The last Chinese eunuch, Sun Yaoting, died at the age of 94 in 1996. Only the fact that imperial eunuchs could obtain high-ranking positions and considerable power as well as wealth makes it plausible that adult men underwent this gruesome operation. It was performed by ‘licensed surgeons’ in Beijing by cutting off testes and penis. About 25% of the volunteers did not survive this bloody operation. The severed genitals were kept in a box, and were eventually buried with their owner.

Chinese imperial eunuchs were able to achieve far-reaching levels of influence within the political system, and accumulate massive wealth. For example, one of the richest men in history, Liu Jen, was a Chinese castrate, who accumulated 450k kg of gold and 9M kg of silver during his life. 

Medical examination of eunuchs has consistently demonstrated little to no beard or body hair growth, as well as a prevalence of osteoporosis. 

In ancient Greek mythology, the castration of Uranos by Chronos (who interestingly happens to be the personification of time itself) is well-known. Thrown into the ocean, his testes created the foam-born goddess of love, Aphrodite, also known as Venus.

And since 800 BC, reports from Egypt and Assyria talk about the castration of slaves in Islamic societies who are forced into labor and military servitude.

Documented history chronicles similar practices across Europe, in French, Scandinavian, and Anglo-Saxon societies, as well as in the African slave trade.

Because of such widespread historical knowledge of the power contained within the testes as a masculine organ, the consumption of testicles, usually from animal sources, like livestock, naturally became a common form of medical remedy prescribed for low testosterone: 

• In ancient Rome by emperor Gaius Plinius Secundus
• In Baghdad by Mensue the Elder
• In China, documented by Hsue Shu-Wei
• And in Cologne by Albertus Magnus

In the 1920s, a combination of yohimbine and testicular hormone extracts known as Testifortan became financially successful in the US as a controlled drug treatment for impotence. 

Physiologically, however, teste extract medications were eventually found to be nothing more than placebo medications, because of the fact that while the testes produce testosterone, they do not store it, as opposed to other endocrine organs like the thyroid gland and pancreas, which can store their products. 

Oral testosterone taken, for example in powdered bull testicles, is essentially inactivated by the first-pass effect of the liver, which is the rapid metabolism & deactivation of that compound by the liver’s inherent detoxification mechanisms before it can be circulated throughout the body. So these testicle powders really can’t work to increase T levels in the human body, not to mention the average human man would need to consume roughly 1kg of bull testicle powder in order to attempt to replace his physiological production requirement of about 8g of testosterone. While organ consumption can be useful with regard to other organs such as the thyroid and liver, it is quite useless for testosterone replacement.

The 1800s were a good time for the beginning of a truly scientific understanding of the production of testosterone in the human body. In 1850, the anatomist Franz Leydig discovered the interstitial cells, now known as Leydig cells. 

Leydig cells, in the presence of a signaling hormone called luteinizing hormone, or LH, which is secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain, triggers natural production of testosterone in the testes. 

In 1932, scientists finally began to understand the true structure of a steroid hormone, such as testosterone. Edmund A. Doisy, Adolf Butenandt and Guy Marrian assembled at University College London discovered that steroid hormones had a four ring structure and the 4th ring had 5 carbon atoms. 

In 1935, Ernst Laqueur in Amsterdam extracted and isolated 10 mg a hormone (androsten-17α-ol-3-one) from 100 kg of bull testes, which they found more active than androsterone and named it ‘testosterone.’ In that same year, two more labs - one in Gottingen, Germany and one in Basel, Switzerland published papers detailing the chemical synthesis of testosterone. 

1935 truly marked the advent of the modern era of testosterone replacement therapy as a pharmaceutical product, and the rapid development of other androgen products, out of which emerged new frontiers such as oral and intravenously administered anabolic steroids.

The state of things in today’s world make sense, because a biological understanding of testosterone itself is less than 100 years old, and almost all of the focus on it has been concentrated on commercially profitable drug development, funded by big pharmaceutical companies, it makes sense that both the Western medical community and consumers themselves believe that the only truly effective way to overcome low testosterone production is to replace it with these testosterone therapy drugs. 

However, these hormone replacement therapies are, logically, not true treatments in the sense that they solve the issue itself, rather they’re putting a band-aid on the real issues. And more modern science has confirmed this. There are some very real, very tangible and truly treatable ways to overcome low testosterone, not by taking a replacement drug - and therefore shutting down your own natural production - but by addressing the real reasons why the male body starts to actually produce less testosterone in the first place. 

And this is where things get really interesting…

As the years roll on, and more research is conducted, testosterone replacement therapy has begun to be medically implicated as a causal factor for increased incidence of prostate cancer, male breast cancer, BPH (also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia), and development of sleep apnea and an increased risk of developing serious cardiovascular disease. 

TRT has now been shown to increase prostate size by 12%. And scientists have known since 1982 that exogenous testosterone therapy makes prostate cancer worse, however despite these known risks, the prescription rate of TRT, even in patients with prostate problems or risk-factors, has continued to increase population wide. 

Normal natural production of testosterone in men has been proven to not cause prostate cancer but administration of TRT has been shown time and again to speed the development of prostate cancer.

It is also currently believed that administration of TRT can potentially lead to development of male breast cancer due to the increase in unregulated aromatization of testosterone into estrogen, which can fuel tumor growth in men - this side effect is easily noticed with the development of TRT-induced gynecomastia - which should serve as an early warning sign of potential worsening issues. 

It is also well-known now that exogenous testosterone administration from TRT shuts down the body’s own ability to produce testosterone, by stopping the pulsatile release of GnRH from the hypothalamus and therefore blunting the release of the important signaling hormones from the pituitary - LH and FSH - to the testes. 

The cessation of FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone, shuts down spermatogenesis, or sperm production, leading to impotence. 

This is especially important to be aware of for younger men who desire to reproduce and have healthy children and families one day. Using TRT can make you impotent. 

There are also inherent risks of exposure to TRT from the man to other people, such as women, children, and even pets. When used as a gel, it is extremely easy to transfer to others. It can cause excess hair to grow on women's faces and arms, deepen their voices, interrupt menstruation, and make them anxious and irritable. In children, exposure to testosterone gels and creams can cause premature puberty and aggression. And in pets, it can cause aggressive behavior and enlargement of the genitalia.

I think it’s about time we accept the fact that the side effects and inherent risks with using something like TRT are not worth it. Especially when you realize that there is another way… there are very real things you can do to naturally produce more testosterone, and it becomes a very simple, predictable process to do so once you understand the fundamentals of why your body is producing less testosterone now than it used to. 

Your low T is not caused by time - and it’s not going to be solved by taking dangerous shortcuts. It’s not something outside of your control, in fact it’s easy to control! I’ve been teaching guys how to do this for nearly 10 years now after I proved it on myself… and this system works.

A more modern scientific understanding of male biology has revealed the following truths to us about how to naturally produce more testosterone on our own, without any bad side effects. And the best part is this: once you know how to do this for yourself, you can simply continue to do these things as habits, keeping your natural T production high forever: 

1. Overcoming micronutrient deficiencies
2. Eliminating exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals
3. Natural regulation of T-killing stress hormones like cortisol and estrogen

Micronutrient deficiencies are the epidemic that nobody talks about. Some might even say it’s an “inconvenient epidemic” especially for the pharmaceutical industry. Something so easy to solve naturally, is not very profitable for the big drug companies. 

In the meantime, in the US, 92% of people are deficient in choline, 35% in Vitamin A, 31% in Vitamin C, 67% in Vitamin E, 74% in Vitamin D, 67% in Vitamin K, 100% in potassium, 39% in Calcium, and 46% in magnesium. 

Every one of these micronutrients plays a role, either directly or indirectly in testosterone production, as well as hormonal balance ratios between testosterone and other hormones like estrogen. 

Since vitamins and minerals are essential “raw materials” for the production of hormones, it makes perfect sense that deficiencies in these micronutrients can be a true cause of low testosterone production in men. And in fact, they are! 

• Vitamin A is stored in testicles (and few other glands of the body). Studies have shown that when there’s no active vitamin A in the testes, T levels start dropping rapidly, and estrogen synthesis shoots up. Also in a study of 155 male twins, a clear correlation was found between vitamin A levels and serum testosterone. In prepubertal teens, vitamin A + iron supplementation is as effective in starting puberty as hormone replacement therapy.
• Vitamin B complex (which consists of 8 different water-soluble vitamins), plays an important role in testosterone production and overall bodily energy levels, deficiency in many B vitamins results in increased estrogen levels, increased prolactin levels, and lowered testosterone levels (study, study, study, study). (Updated Links, https://academic.oup.com/endo/article-abstract/32/1/97/2773721,
  https://academic.oup.com/endo/article-abstract/31/1/109/2773610?redirectedFrom=fulltext, https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/45/5/1019/2677327?redirectedFrom=fulltext)
• Vitamin C has a protective effect on testosterone molecules, and this is because it’s a potent antioxidant and able to block some cortisol secretion and oxidative damage (study, study, study, study, study)
• Vitamin D supplementation with a dose of 3332 IU’s for one full year leads to 25% higher testosterone levels in healthy male subjects. The positive correlation with vitamin D levels and serum testosterone have been noted in various other human studies too (study, study, study).
• Vitamin E deficient human and rodent subjects both experience a significant drop in LH, FSH, and testosterone levels, conversely, vitamin E supplemented humans and rodents notice significant increases in pituitary LH and FSH, and also in serum testosterone.
• Magnesium intake has had a direct effect on serum testosterone levels in various studies. In this one, 10 mg/kg of magnesium was able to increase free testosterone levels by 24%. Here magnesium intake was positively correlated with high serum T levels, and in this large review study the researchers conclude: “there is evidence that magnesium exerts a positive influence on anabolic hormonal status, including testosterone, in men.”
• Calcium has its role in controlling neurotransmitter release and the signaling between cells and hormones. In 1976 a group of researchers found out that calcium stimulates testosterone synthesis in isolated Leydig cells. 33 years later another study saw that calcium supplementation significantly increased (18%) T levels post-exercise.
• Selenium, mostly due to its glutathione stimulating effects, has been linked to increased testosterone production and improved sperm parameters in few studies (study, study)
• Zinc has a significant positive effect on testosterone production and a deficiency will hammer the endocrine system. In fact, zinc might be one of the most important micronutrients for healthy testosterone production. It has increased testosterone levels in athletes and exercising ‘normal men’ (study, study), in men with zinc deficiency, in infertile men, in animals… It’s also noted in one rodent study that zinc deficiency can upregulate the estrogen receptors by 57%, probably due to the fact that zinc has its role in controlling the aromatase enzyme.
• Boron, although not very common mineral to supplement with, also has a few interesting studies backing up its testosterone boosting effects. In this human study, 6 mg’s of boron for 60 days increased free testosterone levels by 29%. In another human study, 10 mg’s of boron for 7 days increased free testosterone by 28%.

Correcting micronutrient deficiencies is one of the simplest, and most affordable, ways to trigger healthy levels of natural testosterone production in your body, without drugs and without side effects. 

Plastics, personal care products, sunscreens, food containers, pesticides, and even many plant-based “health foods” like soy and flax seeds all contain chemicals that act as potent endocrine disruptors in the body, lowering your testosterone levels and increasing your estrogen levels unnaturally. 

The book Estrogeneration does a good job of going into extreme detail about these hazardous chemicals and the effects they have on the human body. 

The pervasiveness of endocrine disrupting chemicals in our modern society has become rampant and disturbing. 

For example, pesticides sprayed on our food supply have all been known to cause chemical castration: 

1. a) In this study, the researchers tested 37 widely used pesticides to see if any of them had any anti-androgenic effects in-vitro. Out of the 37 tested chemicals, 30 were shown to be anti-androgenic. 14 of the tested chemicals were previously known for having a hormone disrupting effect, but the researchers were shocked to find out sixteen more that had no known hormonal activity until now.
2. b) In this large-scale study, it was noted that 91% of the US test subjects had noticeable amounts of the insecticide; chlorpyrifos, in their bodies. In another human study, TCPY (3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol) which is a metabolite of chlorpyrifos, was noted of having a dose-dependent testosterone lowering effect in multiple linear regression models. Several animal studies have also shown that chlorpyrifos has a significant testosterone lowering effect (study, study, study).
3. c) In this study, it was noted that RoundUp, one of the most used herbicides in the World, has a direct testosterone suppressing effect in testicular leydig cells at very low environmental doses.
4. d) In this 2007 study, various pesticides (some of which have been already banned) were shown to be anti-androgenic and mess up with the 5-a reductase enzyme, which is responsible for dihydrotestosterone (DHT) synthesis.
5. e) [Alex Jones Clip] Atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides in US, has been shown to decrease testosterone levels in fish, amphibians, and rodents (study, study, study, study, study, study, study). Also, according to this study increased atrazine concentrations in water can transform male frogs into females (literally to the point where they grow ovaries). I haven’t seen any human studies about atrazine’s effect on testosterone levels, but I’m fairly sure, only after looking at the animal evidence, that this stuff is something I’m not going to ingest willingly.
6. f) Vinclozolin is a common fungicide generously sprayed on fruits and vegetables. According to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), vinclozolin is a competetive antagonist to androgen receptors, and can activate the receptor similarly to testosterone. However it’s suspected that the chemical doesn’t activate the receptor properly, and hence just “steals” the place from the actual male hormone. Furthermore, two vinclozolin metabolites have been identified as anti-androgens and the chemical is suspected to have feminizing effects in humans. Vinclozolin is also banned in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
7. g) In this Peruvian study, it was noted that men who work as organoph osphate sprayers experience significantly lower testosterone levels and worse semen parameters than control subjects.
8. h) In denmark, the farmers of organic produce have significantly higher sperm quality and sex hormone levels, when compared to their conventional produce farming peers. Same researchers have also found out that greenhouse workers in contact with fungicides, experience suppressed testosterone levels and reduced sperm quality.
9. i) In American men, exposure to PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls) is strongly associated with lower serum testosterone levels. PCB’s were heavily used in multiple chlorinated pesticides many years ago, but they’re extremely persistent in the environment, lasting for years or even decades in soil and lake sediments, which is why we still continue to get this stuff into our bodies.

And while chemicals such as BPA are now being replaced in many products due to more widespread awareness about their negative effects on our hormones in the general public, corporations are merely replacing BPA with other alternatives that are just as bad. All of these endocrine disrupting chemicals can be commonly found in your personal care products, food packaging, and even hand sanitizers… just look at the label & you’ll see them hiding in plain sight: 

• Parabens (methyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, heptyl-, etc) which are preservatives used in nearly all kinds of cosmetics, such as; sun lotions, moisturizers, personal-lubricants, shampoos, shaving gels, toothpaste, and even as food additives. They’re classified as xenoestrogens, and can have a weak affinity to estrogen receptors in the body.
• Phthalates which are commonly used to make plastics more flexible, but they are also used as stabilizers and emulsifying agents in many personal care items, recently they’ve been found in high amounts from people who eat a lot of junk-foods. Increased urinary phthalate traces have been strongly correlated with decreased testosterone in men, women, and children.
• Benzophenones (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3…) which are permeability enhancing UV-stabilizers are used in a wide range of personal care items, but most commonly in sunscreens. Concerns have been raised of their effect in reducing the activity of enzymes needed in testosterone production. This has been studied for BP-1, BP-2, and BP-3.
• Triclosan and Triclocarban, both of which are antibacterial agents found in many antibacterial soaps, lotions, hand sanitizers, etc. Not only are they highly ineffective at reducing bacteria, but they also have a direct mechanism in lowering testicular testosterone production.

Is it any wonder that our population-wide low testosterone epidemic is only getting worse? 

Time & aging are not the cause… increased exposure to rampant corporate use of estrogenic chemicals and increasingly worsening levels of wide scale micronutrient deficiencies are!