Jose M. Ruiz, MD

I built Forge because I know what it feels like to feel off.

To feel fatigued beyond what poor sleep or being overweight could explain. To work at losing weight without seeing the scale budge.

I did what any man would do and sought medical care. I was told my labs were technically in range and that I simply needed to work harder on losing weight, exercising, and sleeping better.

The advice itself wasn’t wrong. But it treated execution like the whole problem.A medical issue had been reduced to a question of personal effort.

Over time, I learned the picture was more complicated. Hormones, metabolic health, stress, and recovery all affect what you can realistically sustain.

That experience changed how I think about men’s health.

No single lab result tells the whole story.The real question is whether your symptoms, labs, lifestyle, health risks, and metabolic health fit together.

The right answer varies with every patient.

• Sometimes that means managing testosterone.
• Sometimes it means addressing metabolic dysfunction, recovery, or other drivers first.

Starting in the wrong place often makes things worse.

Emergency medicine taught me to look at the whole picture, recognize risk, and make careful decisions when the answer is not obvious. My own experience drew me to men’s health. Together, they shaped how I practice.

The point is not to sell one treatment.The point is to make better decisions.