Hone Health, a new men’s health startup.
When Saad Alam turned 35, he developed a range of symptoms ranging from fatigue to low libido, which led him to the doctor’s office. But like so many Americans, he was told there was nothing wrong with him—possibly anxiety that he could treat with drugs.
But Alam wasn’t convinced it was just fear. A self-confessed health junkie, he decided to explore other avenues and ask a slew of medical professionals to examine him. After countless tests, he found his answer: his hormones were off. More specifically, he experienced these symptoms because of low testosterone. “The doctor told me I had the testosterone levels of an 80-year-old man.”
That was the beginning of his last entrepreneurial journey, which led him to build Hone Health.
And when he was 35, he thought it was a little odd that he would suffer from hormonal imbalance. So he investigated the problem further and found that this was not at all unusual. “So many men I discovered later in my age group also had to deal with this, and some just wrote it off as tired. It is estimated that 40 percent of men over 35 begin to see a drop in testosterone.”
So what causes lower testosterone levels in otherwise healthy men? There is a natural reduction after 30 years. But there are other factors that contribute to modern life: poor diet, lack of sleep, high alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, and exposure to chemicals and pollution — all of these factors, he says, can lead to hormonal imbalance.
Alam, who no longer drinks alcohol, regularly sports and eats healthy, did not understand what the cause was in his case. “I am very healthy. I’m at least a little obsessed with my health,” he says. So he attributes his imbalance to the environment; Alam lives in New York City, where pollution and exposure to chemicals is possible on a daily basis.
Within weeks of doing hormone therapy, Alam says he saw a shift in his energy levels, health, and libido. This very personal experience led him to consider starting a business to help other men test their hormone levels. But for six months he sat on the idea, aware of how challenging it can be to build a health-related business that would regularly test patients and dispense drugs. “I have to be honest, I was scared.”
He also clarifies that for most men who follow a balanced, healthy lifestyle, they will likely be fine. “Only if the conservative measures don’t work should you turn to treatment.”
For cases like his, where he couldn’t find the cause, he refers to a lot of data and studies suggesting a link between phthalates, which are commonly found in plastics and personal care products, and hormonal disruption. Some data goes back 10 to 15 years, arguing that this is not a new phenomenon. For example, a 2009 study from the UK found that chemicals in the water supply can contribute to male infertility; the chemicals leach into the water system from agriculture (pesticides) and pharmaceuticals (disposal of drugs), the study says. This one studies also argue that low testosterone or hypogonadism can affect a man’s overall health, contributing to greater health problems and comorbidities.
The challenge is that testing can be a lengthy process, especially if a primary care physician doesn’t link a man’s symptoms to a possible hormonal imbalance.
So, along with its four co-founders, Seth Franz, Stuart Blitz, Alba Metira and Zach Cane, Alam decided to jump in and launch Hone Health before the pandemic. After raising two rounds of funding, he says, “we are very close to making a profit.”
Unlike traditional medical care, where you get a prescription and get kicked out, Alam says the company regularly works with patients who use telemedicine, routinely doing follow-up tests to make sure the treatment is working and if adjustments are needed.
As Hone Health began to focus on men’s health, he sees an opportunity to build a similar concept for women and explore new aspects of health, beyond just hormonal imbalances.
Alam, who has previously worked in healthcare and collaborates with pharmaceutical companies, notes that Hone Health exemplifies a more sophisticated approach to healthcare, tailoring to a patient’s needs. “Traditionally in pharmacy, companies send representatives to doctors who help them sell a drug as the last new thing they should give their patients. But is that the best approach?”
While Hone Health medical professionals prescribe medication for some patients, he states that it requires a lot more attention, in addition to lifestyle changes that can be made.
Although Hone Health started with a specific cause, it raises broader questions about the healthcare system: How many patients don’t get to the root of the problem because doctors simply don’t have the time to research a patient’s problem? And how important is the impact of modern pollutants on our hormones?
Given the data Hone Health regularly collects, it’s an ideal basis for a longitudinal study to see a shift in men’s health over months, if not years, and help researchers better understand men’s hormonal health.
