Basics Category

In the basics category, we break down complex topics into more understandable discussions.

For example, the endocrine system and how it works, how testosterone is synthesized through each step of the HPT-axis, what are thyroid hormones and how they affect your metabolism and androgen production...

...Estrogen, prolactin, serotinin, nitric oxide, you name it. All that is important to optimize for male hormonal health, we cover here.

This category also has the popular list articles we've created:

  • Like the 14,000 word beast on how to optimize natural testosterone production.
  • Or the 20 natural methods of increasing dihydrotestosterone (the most potent androgen).
  • We also discuss 9 methods to lower SHBG, making testosterone more active in the body.
  • And 5 simple tips & tricks to increase the sensitivity and density of androgen receptors.

Scroll down below to read more about our "basic" articles, although some of them do go far beyond the usual stuff.

basics category

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50 Proven Ways to Boost Testosterone Levels Naturally

17/09/2019

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD It was about time I made a comprehensive guide on how to naturally raise the key androgen of the human body; testosterone. After hundreds of specific posts about what affects your natural testosterone production and hormonal health and how to increase testosterone naturally, I had yet to compile…

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8 Ways to Lower Estrogen Levels Naturally & Effectively

10/04/2017

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Estrogen or as it’s sometimes called; oestrogen is commonly referred to as the “female hormone”. The three main active estrogens in the body are; estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). Despite being the female hormone – men also have it – sometimes in very high amounts. Women biosynthesize…

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5 Ways to Naturally Reduce Insulin Resistance

29/10/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which turns the carbohydrates you eat into the simplest form of sugar; glucose. Insulin sensitivity on the other hand, is the term used to describe how responsive your cells are…

Gynecomastia: What is it, What Causes it, & How are they Reduced

16/10/2016

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Gynecomastia (gyno) is medical term for enlarged male breasts, otherwise known as man boobs, moobs, man breasts, and many other commonly used terms. It’s a highly embarrassing condition, which often makes a man lose all of his confidence towards his body and himself as a person. The worst part…

What are Varicoceles: Definitive Guide on Causes, Fixes, & Symptoms

19/09/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD There’s a little known condition that affects at least 1 in every 5 men during their lifetime. This condition is not only painful in many cases, but can also go completely undetected if it’s not severe. Since the…

Insulin Sensitivity: Common Insulin Resistance Signs and Symptoms

10/09/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that turns the carbohydrates you eat into glucose and pushes them into the cells for direct use as metabolic fuel. But what happens when you’re insulin resistant? Simply put, your…

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What is a Probiotic? Guide to Foods, Supplements, & Benefits

29/08/2016

Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Those red turd-looking things above are probiotic microbes from the Lactobacillus family of bacterial strains. They are just a tiny part of the 100-trillion bacteria that populate your gut. And no, that’s not a typo, there are in fact 100 000 000 000 000 living microbes in your tummy. That’s 10 times…

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What is Testosterone? The Basics and Production of Androgens

01/08/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Sadly, most guys who start optimizing their natural testosterone production, don’t really know how the hormone works and is produced in the first place. Even though the process is the exact thing that they’re trying to optimize, hack,…

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Androgen Receptors: 5 Ways to Boost AR Density & Sensitivity

14/05/2016

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Before androgens (testosterone or DHT) can make any changes in your body, they have to enter DNA. In order for them to actually get to the DNA, they have to be bound from blood circulation by androgen receptors in cells. One good example of the effect of the androgen receptors…

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Varicoceles Affect 20% of Men & They Hurt your Testosterone

23/04/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD There’s one very very important topic that gets way too little attention in the natural hormone optimization circles. And that is… *drum roll* Preventing and eliminating varicoceles, aka. blocked/half blocked veins and/or venous insufficiency (poorly operating vein valves)…

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Dihydrotestosterone: 20 Ways to Increase DHT Naturally

29/03/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) optimization is a controversially controversial topic among men. Some say that it’s a “bad hormone” that causes hair loss and prostate enlargement, while others praise it for being the ultimate male hormone since it’s significantly more…

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How to Create Natural Hormone Optimization Plan: 8 Key Factors

13/03/2016

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD With over 300 articles about ways to boost testosterone in this blog, 262-pages of T-optimization in TestShock, and 52 evidence-based ways to increase testosterone just solely in this one article, I get a lot of questions about where exactly…

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How Testosterone and Metabolism are Connected

13/03/2016

Article by Tim Berzins; Metabolism underlies every aspect of optimizing hormonal health. I know that might sound like a big claim, but every single cell in your body depends on its ability to produce enough energy to do everything it needs to do (or even more than enough energy). The more energy your cells can produce,…

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6 Ways to Destroy your Testosterone Production Naturally

04/09/2015

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD I have written A LOT about increasing natural testosterone production, but I have never actually made any posts about lowering testosterone levels. I mean there are probably people out there who want to lower their T and feel…

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Body Language: 20% More Testosterone in Minutes?

25/05/2015

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD What if I told you that you could get roughly 20% more testosterone in less than 2 minutes for free and from the comfort of your own home. What if I also told you that the trick is…

benefits of testosterone

6 Benefits of Having Naturally High Testosterone Levels

22/01/2015

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD We have all heard the most common benefits of having high T. Such as the increased ability to build lean muscle mass, increased ability to burn fat for fuel, or the improved sexual performance and libido, bone health, etc. But there are also so many other awesome benefits…

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7 Testosterone Killers: Compounds that Crush Androgens

21/09/2014

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD In our daily lives, we’re constantly in contact with testosterone lowering substances, without knowing it ourselves. Luckily science has helped us to find some of these things and by actively avoiding them, you can make a big difference in your hormone levels. Here’s 8 of the big time…

how to lower shbg

8 Ways on How To Lower SHBG Count Naturally

01/08/2014

By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD We have testosterone which is bound to two different proteins, albumin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). This bound up testosterone is unavailable to be used by our androgen receptors and it’s basically like a “reserve” of our…

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6 Physical Signs and Symptoms of High Testosterone Levels in Men

21/07/2014

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD What does a man look who has high testosterone levels? How can I know just by monitoring myself if I have high testosterone levels? What are the signs of high testosterone levels? Those are questions that I get asked constantly via email. And the answer is relatively simple:…

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How to Lower Prolactin Levels Naturally

02/06/2014

Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Prolactin is a hormone that triggers the milk production in pregnant women. Believe it or not, most guys have high prolactin levels too, and in this post, I’m going to teach you how to lower prolactin levels naturally. By now you might already guess what a hormone that…

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Triple Your Testosterone Cheat Sheet by Tim Ferriss

11/03/2014

Tim Ferriss is a writer, entrepreneur, public speaker, and investor. He became famous after writing the book called The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich which was rejected by 26 publishers, but now since the 27th publisher decided to give it a go. It’s sold over 1,350,000 copies and has spent…