Low Testosterone

Low testosterone levels can affect the body in different ways. Even if the commercials don’t say it, low-T effects women and men equally. The most common symptoms include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Sleep changes
• Depression
• Mood changes
• Reduced libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Changes in appetite
• Weight gain
• Muscle loss
• And more

What Causes Low Testosterone?: A number of different things can lead to low testosterone, in particular things like:

• High stress levels
• Weight gain
• Poor nutrition
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Certain drugs

Treatment often involves using testosterone creams that are rubbed onto the shoulders and allowed to absorb into the skin. However, these can be dangerous to the health of women and children close to the user and may come with additional side effects. It’s important to focus on using natural alternatives. You should always talk to your medical professional, of course, but adding natural ways or using them instead can be exactly what’s needed to correct many low-T problems.

Essential Oils for Balancing Hormones

The use of oils falls within the practice of aromatherapy, defined as the science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit… to unify physiological, psychological and spiritual processes to enhance an individual’s innate healing process. There’s a variety of ways to reap the benefits of these essential oils but be cautious: All 100-percent pure essential oils are incredibly concentrated, so you never want to ingest the oil (unless your healthcare provider recommends you do so).

To inhale an essential oil, you can utilize steam baths, a vaporizer, or humidifier. You can add two to four drops (some oils are more potent than others) and inhale the vapors to dispel headaches, insomnia, depression, and a slew of other conditions. Again, speak to a medical practitioner; some essential oils are irritating to people’s lungs and eyes when inhaled.

To apply to your skin, use a diluted blend of oils. You want one to two drops of the essential oil per tablespoon of the base or carrier oil, which can be almond oil, coconut oil, olive oil, jojoboa oil, sunflower oil, etc. Take care to avoid contact with your eyes and mouth if you’re applying to your face. If you’re massaging sore muscles every day, use a one percent solution (roughly diluted as one drop of essential oil in one teaspoon of carrier oil). If you’re massaging them occasionally, use a three to five percent solution (three to five drops per one teaspoon of carrier oil).

Basil: Arouses sexual instincts in both men and women.

Cedarwood: Calms fears and anxieties relating to sexuality.

Clary Sage: has been studied at length for its ability to potentially balance hormone levels. While studies have looked specifically at estrogen regulation, there is also evidence that sage oil can help stimulate the brain and nervous system and help properly balance out hormonal levels.

Fennel: This oil boosts mood, particularly in regard to perceptions of self. Fennel has been used to enhance self-confidence, courage and strength. It is also great for relieving the body of harmful toxins from excessive alcohol and food consumption.

Geranium: Clear acne and other skin conditions with this cleansing and hormone balancing oil. Another benefit of Geranium is that it tones the skin and makes it look tighter. Like Fennel, it also helps remove harmful toxins from the body.

Ginger: Heats up libido and increases sex drive.

Jasmine: Deeply soothing and calming. It may help with erectile dysfunction, frigidity, and premature ejaculation. Jasmine enhances the feeling of sensuality and self-worth.

Juniper Berry: Enhances self-confidence and openness by arousing and awakening love and sexuality.

Lavender: doesn’t directly trigger hormonal changes, but instead it can help reduce stress and make it easier for the body to regulate its own production of hormones. In the process it can help naturally improve testosterone or improve the results of medications you may be taking for the problem.

Orange, Sweet: Mild aphrodisiac properties. Systematic and regular use can cure problems such as frigidity, erectile problems, impotence, loss of interest in sex, and decreased libido.

Patchouli: Helps release sexual fears by decreasing inhibitions. Helps to improve communication on a physical and emotional level.

Peppermint: This oil is used as an anti-inflammatory and to reduce pain, making it great for use after injury. Peppermint is a very stimulating oil, and helps to improve blood circulation. Its soothing aroma makes it a calming and clarifying oil as well.

Sage: Beneficial as a stimulant, this oil helps activate the brain, nervous system, liver and circulatory system. Sage is a fantastic antioxidant, which makes it great for keeping skin from aging and slowing down macular degeneration (the leading cause of vision loss).

Sandalwood: This oil is great for balancing testosterone levels in both men and women. Since it is a great aphrodisiac, Sandalwood makes for a fantastic addition to homemade cologne blends. It is also a grounding oil that can help relax and center you, melting away anxious feelings.

Thyme Oil: Research discussed in the Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine discovered thyme essential oil has progesterone balancing effects. Thyme oil benefits the body by improving progesterone production. Both men and women are low in progesterone, and low progesterone levels have been linked with:

• Infertility
• PCOS
• Depression
• Other imbalanced hormones within the body

Ylang Ylang: Enhances sensuality, increases libido, and attraction between lovers, due to its aphrodisiac properties. The scent of Ylang Ylang elevates sexual energy and enhances relationships. May also be helpful with impotence and frigidity.

Foods for Low Testosterone

Tuna is rich in vitamin D, which has been linked to longer life and testosterone production. It’s also a heart-healthy, protein-rich food that’s low in calories. Whether you choose canned or fresh, eating this fish can be a natural way of boosting testosterone. A serving of tuna fulfills your daily vitamin D needs. If you aren’t a tuna fan, you may consider other fishy sources of vitamin D, such as salmon or sardines. Remember that moderation is key. Aim for a max of two to three servings a week to minimize your intake of mercury, which is found in seafood.

Milk is a great source of protein and calcium. Children and women are encouraged to drink milk for better bone health, but milk can keep men’s bones strong too. The vitamin D content may also keep testosterone levels in check. Make sure you choose milk that’s fortified with vitamin D.

Egg yolks are another rich source of vitamin D. While cholesterol has a bad reputation, egg yolk contains more nutrients than egg whites. The cholesterol of egg yolks may even help low T. If you don’t have any preexisting cholesterol issues, you can safely eat one egg per day.

Zinc is an essential nutrient during puberty, and its effects can keep male hormones in check throughout adulthood. Men who have low T benefit from increasing their zinc intake if they also have zinc deficiencies. Oysters are good sources of this mineral. An occasional serving of crab or lobster may do your testosterone levels some good. This is thanks in part to the zinc content in these seafood favorites.

There are real health concerns about the overconsumption of red meat. Not only do some cuts have more fat than poultry. Cuts of beef have nutrients that can boost testosterone. Beef liver is an exceptional source of vitamin D, while ground beef and chuck roast contain zinc. To keep animal fats in check, choose only lean cuts of beef and avoid eating it every day.

When it comes to male hormone health, beans may offer more benefits than you think. White, kidney, and black beans are all considered sources of vitamin D and zinc. Baked beans also offer these nutrients, but you’ll need additional sources in your daily diet. As a bonus, these foods are full of plant-based proteins that can protect heart health.

Simple Activities That Boost Testosterone

Exercise: All forms of exercise may increase your testosterone levels. Weight lifting and high-intensity interval training are the most effective.

Healthy Diet: Don’t overeat and don’t restrict calories too much for too long. Try to eat balanced amounts of carbs, fat and protein.

Relax & Meditate: These work to reduce stress of mind and body. High levels of stress are bad for your long-term health and can reduce your testosterone levels.

Vitamin D3 supplements: may boost testosterone levels, especially in the elderly and people who have low blood levels of vitamin D. Getting more sunshine is much more effective way to get usable Vitamin D.

Good Night’s Sleep: Make sure you get plenty of high-quality sleep to maintain healthy testosterone levels and optimize your long-term health.

Avoid Estrogen-Like Compounds: High exposure to estrogen-like chemicals may also affect your levels, so try to minimize daily exposure to BPA, parabens and other chemicals found in some types of plastic.

Reduce Alcohol Consumption: It’s probably no surprise that excess alcohol or drug use, whether it’s medical or recreational, can also decrease testosterone levels.

Be Happy: In contrast, laughter, happiness and success may help boost your health and testosterone levels — so make sure they’re a part of your daily life.

Supplements that Boost Testosterone

Ashwagandha: One study tested the effects of this herb on infertile men and found a 17% increase in testosterone levels and a 167% increase in sperm count. In healthy men, ashwagandha increased levels by 15%. Another study found it lowered cortisol by around 25%, which may also aid testosterone.

Horny Goat Weed (Goat’s Rue): boosts testosterone levels and works as an aphrodisiac

Ginseng: a strong male stimulant that boosts energy levels and balances hormones

Forget Commercially Advertised Supplements: These are very unlikely to do what they claim to do and, in the end, can be more harmful than helpful.

Foods That Boost Testosterone

Argan Oil: It’s basically a stable in the Mediterranean diet. It’s good for monounsaturated fats. Here’s a study with the virgin argan oil as the main source of dietary fat for two weeks and it increased testosterone by 20%.

Avocadoes: Over 70% of the calories basically in avocados come from fats and the fats are primarily monounsaturated fats, which are awesome for testosterone production. You don’t have to eat massive amounts of them, but you can have an avocado or two in your week.

Baking Soda: can be used for many reasons, least of which you could have it as a pre workout, because it will increase cyclic AMP in your body, cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels in your body will lead to increased testosterone levels. What happens is cyclic amp activates protein kinase A and serves as a secondary messenger between cells and hormones.

Beef gelatin: good source of proline and glycine, which are two amino acids that also act as neurotransmitters and help increase LH production, which leads to more testosterone production, but they also help you sleep really well. A lot of people that consume beef gelatin will actually consume it before they go to bed. What happens is you sleep very, very soundly, and that sleep, that better increased quality of sleep is also amazing for your hormones.

Dark Berries And Cherries: have a massive amount of antioxidants and are extremely healthy for their protective qualities for men and for testosterone and seamen parameters. They also contain a fiber called calcium-d-glucarate, can potentially help your body remove access estrogen. You will also find that in grape seed extract.

Eggs: They’re full of dietary cholesterol, and they’re also full of choline, which is an important estrogen methylator among many other benefits of having the choline. It has a good fatty acid ratio for testosterone production of the fat in the yolks. A lot of these bodybuilders, these guys, more neurotic types just eat the egg whites, which you’re not having any of the nutrients of the egg. All the nutrients are really in the yolk.

Garlic: especially when in combination with vitamin C, whether you’re getting that vitamin C from citrus fruits or if you’re just supplementing with vitamin C, when you consume garlic it has been shown to increase nitric oxide levels significantly, which can be amazing for erectile dysfunction issues and for overcoming those issues.

Grass-Fed Butter: has vitamin A, vitamin E, K2, vitamin D. Those are all linked to healthy testosterone levels in men, and it also contains a good amount of T boosting saturated fat.

Macadamia nuts: good source of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, which are very important for testosterone production. They’re also really low in polyunsaturated fats, which are detrimental for testosterone production. Grab yourself some macadamia nuts.

Olive oil: high in monounsaturated fats. There’s also a study that showed that in two weeks these Moroccan men changed their main source of fat to the monounsaturated fats in olive oil and their testosterone increased by 17% and that was in 14 days. The monounsaturated fats and saturated fats heavily dominate the fat profile of olive oil. The polyunsaturated fat content is very low, and it’s also an anti-inflammatory oil.

Onions: have a lot of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. Rodent studies showed an increase in testosterone and androgenic effect of giving the rodents the onions. In rodent feed the researchers in this study found an increase of 300% average in testosterone levels when they put the onion juice into the rodent feed.

Organic Bacon: Get some high-quality bacon so you know you’re not eating antibiotic hormone fed meat. It’s got a lot of dietary cholesterol, which we need cholesterol to convert into steroid hormones.

Parsley: good for flavoring foods in your cooking. It contains a compound called apigenin. Apigenin increases the amount of steroid acute regulatory hormone or protein inside the Leydig cells of the testes. Really what that does is that is the binding protein that delivers the cholesterol molecule into the mitochondria inside the testicles, which is then converted into testosterone.

Pomegranates: When men drank pomegranates for two weeks it was shown to increase salivary testosterone levels by 24% while also dropping diastolic and systolic blood pressure. In another human study pomegranate juice consumption there was a 35% reduction in arterial plaque. It protected LDL cholesterol oxidative damage and reduced blood pressure. In test tube studies the extract from pomegranates has also been found to be anti-estrogenic.

Potatoes: Everyone knows that carbohydrates are extremely important for testosterone production, but on one end grains have a lot of inflammatory properties and they don’t sit well with a lot of people. Grains aren’t necessarily recommended, especially because of the inflammation. Then there’s research showing with too much simple sugar in your diet it also leads to low testosterone. Potatoes as the number one source for starches.

Raisins: for the fructose content, but they contain resveratrol, and resveratrol has been linked to an increase testosterone and lower estrogen levels. Also, there’s good research on grape seed extract in a high potency amount that also helps with the same reasons. Also, raisins contain a good amount of boron. If you are not supplementing with boron, but you want to get boron from your diet raisins are a good day to do it.

Raw Cacao: They have a lot of antioxidants in them and friendly gut bacteria and enzymes to help with digestion. There is research that links it to an increase in cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure, as well as lower blood glucose levels. These cacao products have magnesium, zinc, manganese and iron in them.

Salt: incredible for your metabolism. Aztec sea salt specifically tastes outstanding. A lot of people like Himalayan salt as well. Just get some real salt in your diet because sodium is very important for cellular signaling.

Sorghum Flour: not only is it gluten free but it also is a good source of increasing 5-a-reductase levels by 54% and that was in an in vitro study, which can help increase the conversion of testosterone to DHT.

White Button Mushrooms: three studies showing that the anti-estrogenic effects of the polysaccharides in white button mushrooms are outstanding because they block the enzyme action of converting testosterone into estrogen. White button mushrooms are something that you should include regularly in your diet.

Yogurt: research into the effects of fermented foods on your gut health has shown improvements in bacterial flora composition and nutrient assimilation. A rodent study found that an increased exposure to healthy gut microbes leads to an elevated testosterone level. Another saw that the probiotic clostridium scindens can literally convert the stress hormone cortisol into androgens inside the gut.