Serotonin is synthesized in both the brain as well as in the gut, but for this article, I’m just going to focus on the serotonin in the brain as it influences how you feel mentally and determines certain behaviors. Whereas gut serotonin doesn’t have the same effect because it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning … Read more
Coffee is made from roasted coffee beans and can be enjoyed in many different ways, such as with cream or milk, sugar or sweetener, or just plain black. Coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 different countries worldwide. Green (unroasted) coffee beans are one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. The earliest credible evidence … Read more
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, Indian ginseng) is probably the most well-known adaptogen herb there is, which is used in Ayurveda medicine. Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine practiced in India can be traced back to 6000 BC. For most of these 6000 years, Ashwagandha has been used as a Rasayana (nourishes, detoxifies, enhances immunity). The root … Read more
Serotonin has always been thought (or is still being though) of as the happy hormone and that by increasing it, it has an anti-depressant effect, right? What if I told you that’s not true at all. SSRI drugs are the most commonly prescribed drug for depression, anxiety and other mental disorders and more than 90% … Read more
Magnesium is a macromineral, which we require quite a large amount of daily. Everyone seems to know the importance of this mineral, yet so many people are deficient. Mg is involved in numerous processes in the body, which includes: An Mg deficiency is staggering: hypertension (cardiovascular disease, kidney and liver damage, etc.), peroxynitrite damage (migraine, … Read more
How does your thyroid status affect your androgen levels? The thyroid produces two hormones, namely T4 and T3. T4 is converted to T3 via the deiodinases enzyme and T4 levels are always higher than T3 levels. T4 is just considered as a pro-hormone, as it’s converted to T3, which is the active hormone. T3 binds with … Read more
Estrogen, the female hormone, or the modern man hormone? Men always had estrogen more on the low side of the normal ranges, but nowadays, estrogen is rapidly on the rise and men do experience high estrogen symptoms. It’s not only due to the rapid conversion of testosterone to estrogen, but also the significant amounts of … Read more
Vitamin D is actually a hormone (steroid) and not a vitamin, as our bodies can synthesize vitamin D from UVB rays from the sun and convert it into its active form which then acts as a hormone in the body. It’s very difficult to get all our vitamin D from food sources alone, and we … Read more