He began working as a cabin boy at twelve years of age on an old sailing ship out of the port of Turku. He had been born in the Aland Islands off the southwest coast of Finland. Turku, established in the 13th century, had a rich history of adventure stories told by the sailors of the many ships that found safe haven there. My grandfather would often share his personal stories of danger and daring on the high seas, from being shipwrecked off the coast of South America, to fights with drunken sailors in foreign ports, to traveling up the Amazon. He was a real-life “Indiana Jones”!
But, one particular day many years later, as he sat in his rocking chair at his dairy farm in upstate New York, he had tears staining his cheeks. In the later years of his life he had become very grouchy. If I missed putting a tool back into its assigned space in the shop, I was treated to his sharp tongue. He had even taken to snapping at my grandmother, whom he loved dearly. But, this morning, none of that grouchy disposition existed. It was replaced by a deep surrendered sadness and an uncharacteristic meekness. Looking at me, he cried, “I’m no longer a man!” Grandpa had prostate cancer and the doctors had performed an orchidectomy. In plain language, they cut his testicles off.
It wasn’t until many years later that I began to understand a medical condition called “Irritable Male Syndrome.” Here is how it works, according to Dr. Jed Diamond (11/10/04): “In the body, a certain amount of testosterone gets converted to estrogen. Males and females have estrogen and testosterone in our bodies. When we put on weight, our fat cells are more active in converting testosterone into estrogen. The more estrogen we have and the less testosterone we have, the more irritable we become and the less sense of our own manly strength that we have. That’s one way they get out of whack.” Declines of testosterone in both men and women have been associated with mood swings and depression.
But, wait a minute, what about all the research linking men’s prostate problems to high testosterone levels? Current research, such as that of Harvard’s Dr. Morgentaler, shows just the opposite to be true. Low testosterone is indicated in prostate cancer, not high testosterone. Why is it that young men, who have drive, enthusiasm for life, and high testosterone levels, never get prostate disease, while older men who have lost their drive and muscle mass tend to get grouchy and suffer from prostate problems?
What was the reasoning for an orchidectomy, as in the case of my grandfather? That practice was based on a 75-year-old finding conducted on only one patient. It was written up in the journal Cancer Research by a Dr. Huggins in 1941 and used as the basis of the supposed connection between high testosterone and prostate problems. It’s crazy that this assumption was never questioned for all these years. (Of course, back in the 1940s and 1950s, doctors recommended smoking cigarettes; the Journal of the American Medical Association ran its first ad to promote smoking in 1933.)
I’m not a medical doctor and I really don’t know all the ramifications or what the actual scientific evidence is. All I can share with you is my personal experience with maintaining higher testosterone levels through a healthy diet and the herbs I take. I feel and perform as if I were in my twenties. I’m too excited about living life to ever get depressed. And I’m too inspired to get grouchy! I never think about my chronological age (even though I’m in my 70s) because I’m still shattering personal physical records in the gym. I owe all of this to attitude, diet, lifestyle, and the herbs I take to keep my hormone levels youthful.
According to the Journal of Phytochemistry (2009), this one particular herb I take bolsters my immune system, regulates my blood sugar and fat, and eliminates depression, while at the same time enhancing the efficiency of protein metabolism. Additionally, an ingredient in this herb was used by Chinese athletes in 1993 to break world and Olympic records! It’s called maral root.
The second herb I use is actually a mineral pitch found in the longevity strongholds of the Caucasus mountains and also in the mountains of Tibet. Shilajit is used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in India. In one study done on 60 infertile men, over a period of 90 days, it resulted in a 23.5% jump in testosterone and a 61.4% increased sperm count! No wonder shilajit was dubbed “Indian Viagra”!
The third herb I take is suma root, also called “Brazilian Ginseng.” In one study done on an isolated compound from this plant, ecdysterone, it revealed amazing results. The eight-week study discovered a 43% increase in the body’s ability to burn fat and a 23% increase in endurance.
Herb number four is actually from a bean. It’s called mucuna. It has a very important component that fosters mental health: L-dopa, which promotes the neurohormone dopamine. When dopamine is severely low, Parkinson’s disease results. Low levels of dopamine also result in the inability to experience pleasure and a difficulty getting motivated. Low dopamine levels result in grouchy men (and women).
Recently I was recruited for a blind trial study with the four herbs just described. The study lasted for eight weeks. The results were fantastic! I had more drive and increased cheerfulness; I was less grouchy, ha, ha! I had also cut body fat. My wife Katrina was trying to find a belt for my blue jeans, yet my bodyweight remained the same throughout the trial. I increased my physical strength substantially on all my exercises; I was able to add 35 pounds to my barbell squat. I also took a great-tasting raw vegan protein and superfood before, during, and after the test.
Does this sound like a good idea—higher energy, improved physical performance, better mood? Then you might want to give these herbs a test run. These four herbs have now been combined into a product called Titan, and is available through the link below. Titan is designed for both men and women. You can get more information and additional studies by clicking on the links.
When you feel good, it’s easy to put a smile on your face. It makes the whole world a lot brighter, and you eliminate any tendency to become grouchy! Will you join me in being the best you can be?
Playfully yours,
Peter Ragnar
p.s. If you would like to try the titan formula, the protein powder or the superfood that I use, please use these links.
Are you RAW vegan or RAW FOODIST?
Daniel, High raw vegan.
Peter:
I hear you need to “cycle” these powerful herbs, otherwise your body will not benefit as their kick gets diminished. Do you cycle at all or do you just take them continually? Thanks
Dear Ken, Yes, it’s always good to cycle off for a few days every week or so. Naturally, it depends upon which herb one is talking about, the more anabolic the herb is, the more important it becomes.