Posted 3/27/2021 10:19 AM (GMT 0)
i would focus on lifestyle interventions first on the basis that you would otherwise be fighting nature if trying to take supplements or medications to correct something that is being driven the other way by these factors - and generally not very effective.
- sleep is a big one not mentioned so far for testosterone
- inflammation in general messes with the production, conversion and action of all hormones - in particular inflammation tends to skew the conversion of testosterone towards estrogen and so in males teds towards lower physical and mental performance, belly fat, low drive, low libido etc - so anything you can do to reduce inflammation will help ( sleep again, diet, stress management ) - may be preaching to the choir - any inflammatory sources need to be minimised - alcohol as you mentioned, sugars/ carbs in general limited, any gut issues treated ( or will mess with all your hormones), smoking is a non-starter, processed food etc
if infection is driving this then obviously the longer term plan should include treating this as its unlikely to be resolved without addressing the root cause
- other hormones - as astro says are also a factor - esp thyroid - and Sex Hormone Binding Globulin - which is a hormone transporter protien is often low in thyroid conditions - which will mess with Testosterone function - so i would have that checked properly also ( ie not the simplistic and ineffective TSH test - but a full panel with free T3 free T4, SHBG and antibodies etc ) - will need to do a bit of research into this as its not straightforward and under diagnosis is a v common issue
i usually recommend this guy for free thyroid resources.
https://www.restartmed.com/
after that Stephen Buhner has a book on the subject of restoring Testosterone levels in men with Low Testosterone
the main things he recommends from memory are :
-nettle root ( an aromatase inhibitor)
-pine pollen ( natural source of testosterone ),
-tribulis terrestris ( libido enhancer )
-Horny Goat weed ( libido, circulation and ED )
but he lists a bunch of others also
its very affordable
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/natural-remedies-for-low-testosterone-1