Human Growth Hormone Deficiency

Healthy children and adolescents have plenty of HGH. During this time of growth and development it is plentiful, however, once growth and development is completed the amount begins to decline. Human growth hormone deficiency, also known as somatopause, is a major reason why the body seems to break down as aging progresses.

Symptoms include:

a loss of lean muscle and an increase of fat,
decreased energy levels, decreased stamina,
decreased socialization,
abnormal sleep patterns, awaking tired,
decreased libido, decreased interest in personal relations,
diminished memory,
decreased senses,
an increase in the number of colds and illnesses,
decreased healing ability,
a greater risk of cardiovascular disease,
decreased bone density,
and other symptoms.

Somatopause is directly related to many of the symptoms of aging including:

wrinkling,
gray hair,
increased colds and illnesses,
decreased energy,
decreased sexual function,
decreased lean muscle,
increased body fat,
increased cardiovascular disease,
osteoporosis,
and more.

The Good News!

Some researchers now have the opinion that aging may not be programmed into our genes. Dr. Rudman's research using elderly men showed that "the effects of aging can not only be stopped, but can even be reversed"!

Human growth hormone therapy is not just for those who are grossly deficient. As Dr. Rudman and his colleagues pointed out in their paper:

"In middle and late adulthood all people experience a series of progressive alterations in body compositions, including a loss of lean body mass, an increase in fat tissues, and atrophy of skeletal muscle, liver, kidney, spleen, skin, and bone. These structural changes have been considered unavoidable results of aging," they wrote. "It has recently been proposed, however, that reduced availability of HGH in late adulthood may contribute to such changes."

"In other words, everything we associate with aging, from middle-aged spread to shrunken, bend-over, frail, doddering senescence, may be due wholly, or in part, to the decline of human growth hormone."

Dr. Eve Van Cauter believes that we should not wait until our levels are very low to begin HGH therapy. She believes that people already have elderly levels of growth hormone by age 40, so it is much better to begin therapy at a younger age, before so much damage has been done.

Increasing HGH in the Body

Replacement therapy with synthetic injections is very expensive, and more importantly, is still new, so we do not know the full effects of replacing the body's naturally made growth hormone with artificial HGH. These are reasons why the injections should only be given as a last resort. Luckily, injections are not the only way we can improve our HGH levels. We can take supplements that help the pituitary gland to improve its own release of growth hormone.

Lisa Wells, RN

The human growth hormone therapy I take and recommend

Excerpts from the book "Grow Young With HGH", by Ronald Klatz, MD.