Testosterone Optimization On RP-inspired Nutrition

[GreekDemiGod]

I want to do some fresh blood tests. Any advice on what to look for, budget is tight as I pay out of pocket.

• Total and free measured Testosterone
• Estradiol (E2)
• Prolactin
• SHBG
• TSH

 

[S-VV]

Free T3 instead of TSH if budget is really tight.
E2 measured by LC-MS/MS for accurate results.
Free T can be calculated from SHBG so you can skip that one.
LH for assessing pituitary function.

Maybe DHT if you have really low libido.
Maybe DHEA-S.
Maybe morning ACTH and Cortisol to asses Adrenal status with above,
Maybe 25-OH-D

 

[GreekDemiGod]

@S-VV Thanks!
Tested my Vitamin D levels in the summer. Came out high-end of normal range after a few months of supplementing 5000 IU. I trust levels are in good range, even though I've ceased supplementing it.
Good point with DHT.

I tested LH and FSH twice in the last year, both came out low-normal range, indicating low-ish pituitary hormones. Of course my endo saw nothing wrong with it.
Folks in the forum suggested to not treat low LH and FSH directly, as they're often a symptom of something, not a cause.

 

[Kunstruct]

Last few days, I realized my feet were very cold at a random time during the day Might need to revisit my thyroid status and check temps more often.

This forum talks way too much about thyroid regarding cold hands and feet which is misleading when we know Adrenaline can do the same thing.
This can also be one of the reasons why you can't sleep at times.

 

[redsun]

This forum talks way too much about thyroid regarding cold hands and feet which is misleading when we know Adrenaline can do the same thing.
This can also be one of the reasons why you can't sleep at times.

1000 times this. I always misunderstood cold extremities as being hypo. Completely way off. Makes you think nothing you do fixes cold extremities except eating which warms them for a few hours at most and sometimes not even that. Now I dont think twice about being "hypo", clearly if its as simple as certain vitamins for cold extremities(which is the most common complaint next to fatigue) then its not really hypothyroidism. When I focused on increasing vasodilation through certain vitamins I now never get cold extremities unless its freezing and i am not well-dressed for the outdoor weather or I get an adrenaline rush due to a stress or some hard exercise (which is supposed to happen).

 

[LukasWood]

1000 times this. I always misunderstood cold extremities as being hypo. Completely way off. Makes you think nothing you do fixes cold extremities except eating which warms them for a few hours at most and sometimes not even that. Now I dont think twice about being "hypo", clearly if its as simple as certain vitamins for cold extremities(which is the most common complaint next to fatigue) then its not really hypothyroidism. When I focused on increasing vasodilation through certain vitamins I now never get cold extremities unless its freezing and i am not well-dressed for the outdoor weather or I get an adrenaline rush due to a stress or some hard exercise (which is supposed to happen).

Wich vitamins do you mean?

 

[Kunstruct]

1000 times this. I always misunderstood cold extremities as being hypo. Completely way off. Makes you think nothing you do fixes cold extremities except eating which warms them for a few hours at most and sometimes not even that. Now I dont think twice about being "hypo", clearly if its as simple as certain vitamins for cold extremities(which is the most common complaint next to fatigue) then its not really hypothyroidism. When I focused on increasing vasodilation through certain vitamins I now never get cold extremities unless its freezing and i am not well-dressed for the outdoor weather or I get an adrenaline rush due to a stress or some hard exercise (which is supposed to happen).

Yeap.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

This forum talks way too much about thyroid regarding cold hands and feet which is misleading when we know Adrenaline can do the same thing

So that would be liver-related maybe?

 

[Kunstruct]

I don't know that.
Interestingly people separate Adrenaline/Epinephrine from Dopamine like they wouldn't be related.

 

[redsun]

Wich vitamins do you mean?

Lots of B2 with folic acid. I may or may not have found extra benefit from vitamin C with it. If you have lots of C in the diet it should be okay. I took high doses of B2, the one I have comes in 100mg, chop it in half I had 50mg and sometimes I did 25mg. Twice a day. 800mcg folic 3x a day sometimes more (I do it for other reasons). But you dont want to take just those two, take a decent B complex and then you take extra B2, folic acid, vitamin C on top of it.

 

[redsun]

The whole 'eat nutrient-dense foods, stop all supplements' does not work, it's clear. I did this 1 year ago, and all it got me was 440 ng/dL.

You realize this is the exact justification people use to just say **** everything and take all these strong drugs without a care for the consequences. I gave you options about increasing erection quality in your other thread. Niacinamide, folic acid. B2 will do more. B2, folic acid, vitamin C (to recycle BH4), all these things are needed for nitric oxide synthesis which is what causes and maintains strong erections.

"Physiologically, erection is triggered by the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, causing the levels of nitric oxide (a vasodilator) to rise in the trabecular arteries and smooth muscle of the penis. The arteries dilate causing the corpora cavernosa of the penis (and to a lesser extent the corpus spongiosum) to fill with blood; simultaneously the ischiocavernosus and bulbospongiosus muscles compress the veins of the corpora cavernosa restricting the egress and circulation of this blood. Erection subsides when parasympathetic activity reduces to baseline."

Erection - Wikipedia

"
NOS catalyzes the reaction:[2]

• 2 L-arginine + 3 NADPH + 3 H+ + 4 O2
  
  2 citrulline +2 nitric oxide + 4 H2O + 3 NADP+

NOS isoforms catalyze other leak and side reactions, such as superoxide production at the expense of NADPH. As such, this stoichiometry is not generally observed, and reflects the three electrons supplied per NO by NADPH.

NOSs are unusual in that they require five cofactors. Eukaryotic NOS isozymes are catalytically self-sufficient. The electron flow in the NO synthase reaction is: NADPH → FAD → FMN → heme → O2. Tetrahydrobiopterin provides an additional electron during the catalytic cycle which is replaced during turnover. NOS is the only known enzyme that binds flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), flavin mononucleotide (FMN), heme, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and calmodulin."

Nitric oxide synthase - Wikipedia

If nitric oxide production is not normalized, you might as well say goodbye to strong erections permanently.

FAD and FMN are from B2, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) needs vitamin C and folic acid for BH4 recycling. Iron is obviously heme and it carries oxygen as well so it is needed. NADPH is made of certain Bs. B complex is important but extra B2/folate/ascorbate may be your issue. You may be depleted of B2 which can be caused by high fat diets, strenous exercise, stress, etc... And carnivore is usually lower in folate unless you eat lots of organs everyday, which I remember talking to you about.

And then the obvious is you need arginine which you get from protein, and meat especially is high in it.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

@redsun Right now, my attention / focus is divided in 3 areas:

• sexual drive & libido
• energy levels
• mental state

I'll have to prioritize some supplements over another for budget reasons.

• Niacinamide: The B complex I have has Niacin in it, so I'll have to order this separately.
  
• Folic Acid. I have Folate, but as I understand, it's very different.
• Vitamin C: this one is cheap, are you talking about the standard Vit. C pills, right? Though I should be getting plenty from juice,s shouldn't I?
• Still, I will buy high-dose Vit. C tomorrow and start taking it

As for the meat, I now eat 1 serving of meat / day. Much less than when I was Carnivore, and less than I usually ate over the past 2 years.

 

[redsun]

@redsun Right now, my attention / focus is divided in 3 areas:

• sexual drive & libido
• energy levels
• mental state

I'll have to prioritize some supplements over another for budget reasons.

• Niacinamide: The B complex I have has Niacin in it, so I'll have to order this separately.
  
• Folic Acid. I have Folate, but as I understand, it's very different.
• Vitamin C: this one is cheap, are you talking about the standard Vit. C pills, right? Though I should be getting plenty from juice,s shouldn't I?
• Still, I will buy high-dose Vit. C tomorrow and start taking it

As for the meat, I now eat 1 serving of meat / day. Much less than when I was Carnivore, and less than I usually ate over the past 2 years.

Keep in mind I am emphasizing B2 and folic acid specifically. Niacinamide will help as well. No need to do crazy doses of vitamin C, but you can take C, this is not going to be the determining part. High dose B2 and folic acid will be the determining part. This will help start back up nitric oxide and should start to remedy weak erections, and mentally I am sure it will help you when your erections improve. Meats provide lots of arginine, eggs or dairy provide very little keep this in mind. You want to input everything needed for NOS for maximal results.

B2 as plain riboflavin is the best and is very cheap and is the first thing I am recommending you get. If there is only room for one thing to get first, get B2. It usually comes in 100mg tablets. You can take 100mg once a day or, chop it up in half or into fourths and do 2x a day (breakfast, lunch) at 50mg or 25mg. Generally it is not recommended to take at night as some people get too stimulated by it. Helps a lot with energy personally for me as well as others who have used it B2 gets used up very quickly as it plays a role in activation of most of the other Bs. These high doses are very safe and very necessary to replete B2 stores as it takes time and consistency to build it back up but it should work quickly regardless.

 

[Jack Corbett]

@redsun can I pm you for a chat and some advice?

 

[Frankdee20]

I really do think most supplements can lower T, except the herbs and hormones like topical DHEA, real Tongkat, real Pine Pollen, etc.

 

[Frankdee20]

Keep in mind I am emphasizing B2 and folic acid specifically. Niacinamide will help as well. No need to do crazy doses of vitamin C, but you can take C, this is not going to be the determining part. High dose B2 and folic acid will be the determining part. This will help start back up nitric oxide and should start to remedy weak erections, and mentally I am sure it will help you when your erections improve. Meats provide lots of arginine, eggs or dairy provide very little keep this in mind. You want to input everything needed for NOS for maximal results.

B2 as plain riboflavin is the best and is very cheap and is the first thing I am recommending you get. If there is only room for one thing to get first, get B2. It usually comes in 100mg tablets. You can take 100mg once a day or, chop it up in half or into fourths and do 2x a day (breakfast, lunch) at 50mg or 25mg. Generally it is not recommended to take at night as some people get too stimulated by it. Helps a lot with energy personally for me as well as others who have used it B2 gets used up very quickly as it plays a role in activation of most of the other Bs. These high doses are very safe and very necessary to replete B2 stores as it takes time and consistency to build it back up but it should work quickly regardless.

Is he supposed to supplement Folate or the Folic Acid ? I know the Acid can healp increase histamine for low sex drive, whereas the methylated version does not.

 

[redsun]

Is he supposed to supplement Folate or the Folic Acid ? I know the Acid can healp increase histamine for low sex drive, whereas the methylated version does not.

I have gotten shat on for recommending folic acid but this is not my recommendation this is what is used by Pfeiffer. Folic acid (Folate) has a role in BH4 from what I understand. Histamine as well is involved as you know and folic acid is related to that. So yes I told him to take folic acid I specifically meant folic acid not methylated folate.

 

[Kunstruct]

Riboflavin seems it is a 5AR antagonist, one thing to take into account, could lower DHT too much.

 

[Aries]

I wonder if there is some connection with cold extremities and poor erectile quality. Injections of noradrenaline or adrenaline are treatment options for priapism but I don't know if endogenous physiological amounts can sabotage erectile function. According to this it might be a piece of the puzzle:

”Since the alpha adrenergic pathway exerts a
dominant regulatory effect on trabecular smooth
muscle tone, any physiological perturbations in this
pathway, regardless of the nature of the mediator,
may have profound in¯uence on smooth muscle
contractility. An important concept to emphasize
regarding the interaction of multiple and overlap-
ping regulatory mechanisms is that no single path-
way is completely inactive at any given time and is
always operative at some basal level.”

https://www.researchgate.net/public...pha_adrenergic_receptors_in_erectile_function

On the other hand:

”In the human corpus cavernosum, noradrenergic responses are under nitrergic control, such that even pharmacological concentrations of noradrenaline fail to show an effect when nitrergic neurotransmission is operating.”

Nitrergic-noradrenergic interaction in penile erection: a new insight into erectile dysfunction. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Jing]

@redsun is r5p the same as riboflavin or is riboflavin better for what you are saying it's good for?