--- title: "What type of doctor should a man see?" entity: "blog" canonical_url: "https://www.drdanwool.com/blog/what-type-of-doctor-should-a-man-see" markdown_url: "https://www.drdanwool.com/llms/blog/what-type-of-doctor-should-a-man-see" lastmod: "2025-08-22T07:00:00.000Z" --- Medically reviewed by [Dr. Dan Wool, NMD](https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdanwool/) Arizona-licensed Naturopathic Physician; Hormone, Peptide & Gastroenterology Specialist Updated: November 11, 2025 Summary: - Men's Health Doctor Options and Limitations: Men's health care typically involves primary care physicians (MD/DO) for annual wellness exams and basic labs, urologists for reproductive and urinary issues like erectile dysfunction and prostate problems, endocrinologists for diabetes and hormone disorders, and specialty "hormone mills" advertising testosterone replacement therapy. Each provider addresses isolated concerns rather than comprehensive men's health needs. - Why Traditional Men's Health Care Falls Short: Primary care doctors lack time for comprehensive assessments, typically spending minimal minutes per visit and only prescribing medications when labs are abnormal. Urologists focus exclusively on urinary and reproductive organs without monitoring overall health markers. Hormone specialty clinics use one-size-fits-all approaches prioritizing volume over individualized care, often missing critical health concerns like heart disease and cancer prevention. - Naturopathic Doctors for Comprehensive Men's Health: Licensed naturopathic physicians combine primary care generalist training with men's health specialization, spending 45-90 minutes per appointment for thorough evaluations. They address hormone health including testosterone replacement therapy, prescribe medications in states like Arizona, access DEA licenses for hormone prescriptions, and work with compounding pharmacists for customized treatments versus standard synthetic medications. - Preventive Men's Health and Lifestyle Medicine Approach: Naturopathic doctors emphasize prevention and root cause medicine, focusing on leading men's health concerns including prostate cancer, colon cancer, heart disease, metabolic dysfunction, and dementia. Treatment plans integrate lifestyle factors like stress management, sleep optimization, exercise programming, nutrition counseling, and evidence-based supplements. Recommended visit frequency is every six months for optimal preventive care. ## Females have gynecologists. What is the best doctor for a male? I believe that guys should see a naturopathic doctor who specializes in men's health. But of course, that's biased and this answer varies based on who you ask. The truth is, men's health falls through the cracks between primary care doctors and urologists. Many men also want to address low testosterone -- i.e. hormones -- and these are technically in the purview of endocrinologists or lead men to online "hormone mills" that advertise on TV and radio. So which type of doctor should a guy see? All of these? Here are the typical doctor options for men's health: Primary care physicians. An insurance-based primary care doctor (MD or DO) is generally the first line of contact for men's health. They offer annual male wellness exams, in which they will ask you some basic health questions. They also will take your vital signs and run some basic labs, such as a Complete Blood Count (CBC), Complete Metabolic Panel (CMP) and Lipid Panel (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.), Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and maybe a few other general markers. And when these come back "healthy" you're told to return in a year for your next exam. If markers such as cholesterol are abnormal, they will typically prescribe a medication, such as a statin for high cholesterol. More serious issues are referred to specialists. Which brings us to.... Urologists. Men have penises, testicles and prostates. The doctors who specialize in the urinary and male reproductive organs are called urologists. Men do not usually go straight to the urologist for wellness -- they are often referred when there is a problem such as a urinary tract or bladder infection, testicular pain, erectile dysfunction, abnormal urinary issues, prostate hypertrophy (BPH) or abnormal PSA, to name a few. They have all the specific diagnostic tools in one place and can make accurate and informed assessments. A handful of urologists might prescribe and manage hormones; in my experience with patients of urologists, this can arise for a specific indication, such as low testosterone or low erectile function. As specialists, they only deal with their specialty and issues such as cholesterol and diseases of the other organs are not monitored -- they go back to a man's primary care doctor. Endocrinologists specialize in hormones. Mostly, they manage diabetic care, genetic hormone deficiencies and serious endocrine disorders. I have never heard of an endocrinologist managing testosterone replacement therapy in adult men. But since many men seek men's health specialists for testosterone replacement, I mention them here because technically it applies. Men's speciality clinics (a/k/a "hormone mills"). There are a number of specialty clinics that advertise in mass media for testosterone replacement therapy and erectile dysfunction medications. Some exist only via telehealth or online (on whom [the DEA has recently cracked down](https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2025/01/16/dea-announces-three-new-telemedicine-rules-continue-open-access) ). These doctors or practitioners are attractive to men who want to treat the symptoms of low testosterone such as low mood, weight gain/belly fat, low libido and erectile issues -- and these advertisers funnel them in for exactly that. These "bro" clinics seem to exist for volume (i.e. to make lots of money) and have a one size fits all approach. They may not offer comprehensive assessments outside hormone health. Many keep this scope narrow, and evaluate only the minimum customary parameters in order for them to prescribe (and profit) off treatment. I see many "refugees" for these clinics and they tell me the same things: the docs spend very little time with them (like primary care) and are not looking at the whole persons or the leading concerns of men, such as heart disease and cancers. ### The case for naturopathic doctors for men's health Men's health is a great fit for naturopathic doctors. Here's why: Best of all worlds: Men's health focused naturopathic doctors like Dr. Dan Wool are p rimary care generalists who spend time with their patients and have the capacity to handle male-related specialties such as hormone health. They are comprehensive and thorough. They also analyze and address lifestyle as part of their treatment plans. Treat the whole person. Philosophically , naturopathic physicians treat the whole person - that is, they look at the big picture and educate their patients on their individual presentation. While this has traditionally been the role of primary care physician, they simply don't have the bandwidth. If you present normal, you're considered healthy and if you're not, they prescribe or refers to a specialist. These doctors spend time establishing relationships with their patients and educating them on the full context of health criteria, such as labs. Naturopathic doctors who specialize in men's health, typically spend about 45-90 minutes with their patients. Prevention and root cause attitude. Naturopathic doctors specialize in prevention and root cause medicine. Men tend to be stubborn and wait for something to be wrong, and by then it can be too late. The new paradigm is for men to go to the doctor when they're well so that minor changes in health can be caught early and quickly addressed. Naturopathic doctors who specialize in men's health are looking at preventing the leading concerns of men such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, metabolic dysfunction and dementia. Dr. Wool recommends that men visit the doctor like they go to the dentist or get their car worked on -- every 6 months. Lifestyle medicine, alternative vendors and modalities. In addition to all the standard medical assessment guidelines, naturopathic doctors also look at lifestyle issues such as stress, sleep, exercise and diet -- and have the experience to develop treatment plans to support overall men's health. They also are experienced in recommending nutritional supplements. Many licensed naturopathic doctors have access to specialty tests and alternative modalities, such as botanical and nutritional supplements. Many NDs such as those in Arizona, can prescribe the medications (same as MDs and DOs). Those naturopathic physicians who hold DEA licenses, can prescribe hormones such as testosterone and often have relationships with compound pharmacists to custom prescribe hormones, peptides and specialty medication vs. simply using synthetic and inflammatory varieties in the standard medical pharmacopoeia. About the Author ## Dr. Dan Wool, NMD Dr. Dan Wool is a naturopathic doctor who specializes in gastroenterology, hormones and men's health in Scottsdale, Arizona. [Set up a free 15-minute discovery call with Dr. Wool today! ](https://drdanwool.com/booking) [Read more about Dr. Wool's Hormone Health Journey](/about)