#228: Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Drive (Possibly Our Most Explicit Episode Yet)

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Jan 30, 2013 free podcast: Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Drive Also: when and how to use bitter melon extract, can you suffer withdrawal from adaptogenic herbs, the best allergy remedies, ways to stop hair loss, and when to combine cardio with interval training.

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Listener Q&A:A donate button that reads - keep the podcasts coming

As compiled, edited and sometimes read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast “sidekick”.

Alex asks @ 00:27:47
What is the best way to use Bitter Melon in terms of dosage, usage and should take it by itself?

~ In my response, I refer to MPX100.

Allison asks @ 00:33:31
She began taking TianChi after hearing about it on the podcast in October of 2012 and took it pretty consistently until about the beginning of January 2013. After coming off it she has experienced unreal hormonal swings, PMS that is amplified, and two full periods this month separated by only a week. She's wondering if something in the adaptogenic herbs may have caused her hormones to go haywire when I stopped taking them. She is currently trying to get pregnant so this weirdness is kind of putting a kink in the works. She's been to an ob/gyn and had a pelvic exam and other tests and found nothing.

~ In my response, I refer to TianChi.

Anonymous asks @ 00:39:43
He is 38 years old and races 70.3s and yet he doesn't have the drive he once had. He knows he isn't 19 any more but still… he would like to try some natural remedies. He tried Vit D3 (life extension) and some Cod Liver Oil (nordic naturals) and the Horny Goat Weed extract (NOW). Are those good brands? Is there a more pure form to get Horny Goat Weed? Do you think it even works?

~ In my response I list:
1. Oysters
2. Cold Showers
3. Any nitric oxide, citrulline or arginine blend, or dark chocolate/red wine.
4. Kamagra: www.FasterKam.com www.KamagraFast2.com
5. Heavy Lifting and/or Sprinting + Avoiding Chronic Cardio
6. The right bike seat.
7. Avoid porn.
8. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy with a compounded pharmacist, particularly using the www.thewileyprotocol.com OR liposomal progesterone for women.
9. Avoid large meals 
10. Herbal blends: RenewMale stacked with TianChi.

Eric asks @ 01:01:32
Is wondering about Finasteride (or Propecia). What happens to the testosterone that is left? Does it mean that he has more testosterone in his body? Should he be worried about it converting to estrogen?

Carlos asks @ 01:08:15
He is experiencing bad allergies this year from pollen. Is wondering if you have any recommendations for natural products or vitamins that will help with allergies.

~ In my response, I mention www.naet.com, Sinus Buster, and this post on asthma that I did with Dr. David Minkoff.

Jason asks @ 01:15:23
Is using the Little Method of interval training on the treadmill. After he does the interval training he likes to do some sustained cardio training. Is that going to negate the afterburn effect that interval session is giving him?

Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness!

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26 thoughts on “#228: Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Drive (Possibly Our Most Explicit Episode Yet)

  1. Elane Tierney says:

    Generally, hair loss in patches signifies alopecia areata. Alopecia areata typically presents with sudden hair loss causing patches to appear on the scalp or other areas of the body. If left untreated, or if the disease does not respond to treatment, complete baldness can result in the affected area, which is referred to as alopecia totalis.

  2. where to purchase Image 10 2QI Treadmill says:

    Undeniably consider that which you stated. Your favourite justification appeared to be at the web the simplest factor to consider of. I say to you, I certainly get irked at the same time as other folks think about issues that they plainly do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and also outlined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thank you

  3. Edle says:

    Hi Ben – I had a look at the projectwellbeing pdf on thyroid testing. It can actually be misleading for some people, like myself. What it does not cater for, is cases where T4 is not being converted to T3 in the liver. So the scenario is that THS is low/good and T4 is normal to high. The sheet says that you then should not have symptoms, and does not suggest that you go for the T3 test. However, it could be that T4 is not converted to T3 in the liver, and that T3 is borderline low, or even lower than lab range. This was my case – so both TSH and T4 were very good, and most doctors would then think that any symptoms must be from something other than from thyroid issues, but in fact my T3 was way low and was low for 6 months (just below lab range or in the lowest range) before I started desiccated thyroid. This is not an untypical scenario for a woman who has crashed on a low carb diet. Low glycogen stores makes T4 to T3 conversion in the liver difficult – and somehow some people get stuck in a hibernation state.

    1. That's an interesting scenario that I'm afraid we're going to begin to see more and more with Crossfit, triathlon and intermittent fasting/carb restriction with no reloading phase. Thanks for the heads up Edie!Ben

  4. Carlos says:

    I bought Sinus Buster… HOLY CRAP man that stuff is potent… I didn't know and the first time I inhaled really hard and it felt like I burned my brain!

  5. Nick says:

    Seems like the more you get up the hills in training, the less you can get it up in the bedroom… :D

  6. Keerthi says:

    Ben

    On my recent trip to India I was talking to people regarding their diets and lifestyle etc and I was surprised to learn that almost everyone knows the benefits of cold showers and taking dips in the river and infact it is a part of certain Hindu rituals. A friend of my dad has been taking cold showers for several years now! I myself started taking cold showers yesterday and its no fun! :D

  7. PaulG says:

    Hi Ben, another strong podcast – great work. Regarding oysters…is there something about their efficacy over and above zinc/selenium supplements?

    1. I suppose this is a synergistic effect, but I have never found ZMA, ZMK, etc. to be as effective as simply eating oysters.

  8. jeff leonard says:

    Thanks….. I have known a couple people who failed the NCAA test due to elevated Testosterone from over the counter supplements(well that was they said)

  9. jeff leonard says:

    Will Renew male or Eurycoma lead to a positive pee test?

  10. Michelle says:

    Posted a review on i Tunes….hope you and Brock chuckle or at least smile (I referenced the essential 3 "Ps" of a Podcast). Thanks for the great info and for sacrificing yourself as a test case, sample size 1, all in the name of science and for the betterment of humankind.

  11. Jack117 says:

    http://hunch.com/item/hn_4327071/228-top-10-ways-…
    70/100

  12. Jack117 says:

    Hi Ben,

    Just so you know, I wasn't able to access episodes 8, 9, 11, 17, 18, 35, 55, 57, 76, 90, 91, inner circle podcast 1, 125, 131, episode 15 is the same as 14, 106 can only be played on the website, it can't be downloaded and podcasts 19, 22, 68 sound like they're not complete. Also, I'm in the process of recommending episodes 60 to 133 on hunch.com.

    1. We'll look into this ASAP, Jack!BenWill YOU Become Superhuman This Year?Join me March 8-9, 2013 in Spokane, WAAll details at :http://goo.gl/b24U7

  13. Paul says:

    Ben,
    My drive seems to be too high…much higher than my wife’s. I am in my mid 30’s and it has not really changed much from when I was a teenager. I am an endurance athlete so I engage in some of the things that you talked about decreasing drive like long workouts (biking and running) and sometimes large meals. Any suggestions to decrease my drive so I am not so fired up? What about hot showers? Or longer bike rides?

    1. Sure, I'd look into: 1. Camphor essential oil. Monks use this scent to keep them from desiring sex when they are trying to be chaste. 2. Marjoram essential oil. Marjoram essential oil has been shown to decrease the drive in mice. 3. Chaste tree berries. These berries will reduce testosterone in men, whether taken in a tea or pill form.4. Hops. In a tea or in beer, hops decreases drive in men by increasing their estrogen levels for short periods of time. 5. Saw palmetto berries. These berries work by decreasing testosterone and increasing estrogen.BenWill YOU Become Superhuman This Year?Join me March 8-9, 2013 in Spokane, WAAll details at :http://goo.gl/b24U7

  14. Joe says:

    #223 = sleeping on the ground with a tinfoil hat and eating oysters…..

    So… since the Rich Roll podcast I have been doing the "Ben Greenfield Experience" because of the recognition of endurance sanity I sensed with the polarization method of training Ben sandwiched in between interruptions. I have gone so far as to consider a flight to Superhumanville in March where Mayor Ben and the Ketosis Strip League will teach me to follow the yellow brick blood work to health and endurance from the man behind the curtain. As I listened to podcast #223 while running on my Curve for one hour with a ten pound weight vest and keeping a 138 BPM heart rate, I questioned my sanity while whipping away my recently sipped greenfield cool aid from my formally sugar stained lips. "Did I really just consider taking a nap on the ground to get my earth rhythm back?" "Did I really just ask myself where I can buy oysters to cure my sour melons?" "Did that Canadian guy just really say he wears a tin foil hat in a cold shower while urinating into a gallon jug?" "My Gosh… I have to rethink my life…" (just kidding guys…. I love the podcast and am excited about the knowledge. Great stuff!)

    1. love it!Can you post to iTunes?https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ben-greenfield-fitness/id283908977?mt=2Ben

  15. Suzanne says:

    Ben
    What would you consider to be a high TSH reading. I recently got some lab work done and found that my TSH levels, while in the normal reference range, seemed high and out of a 'functional/optimal range.
    Thanks!

    1. Anything above 1.0 is a red flag for me.

  16. Keerthi says:

    Ben
    It will be great if you can you post a video of you doing these 30 sec treadmill sprints so we know how the form and intensity should look like. Also how much rest do you recommend in between each sprint.
    -Keerthi

    1. Keerthi, here you go…not me but this is what I do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zkLcsTHCbU

  17. Donna says:

    Horney Goat Weed, Oysters, Porn, Cold showers Oh No! Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My! Love the podcast Ben and Brock! Very informative on natural alternative whole foods and herbs to boost our natural drive!

    LOVE IT!!!!
    Donna Lee Chadwick
    Seattle WA

    1. Glad you got a kick out of this one, Donna!

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