Natural human Growth Hormone, abbreviated as hGH and
medically known as Somatotropin, is a truly amazing and essential hormone, but
sadly it is not a fountain-of-youth
hormone. In this article I’m only going to discuss hGH’s role in fully mature adults. hGH is also produced synthetically, since
1985, and is available only by (very expensive) prescription via low-dose
injections. The synthetic form of hGH is
known generically as Somatropin but is sold through prescription under many
different brand names, usually ending in ‘-trope’ or ‘-tropin’. There
is absolutely no oral tablet or capsule form of hGH that is legitimate because
it is destroyed in the stomach during digestion. There is absolutely no supplement that will
boost your own hGH production. Those are
all false claims and marketing ploys, unregulated by the FDA. The
only synthetic form of hGH that is real, is available by prescription injection
only. You are an idiot if you were
to ever try to buy black market hGH and administer it to yourself and that is
as far as I am going to discuss black market hGH because I refuse to waste your
time.
In adults, hGH is secreted by the
pituitary gland in sporadic short bursts throughout the day, peaking at night
about an hour after we first fall asleep and enter our first deep-sleep phase -
which is why if you take nothing else away from reading this article, simply by ensuring you go to be at the same
time each night and don’t miss that critical first cycle of sleep, you will be
accomplishing one of the best things you can do to maximize your natural hGH
production. Other natural occurring
times when hGH is secreted is in direct response to intense exercise, physical trauma, and during periods of fasting/hunger. More on this later, as we can deduce simple strategies
to maximize our hGH based on this information.
hGH helps restore and regenerate
all soft-tissue, synthesize protein (leading to increase in muscle mass and
overall anabolic state), promotes the utilization of fat, improves lean-body
mass and body composition, protects bone density, and raises levels of the
companion hormone, Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is often the marker used to test for
hGH levels in the bloodstream. Because
hGH is secreted in short, sporadic bursts throughout the day, it is very
difficult to accurately test for baseline levels. However we know that hGH peaks during puberty
and then tapers off slowly from middle-age adulthood onward. This would seem to imply that as we age into
our forties and beyond we all must eventually become deficient in our hGH
production and further that it would make sense for all of us to benefit from
hormone replacement therapy. There are
many longevity clinics and unethical doctors out there touting hGH replacement
therapy as an ‘anti-aging’ therapy, not to mention, some athletes seeking hGH to
improve performance and faster recovery.
With all the benefits listed earlier, there certainly does not seem to
be a downside to hGH, or replacement therapy to restore levels to normal. But the risks far outweigh the benefits when
we interfere.
As many post-menopausal women will
tell you, (if you dare ask!), hormone-replacement therapy is very complicated
and not without many negative side-effects.
It seems that even the best endocrinologist doctors still cannot
duplicate what naturally occurs with our own hormone production levels and
ratios, and even if they are coming close, sometimes it seems we are just meant
to age in a certain manner with a natural tapering of hormones as Mother Nature
intended. The main drawback of hGH
replacement therapy is no doubt the cost, at a minimum of $1000 per month for
prescription injections. Who can afford
that? In addition, all hormone
replacement therapy also needs to be closely monitored by a doctor and cycled
accordingly, as it will lose its efficacy and cause the body to shut down its
own production otherwise.
There are clinically-diagnosed
medical cases where adult hGH replacement therapy is warranted such as pituitary
or hypothalamus disease, or damage from radiation therapy. But seeking a prescription for ‘longevity’ or
‘anti-aging’ or improved athletic performance is never a good idea and quickly
leads to bigger problems such as edema, joint pain and swelling, high LDL
cholesterol levels, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hyperglycemia. Furthermore Growth Hormone causes ALL tissues
to grow not just your vanity muscles, including all your organs, even your
heart. You don’t want to mess around
with the synthetic stuff.
Especially when it is so much
easier, cheaper and safer to maximize your GH levels the old-fashioned way - through
simple diet and exercise strategies. As
I mentioned early on in the is article, (and in many of my past articles), intense exercise, directly and immediately
triggers a huge hGH surge. So does
fasting, and Intermittent-Fasting as
I have also discussed before, is a fasting strategy that can be applied to
simultaneously exploit a planned fat-burning window, trigger GH, minimize
insulin, all without risking muscle-catabolism or break down, when done
properly. Lastly, as I mentioned in the
very first paragraph, if you truly want to protect your peak GH secretion
window, do not let anything interfere with your bed time and your first phase
of deep-sleep, approximately 1.5 hours after you first fall asleep. And remember this: Unless you’re shelling out at least $1000 per
month for low-dose hGH prescription injections, you are getting ripped off,
what you think you are getting is fake – placebo at best, and dangerous at
worst!
No comments:
Post a Comment