About Cora
Cora Reynolds, MSN, RN, ANP-BC
Cora Reynolds has been a nurse practitioner since 2013. She graduated from UCSF, one of the best NP schools in the country, with a master’s degree in nursing, specializing in the care of adults. Most of her training, including a primary care / internal medicine residency, was done at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, where her patients were almost exclusively men. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and licensed in multiple states.
Cora has spent most of her career working as a primary care provider, treating acute illnesses as well as chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, COPD, obesity, kidney disease, depression, substance use disorders, and hepatitis C. She also has expertise in palliative care, pain management, and hospice care.
Cora also has extensive training in functional medicine and holistic nutrition. If you’re interested in a more holistic approach, she’ll be happy to work with you on diet and other lifestyle factors to help you feel your best and raise your testosterone levels naturally.
My Story
I’ve been a full-time NP for almost 10 years and have treated thousands of patients. As a primary care provider, many men have come to me asking me to check their testosterone levels. “Do you think I could have low testosterone, and that could explain how bad I feel?” they’d ask. My answer, until recently, was “possibly, but probably not.” I’d go ahead and check their testosterone levels anyway, but typically, they would be in the normal range, “according to the guidelines.” I’d tell them, “Nope, your testosterone level is normal! So it’s not that.”
Little did I know that the “guidelines” for a normal testosterone level were essentially made up without much evidence, and based on the average testosterone levels of our generally unhealthy population. I didn’t know that American men in the 1940s had average testosterone levels nearly twice as high as those of American men today. Or that men’s average testosterone levels had been declining by 1% per year since 1987 (even when adjusted for age). I wonder now, if I had treated some of those patients of mine with testosterone therapy, would they have been able to lose weight? Would their heart and vascular function have improved? Would their depression have cleared? Sadly, I think the answer is probably “yes.” Unfortunately, this is usually not done in traditional primary care.
Through my own research, I found out about the devastating effects of hypogonadism (low testosterone), what men’s testosterone levels should really be, and about the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy. What I learned inspired me to start this practice.
It’s sad that low testosterone is such an underdiagnosed, misunderstood problem that could be so easily fixed. I’m happy that I get to help men feel better and more like themselves.
