Are you on thyroid? My bad if you are
Iām not, but thinking I probably should be. What do you think, brother?
Had to remind myself of this the other day. I was going for a 300-pound squat, which is really pushing it for me, and got stuck in the hole. This jacked older guy saw me, came over and spotted me back up ā really nice dude. I was beating myself up about failing the lift, but thereās really no needā¦for any reasonā¦to hit a certain number. Just competition with myself and wanting to evolve.
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I was just getting over being sick when I had my last bloods done and had higher WBC. High usually means immune system is fighting some shit. Low can mean a virus but can be more serious shit so you may want to keep an eye out for any changes.
The first thing I noticed was that your E2 was very low compared to your T. Thatās weird.
Me personally with where your TSH is I wouldnāt be concerned with it. I think they look decent without treatment. But I am no thyroid expert by any means. In my mind .75-2 TSH are good for untreated, closer to 1 being optimal, which to me you are right there close to where you need to be.
Itās interesting that WBC supposedly fights infection ā my number is always so low, yet I never get sick.
I wonder if this could be an issue with my spleen. I was having discomfort in that region a while back, but I got it checked out by multiple doctors ā even had scans done ā and they all said there was nothing wrong. They figured it was probably just a minor gallstone or something.
Maybe I should see a hematologist ā looks like thereās only one within 30 minutes, but could be worth it. It does seem low WBC could mean some serious things.
The C-word is the scary one. Get that shit checked out
Yeah brother, I fully hear you on that. I see no reason to think that could really be the case right now, but maybe itās a warning sign for something that could occur down the road. Either way, canāt hurt to look into it and be on top of my health.
Yes SHBG fluctuates allot bro. One snap shot in time itās 60 then 40. Physiolo used to say this. Forget about SHBG. Look at the dose and see how much free t , e and DHT you get.
The reason e2 is lower this time is because free t is lower. You need to raise that dose and get it into 30-35.
Free t3 is low. We want that at top of range so thatās 3.5 to 4 out of 4.2. I was around the same on thyroid meds and felt fatigue and trashed. I increased dose and bam I felt like a new man. You should go for thyroid meds to see what it does for your overall well being. Especially since you have been on and off.
Good news rt3 dropped so the body is getting healthier. SHBG dropped as well. Although low SHBG is dangerous, but normal is good.
Isnāt it bad to have such a low white blood cell count? Antibiotics can lower it or a sickness before the labs.
I would simply increase my dose to 250 and inject EOD or daily. Thatās should get libido back.
My doc would not agree with this because itās not proven , but the logic and literature says estrogen is paricine. It is aromatized and found in tissues like brain, muscle, bone , penis. If hcg stimulates the tests, then hopefully it stimulates estrogen production in the penile area right? Thatās why I tried it and after many tests it helped my libido Every time. Sucks that I ran out though. . I truly think itās because my estrogen is lower than it should be (because Iām on a med that lowers e2).
If libido isnāt coming back with dose increase try 200iu every 3-4 days.
Check this out. Thyroid correlated to SHBG. For woman thyroid is a big deal and libido is mentioned often. Couldnāt find much on libido and men: regardless i would try thyroid meds if I didnāt get the full benefits from trt. Maybe thatās why itās off and on for you. You might realize there is another level of feeling great on trt once you start. Wonāt know until you do. I would do it in a heart beat!
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You need to get that checked out. Low WBC is not good. There has to be a reason for this. Was it low on pre trt labs?
Yeah brother, my WBC has always been low. The reference range is 4.8-10.8, and here are my numbers over time
PRE-TRT
May 2018: 4.2
October 2018: 3.7
January 2019: 3.8
TRT
February 2019: 3.5
June 2019: 4.5
November 2019: 3.1
Pretty weird, right?
The trend indicates my WBC tends to be higher in the warmer months and lower when it gets cold (in frigid MA), which probably makes sense.
Iāve mentioned my WBC multiple times, but my doctor has not seemed very concernedā¦at all. He said it might just be āmy normalā to be this low.
However, I am still slightly concerned ā who wouldnāt be, given that weāre talking about potential big-picture issues? Iām setting up a hematology appointment at the local hospital. Iāve had hit-or-miss discomfort over my spleen region for more than a year. Itās never ābadā pain but occasionally feels slightly uncomfortable ā hard to describe.
Iāve probably had 4-5 appointments for this, but no doctor has pinpointed anything, and itās felt like Iām just chasing my tail. Theyāve basically said, āyouāre overthinking it.ā But now Iām wondering if thereās a connection to the low WBC.
Doctor Google indicates this could be an enlarged spleen, but I had an X-ray performed a year ago, and everything came back perfectly normal. The investigation continuesā¦
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Youāre so right, brother. The fluctuation from 46-63 is actually pretty minuscule! Iāve had tests from one month to the next where it changes by 50. And Iāve also had stretches where, for a period of 6 months, it doesnāt change at all. So hard to predict.
Completely agree with this. When my dose was at its highest, E2 was 91. E2 on this test ā following my lowest dose of T yet ā was 41. Estrogen high = feel good; estrogen low = feel like shit. Falls in line with a lot of what Jay, Dr. Nichols, and others often say.
Speaking of: are those two still working together? Seems they havenāt done anything together in a while.
Iāve heard similar things ā in fact, Iāve heard 4-6 is āoptimal.ā Iād definitely like to get Free T3 up to see if it impacts how I feel. That ābam I felt like a new manā phrase is what Iām after!
Increasing my dose and frequency of T has definitely helped a lot, but I still feel some degree of āfatigued and trashed,ā and I know things could be better. Iām going to ask Defy to put me on thyroid during my next consult, which should be soon. Hopefully wonāt encounter issues there.
Exactly what I started doing about a week ago, brother (250, ED), and have already felt a lot better. Iāve had sex 4 times in 6 days ā probably sounds lame, but thatās the ābestā libido Iāve had in a looong time. I donāt feel like a machine, but I do feel like a normal man. Itās a start!
Hmm. I had dropped HCG about a month ago because I didnāt feel it was doing anything (I was on it for almost 2 years) and it just felt like another variable complicating matters, plus all the injections have truly gotten exhausting. I feel like Iām pinning every hour. You really think HCG is important?
This, I think, is one example of the literature simply being behind and why we canāt base everything we do off of published studies. Iām in academia, and I know this stuff takes FOREVER to get to press. You know as well as anyone how thyroid meds can make you feel completely different. A peer-reviewed study would be amazing, but if we started today, it could take 5 years.
The lesson, I think: We shouldnāt treat our bodies like the Wild Wild West based on random internet findings, but we should value anecdote, especially when we see the same things repeatedly! I also think weāre all motivated to genuinely help each other. We know what it feels like to have your hormones suboptimal and donāt want any other guy to experience the same thing.
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Folks interested in Metformin might find this lengthy article from the amazing Rhonda Patrick interesting. Iām currently on 500 mg each night, but have been debating for months whether I should stay on. I already de-escalated my dose from 1,000.
The conclusion:
Metformin is a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes. Some evidence suggests that metformin may modulate the aging processes to improve healthspan and extend lifespan, in multiple species. However, human evidence is epidemiological and limited. The mechanisms by which metformin exerts its effects are not fully understood, but evidence suggests that pathways involved in cellular energy and antioxidant responses may be responsible. However, metformin may inhibit exercise-induced health benefits, especially with regard to muscle mitochondrial adaptations and muscle hypertrophy. Metformin is safe, even at high doses, and is readily bioavailable in humans. It is unclear if metformin is beneficial for healthy active adults.
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Jay and Nichols are working on figuring out these toxins in men and they speak often. Collaborate often. Thatās what I love about tier1. Constantly trying to learn more about menās hormone health. Instead of just building trt business they want to help the hardest and easiest cases with up to date knowledge. Instead of saying āyou just need moreā, they want to know why so that it can be shared in the future and help others.
Yes get armour thyroid. If you feel tired and trashed thatās the feeling. You should just call and have them schedule you in faster. Like friday or Monday. This might be the key to your problem. Thyroid is a huge complication for health.
No hcg is not needed. Only if you feel like it might help itās worth a try.
Yes we need to try and keep what works when it comes to our health. Men and womenās bodies are similar except the reproductive system. Heart, brain, lungs, and organs. So if thyroid helps them; why wouldnāt it help us? This is where dr Nichols realized if e2 is important for woman to avoid heart attacks and such. Then why donāt men need it if their body also creates it and has the same attributes like heart skin and etcā¦
Sick care doctors donāt fix shit until itās a problem: thatās why they have no clue whatās going on without symtoms. I would dig into this issue until I found an actual answer. You donāt want to wake up in ten years realizing it was building into a monster health problem. Itās a very odd predicament. I think you can figure out whatās going on though. Guys like anthony llabres have the holistic knowledge to help. You should reach out to him and pay for a consult. Email me and Iāll connect you two. He is a holistic type expert who fixed the root of issues versus āhere take these pills to suppress symtomsā.
Find his videos on YouTube.
Email me and Iāll Cc you with him.
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Today at Thanksgiving dinner, family members commented on:
- Bigger muscles
- Veiny arms
- Suddenly full beard
Bless the testosterone
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This is great, man. I admire Keith and the work heās doing over there. Jay has gone pretty wacky lately with the spiritual stuff ā I used to love his podcast, but itās getting a bit too woo-woo for me. I admire him, too, and heās provided so much valuable content, but do wish heād stick to TRT and health/fitness.
This is what Iām debating ā set up an appointment now to request thyroid, or wait until I have the WBC appointment with the hematologist? That might take a week or two to take place and get results back, though.
I love the way Keith and Dr. Rouzier have explained this on the podcast ā it makes so much sense. Yet the ācontrol the Eā message is still so prevalent ā you see it all over the internet. I wonder if/when this will change.
I was just talking to my wife about this. She was saying how grateful she is that Iām āmy own doctor,ā because the WBC thing ā which could turn out to be something big or a big warning sign ā never wouldāve been discovered if I hadnāt actively pursued it. We have to be our own biggest advocates! Glad to be here with guys who feel the same and arenāt content to let the system ātake careā of them.
Iām going to check this guy out. Thank you, brother! Youāre the man.
Edit: Just realized he was on a previous roundtable with Jay and Keith ā I watched that. Very bright guy, really knows his stuff!
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Bro jay has lost his shit. Itās ok to get religious or spiritual, but heās gone off the deep end with this alien higher dimension sorcery.
Get that armor setup and let me know . Super
Curious how that will help you.
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For real. I used to be OK sharing his materials with others as a good, applied scientific reference. Now I fear the association. Maybe one of those plant medicine trips messed him up ā from what I understand, it can do serious stuff to your brain.
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Yesterday I tried out a Thanksgiving strategy that I read on PubMed will boost gains by 359%: enjoyed the time with family and focused on social health while eating whatever looked good to me instead of stressing about calories or macros. This was a departure from my usual thought process ā and it was awesome!
Ironically, I ended up gravitating toward mostly healthy foods anyway ā turkey, potatoes, veggies, etc. ā but the sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie were also something to behold.
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I always do that. i eat to moderation and my body fat stays low. I had one plate and was full. my brothers brother in law had 3 plates.i was amaazed how he could eat 3 huge plates of nonsense. our habits are still there when we let loose.