Low testosterone goes far beyond a decline in your libido.
As a regular reader, you know that low T also causes decreased muscle mass and bone density, insulin resistance, visceral fat, energy loss, depression, and even those dreaded man boobs.
But new evidence reveals that decreasing testosterone levels are also causing a surge in autoimmune diseases among American males.
I’m talking about diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.1,2
Autoimmune diseases occur when your immune system creates antibodies that attack your body’s own cells and tissues. Historically, these conditions have classically been considered a “women’s disease” – because women have naturally lower levels of testosterone.3
But men are catching up.
And sadly, conventional doctors have no idea about the testosterone connection to autoimmune diseases (AI).
They continue to repeat the mantra that AI diseases are genetic – and there’s nothing you can do to prevent them from striking.
It’s not true.
I’ve suspected for years that testosterone protects against autoimmune diseases. The fact that women have just one-tenth the testosterone as a man explains why women are more susceptible to these conditions.
Let me explain…
New research from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden recently confirmed the testosterone connection.
But the study also revealed what’s going on behind the scenes…
You see, testosterone reduces the number of B cells in your body. B cells are a type of immune cell that releases dangerous antibodies.
The Swedish scientists found that testosterone lowers the production of a protein called BAFF. When this protein is suppressed, your body produces even more B cells.
In other words, when your testosterone levels drop, your body produces more BAFF… followed by more B cells.
The end result is an immune system malfunction and your body attacks itself.
This is turning into a real problem because low T has reached epidemic proportions these days.
Sadly, most doctors still believe low T is an age issue, but that’s also untrue.
Sure, as men age, testosterone production declines slowly. It’s natural for your testosterone to decrease a little over time. But it should have absolutely no effect on your health.
The real problem is that unnatural factors in our modern environment are also at work, and testosterone levels in men are dropping at an alarming rate.
You see, hundreds of testosterone-reducing toxins are lurking in almost every part of our modern world – they’re in your plastic cups, food packaging, and a wide range of personal care products including soaps, deodorant, and shampoo.
These toxins are called “estrogen mimickers” because, to your body, they look a lot like the well-known female hormone. And once in your system, they create an unhealthy imbalance in your testosterone-estrogen ratio.
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that one in four men over 30 have low testosterone.4
But before you head to the nearest testosterone clinic, you should be aware that most patients who go to these places end up in a far worse mess than the one they started with.
You see, if you keep giving men testosterone shots, three things happen:
- Your body will likely suppress its natural production of testosterone.
- Your body will convert a lot of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. This can collect in prostate tissue and signal your prostate to grow over time, eventually causing benign prostatic hyperplasia.
- Your body will start producing extra estrogen to balance out all that unnatural testosterone, exacerbating all the problems associated with low T.
At the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, I help my patients boost their T-levels naturally to avoid autoimmune diseases and enjoy all the benefits of healthy testosterone:
- Eat meat or fish at every meal. Lean protein increases the production of growth hormones. Growth hormone tells your body to make muscle and stimulates testosterone. It also moderates the production of fat-producing, testosterone-reducing excess insulin. Good examples are grass-fed steak and liver, wild-caught fish, and pastured pork, chicken, turkey, and eggs.
- Boost testosterone with zinc. Zinc plays an important role in the production of testosterone by blocking estrogen formation. In a study published in The Lancet, researchers divided men into two groups. Half got a placebo; half got zinc. The researchers noted that zinc improved potency in all patients and raised their testosterone to normal. The placebo group saw no benefits.5My favorite way to get zinc is by eating organ meats like grass-fed liver and kidney. Oysters, watermelon, and pumpkin seeds also have a lot of the mineral. If you supplement, look for a more absorbable form called zinc picolinate. I recommend taking 30 mg per day, either one hour before or two hours after your meal.
- Use Bulbine natalensis. This African herb has been used for centuries by traditional healers to treat male impotence. It works by amping up the volume of a testosterone-boosting hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus in the brain…kind of like turning your car radio to full volume. This stimulates the testes to produce testosterone.A South African study published in the journal Pharmaceutical Biology showed that Bulbine produced a stunning 347% increase in testosterone.6A small in-house study reported that the herb increased testosterone by 35% in human trials in just two weeks.7
And here’s an added bonus… Bulbine acts as an aphrodisiac. It even outperforms “the little blue pill” for improving sex drive.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Gubbels Bupp MR, et al. “Androgen-induced immunosuppression.” Front Immunol. 9:794.
2. Bove R. “Autoimmune diseases and reproductive aging.” Clin Immunol. 2013;149(2):251-264.
3. Wilhelmson A, et al. “Testosterone is an endogenous regulator of BAFF and splenic B cell number.” Nat Comm. 2018;9(1):2067.
4. Araujo A, et al. “Prevalence of symptomatic androgen deficiency in men.” J Clin Endocr. 2007;92(11):4241-4247.
5. Antoniou LD, et al. “Reversal of uraemic by zinc.” Lancet. 1977;895;8044-8.
6. Yakubu M, et al. “Anabolic and androgenic activities of Bulbine natalensis stem in male Wistar rats.” Pharm Biol.2010;48(5):568-576.
7. Menayang A. “Maypro to market Afrigetics’ Zulu herbal testosterone ingredient.” NutraIngredients USA.Accessed on April 10, 2023.