Danny Jones Podcast #343 Summary

Ice Baths Can 2X Testosterone Levels & Improve Sexual Function in Days (w/ Dr. Thomas Seager)
Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Danny Jones
Guest: Dr. Thomas Seager (PhD, College Professor, Co-founder of Morozco Forge)

Brief Overview

In this episode, Danny Jones sits down with Dr. Thomas Seager to unpack the science and controversy behind ice baths, particularly their effect on testosterone, metabolic health, mood, sexual function, and recovery. Dr. Seager, known for chronicling his own health transformation and compiling extensive case studies, argues that the order in which cold exposure and exercise are performed is pivotal — claiming that pre-cooling (cold plunge before exercise) can double testosterone levels and yield substantial health benefits for both men and women. The conversation spans everything from practical routines and scientific mechanisms to industry misinformation, cold exposure history, and the systemic health policies in the U.S.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Routine & Ice Bath Protocols

• Pre-cooling vs. Post-cooling:
  • Traditional athletic wisdom focuses on cold after exercise for recovery, but Seager's approach is to use cold first — followed by exercise, then sometimes sauna, and finishing with another brief cold exposure.
  • Quote: "You get a big testosterone boost when men cool off first and they don't have to do a strenuous exercise afterwards...and this explains my lab reports...I'm a fat 59-year-old sedentary college professor and my testosterone is over 1000 nanograms per deciliter." (Dr. Seager, [02:34])
• Routine Sample:
  • Cold plunge → Light exercise (e.g. kettlebells, cycling) → Sauna or hot therapy → (Optional) Another brief cold plunge.
  • Both Danny and Dr. Seager report feeling energetic and “fantastic” after trying this reversed order ([02:11]).

2. The Science: Cold Baths & Testosterone

• Mechanism:
  • Mitochondria produce all sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, etc.). Optimizing mitochondrial function with cold exposure before exercise maximizes hormone output.
  • Studies from 1991 show “pre-cooling” spikes luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone; post-exercise cold suppresses them ([04:00]–[05:20]).
• Case Studies:
  • Men and women (including post-menopausal women) report doubling or tripling testosterone after adopting the ice bath-first protocol.
  • Quote: "Readers all over the world are sending me their labs and...getting this huge boost in testosterone, huge boost in mood, huge boost in energy, because they're pre-cooling instead of cooling afterwards." (Seager, [04:37])
• Exceptions & Limitations:
  • The protocol doesn’t work for individuals on certain medications or with extended testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), as their endogenous production is suppressed ([15:50]).
  • Some stacking: People on TRT see additional boosts with ice baths, but recovering full natural production after years on TRT is challenging.

3. Debates and Social Backlash

• Pendulum Swings:
  • After years of Rogan & Huberman pushing ice baths, there’s now social media skepticism (e.g., Dr. Stacy Sims questioning benefits for women).
  • Dr. Seager contends much of the skepticism is a misunderstanding or exaggeration of nuanced positions ([05:34]).
• Women & Cold Exposure:
  • Benefits exist for both sexes, but women are advised to start with warmer temps ([06:10]).
  • Real stories: Fertile and post-menopausal women both saw significant testosterone rises, reversal of hormone deficiencies ([19:11]).

4. Metabolic, Thyroid, and Cognitive Health

• Mitochondria Central:
  • Cold exposure stimulates “mitobiogenesis,” increasing number and quality of mitochondria, improving metabolism, and supporting hormone production ([38:25]).
  • Brown fat, rich in mitochondria, is activated by cold and essential for healthy metabolism, energy, neuroprotection, and thyroid regulation ([42:25]–[44:05]).
  • Hashimoto’s and other thyroid disorders, as well as insulin resistance, can improve or even reverse with regular cold exposure ([44:06]–[45:10], [84:01])
• Cognitive Health:
  • Dr. Seager recounts his own mother’s decline attributed to poor diet/mitochondrial dysfunction and outlines cold exposure’s benefits for brain health ([38:23]).

5. Hormesis, Cortisol, and Stress Management

• Hormetic Stress:
  • Regular cold plunges train the body to handle acute stress more efficiently.
  • Initial cortisol spike fades with adaptation; habitual cold exposure is shown to improve overall resilience to stress ([63:03]–[64:52]).
  • Case: NFL punter Mitch Wishnowsky reversed a dangerous “cortisol bubble” in his eye with breath-work and cold plunges ([66:06]).
• Dopamine & Focus:
  • The dopamine/noradrenaline rush from morning cold exposure can replace or curb the need for caffeine ([62:42]).

6. Vitamin D, Light, and Environmental Mimicry

• UV, Latitude & Biophotons:
  • In the absence of sunlight (UVB), brown fat’s “biophoton” emission upon cold exposure can synthesize Vitamin D endogenously ([46:01]–[49:00]). Recent studies show blood Vitamin D rises after cryotherapy, even without UV exposure ([48:26]).
• Green Light & Headaches:
  • Dr. Seager discusses green light therapy for migraine relief, possibly mimicking the healing light environment of forests (“forest bathing” effect) ([87:54]–[94:17]).
• Diet and Baby Health:
  • Importance of maternal and infant metabolism highlighted for preventing autism and lifelong metabolic disease — with cold exposure as a beneficial tool ([127:27]–[135:53]).

7. Industry, Policy, and Systemic Barriers

• Food Policy:
  • U.S. subsidies for sugar and corn (ethanol, high-fructose corn syrup) encourage metabolic disease among the poor; Dr. Seager advocates subsidizing nutritious foods instead ([120:40]–[125:00]).
• Pharmaceutical Incentives:
  • A legal obligation for public companies to maximize shareholder value undermines consumer health (Dodge v Ford case, [139:10]).
  • Ads and continuing medical education bankrolled by pharma companies perpetuate misinfo.
  • Encourages removing direct-to-consumer pharma ads and shift to B-corp (benefit corporation) models ([140:04]–[143:43]).
• Current Reforms:
  • Recent FDA and HHS reforms now require all pharmaceutical ads to list every side effect, closing the “adequate provision” loophole ([146:19]).
• Pediatrician Incentives:
  • Shocking revelations about bonuses for vaccine quotas, and the economic pressure for pediatricians to drop noncompliant patients ([136:50]).

8. Morozco Forge and the Future of Health Technology

• Company Mission:
  • Morozco Forge is expanding beyond ice baths to hydrogen mineral baths (hot tub with unique water chemistry and electron-rich environment) and phototherapy devices.
  • Seager aims to provide urbanites “the next best thing to nature” with science-backed, grounded health technology ([155:31]–[162:21]).
• Educational Approach:
  • All research and case studies are open-source; Seager positions himself as a trustworthy, unbiased source in an industry rife with conflicting voices ([162:21]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Testosterone is a reflection of your metabolism. Testosterone is made in the mitochondria. And this is what people don't realize, that all sex hormones originate in the mitochondria."
  — Dr. Thomas Seager ([02:34])

• "Everybody who hasn't been listening to Joe Rogan on this is still doing it wrong. They're still doing the ice baths after the exercise. When you reverse the order...huge boost in testosterone, huge boost in mood, huge boost in energy."
  — Dr. Seager ([04:28])

• "My PSA had dropped from 7 down to 1.8. No elevated risk of prostate cancer...my testosterone was 1180 nanograms per deciliter, and the lab report flagged it."
  — Dr. Seager (on his personal health transformation, [09:00]–[11:49])

• "For women, it's different. Only 25% of testosterone is made in the ovaries. The rest comes from skin cells, fat cells, and adrenal glands.... when she started doing ice baths, she went from 14 to over 160 [ng/dL] in testosterone."
  — Dr. Seager ([19:16])

• "Cold exposure stimulates mitobiogenesis...When you get into the cold and you activate your mitochondria...it will reproduce those mitochondria so that you have more and they function better."
  — Dr. Seager ([38:23])

• "Brown fat is not just a nice to have for cold thermogenesis...it will protect the brain, modulate metabolism, correct thyroid disorders...If you don't have brown fat, you are missing an essential organization that, that your body is relying upon."
  — Dr. Seager ([44:06])

• "The dopamine rush from morning cold exposure can replace coffee. Every time I've done the cold plunge before my cup of coffee, I never even touch the coffee. Don't even need it."
  — Danny Jones ([62:42])

• "Cold plunges train your body to handle stress. Over a few weeks, the cortisol spike disappears...You get better at managing your stress response."
  — Dr. Seager ([64:13])

• "We subsidize the sugar industry...I wish we would cut that out. The Midwest is just as bad."
  — Dr. Seager ([121:58])

• "Every U.S. publicly traded company is legally obliged to operate as if...maximizing shareholder value — even if it comes at the expense of patients. That's a systemic problem."
  — Dr. Seager ([140:04])

Important Timestamps

• [02:34] – Science of “pre-cooling” and testosterone boost mechanisms
• [04:37] – Social media backlash/controversies about ice baths
• [09:00] – Dr. Seager’s personal prostate/T levels journey
• [15:08] – Case studies: Who the protocol works for (and who it doesn’t)
• [19:16] – Impact on women: fertile and menopausal case studies
• [38:23] – Mitochondria, brain health, and cognitive decline
• [42:25] – Brown fat, metabolism, and neuroprotection
• [44:06] – Reverse thyroid disorders, Hashimoto’s, with cold exposure
• [62:42] – Cold exposure as a superior “wake up” than coffee
• [64:13] – Hormetic stress, cortisol adaptation, NFL punter story
• [120:40] – Policy, subsidies, and feeding the poor
• [139:10] – Dodge v. Ford: Systemic incentives against health in pharma
• [146:19] – New FDA crackdown on deceptive pharma ads
• [155:31] – The Morozco hydrogen mineral bath and future directions

Flow & Tone

The episode is highly conversational, candid, and lively, with Danny playing the curious, practical-minded host and Dr. Seager bringing deep, often humorous expertise. It mixes technical discussion with vivid storytelling—both around personal health experiences and broader policy/industry critique. The tone is passionate and accessible, with a focus on empowering listeners to use actionable, research-backed strategies amidst a sea of health misinformation.

For Listeners: Practical Takeaways

• Try the “pre-cooling” protocol: Cold plunge (2–4 minutes) before exercise for a potential testosterone and mood boost.
• Cold makes you metabolically flexible. Regular practice improves insulin sensitivity, stress resilience, and can even aid recovery from thyroid and autoimmune disorders.
• Brown fat matters. Adults can re-activate it with as little as 11 minutes of weekly cold exposure.
• Women see benefits, too. Just start at a temperature where you feel safe.
• Morning cold + sun = optimal start. Sunlight and a cold plunge can replace caffeine.
• Policy change is needed. Food and pharma industry incentives often run counter to health.
• Don’t rely on ads or social media headlines. Seek out complete, clinical evidence and real-world case studies.

For a deep dive into the referenced studies, case data, and more on cold-induced health optimization, check out Dr. Seager’s book Uncommon Testosterone or visit Morozco Forge’s website.