Dr. Bob Young: [00:00:00] On this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast, our guest is Dr. Bob Young, owner of the Gameday Men’s Health Clinic, which is a brand new men’s health clinic in Clayton, North Carolina, just across from the ABC store.
And Dr. Young is started this clinic to help men with all types of health issues, but particularly focusing on men who suffer from low testosterone. You can listen to him talk about what low testosterone is, different treatments for it, and how it improves men’s lives if managed correctly, and some of the advantages of working with his clinic where an A, it’s actually owned by a emergency room physician who is still practicing as emergency room physician who’s working in it and helping people get better every day. I think it will find it interesting and fascinating, and it’s a form of medicine that really isn’t focused on very much, and I think he’s trying to raise awareness of low testosterone and how it affects men.
So listen in.
Welcome to another episode of Best of Johnston County, brought to you [00:01:00] by Breeden Law Office. Our host, Jonathan Breeden, an experienced family lawyer with a deep connection to the community, is ready to take you on a journey through the area that he has called home for over 20 years. Whether it’s a deep dive into the love locals have for the county or unraveling the complexities of family law, Best of Johnston County presents an authentic slice of this unique community.
Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden, and on today’s episode, we have Dr. Bob Young, the owner of the Brand New Gameday Men’s Health in Clayton, North Carolina. That is across from the ABC store, just down from the Walmart on Highway 70.
We’re gonna talk to him a little bit about testosterone replacement therapy, why he decided to start a store like this in Clayton. Different things men could do to improve their health and how he can help you and if you have, what if you think you may have low testosterone levels and a little [00:02:00] bit about how the therapy works.
But before we get into that, I wanna ask you to like, follow and subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re seeing, whether it be on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok. Instagram, Twitter, or any of the other social media channels of The Best of Johnston County Podcast so that you’ll be made aware of future episodes of The Best of Johnston County Podcast.
The Best of Johnston County Podcast comes out every single Monday and has now for over 18 months, so go back and listen to some of our previous episodes with other. Interesting people from Johnston County, including Johnston County Commissioner Butch Lawter. recently we had an episode with the Johnston County manager, Rick Hester with a lot of great people have been on, and if you love Johnston County as much as I do, this is the podcast for you.
Welcome, Dr. Young.
Dr. Bob Young: Thank you. It’s good. Great to be here.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. Well, great. It’s, You know, I’ve, I’ve heard of games today, mental health, men’s health. I did not know it had come to Clayton until you reached out to us. So tell us who you are, where you’re from, what you do.
Dr. Bob Young: So I’m Bob Young ER Physician by trade.
I am originally from Ohio. Did all of my [00:03:00] training in Ohio. So I went to med school at Ohio University, and then I did my emergency medicine residency in Toledo at St. Vincent’s Hospital right after residency. I knew I was getting out of the cold weather, the snow. I’ve always kind of wanted to be on the Carolinas, wanted to be on the coast, and I settled in Wilmington.
So I’ve been in Wilmington now for about 15 years. I’ve been working there as an ER physician. Kind of started to move into the men’s health arena after working. The last 15 years in the emergency department, it does get a little tiring. We work day shifts, night shifts, back and forth constantly.
It’s high stress, but the stress isn’t really what did it for me. It’s more I. Constantly seeing these chronic diseases. The patients that come to the er, it’s not typically just a big trauma and an accident. We’re seeing the same patients over and over, and those are people that just have not taken care of themselves for the last 40, 50 years.
And then they come in constantly with these chronic illnesses. And the more you see that, the more you just [00:04:00] want. To avoid and find a way to avoid all of these illnesses. So that’s more of what I’ve been studying for the last five years on all of my free time. So just trying to find a way to make people healthier so we don’t have to see this.
You know, chronic pain and chronic, you know, can’t breathe and chronic coronary disease and strokes and things like that. So looking for a way to live healthier and happier.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, that, that’s interesting. And I think your wife is a dietician, right?
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly.
Jonathan Breeden: And she works with you as well. So, I mean, you got.
The two of y’all. I mean,
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah
Jonathan Breeden: you see the chronic disease and she’s trying to help people lose weight and
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah,
Jonathan Breeden: eat healthier and all that.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: So I mean, you definitely have dedicated Y’s lives to try to help other people.
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly. So, you know, and then it’s a constant struggle. ’cause life’s tough.
We gotta work, we’re tired, we’re exhausted, and so then we make poor choices ’cause we eat out or we eat on the road and things like that. But she’s really good at finding ways to make. [00:05:00] Healthy choices. And I think that’s what most of us don’t do. And a lot of people just don’t have the education and they just don’t realize how bad something is.
And it’s just a couple quick tips. The easiest way to start, you can lose 10 pounds. Most people will lose 10 pounds by just logging their food. ’cause they will automatically make a better choice when they see something that’s 800 calories. You know, eating something that’s 800 calories where they could eat this whole thing.
That’s only 300. And a lot of people just logging their food and realizing the amount of calories they’re taking in will probably lose 10 pounds.
Jonathan Breeden: I believe me, I understand the constantly on the go with travel for work and
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah
Jonathan Breeden: kids playing sporting events and activities two and three nights a week, and next thing you know, you’re at Chick-fil-A and
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah
Jonathan Breeden: you can eat healthy at Chick-fil-A, but I choose not to eat healthy. It’s eat Chick-fil-A. Right. You know, you can eat the grilled salad, you can eat grilled chicken. But I I love the fried chicken salad chicken.
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly.
Jonathan Breeden: The fried chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A. So believe me, [00:06:00] I completely get it. I completely get it.
So you know, you can get right. You being more educated, I think you still have to make the decision.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: To make better decisions. And I probably should do a little bit better than I do. So, how did you decide that you were gonna get into the Men’s health clinic business. And then I guess secondly, how did you decide on Gameday?
Because there’s a lot of other people in this market that do what Gameday does and Gameday’s all over the country
all that. So tell us a little bit about that.
Dr. Bob Young: Well, so I wanted to kind of get into more of a wellness type of practice and how could I get people feeling better and being a middle aged man myself, it kind of directed me in this way. And also seeing the patients in the ER the ones that were the easiest to treat were usually a middle-aged man. They were there for one reason. They had something bad wrong with them and they wanted that fixed, and they were leaving.
They weren’t looking for other treatments. They didn’t have a lot of complaints. They’re just one little thing, and they were just the easiest and the happiest every time we treated them. So I was [00:07:00] like, well, if I could treat one subset of patients, that would make medicine the most enjoyable, it would be them.
And then I ended up. Constantly fatigued, feeling terrible. I always just blamed it on work ’cause the job was demanding. I finally went and got my testosterone level check. I. Found out it was low, went on treatment, and it was life changing. So you take all that together and I’m like, why am I not helping all these other men?
And I started doing some research and finding out how many men are low, even as low as the age of 30. And all these 30 year olds are walking around with testosterone levels of 200. And if you look like a, a healthy 18 year old’s, a thousand to 1200. So when you’re 30 and you’re only 200, you feel awful.
And. So it’s really about getting the awareness out. And if I can help these men feel great that it doesn’t get any more rewarding than that and it’s just a, it’s a sector of medicine that’s underserved, so [00:08:00] I. Men don’t seek out healthcare, and they typically just sort of blame it on work and life, and that’s how they’re supposed to feel and they just put their shoes on and go to work.
And if we can just get some awareness out that these people could feel so much better, not only are we gonna change their life, but their family’s life, their children’s life. And I don’t think it gets any more rewarding than that.
Jonathan Breeden: Alright. Well, why Gameday and not some of the other.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: Maybe more known providers in this ’cause you’re a franchisee of Gameday.
Dr. Bob Young: Yep.
Jonathan Breeden: You could have bought any of the other franchises. Why Gameday?
Dr. Bob Young: Well, I originally thought about maybe doing it on my own. But I’m still working in the emergency department, so working in the emergency department, trying to start something from scratch did not seem like a good option. I was gonna have to quit completely and devote all my time.
So then I did start looking at different options and franchises and things like that. Gameday sets itself apart because it is very high level as far as their treatment protocols. We are pretty much physician backed and [00:09:00] physician ran at all levels. So every Gameday franchise that you go to has significant physician involvement.
We have our own lab, so you’re gonna have a physician that’s your lab director, whereas if you went to just a med spa to get some testosterone treatment. You don’t have physician involvement there. They may have a medical director for the most part, but if it’s not a physician owned med spa, which very few of them are, then you’re not gonna get that type of treatment.
Now, testosterone can help you significantly, but it can harm you if it’s not done right. So you really need close protocols. And when I looked at Gameday, their protocols were very specific. They’re very regiment. And there’s constant training. So I. You know, we have our chief medical officer that’s always putting out training once a week.
We have training that you know, that you can join. And then you’ve got extensive training you gotta do just to get certified. And I think if you’re gonna do this, you gotta do it right and you gotta do it safely. [00:10:00] And Gameday definitely has it together when it comes to that.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. So describe, I mean, you know, and it’s not like you’re going to a doctor’s office, right?
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: Like, it’s like you’re going to a. Doctor’s office with a sports bar.
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. I mean, they got TVs, you got magazines, you got drinks. Like, like it’s not a stuffy doctor’s office.
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly.
Jonathan Breeden: So that’s not how this is said.
Dr. Bob Young: And we’re trying to be the opposite of a doctor’s office.
We’re trying to get men in there and to actually be happy. So, you know, there’s gonna be sports center on, we’re gonna have a fight on, or a game or whatever in every room that you walk into. It doesn’t matter if you walk in to get your blood drawn or you go to another room to get a procedure done, or you know, there’s even one in the consultation office, which we use more of just for diagrams and stuff, but there’s gonna be a game on.
So, because we want men there, we want them to be happy, you know, all the chairs are comfortable. If you’re sitting in the waiting room, it’s comfortable. And we schedule our appointments. So you are not waiting in the waiting room. So a lot of people don’t even get to enjoy my snacks that I’ve got laying out everywhere because they come right [00:11:00] back.
And that’s the thing is men don’t have time. You know, they won’t go to the doctor because they don’t want to take off work. So if you come to our clinic, you are right in. If I double book something, it’s because me and my physician assistants there and you know, a lot of times both of us will attack the same patient and kind of go over everything together.
Or if there’s somebody waiting, then I’m gonna take ’em. And you’re not gonna have to wait in the waiting room. You’re gonna get a very personalized treatment plan and. You’re gonna be comfortable doing it. You’re gonna be able to watch TV while you’re getting your blood drawn. You’re going to eat snacks, have a drink, you know, things like that.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. And so, and after the, after you’ve got a lab there.
Dr. Bob Young: Yes sir.
Jonathan Breeden: So you’re gonna be able to give them their testosterone number before they leave?
Dr. Bob Young: Yes. So you’re gonna come in, first thing you’re gonna do is get your blood drawn and we’re gonna get you a testosterone level right there. That takes about 15 to 20 minutes to run.
So you get your blood drawn and then you’ll speak with me. And while we’re doing our consultation, your blood will be running [00:12:00] and by the end of it, we’re gonna know your level. And if you decided to if we talked about everything you were a right fit, a candidate for treatment, then we would send off more comprehensive labs with, you know, estrogen levels and a full panel of blood work.
But in the office we do the testosterone test right there.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay?
Have family law questions? Need guidance to navigate legal challenges? The compassionate team at Breeden Law Office is here to help. Visit us at www. breedenfirm. com for practical advice, resources, or to book a consultation. Remember, when life gets messy, you don’t have to face it alone.
Jonathan Breeden: And so, does health insurance pay for this?
Dr. Bob Young: So health insurance does not typically pay for hormone replacement therapy in men.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay?
Dr. Bob Young: Um, Even in women for the most part. Now they will pay on the extreme. So if you’re 30 years old and your level’s a hundred, they will pay for it.
You know, but they’re gonna put you through the ringer to do it. There might [00:13:00] do two or three tests before 9:00 AM different things like that. Otherwise, insurance isn’t gonna cover it. But the problem is. If you’re 30 years old, you shouldn’t be at 300. So it’s the typical healthcare model in the US which is what drives me away from it, is it’s let’s keep people miserable and sick until they’re really sick and then we start doing something and paying it.
And the idea is to cut that out. The idea is to live happy and healthy for a long time as opposed to start using, you know, being on multiple medications.
Jonathan Breeden: So health insurance is not gonna pay for this. So what are some of the approximate cost? ’cause people have immediately assume this is gonna cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: Health insurance gonna pay, I don’t know what it costs, but I don’t think it’s thousands and thousands.
Dr. Bob Young: No,
Jonathan Breeden: At least not initially.
Dr. Bob Young: No. So. we have lots of different protocols, so different, things for different ages. If you’re younger, you may be on a few things because we wanna preserve testicular function, we wanna make sure you’re able to have children, things like [00:14:00] that. But if you’re just on testosterone, it starts around 225 per month. and we, have discounts, and right now my clinic’s brand new, so I’m running a discount that it’s 199 a month for my first 50 clients, and then it’ll start going up after that. But we, there’s always a promotion every month.
We do lots of different things. So you don’t have to be on testosterone. We might put you on something like Sermorelin which is a peptide that helps increase growth hormone that’s proven to be safe and effective. So there’s lots of options if it’s not testosterone that you want, but we can surely get you feeling better.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? And so now there’s some people that. Don’t really think that this testosterone works or, yeah. And we all know that if you start taking synthetic testosterone, then the body stops making testosterone. So if you start on it. How do you ever stop because your body’s gonna stop making it natural. I guess maybe if you stop, your body will then start making it naturally.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: But there’s gonna be a period where you might feel bad. I mean, [00:15:00] tell me a little bit about that.
Dr. Bob Young: So, well, first I would say that if you know anybody that’s on testosterone replacement therapy, you’ll be very, you’ll find very few people that say it doesn’t work. It works 99% of the time to make you feel better.
But yes, if you start giving it. You know exogenously, then yeah, the body does as its normal, feedback loops will stop producing it. Okay? Now, if you do get off of it, it will take time, but you will likely get near the level you were at before. Now, if you’ve been on it for many years, it may take nine months.
Now some people, it’s true, some people won’t get back to that level and maybe they’re gonna need it for a lifetime. Most people that start it though will want to continue it for life. If not, there are other things we can do. So there’s, people have heard of Clomid, maybe for fertility issues and things like that.
We can put you on Clomid, but I always do something called Enclomiphene, and that’s the isomer that works more on testosterone versus estrogen. So you tend to get a little more of the benefit. And [00:16:00] that’s an option for some people that just are worried about that. Just like you said, I will say, well, let’s not do that.
Let’s try. If I think you’re a candidate based on your labs and other hormone levels, then I’ll say, let’s just do in Enclomiphene. That’ll keep everything functioning just right. It’ll. You know, and that’s an option for a lot of the younger people.
Jonathan Breeden: Right? So I mean, you’re a doctor, so the stuff you’re prescribing.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: It’s, so this is different than an over the counter supplement.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah. None of this.
Jonathan Breeden: So tell me the difference between the over counter supplement. I can get it GNC and what I would get it Gameday.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah. The supplements that you’re talking about, are these so-called boosters? Do they work? They may work a little bit. They might get you up at 10% or so, but somebody that’s got a testosterone of two, 300, they need to be at six or 800 potentially based on, depends on their age. Nothing will get you there. People’s testosterones are low for a lot of reasons.
And I think most of it is our environment. It’s our diet, our food all of the chemicals that are on our foods and they’re just [00:17:00] not producing anymore. And you know, getting that little 10% boost from some of these supplements doesn’t really do anything. And I think that’s what you might hear of people thinking that they did boost their testosterone, it didn’t work, and it’s probably because their level didn’t really go up.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. Well, and then those supplements are not regulated by the FDA
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly
Jonathan Breeden: at all don’t.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah, they’re not regulated, so you don’t know what you’re getting in the supplements. Now there are, you know, manufacturers that are pretty reputable and I, you know, and I still recommend certain supplements to my patients as well.
There’s a lot of supplements that we all need that we’re not getting in our diet, but it’s not these testosterone boosters per se.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Now y’all are gonna do some, is your wife gonna be doing dietician work at gameday as well.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah.
Jonathan Breeden: I mean, health insurance will pay for that.
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah, so she just sort of helps me with a lot of the dietary protocols that I help patients with. So
Jonathan Breeden: Okay
Dr. Bob Young: when a patient comes in. They get a full consultation and you know, we provide, hormone replacement therapy. We [00:18:00] provide different vitamin therapies and injections. We provide weight loss and then we provide erectile dysfunction. So if you came in for a consult, we go through everything.
So a lot of people just want to know what their testosterone level is. You can’t get out that easy. I’m gonna go through your entire medical history. I’m gonna put you on a 3D body image scale. So you basically get down to your underwear. You stand on this scale, and it rotates 360, and it’s gonna take measurements of your entire body.
It’s gonna tell me your body fat percentage, your lean mass. It’s gonna give me all of your health risks, just based on your weight and your fat percentage. We’re gonna go through all of that. We’re gonna go through your testosterone, we’re gonna go through all your symptoms.
And then it’s not just about starting on testosterone, it’s about what is the full picture here? What needs to happen, what needs to happen first, and what is our goal? So maybe it’s just weight loss and you know, if it’s weight loss and your testosterone level’s fine, then we’re gonna start at weight [00:19:00] loss.
If it’s your testosterone’s, you know, really low and you’ve got all this fatty tissue, you can’t lose weight. When you’re like that, you’re only gonna put it on and maybe your testosterone level’s okay, but your estrogen level’s high. Maybe we just need to get that down. You know, there’s a lot of different things, but it’s all about decreasing your risk for longevity and then making you feel good in the meantime, you know, throughout life.
And that’s what’s gonna make a difference in people’s lives.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Well that’s cool to know. And so your location opened in February. Yes. So what’s the address?
Dr. Bob Young: So it’s 5 0 1 Gateway Drive. It’s Suite 1 0 1, which is right around the back. I don’t have my big sign up yet ’cause we’re waiting on Clayton to approve and go through all that and get it built.
But there’s a chiropractic partners sign in the front and he’s the owner of the building and I’m in the backside of that.
Jonathan Breeden: Right, right across from the ABC store on 70.
Dr. Bob Young: Yes.
Jonathan Breeden: Just down from Walmart.
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly.
Jonathan Breeden: So, well that’s great. And so you opened in February. What’s your website?
Dr. Bob Young: My website is Gameday Men’s [00:20:00] Health, and then it’s backslash Clayton nc.
Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And are y’all open seven days a week now? I know, I know you’re still working your regular job in Wilmington, but, so right now you’ve got some help?
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah. Right now we’re only open Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I. I will eventually, the goal is to be open five or six days. But just gotta, once the word gets out, once we get more busy then we’ll open up more days.
Jonathan Breeden: And do you need to make an appointment before you come in? You schedule online? How do you get set?
Dr. Bob Young: There’s lots of ways to make an appointment. You can call. We don’t like drop-ins. We’ll, we can take a drop in, but like I said, the reason we don’t want a drop in is because we want men to be able to.
In and out, get there, schedule their day. And we want to stay on track. We don’t want that whole doctor’s office waiting for two hours, that sort of thing. So we don’t care for the drop-ins. We will see you if you do drop in. But you can book an appointment. You can call the phone number. We’ve got the office phone number, which is (919) 234-5656.
You can find us on Facebook, you can find us on Instagram, and [00:21:00] then our website. If you just search Gameday Men’s Health Clayton, you’re gonna find it. And you just fill out a few things that’ll go immediately my, to my phone.
Jonathan Breeden: Are the consultations free to come in and get your blood thrown and all that to see where you’re at?
Dr. Bob Young: Yep. So if you fill that out, make an appointment, come in, everything’s free, you’re gonna get your testosterone level. You only get charged if you sign up for a service. Our services are paid monthly, and that is your service. So you have access to me at all times during that service.
So even if you call for a consultation, you just wanna talk. I get every message that comes through and it goes straight to my phone. So I usually, it’s me that contacts you. If you fill out your information online, I usually say, Hey. You know, it’s Dr. Young with Gameday. I see you filled out an online survey.
Would you like to make an appointment or do you want to call? And I’ve, had two hour conversations with people just off that, who finally say, yeah, let’s make an appointment.
Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that’s great. That’s great. Yeah. And so, and you said you have some physician’s assistants that help you as well?
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah, I’ve [00:22:00] got a physician’s assistant, he lives here in, in Garner. His name’s Chad Smith. He’s great. So he’s there part of the most, he’s there Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I’m there. Depending on my other work schedule, I’m usually there about half the time. But we, you know, discuss every patient and I usually try to talk to every patient over the phone.
Jonathan Breeden: Oh, well that’s, I mean, that’s a personalized level of service
Dr. Bob Young: Yeah
Jonathan Breeden: that you’re not gonna get anywhere else. Part of that’s, you’re new, but part of that is, it sounds like that’s the kind of service you want to provide.
Dr. Bob Young: Exactly. That’s what sets us apart, you know? We understand that you’re paying money outta your pocket, and that’s the only way that you can get these treatments.
And for me to make the most impact on people’s life, that’s what I gotta do.
Jonathan Breeden: Well, that’s great. That’s great. Well, I know that you are new to Johnston County, but the last question we ask everybody is, what do you love most? Why did you choose Johnston County?
Dr. Bob Young: Well, just looking at the area, there’s nothing really like it around.
You can go into Raleigh if you wanna drive and fight the traffic, but there’s not much of anything like that. There’s a few weight loss places around. But [00:23:00] I don’t see anybody else offering it. Even if you go to a urology office, urologists don’t really wanna replace testosterone. They want to do surgeries and all the other things, but you know, they don’t really care to do that.
So it’s just a service that is not. Being given in the area.
Jonathan Breeden: Right. Well, that’s awesome. So what do you love most about Johnston County in your short time with us?
Dr. Bob Young: Well, I just like the people, so all the people that I’ve met in the clinic are just, they’re just great. I mean, they’re nice people. Some of ’em, you know, I’ve sat in there for two hours with, you know, they’re having marital troubles and they’re open right up to me.
They, you know, they’re there for help and they’re not afraid to tell me all about it. And then some of ’em I’ve had in the office for a couple hours because we’re just laughing the whole time.
Jonathan Breeden: That’s awesome. That’s awesome. So anyway. Well good. We’d like to add thank Dr. Young for coming and being our guest on this week’s episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast.
But anyway, Gameday Men’s Health and Clayton, across from the ABC [00:24:00] store is now open and he’ll be glad to meet with you and help you out and see if he can help you live a healthier life. As we mentioned earlier, please like, follow, subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re seeing it.
And give us a five star view down at the bottom. That’ll help with our visibility. And if you wouldn’t do us the favor of tagging us in your Instagram stories, The Best of Johnston County Podcast, that would be great as well. Until next time, I’m your host, Jonathan Breeden.
That’s the end of today’s episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.
If the legal aspects highlighted raised some questions, help is just around the corner at www. breedenfirm. com.
