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The HPA axis, as a whole, is incredibly complex. There are (very very smart) people who devote their entire lives to studying its effects on the human body & behavior (ie endocrinologists, neuroscientists, etc) who still do not understand everything, nor will they ever.
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Keep in mind that I am making grossly simplified generalizations when I say that the HPA axis is responsible for not only the above functions, like regulating stress & secreting sex hormones, but also controlling your mood & emotions, your immune system, your energy metabolism, and very importantly - digestion.
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In fact, this entire chapter is grossly simplified. But the point, once again, is not details for the sake of details, but to grasp a general understanding of how this all works.
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However simplified the generalizations may be, just believe me that the HPA and HPG axis’ are power players in these processes.
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Neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus synthesize and secrete vasopressin & CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone). The release of these peptides stimulates the secretion of ACTH in the pituitary gland which acts to produce glucocorticoids (ie cortisol - synthesized from cholesterol) in the adrenal glands.
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These glucocorticoids now act back on the hypothalamus to suppress any more release of CRH & ACTH. This is what we refer to as a negative
feedback loop. It regulates itself when everything is healthy and working properly.
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Keep in mind that the hypothalamus is only one of several targets in the brain for glucocorticoids. Stress hormones such as cortisol act on many different tissues and substrates within both your brain & your body - a big reason why keeping this feedback loop working properly is VITAL to
maintaining a healthy body.
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One positive feedback loop within the HPA axis that you should be aware of is the excitatory effect of the catecholamines (Epinephrine &
Norepinephrine) on the pituitary gland to increase the production of ACTH and Beta Endorphins.
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Remember that the HPA axis is not a self-contained unit - it spans much of the body anatomically but it is also influenced by other substrates in your brain and body, specifically those tied to sensory processing - both on the front end (ie eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin) and on the back-end (ie
amygdala,hippocampus, etc).
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Basically what I am trying to say is that it is crucial, absolutely crucial, to have a well-functioning HPA axis in order to be healthy, get and stay lean, have good sex, and be happy.
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Testosterone
Pharmaceuticals are big business.
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BIG business.
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So I was absolutely not surprised when, a couple years ago, a
pharmaceutical company named Abbvie jumped all over the somewhat recent trend of men experiencing low testosterone - packaging their ‘solution’ and branding the issue as an epidemic, conveniently funneling thousands and thousands of men into doctors’ offices, where they were handed prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy solutions & gels (Androgel, to be precise).
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Boom, billions of dollars.
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So what happened to all of the men, most likely many of you reading this program right now, who are on HRT? Well, your testosterone levels are likely back in the ‘normal’ range, in many cases on the low side still, depending on where you were starting from. That’s good, right?
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Not exactly.
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What happens if you stop using the gel?
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Will your body naturally produce enough testosterone to keep your levels where they are?
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Probably not.
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So here’s the situation: you’re chained to rubbing an expensive smelly goo on your chest for the rest of your life - or at least as long as you care about getting a boner.
That’s no way to live.
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The goo is a band aid. What we need to do is get to the root of the issue, learn and understand the cause of the malaise, then take action based upon what we know. That’s the process I used several years ago to take my own T levels from basically nothing to way above normal - out of the
medical reference range even.
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The first thing the doctor gave me when I was diagnosed with the brain tumor (that was blocking testosterone production) was a prescription for Androgel. I took it for a few weeks, but decided to chuck it, and all of my other medications shortly thereafter, when I made the decision to uproot the problem directly and solve it with a natural solution. Best choice of my life.
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That was a few years ago, and since then I’ve educated myself, then put that knowledge into action in my life. The results speak for themselves.
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I’m very confident I will have high testosterone for my entire life because I now understand how to keep it that way. It will naturally decline with age, yes, but it will never reach the point of having to ever think twice about whether it’s negatively affecting my life in any way.
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Right now my well being is high. So is my morning wood.
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(Couldn’t resist)
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I can put on muscle fairly quickly and stay at a low body fat percentage year round without any trouble. I sleep like a bear in hibernation every night and can grow a decent beard if I choose to. I always gain strength and power in training (actually an important cause of the high
testosterone, more on that later on) and I’m pretty sure women can smell it.
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Oh I also grew 2 inches in the meantime.
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The task at hand for me at the moment is distilling this into a replicable process that you can use in your own life.
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I’m a believer that things happen for a reason, and it would appear as though all the trouble I went through personally, and the years of self- experimenting, learning what works and what doesn’t, then my decision to become a blogger, may have just led us all right to this moment. So yep, I think I was meant to share this knowledge with the world.
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Know this: medications and gels are not your only option.
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You also don’t need to eat a dried tiger penis (apparently a common practice in ancient Chinese herbalism |o_o| ).
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You can naturally increase your testosterone and growth hormone and then sustain your levels without “assistance”. It is a process, and will take anywhere between 6 months to 2 years most likely. But once you learn it and put it into action, you’ll be set.
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It’s time to begin building the foundation.