What’s Making You Look Old?

What if we told you, what’s making you look old, could be your hormones?

More specifically, your lack of hormones.

The Neuroendocrine Theory Of Aging

Wait a minute, what’s that!

Basically, it is this train of thought that has been getting a lot of attention among the medical community over the last decade or so about how our hormones affect how we age.

In a nutshell, the neuroendocrine theory suggests that it is the decline of the nervous and endocrine systems and the resulting lessening of their ability to regulate and integrate our body’s key activities, that could be one of the main contributing factors to aging.

Decreased Hormone Levels Makes Your Body Weak

It might not seem obvious, but did you know that decreased hormone levels will result in a body-wide imbalance that decreases the immune system, strength, metabolism and sexual functions?

Key hormones such as thyroxine, oestriol, testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1, melatonin, Dhea decrease as we age. Replacement of these hormones with physiological doses of bio-identical hormones may delay the effects of aging and help someone age better.

English Please?

In short, we need hormones for our bodies to remain strong, healthy and well, sexually capable. As we age, the hormone levels in our body decreases and we become weaker. To counter that effect, taking supplementary doses of hormones to replenish the decreasing hormone levels in our body might be a good idea to make us look younger and age slower.

The Mother Of All Hormones

In the recent 2^nd Malaysian conference on Healthy Aging at Berjaya Times Square, Dr. Ronald Tan, the President of the Healthy Aging Society of Hong Kong gave a keynote address on “The role of Growth Hormones in Aging”.  From the data in his presentation, which included some of the latest research in the world and also his personal experience, showed that there was a role in HGH replacement in aging.

What Exactly Is HGH?

HGH is said to be the mother of all hormones. It is a simple protein hormone released by the pituitary gland. Besides that, it also enters our bloodstream in bursts during sleep. Then, it travels to the liver, where it is converted into a substance called insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1). IGF1 is the messenger molecule that travels to all parts of the body stimulating cell production and growth.

It Helps Our Body Grow And Replenish Cells

It is HGH that is responsible for telling our bodies to grow cells, bones, organs and muscles.

We usually have HGH in plentiful supply until about age 20. Each decade from then on, we lose approximately 20% of our HGH base level.

We Have Less Of It As We Age

So, by the time you are 60 or 70, your body has access to only 15-20% of the HGH you had in your youth.

HGH promotes growth by helping transport amino acids ( the building blocks of protein) between cells and into cells. These amino acids are then used by the body to create muscles and to build and restore organs, including the heart and skin.

After much study and research, gerontologists now believe that low levels of HGH may be one of the contributors to ageing. This is because the HGH hormone is primarily responsible for growth and regeneration of every cell in our bodies.

HGH Is Actually Preventing Our Body From Dying Off Completely

Everyday, regardless of our age, millions of cells die and millions of new cells are produced. When we are young and growing, the high levels of HGH causes our bodies to produce more new cells than those that die off .

As a result, our bodies expand in size and look young and fit.

As we get older, less HGH is produced (much of this decline can be attributed to our lifestyles), reversing the balance of new to old – more cells are dying than are been produced in every muscle, organ and part of our bodies. It is no wonder our body begins to break down.

This is why we become less functional and begin to age.

The Key To Maintaining Youth?

Indeed, some healthy aging doctors believe that correct HGH levels are the secret to maintaining youth.

Correct and specifically tailored exercise, diet, meditation and nutritional supplements will all naturally increase HGH and prolong youth. However, from around 50-60 years of age, even those treatments are will not be enough.

Taking HGH Directly

It is the firm belief of these physicians that to stay young, many older people should supplement these treatments by taking HGH directly.

More than 50 years of research and 28,000 different studies on HGH have been done.

Case Studies

The first controlled, random, double-blind clinical study in this area was undertaken by Dr. Daniel Rudman at the medical college of Wisconsin and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1990.

Dr. Rudman wrote:

‘The effects of six months of human growth hormone on lean body mass and adipose tissue mass were equivalent in magnitude to the changes incurred during 10-20 years of ageing’.

Dr Victor Goh of National University of Singapore had the same results in Chinese males in Singapore.

HGH Can Improve The Lives Of The Elderly

As a decrease in lean body mass and muscle bulk is one of the causes of immobility and happens with the elderly, HGH supplementation may improve the quality of life for elderly patients. In fact, Dr. Rudman did not believe that HGH therapy will make people live longer. Instead, it will improve the quality of their lives – stronger bones and muscles will improve mobility and independence. That would also mean fewer falls and broken bones.

Should You Take HGH?

However, HGH supplementation, just like replacement therapy of any other hormones, must be done by doctors knowledgeable in this field of medicine.

Approved For Use In Malaysia

The FDA in America has approved HGH use in adult growth hormone deficiency syndrome. In Malaysia, the use of HGH in deficient adults was approved two years ago.

Most of the doctors involved in this field agree that using physiological doses of bio-identical hormones that is closely monitored for an individual person has very few side-effects. Together with modifying their lifestyle and following a good nutrition and exercise programme, the result will be an overall improvement on the quality of their lives.

Injectable Or Secratogogues?

Whether the person needs injectable or secratogogues HGH will depend on his initial HGH levels.

Must Be Closely Monitored

The only caution is, unlike vitamin supplementation which need not be closely monitored, hormone supplementation in higher than normal doses, especially if non bio-identical hormones are used, can lead to various side effects which can be serious.

This is not good.

Must Be In Consultation With A Trained Doctor

Therefore, any hormone intake, whether it is thyroxine, insulin, testosterone or HGH, must be in consultation with a trained doctor knowledgeable in this subject. 

Want To Stay Young, Look Young And Delay Aging?      

         

Hence, taking HGH supplements might just be the key to revitalising your body and help you look as if you are forever 21.

However, if you do decide to try it out, always remember to first consult a medical specialist who is knowledgeable in this field.

The good news is, you can now do so from the comfort of your home with the Teleme telemedicine platform!

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Disclaimer. TELEME blog posts contains general information about health conditions and treatments. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such. 

If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.