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Testosterone Replacement, Low T, HCG, & Beyond
Testosterone Basics & Questions
Tested my son for testosterone
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<blockquote data-quote="FunkOdyssey" data-source="post: 232205" data-attributes="member: 44064"><p>Your son is not alone in his struggles. Men are only graduating college at half the rate of women now. While there are a multitude of factors involved that are toxic to the success of young men, I personally believe video games are one of the most impactful and harmful. They belong in the same conversation as drugs of abuse when it comes to strong artificial stimulation of the reward circuits, desensitization to the rewards of normal life, and sapping away ambition for personal and professional growth. I attempted and failed at college several times over the years, and was not able to succeed until I swore off gaming in my mid 30's.</p><p></p><p>There is often a chicken and egg problem with depression, because depression causes anhedonia, whereby your capacity to experience pleasure is reduced. In an effort to experience some pleasure and escape the pain of reality, the depressed person turns to mood-altering / numbing substances and behaviors, whether it is drinking, smoking pot, harder drugs, gaming, netflix binging, social media obsession, etc. Any of these can then maintain and exacerbate the depression, via their direct effects on the brain and by crowding out the behaviors that would improve depression, like exercise, socializing in real life, spending time outdoors, achieving things in real life, etc.</p><p></p><p>Sleep is very important as Nelson stated. I notice depressed people typically become nocturnal -- they stay up very late with their preferred flavor of digital escapism and then sleep late into the day. As above, this has both toxic effects on our biology and interferes with the antidepressant behaviors and rhythms of a normal life.</p><p></p><p>Therapy can also be of great value if negative thought patterns / cognitive distortions are playing a role, which is nearly always the case. If he's open to it, CBT can be very effective. If he likes to read and is inclined to self-help, give him some books on Stoicism, upon which modern CBT is based. Stoic philosophy gives you the tools to thrive no matter what life throws at you. I recommend How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and Stoicism and the Art of Happiness by Donald Robertson, The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth, and the original works of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus.</p><p></p><p>Diet and nutrition is very important for mental health, which I'm sure will improve now that he's back living with you. Any number of micronutrient deficiencies can cause depression, including several of the B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, vitamin D, etc. I didn't discover until just a few years ago that eating dairy products causes me a depressed mood. It doesn't happen until the second day after which made it devilishly hard to make the connection when eating a normal mixed diet. It wasn't until I was eating almost exclusively beef for awhile on a carnivore diet that I put it together. Wheat is another common culprit in mood disorders.</p><p></p><p>I think what you've done so far with giving him the testosterone and sending him to the gym is very likely to be helpful. You're putting to good use the tools you are familiar with and have at hand. I hope my random thoughts are also of some use to you and I wish your son a speedy path to recovery.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FunkOdyssey, post: 232205, member: 44064"] Your son is not alone in his struggles. Men are only graduating college at half the rate of women now. While there are a multitude of factors involved that are toxic to the success of young men, I personally believe video games are one of the most impactful and harmful. They belong in the same conversation as drugs of abuse when it comes to strong artificial stimulation of the reward circuits, desensitization to the rewards of normal life, and sapping away ambition for personal and professional growth. I attempted and failed at college several times over the years, and was not able to succeed until I swore off gaming in my mid 30's. There is often a chicken and egg problem with depression, because depression causes anhedonia, whereby your capacity to experience pleasure is reduced. In an effort to experience some pleasure and escape the pain of reality, the depressed person turns to mood-altering / numbing substances and behaviors, whether it is drinking, smoking pot, harder drugs, gaming, netflix binging, social media obsession, etc. Any of these can then maintain and exacerbate the depression, via their direct effects on the brain and by crowding out the behaviors that would improve depression, like exercise, socializing in real life, spending time outdoors, achieving things in real life, etc. Sleep is very important as Nelson stated. I notice depressed people typically become nocturnal -- they stay up very late with their preferred flavor of digital escapism and then sleep late into the day. As above, this has both toxic effects on our biology and interferes with the antidepressant behaviors and rhythms of a normal life. Therapy can also be of great value if negative thought patterns / cognitive distortions are playing a role, which is nearly always the case. If he's open to it, CBT can be very effective. If he likes to read and is inclined to self-help, give him some books on Stoicism, upon which modern CBT is based. Stoic philosophy gives you the tools to thrive no matter what life throws at you. I recommend How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and Stoicism and the Art of Happiness by Donald Robertson, The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth, and the original works of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus. Diet and nutrition is very important for mental health, which I'm sure will improve now that he's back living with you. Any number of micronutrient deficiencies can cause depression, including several of the B-vitamins, iron, magnesium, vitamin D, etc. I didn't discover until just a few years ago that eating dairy products causes me a depressed mood. It doesn't happen until the second day after which made it devilishly hard to make the connection when eating a normal mixed diet. It wasn't until I was eating almost exclusively beef for awhile on a carnivore diet that I put it together. Wheat is another common culprit in mood disorders. I think what you've done so far with giving him the testosterone and sending him to the gym is very likely to be helpful. You're putting to good use the tools you are familiar with and have at hand. I hope my random thoughts are also of some use to you and I wish your son a speedy path to recovery. [/QUOTE]
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Testosterone Replacement, Low T, HCG, & Beyond
Testosterone Basics & Questions
Tested my son for testosterone
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