The manly hormone evolved 500 million years ago — from estrogen.
Testosterone is produced in men’s testicles, women’s ovaries and the adrenal glands of both sexes. In the early weeks of pregnancy, it kicks off the development of reproductive organs for males.
1. Testosterone is produced in men’s testicles, women’s ovaries and the adrenal glands of both sexes. In the early weeks of pregnancy, it kicks off the development of reproductive organs for males.
2. After birth, testosterone plays a role in regulating processes from fat distribution to red blood cell production.
3. Long before the hormone was discovered, people ascribed youth-restoring powers to the testicles. Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder noted the sexually stimulating effects of dining on hyena genitals (with honey, of course).
4. Honeyed hyena testes sound preferable to the handiwork of Kansas huckster John Brinkley, who inserted slices of goat scrotum into men’s testicles in the 1920s, claiming it would boost virility and cure a host of ailments.
7. But testosterone is, relatively speaking, a manly hormone. Normal levels for women are 5 to 7 percent of those for men.
8. Testosterone levels decline with age. Fifty percent of men in their 80s have testosterone levels below the normal adult male range. 9. One thing that’s not declining: demand for testosterone. In 2010, 1.3 million patients in the U.S. received a prescription for the hormone. That number jumped to 2.3 million in 2013.
10. Age isn’t the only cause of low testosterone; obesity is, too. With more body fat, more testosterone gets converted to an estrogen called estradiol, which further inhibits testosterone production.
11. Low T from obesity is a particularly vicious cycle because testosterone builds muscle apparently by stimulating the production of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), which correlates with lean body mass.
12. The hormone was first synthesized in 1935 after initial isolation of another male hormone called androsterone, which was distilled from some 4,000 gallons of donated urine.
13. Dutch researchers coined the term testosterone that same year.
14. There are more than 30 kinds of anabolic-androgenic steroids — the infamous ’roids used and abused to promote muscle growth — but they are all synthetic compounds mimicking testosterone’s chemical structure.
15. There is some correlation between aggressive behavior and testosterone levels, but most research lacks evidence of causation, and some results are contradictory.
16. One study found higher levels of testosterone correlated with aggressive behavior in 12- and 13-year-old boys, but not in 15- and 16-year-old boys. Studies on nonhumans have found much stronger correlations between aggression and testosterone levels.
18. The impact and timing of testosterone production varies greatly among species. For humans, testosterone production kicks in prenatally to differentiate the sexes, but production of testosterone in rats ramps up only after birth.
19. There’s scant evidence to support “natural” testosterone boosters: Elk antler velvet had no lasting effect on T levels, but royal jelly worked wonders — on hamsters.
20. Mixed research results aren’t slowing the testosterone booster bandwagon. In 2013, 25 percent of individuals taking it started treatment without bothering to get a blood test to see if they actually had low T, according to the FDA.
EXERCISE WHILE YOU REST WITH THE CVAC POD
The Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning (CVAC) pod creates an atmospheric workload, which provides the stressors needed to provoke improvements similar to the effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Our very own medical advisor, Dr. Deepa Verma, has a CVAC Pod in her office in Clearwater Florida. The CVAC pod may look like it came from space, but it’s actually a breakthrough conditioning technology right here on planet Earth.
As an integrative physician, health nut, and athlete, I am always searching for natural modalities to boost wellness and fitness. A few months prior to opening my integrative practice, I discovered some information concerning a device called the CVAC pod. Aside from looking like it may transport me to the moon, the strange object piqued my curiosity in regards to its potential use in my own life, as well as the lives of my patients.
The Cyclic Variations in Adaptive Conditioning (CVAC) pod creates an atmospheric workload, which provides the stressors needed to provoke improvements similar to the effects of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. What does this mean, exactly? The pod effectively simulates exercise, without the exercise. That doesn’t mean it’s a replacement for your workout (there’s no replacement for sweat), but it can be used in conjunction to help athletes avoid overtraining.
So, how does it work? This high-performance altitude simulator creates changes in temperature, air density, and pressure, ranging from sea level to 22,500 feet above, almost as high as the tallest peak in the Andes mountain range. In essence, it is a hypobaric chamber that prompts the body to compensate for the stressors incurred, which results in conditioning and strengthening of the body from head to toe. It is effective for the same reason athletes who train at high altitude get better workouts, only the effect is compounded: in CVAC, your body is constantly challenged; during a 20-minute session, the altitude changes between 200 and 400 times.
I’ve used the CVAC extensively in my practice, and have worked with everyone from pro athletes to regular Joes. They’ve discussed with me at length what their positive experiences with CVAC were like, but everyone has a slightly different take. Former NFL player and current Saskatchewan Roughrider Clifton Smith summed it up best:
“My experience inside of the CVAC Pod was interesting because I came in not knowing what to expect. I have a case of insomnia and arthritis/tendinitis in my knees. After my first session in the pod, I slept like a baby that night and my energy improved. After a few more sessions, my tendinitis improved during my training to the point that after a few weeks, my trainer said I looked night and day with the cuts I was able to make, and he was really impressed with my athletic ability without a lot of pain. The pod was a great experience in the end because of the improvements I felt in my body and the energy that I had on the field — and running around with my kids.”
Without understanding exactly what’s going on with the pod, the whole thing can feel a little bit like a futuristic tale, so I’ll explain in more detail. Let’s get technical for a second: Time in the CVAC pod makes mitochondria, which are powerhouses of the cell involved in ATP production, more robust, which hastens recovery from muscle injury, biogenesis of new cell growth, and lymphatic drainage and toxin removal. A CVAC session places a natural and tolerable stress on the body by dynamically cycling physical stressors like barostress (pressure), thermostress (temperature) and transient, pulsatile hypoxic stress by changing altitude. The body reacts to that stress by improving cellular function. This, in turn, enhances athletic performance and physical endurance. This same effect occurs during exercise, which can be accompanied by muscle tearing, joint stress, and lactic acid buildup, except CVAC sessions are much easier on the body, and allow an athlete to continue to improve energy production on the days he or she needs to rest to avoid overtraining, according to CVAC founder Carl Linton.
The ability to work out and rest simultaneously is ideal for working through an injury. The pod was instrumental in my work with pro boxer and Rocky Balboa star Antonio Tarver, with whom I used the CVAC pod to help facilitate recovery from a fractured thumb. His regular physician referred him to me for treatments during his recovery period. After several treatments with the pod, Antonio’s X-rays showed accelerated recovery, and his healing time was markedly reduced.
“The CVAC pod’s high-altitude simulator mechanism allowed me to maintain effortless physical conditioning since I couldn’t actively train,” Tarver said, “which allowed me to be victorious in my last fight, complete with a KO in the 7th round.” I couldn’t have been more thrilled to help him achieve it.
While it’s a new technology, the CVAC pod has been shown in early studies to be just as useful as we’ve experienced in my practice. Pilot studies have demonstrated a consistent increase in VO2 max — a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use — in athletes whose only change in training regimen has been to introduce CVAC sessions. Specifically, in a study at the University of Hawaii, young elite athletes received CVAC Process exposures for eight weeks. After only 40 hours of CVAC exposure, the athletes experienced on average a 5.2 percent increase in VO2 max.
Likewise, an unpublished pilot study out of Stanford University demonstrated the results of four young elite athletes who experienced, at altitude, a 20-percent increase in peak power, a 12-percent increase in blood oxygen saturation, and an 11-percent increase in cardiac output. A validation study performed at the University of Hawaii demonstrated that the challenge created through the transient episodes of lowered oxygen may be the reason CVAC allows the body to become more efficient at utilizing available oxygen.
Closer to home, these studies all match up with my patients’ personal experiences. “Regarding athletic performance, I have thrown over 75 innings the past year with very minimal soreness following each outing,” Jim Kearschner, a patient and Men’s Senior League Baseball Fall Classic Champion, told me. “I have used the CVAC pod before and after games with great results — it helps reduce inflammation in my joints. As a result of great sleep, I have been able to function at high levels and with increased clarity and awareness.”
Athletes aren’t the only ones who can benefit from use of the CVAC pod. Anyone can, especially the deconditioned, and those with certain medical conditions such as diabetes and fibromyalgia. People with obesity, chronic pain, and amputations can have a very difficult time exercising, but CVAC provides the necessary controlled stress that exercise provides to result in cellular and mitochondrial and metabolic efficiency, without the muscle tearing, joint stress, or metabolic waste accumulation found after typical exercise. I have even found CVAC beneficial for patients with asthma and allergies. In fact, it would seem CVAC is well tolerated by just about everybody, from children to the elderly, and there are no contraindications. Additionally, recent evidence shows that the pod may be very beneficial in concussion injuries.
While the pod may look a little intimidating and otherworldly, CVAC technology has been identified as having no significant risk to people by numerous Human Research Protection programs at top universities, including Stanford, UC San Diego, Florida State University, and the University of Hawaii. I really believe that anyone and everyone can use the CVAC pod and gain benefit from it. I call it physical and spiritual reawakening and conditioning — it feels like a dance in the air! Personally, it has improved my sleep and energy levels, and all three of my active boys (ages 5, 7, and 9) use it to improve their athletic performance and recover from muscle overuse during sports. The CVAC is a truly phenomenal tool in my practice, in my own life, and in the larger athletic community.
Why You Should Be A Morning Person
What is one thing most successful people have in common? They get up extra early and make the most of the morning. Here’s why:
Originally Posted at: Medium
What is one thing most successful people have in common? They get up extra early and make the most of the morning. Here’s why:
Waking up early gives you time to think before the buzz of the day begins. To put it simply, the early morning is “you time” — a time to lay out your priorities for the day and make progress against them, before others are demanding your time and attention. It puts you firmly in control of each day.
Of course it is awfully hard to get out of bed, but that’s exactly why early risers have the competitive advantage over everyone else. They tackle the day while others hit the snooze button.
Here are just a few examples of ultra-successful early risers:
- Virgin Founder Richard Branson wakes up at 5:45am, even when he’s on his private island, and uses the morning for exercise and breakfast before starting work for the day
- First Lady Michelle Obama starts her day at 4:30am for a workout before her kids wake up
- Apple CEO Tim Cook gets up at 3:45am every day to catch up on email, hit the gym, and make a Starbucks run before heading to the office
- Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz gets up at 4:30am to get a workout in (often a bike ride with his wife) — and of course to make some coffee to get his day going
- Disney CEO Bob Iger rises at 4:30am and uses the early morning to read the paper, exercise, listen to music, catch up on emails, and even watch TV
- Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour wakes at 5:45am to play an hour of tennis before work demands hit
- GE CEO Jeff Immelt wakes up at 5:30am and gets in a cardio workout while reading the paper and watching CNBC
Did you notice another consistent trend among all of these ultra-successful people? Everyone’s morning ritual includes exercise as a key component.
In addition to the overall health and fitness benefits, studies have shown that moderate-intensity exercise for 20+ minutes produces a mental and emotional boost for the following 12 hours! This means that these business leaders are likely more clear-headed, effective, and productive at work as a direct result of their morning workout. The exercise time also allows them to think and problem-solve without interruption, so they hit the ground running once they get into the office. Morning exercise is an incredibly efficient use of time.
In addition to waking up extra early and exercising, here are a few more morning habits to get your day moving in the right direction:
- Drink 16 oz. of Water Upon Waking — Rehydrate after your 7–8 hours of sleep
- Make Your Bed — Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity throughout the day
- Eat a Healthy Breakfast — Fuel your body for the demands of the day (led by energy-packed fruits and vegetables)
- Drink 1–2 Cups of Coffee — Give yourself a morning boost while reaping the proven health benefits
- Catch up on the News — Use the quiet time to know what’s happening in the world around you
- Prioritize Your Day — Establish your top priorities and think about how to tackle them
All of this sets you up for success before your “work day” even begins, whatever form that may take for you. Being a morning person isn’t reserved for just C-level execs. Everyone will benefit from implementing these good habits.
Think it’s not possible for you because you need the extra sleep? The experts would say to get to bed earlier the night before to make the early wake-up call tolerable.
These tips and success stories help motivate me to get out of bed when all I want to do is sleep a bit more, and hopefully they also inspire you to make the morning your secret weapon!