For
males, the main problem with raising T levels through DHEA suplementation is two-fold. The primary problem is that
your body tries to maintain a state of homeostasis or balance by raising levels of estrogen, progesterone, and other
hormones. The second problem is the resultant raised production of progesterone and prolactin. These two hormones
are what i call "manliness-killers".
Prolactone is what makes you lactate. Simply put, do ya'll REALLY want to
be able to breastfeed?
Well allrighty then... NOW if you want to elevate T and decrease E, DHEA
by
itself isn't going to cut it. Eurycoma might help since it may possibly regulate the conversion of
DHEA into T. The correct ratio of Euycoma to DHEA dosing is anybodys guess though. The other supplements mentioned
in a previous post -Tribulus Terrestris (gokshura) and Tonkat Ali (also spelled Togkat,
technically named Eurycoma
longifolia) are well-researched herbs. I agree - I'd strongly lean towards these substances as opposed to using
DHEA, even though the jury is still out on their effectiveness. why? Let me first show you the one reason why
I
would choose unproven herbs over DHEA...
Life Extension Magazine January 1996 - "How To Prevent Breast Cancer"
DHEA Boosts Estrogen Levels
(um, that line says it all. But here's the rest of the article,
anyhow)
DHEA replacement therapy is another natural way of replacing estrogen levels diminished by the aging
process. DHEA
(Dehydroepiandrosterone) is a precursor to the sex hormones. It is transformed into estrogen,
progesterone, and testosterone within the body, all of which are needed at youthful levels to avoid the
deterioration of aging. One problem with taking DHEA to replace depleted sex hormones is that the ratio of these
hormones converted from DHEA is uncertain. A better way of controlling the amounts of each hormone within your body
is to
supplement them specifically.
---
Sore nipples, anyone? And MEN, if you're REALLY worried about
breast cancer... well, I won't touch that
...ladies.
---
See
http://www.lef.org/protocols/metabolic_health/dhea_res
toration_01.htm
if you want a cutting edge protocol for use of this supplement. If for some reason you insist
on using DHEA, (or
ave already bought a ton of it)I would at least add an estrogen inhibitor to my supplement
stack, but be concious of the fact that DHEA will definitely raise your hormones, while the only proven E inhibitors
are (questionably safe?) drugs like Nolvadex. Search on
http://www.testosterone.net or
http://www.bodybuilding.com for details on Nolvadex.
And Yes, DHEA
supplementation has countless reported benefits for both men and women like
blah blah blah... Go
ahead and roll the dice yourself if you're still sold on it. And yeah, I already know that the side effects tend to
be dismissed as "minor". Helllooooo, heart palpitations are not "minor" - they're probable precursors to MI's and
other significant EKG changes like in our old buddy Mike ("Cybergenics posterboy") Matarrazzo. And if that happens
while you're doing anything the least bit athletic or risky, a "minor" palpitation can lead to accidents and
mistakes, which could in and of themselves be more immediately
catastrophic than most MI's.
See
http://www.raysahelian.com/dhea.html for the CV side effects and
also
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/dhea
.html
for an outright dismissal of DHEA 's purported benefits. Disclaimer: Ray Sahelian, M.D. is a
side-effects-Nazi. IMHO the dude would strongly caution against eating
ice cream because it
might cause a frigging headache. Anyhow...
---
Oh and before I forget, you can check your own T and hormone
levels using a kit called Androcheck. The cost was about $25 per hormone the last time that i checked. It's been
awhile.
---
On to the herbs...
Tribulus- I started writing and searching for citations to use, and then realized
that there's a great
wiki up already, and i don't want to re-
invent the wheel. In sum, most people think it
works through a different cascade than DHEA, and but there are contradictory studies out there (just like any other
medicinal substance) Read more about it at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribulus_terrestris
Eurycoma's Non-sexual Side effects may include sleeplessness, a high body temp,
prostate enlargement, and
generalized bitchiness. (yes, my words...) Peer reviewed abstracts regarding this herb can are on Pubmed:
http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=search&db=pu
bmed&term=(eurycoma+longifolia)
In sum: It supposedly raises T in some people, and makes you really frigging
horny. i've read bout people getting zits, too.
---
I can't really vouch for anything in lieu of DHEA, but i
will be able to provide some feedback on my experiences in a few weeks. The supplement i will be taking is called...
and y'all will love this...
it's called
Alpha Male.
Its a shotgun combination of the above
listed herbs (plus one more), made by Biotest.
Biotest has a great
reputation and a horde of fanboy-zealots (like Apple computers) but the research isn't 100% convincing or
applicable to
everyone. No, i'm not connected to the
company in any way, but you can read more about Alpha male
at
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1054351
Bookmarks