By Dr. Andreas Boettcher, D.C., Functional Medicine, B.S. Health/Exercise Science

3x Ironman Triathlete, Master's Men's Physique Competitor & Medication FREE at 55

www.ItsOnlyHalftime.com

Kisspeptin, TRT, and the Great Testosterone Illusion

Why Most Men Don’t Have a Hormone Problem — They Have a Metabolic Suppression Problem

There’s a reason peptides like kisspeptin are exploding in popularity.

It sounds perfect on paper:

Kisspeptin → stimulates GnRH → increases LH/FSH → increases testosterone.
A clean, elegant pathway. A “root-cause” solution without injections.

And in controlled research settings, this pathway is real: kisspeptin can stimulate upstream hormone signaling.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most men aren’t low testosterone because they’re missing a peptide.
They’re low testosterone because their biology is protecting them.

This article is a flag in the ground for IOH.

Not because we’re anti-peptide.
Not because we’re anti-TRT.
But because we’re pro-physiology, pro-standards, and pro-truth.

And the truth is this:

Low testosterone in modern men is often not the primary problem.
It’s the symptom of a suppressed system.

Part I — Kisspeptin: What It Does (and Why It’s So Seductive)

Kisspeptin matters. No question.

It’s one of the master regulators of the HPG axis:

Kisspeptin activates GnRH neurons → GnRH pulses trigger pituitary LH/FSH release → LH stimulates Leydig cells → testosterone production increases.

So yes—kisspeptin can “turn up the signal.”

That’s why it’s so attractive.

But here’s the crucial distinction:

Kisspeptin is a signal amplifier.
It is not a system repair.

That’s why men can see:

• a rise in LH

• sometimes a bump in testosterone

• sometimes improved libido or mood

…and then hit a wall.

Because the wall isn’t always in the hypothalamus.

The wall is in the environment.

Part II — The Testosterone Illusion: Stimulation vs Healing

The modern health marketplace is addicted to stimulation.

Because stimulation feels like progress.

You take something. Something moves. You feel a little better.

So your brain concludes:

“This worked. I’m fixed.”

But most men with low testosterone are not fixed by stimulation.

They’re temporarily overridden.

And the body always wins long-term.

Here’s the pattern we see:

📈 small early improvement
➡️ plateau
➡️ regression once stopped

That is not because kisspeptin “stops working.”

It’s because the metabolic environment never changed.

Kisspeptin doesn’t fix insulin resistance.
It doesn’t fix visceral fat.
It doesn’t fix inflammation.
It doesn’t fix poor sleep.
It doesn’t fix poor training.

It turns up the signal in a suppressed system.

And a suppressed system resists.

Part III — Why Men Have Low Testosterone (The Real Mechanisms)

The typical male that IOH sees every day has:

• excess body fat

• out of shape

• elevated triglycerides

• HbA1c > 5.6

• elevated CRP

• elevated homocysteine

• doesn’t train properly

• doesn’t eat properly even when he thinks he does

This is not a “signaling deficiency.”

This is metabolic suppression.

This is the body saying:

“This is not a safe environment to invest in anabolic hormones.”

Let’s break down why.

1️⃣ Insulin Resistance Suppresses the HPG Axis

When insulin is chronically elevated, it disrupts the entire hormone communication network:

• impaired hypothalamic signaling

• reduced GnRH pulsatility

• weaker LH pulses

• reduced Leydig cell responsiveness

Even when LH reads “normal,” the pulse quality is often compromised.

The signal is not clean. The rhythm is off.

2️⃣ Chronic Inflammation Blocks Testosterone at Multiple Levels

Elevated CRP confirms the system is not in anabolic safety.

Inflammation can:

• suppress GnRH neuron firing

• reduce pituitary responsiveness

• blunt Leydig sensitivity to LH

• increase oxidative stress in testicular tissue

So you can raise LH and still see a muted testosterone response.

The signal rises.

The tissue remains resistant.

3️⃣ Excess Body Fat Is Not Passive Storage — It’s Endocrine Control

With excess body fat:

• aromatase activity rises (T → E2)

• estradiol feedback increases

• cytokine load increases

• leptin resistance rises

• insulin resistance worsens

• SHBG dynamics get distorted

And here’s the piece most people never mention:

Elevated leptin normally communicates energy availability to reproductive signaling.
But leptin resistance disrupts this message — including at the level of kisspeptin neurons.

So even the very pathway kisspeptin influences can be blunted by the metabolic terrain.

4️⃣ Poor Training Removes the Demand for Testosterone

Testosterone is not produced because a man wants it.

It’s produced because the body is given a reason to invest in it.

Proper training:

• increases androgen receptor density

• improves insulin sensitivity

• reduces inflammatory signaling

• increases metabolic flexibility

• creates a biologic demand for anabolic support

Men who don’t train properly create a biology that says:

“We don’t need performance hormones. We’re not performing.”

Part IV — Homocysteine: The Forgotten Marker That Ties the Whole Story Together

Homocysteine is one of the most overlooked markers in men’s health.

When it’s elevated, it often reflects:

• impaired methylation capacity

• oxidative stress

• endothelial dysfunction

• increased cardiovascular risk signaling

• poor nutrient status (often folate, B12, B6, choline/betaine pathways)

• inflammatory load and metabolic syndrome overlap

Here’s why this matters in the testosterone conversation:

Testosterone is not just reproductive. It’s performance.
And performance requires systems integrity — especially vascular and mitochondrial efficiency.

Elevated homocysteine is your warning sign that the terrain is not ready for peak anabolic output.

Trying to raise testosterone while homocysteine is high is like:

building horsepower while the fuel lines are corroded.

At IOH, homocysteine is a systems integrity marker.

It tells you whether the body is operating with resilience — or running with hidden friction.

Part V — What Happens When You Stop Kisspeptin?

This is where the peptide hype collapses.

Kisspeptin is not a replacement hormone like testosterone.

It’s a signal.

So when you stop:

• GnRH stimulation returns to baseline

• LH/FSH pulses return to baseline

• testosterone returns toward baseline

Unless you changed the environment.

That’s the theme of this entire article:

If you don’t change the environment, you don’t change the set point.

And that’s why so many men become trapped:

They feel a little better…
but they didn’t rebuild anything…
so they go searching for the next peptide…
and the next “protocol”…
and the next shortcut.

Part VI — The IOH Position: We Are Not Anti-Peptide. We’re Pro-Physiology.

Peptides can be interesting tools.

But they are not substitutes for metabolic repair.

The men we work with do not need a stronger signal.

They need a better internal terrain.

Because the real truth is this:

Low testosterone is often the symptom.
The disease is metabolic suppression.

The “treatment” is not more stimulation.

It’s restoring the conditions where testosterone is inevitable.

Part VII — The New Standard: Earn the Signal

At IOH, we don’t chase testosterone.

We build the man whose biology produces it.

You don’t create testosterone by forcing hormones.

You earn testosterone by creating an internal environment that demands it.

That requires:

• visceral fat reduction

• insulin sensitivity restoration

• proper resistance training

• VO₂ max conditioning

• sleep integrity

• inflammation control

• nutrient repletion and methylation support (homocysteine)

• consistent discipline

Not gimmicks.
Not hacks.
Not “biohacking” your way around biology.

Because testosterone is not a product you buy.

It’s a biological status you earn.

Part VIII — Peptides vs The Work: The Real Conclusion

If a man is:

• overweight

• insulin resistant

• inflamed

• undertrained

• under-recovered

• with high triglycerides

• high CRP

• high homocysteine

Then the honest answer is:

Kisspeptin is not the solution.

It’s a distraction.

It gives the appearance of progress without requiring transformation.

And that is why the marketplace loves it.

Because it sells hope without demanding standards.

But IOH doesn’t sell hope.

We build standards.

We build men who can carry the second half.

A Personal Word — From Me to You

At the time of writing this, I’m 55 years old, turning 56 in a few months.

And I want to say something clearly — not as a marketer, not as a trend follower, and not as someone selling the next new thing.

I have quadrupled my testosterone naturally.

No injections.
No creams.
No pellets.
No peptides.

I remain completely medication and peptide-free.

Not because I’m anti-science.

But because I’m pro-physiology.

Because after three decades of doing this work — and after my own health collapse, autoimmune issues, emergency back surgery, and being told I’d be dependent on medications for life — I learned a truth most men are never taught:

You do not heal the body by overriding it.
You heal the body by rebuilding it.

The Human Pin Cushion Fallacy

Somewhere along the way, men were sold a dangerous lie:

That the path back to strength, energy, confidence, and vitality would come from a syringe.

That if we could just find the right peptide…
the right injection…
the right protocol…

…then we wouldn’t have to change our habits.

But let me say this as plainly as I can:

The idea that turning your body into a human pin cushion— chasing one fad after another — is the panacea to the health and body you want…

…is one of the greatest illusions in modern men’s health.

Because if injections created health, every diabetic would be thriving.
If hormones alone created vitality, every man on TRT would be lean, strong, and energized.
If peptides were the answer, discipline wouldn’t be required.

Health Is Not Created by Shortcuts (Never will be)

Health is created by standards.

By consistency.
By structure.
By discipline.
By doing the unsexy work — day after day — when no one is watching.

It’s the work that makes you healthy.

Not the shortcut.
Not the hack.
Not the injection.
Not the newest compound with a three-letter name.

The body doesn’t reward what’s convenient.

It rewards what’s demanded.

And when you demand strength, resilience, conditioning, recovery, metabolic health, and structure…

The hormones follow.

They always have.
They always will.

Why I Built It’s Only Halftime

I didn’t build IOH for broken men.

I built it for capable men who were never taught how to train their biology for the second half of life.

Men who were told:

• “This is just aging.”

• “Your labs are normal for your age.”

• “You’ll need this the rest of your life.”

I rejected that.

Because aging is inevitable —
but how we age is a choice.

At 55, I don’t perform the way I do because of a needle.

I perform because I rebuilt the foundation:

• insulin sensitivity

• inflammation control

• body composition

• strength

• cardiovascular capacity

• recovery

• sleep

• discipline

I didn’t chase testosterone.

I created the environment where testosterone had no choice but to rise.

This Is the Message I Want You to Hear

You are not broken.

You are not deficient in peptides or medications.

You are not one injection away from becoming the man you want to be.

You are simply untrained — metabolically, physically, and hormonally — for the second half of your life. (check out that blog here)

And that’s not a sentence.

That’s an invitation.

Because when you do the work…
when you rebuild the terrain…
when you raise your standards…

Your body responds.

Not because you forced it.

But because you earned it.

That’s what real health looks like.

That’s what real confidence is built on.

And that’s why we say — without hesitation:

It’s Only Halftime.

⚡️ Ready To Declare It's Only Halftime® With the Most Comprehensive Natural Approach to Mens Health WITHOUT becoming a Human Pin Cushion?

If you’d like to go deeper — to uncover the root causes behind your energy, hormones, metabolism, and performance — I invite you to book a complimentary consultation.

Together, we’ll review your health history and goals and determine if our Peak Performance Protocol based on your lab analysis, genetics, and lifestyle data is right for you!

👉 Click here to schedule your complimentary consultation.

To learn more about our approach and success stories, visit www.ItsOnlyHalftime.com where we help men like you turn your second half into your best half naturally!

Finish Strong,

Dr. Andreas

Still Kickin' A** Medication Free at 55 Despite What the "Narrative" and what traditional doctors wanted me to believe!

Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. It should not replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen or lifestyle.