QUESTION:
I’m 50 years old and weigh 208lbs. with a body fat of over 27%. I have problems with Aspartic Acid, Tongkat Ali and cant’ take Any Caffeine. Test boosters are worthless, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on them with no results. Took Androgel 1.62% for 4 months, with no results. I work out at gym 2 to 3 times a week doing cardio and weights. Diet is ok. Took a newer test boosting product yesterday for the first time and it gave me bad migraine headaches. Still have a bad headache this morning. Unable to work out today. I need energy, stamina, strength, motivation, and low libido. Please advise and help me. There r so many products online, I don’t know what to take….your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thx,
Tony
ANSWER:
Hi, Tony. Before I suggest anything in terms of taking supplements, there is something VERY important I highly advise you do. I suggest setting up an appointment with your doctor and having a serious discussion regarding your issues. Then ask your doctor to prescribe the following tests for you.
1. A Sleep Study
Many professionals often overlook sleep disturbances, such as sleep apnea, as a primary cause of low testosterone. It’s a fact that the quality and volume of your sleep has a profound impact on your testosterone levels.
So before buying the latest, greatest testosterone boosting supplement, or even considering hormone replacement therapy, men with low testosterone should make sure there isn’t some type of sleep disturbance causing their low test levels. If there is, the doctor will develop a plan to help lessen or even eliminate these sleep issues. You will drastically improve your hormone profile.
Testosterone levels rise during sleep and reach peak levels during REM cycles. Sleep apnea drastically reduces the amount of REM sleep for people with this condition. Therefore, men with sleep apnea experience both lower quality and quantity of sleep.
Testosterone boosters or hormone replacement therapy may seem like the answer to the problem. However, you must correct sleep issues to notice any improvements. Treating sleep apnea will improve the quality and quantity of sleep, which will in turn help restore testosterone levels.
A study from Gov et al. illustrates just how important sleep is as it pertains to healthy testosterone levels. 531 healthy male test subjects were examined to see how the amount of sleep they got correlated with their testosterone levels.
The results showed that the men who slept more had significantly higher testosterone levels. In fact, those who slept for only 4 hours had nearly 60% LESS serum testosterone than those men who slept 8 hours.
2. Full Testosterone, Prolactin, and Thyroid Hormone Screens
If any of these important hormones aren’t within optimal ranges, it can wreak havoc on your energy and testosterone levels.
For example, my brother recently had a physical and asked his doctor to check his testosterone levels because he had been feeling very exhausted. He was shocked to find out his testosterone levels were a minuscule 107 ng/dl. (Normal ranges run from 270-1200 ng/dl).
Further blood work revealed that his prolactin levels were extremely high. Prolactin is notorious for hammering your testosterone levels into the toilet! Additional testing also uncovered a small tumor on his pituitary gland that was causing his prolactin levels to skyrocket. No wonder my brother’s testosterone levels were so insanely low!
Under these conditions, no testosterone booster on the planet would do anything. Excessive amounts of prolactin would likely destroy any extra testosterone.
By the way, my brother’s doctor prescribed him a medication that should hopefully reduce the tumor to the point that it’s completely abolished.
Your thyroid hormones are also very important when it comes to testosterone and energy levels. For example, low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) goes hand in hand with lower testosterone levels.
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is released by the pituitary gland in the brain, then stimulates the thyroid gland in the neck to produce thyroid hormones.
Elevated thyroid function (hyperthyroidism) produces higher testosterone levels. In fact, I’ve read about several cases where men with hypothyroid experienced a testosterone increase of more than 150% simply by having their condition corrected with proper medication.
A Word Of Caution:
Most doctors will ONLY order a standard TSH test to determine whether or not a patient has hypothyroidism.
Unfortunately, a TSH test alone does NOT accurately diagnose hypothyroidism! Doing so leaves millions of people undiagnosed and suffering from the debilitating symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Tell your doctor assertively what test you want! Besides the standard TSH test, ask your doctor to check your free T-4, free T-3, RT3 (reverse T-3) and also perform a thyroid peroxidase antibodies test. These are the best tests to accurately determine if you suffer from hypothyroidism.
If your doctor is unwilling to order these tests for you, it’s time to find a new doctor. And make sure it’s one who will either order the tests you want or refer you to an endocrinologist who will!
Prove ‘Em Wrong,
Chad Shaw
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