Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champ Dan Henderson speaks about his personal use of testosterone replacement therapy

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The issue of hormone replacement therapy has been brought to the forefront this year with the high-profile issues faced by Chael Sonnen and Nate Marquardt. They're not the first fighters to utilize testosterone therapy for low testosterone, but there are others that have gone through the proper channels and have maintained normal levels throughout their treatment.

One such fighter is Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champ Dan Henderson, who has been undergoing TRT since 2007, and has officially received exemptions for therapeutic use of testosterone for his fights.

He was actually the first-ever fighter to receive an exemption for TRT in the state of Nevada, getting it ahead of his fight with Wanderlei Silva in Pride. With all of the attention TRT is getting, Henderson has now commented on his personal use of the treatment and why he requires it.

"My levels were so low they were off the charts," Henderson said in an interview with ESPN.com. "I was always tired and getting sick a lot. I couldn't even tell you [how to abuse it]. I've never gone above normal ranges. All I know is that I'm not as tired and I don't get as sick as I used to."

As Henderson says, the treatment is supposed to keep you within normal range, but one problem with the commission's handling of it is they don't require constant monitoring of a person's levels throughout their camp. Still, Henderson said it's something he does on his own anyway.

"I always do it on my own just to cover my own a**," he said. "The only time people get monitored now is at the fights. I think it might be good to have stricter monitoring where people are getting tested throughout the year."

Though Henderson didn't mention why his levels were low in the first place, he's been cleared by several commissions and has complied with all requirements, which is a lot more than can be said about both Marquardt and Sonnen.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Henderson's obviously gone about his use in the correct manner, and whether or not his initial low levels came about because of things he himself may have done, he's kept his levels at a normal range and hasn't failed any drug tests. With both Sonnen and Marquardt having elevated levels in their system during fights, it seems a case of the treatment being misapplied or misused for performance enhancing purposes and that's the side effect of having the treatment being allowed in the first place. Still, it's good to hear Henderson speak about it, even in a short interview such as this.

[Dan Henderson art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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