Science Corner 35 | Beyond "I Feel Fine": Dr Clay Moss' Movember Guide to Men's Health

For this Movember edition of Science Corner, I spoke with Dr. Clay Moss, a physician focused on physical medicine, rehabilitation, longevity, and performance. Clay approaches the body as an integrated system and translates complex physiology into practical steps. Our discussion covered the gaps in traditional care, the blind spots men often carry, and the simple actions that can shift long-term health outcomes.

From Personal Frustration to Root-Cause Medicine

Clay’s interest in functional and performance-based medicine started during college, when he spent years battling recurrent strep throat without real answers. Despite looking healthy, he felt terrible, and the cycle of urgent care visits offered no long-term solution. That experience pushed him to question symptom-focused care. In medical school he moved away from surgery and gravitated toward physical medicine and rehabilitation, eventually expanding into functional medicine to address performance, resilience, and prevention more holistically.

What Functional Medicine Really Means

In Clay’s words, functional medicine is simply conventional medicine plus a few more “why” questions. Instead of responding to fatigue or blood pressure with a quick prescription, he looks at sleep quality, insulin resistance, hormones, nutrient status, inflammation, and stress physiology. Traditional systems rarely give physicians the time to explore those factors, which is why many root causes go unaddressed.

The Blind Spots Many Men Carry

Men often assume that feeling fine means being fine. Conditions such as atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and low testosterone progress silently for years. Clay sees another pattern as well: ignoring fundamentals because they seem boring. Sleep, strength training, protein intake, stress management, and alcohol habits shape long-term health far more than quick fixes or supplement stacks.

Rethinking the Annual Physical

Clay believes the standard annual exam needs an upgrade. Instead of a brief appointment and basic lab panel, he recommends:

• Fasting insulin, ApoB, vitamin D, magnesium, and a full hormone snapshot

• Meaningful body composition data, such as waist circumference or a DEXA scan

• Simple but powerful fitness tests, especially grip strength and VO₂ max

These measures offer a clearer picture of long-term vitality and disease risk than traditional checkups.

Prostate and Testicular Health: Earlier, Smarter Screening

Prostate cancer deaths are highly preventable when screening begins early enough. Clay supports obtaining a baseline PSA in the early to mid-40s to establish trends over time rather than relying on a single value at age 50. He also encourages continued screening past 70 for healthy men.

For testicular cancer, which most often affects younger men, Clay stresses monthly self-exams and early evaluation of painless lumps, firmness, heaviness, or dull aches. Normalizing these checks is essential because many young men rarely see physicians.

Clay’s Perspective on Supplements: Evidence First, Hype Last

Given the crowded men’s health supplement space, Clay is direct about sorting meaningful science from marketing. Most commercial “test boosters,” particularly proprietary blends with small doses of many herbs, provide very little real benefit.

Instead, he highlights a few compounds with stronger evidence:

• Vitamin D, especially for those who are insufficient or deficient

• Magnesium and zinc, essential cofactors for hormone production and metabolic function

• Creatine monohydrate, one of the most studied ingredients for strength, muscle maintenance, and potential cognitive support

• Ashwagandha, which can reduce perceived stress and indirectly support hormonal balance

• Tongkat Ali, which has early but encouraging data for modest testosterone and libido support

He emphasizes testing before guessing, choosing third-party tested products, and aligning supplements with real needs rather than trends.

Sorting Evidence from Marketing in Testosterone Support

Clay is candid that most commercial testosterone-boosting blends lean heavily on marketing. The compounds with the most meaningful evidence include vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, creatine monohydrate, ashwagandha, and early but promising data for Tongkat Ali. His advice: know your labs, avoid proprietary blends, and personalize your approach.

A Better Way to Talk About Mental Health

Many men withdraw when asked directly about feelings. Clay starts by normalizing stress and asking concrete questions about sleep, irritability, interest in activities, and performance. Tying emotional health to goals men care about reduces stigma and opens the door to honest dialogue.

Rapid-Fire Takeaways

• One supplement to consider: Creatine monohydrate

• One biomarker every man over 30 should know: ApoB

• One underestimated habit: Lifting weights for decades

• One mindset shift: Aim to be stronger and sharper at 50 than at 28

Personal reflections from Jordan

If you are anything like me, you probably recognize at least a few of the patterns Clay described. I have spent most of my career thinking about health, performance, and prevention, yet I still feel the pull of “I feel okay, so I must be okay.” 

It is surprisingly easy to prioritize projects, training, and family responsibilities over scheduling labs, following up on tests, or having uncomfortable conversations with a physician. Hearing Clay lay out how often men wait for a crisis before engaging with the system hit very close to home.

The part of our conversation that stayed with me the most was his emphasis on upgrading the “software” of a men’s annual physical. Better metabolic markers like fasting insulin and ApoB, real attention to body composition and strength, and validated measures such as VO₂ max and grip strength are not just academic ideas. They are concrete ways to turn a rushed four-minute visit into a meaningful snapshot of long-term health. As someone who cares deeply about performance, I found that framing incredibly motivating. It recasts preventive care as another form of training, not as a chore.

Finally, our discussion about mental health felt especially important. I know from my own experience how difficult it can be to answer questions like “How are you doing, really” in any honest way. Clay’s approach, tying emotional health to goals that matter to men, such as being more present with family, performing better at work, or maintaining strength and resilience over decades, resonated strongly with how I want to think about my own health. 

My hope is that this interview does not just inform you, it nudges you to take one concrete step, whether that is booking a check-up, asking for different labs, or starting a real conversation with someone you trust.