It's been a while but I think I may have turned a corner in my recovery and I decided it may be worth checking in. Since the last time I posted I've ran 2 bottles of R Andro and a bottle of AndroHard. Again, the beginning of the cycle was great and then things taper off until libido is non-existent again.
I got back on my rotation of herbs and continued with the protocol. I believe I ended the prohormone cycle around the time I began getting to work from home due to Covid-19. The weather here began to start warming up and I was able to sleep in every morning, wake up and go lay outside to meditate in the sun. This is where things started to slowly get better for me.
Side Note:
I strongly believe as others do, that the key to recovery is helping the body become resilient again to stress so that it can recover. A couple years into PFS I fully recovered for a week when I was on a 3 week long vacation where I had no external stressors in my life and I spent a lot of time out relaxing on the beach. When that vacation ended and I went back to everyday life, symptoms began to return.
This led me to the following hypothesis. To allow our brains to recover to their pre PFS state, increasing BDNF plays an instrumental role. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is the protein the brain uses to regrow synapses allowing the brain to grow/heal. Chronic stress keeps BDNF low, not allowing our brains to recover, keeping us locked in this endless cycle of chronic stress.
Adaptogens and meditation are shown to increase BDNF. The following website details BDNF and the many things that help increase it.
https://selfhacked.com/blog/a-compre...increase-bdnf/
Bacopa, Gotu Kola, Theanine, Rhodiola and interestingly enough Fo-Ti (He Shou Who) have all been linked to increased BDNF (All things that have been credited helpful for people who have recovered)
About a month ago I decided to start using Semax to see if it might speed up my progress. Semax has been shown to increase BDNF up to 800%. While using it I continued taking the herbs and Pine Pollen daily to keep my hormone levels high.
I can't say for sure if it is the reason the last week or so has been trending up for me but I thought I would share my theory and I'll keep everyone updated on my progress. This week I've been way hornier than usual and I do feel like I have been more resilient to stress. Whether or not that is just in my head, I don't know.
Here is a research paper that I found linking Increased BDNF to Stress Resilience
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-019-0639-2
Let me know your thoughts...