-treat. I am seriously considering the latter.

 

[BadassBlues]

FWIW… This is the same story I have read for over 15 years. Overblown protocols that overlap and excessive prescriptions in an attempt to try and address every conceivable problem that may exist. I feel as if this approach is dated to the point of being somewhat ridiculous. Science and clinical experience have proven these methods to be antiquated and counterproductive.