Radical Reframe
By Les Mottosky
Since the turn of the millennium, a handful of doctors have been screaming that human hormones are under siege. Testosterone is declining while estrogens are on the rise. Neither is optimal for either sex, because this crisis speaks a dialect incompatible with the Universe's language of balance.
This is becoming a well-known emergency. For instance, today's 25 year old man has the testosterone levels of a 90's era 50 year old. It seems like every other day science is identifying another plastic compound or food chemical to be thrown on the growing pile of endocrine disruptors.
Almost 15 years ago I read a book by the herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner called "Pine Pollen: Ancient Medicine for a New Millennium". To cut to the chase, Pine Pollen might be the superfood of superfoods. The list of 200-plus nutrients is too overwhelming to keep a reader here engaged, but this is the upshot: protein, carbs, fats, a dozen vitamins, another dozen minerals, enzymes, polysaccharides, nucleic acids (DNA/RNA building blocks) and – to the point of this article – steroids.
Pine pollen is bio-identical to human testosterone. There's a little razzle-dazzle involved to max-out it's bio-availability, but it's not complicated. In tincture form – ripe pine catkins macerated (aged) for 30 days in a clean, high percentage alcohol like vodka or everclear– when taken sublingually, the androgens avoid dilution in the digestive track and go directly into the bloodstream.
For Calgarians, pine pollen is only available in nature 2-3 weeks every June. (It's that golden dust covering your car if you have a pine tree near where you park). This short season can be extended by travelling north in latitude or altitude as pine trees – like all plants – respond to the shifting angles of the spring sun.
So I harvested, tinctured and within six weeks, went on a regimen. I didn't feel much –maybe a boost in energy– but I've always had that in abundance. To get a clearer picture, I stopped taking it, let a couple months pass, then set a blood panel appointment with my doc at the time. The first result came back and according to the numbers, I was in normal range for a 45 year old dude. Cool. Baseline achieved. I set another appointment for a month out, then went home and hit my tincture bottle again.
After four weeks of dosing with nature's steroid, I made my way back to the clinic to hand over some more blood and – hopefully – complete a successful experiment.
That's when things got interesting.
Within 48 hours, I noticed a barrage of missed calls from the nurse. When we finally connected she told me to get my butt down to the clinic as the doctor needed to see me asap. Sounded urgent. I anxiously made the 15 minute drive to my doc. I was immediately escorted to his office and told to take a seat. A few long minutes passed, then Dr. E walked through the door.
"What the hell are you taking?" Given the context of my secret experiment, the concerned implication was one of steroid use. As a classic ectomorph – lean and tight muscle mass, like a runner – I playfully replied with a smirk, "Does it look like I'm on anything?"
He handed me a piece of paper and said "How do you explain this?"
I glanced at the evaluation from the lab. In the top corner there was a bold, red warning message that stated something like 'Unusual Result'. By the numbers, my testosterone level was that of a twenty-something competitive athlete.
I pulled the bottle of tincture from my pocket, handed it over and invited him to smell it. "Hmmm...a combination of the forest and a nightclub. What's in here?"
I gave him the spiel.
He was astonished and a bit suspicious, but also too-aware of (and irritated by) my Taoist/Hippy leanings. On the other side of the desk, I was experiencing a bit of a euphoric ego-buzz; the lowly entrepreneur had just enlightened Dr. E. No surprise really. In their near decade of schooling, the medical industry typically provides doctors less than 12 hours of nutrition education and exactly zero hours on traditional and folk medicines.
As it turned out the good doctor was treating a patient in his 50's who wasn't responding to pharmaceuticals and had requested a different direction. I told Doc E to keep the tincture and do with it as he wished. I also mentioned Buhner's book and the Light Cellar in Calgary – a superfoods store that carries several high quality brands of pine pollen tincture all year round.
Over the next six months or so, my doc would periodically reach out to ask a question about this remarkable medicine long prized by First Nations, Chinese and Korean cultures for it's deep, dense and incomparable nourishment.
Who knew the greatest gift of a Christmas tree comes – not under it – but from it?
TAGS: #Radical Reframe #Life Is Nature #Disrupt The Usual #Wisdom In Leadership #Adaptation As Innovation
Les Mottosky
Adaptation Strategist & Advisor // Revealing competitive advantage. I help leaders build aligned creative cultures that can measure their vitality and adapt to rapid change. It's not easy. But it's simple.
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