IV. Natural Hormone Enhancement
One of the most important anti-aging hormones is growth
hormone. For some reason yet to be discovered, growth hormone
release falls off after we turn 25 years old, dropping at a rate
of 10-15% every decade thereafter. The aging process begins along
with this decline in growth hormone output.
Only 3% of the world population has what we call the
"good gene," which carries the APO-4 Type of DNA. These
fortunate few will become centenarians (live to 100) regardless
of their lifestyle, generally speaking. The remaining 97% of us
have to deal with the deterioration of our bodies as a result of
declining hormonal health as we age.
Changes from the diminished output of growth hormone start to
become visible as early as your 35
th birthday. By age
45, the wrinkles are making their mark and the skin is noticeably
thinner along with the hair, which is also getting more gray. The
nails are brittle, the muscles are weak, the breath is short, and
the libido, what's that? The prostate hypertrophies and the trips
to the bathroom at night increase.
The quick way to reverse the downward slide is by human growth
hormone injections. However, injections must be monitored by a
physician. As with any hormone, growth hormone can be fatal if
administered without the proper precautions.
Is there a natural way of replacing our growth hormone? Many
naturally oriented physicians practicing anti-aging medicine
believe so. It is done not by replacing the hormone, but by
stimulating your very own pituitary gland to naturally increase
the release of hGH. Substances which stimulate the pituitary
gland in this manner are called secretagogues. Secretagogues are
all natural and side effects are rare. The results, while not as
dramatic as injections, have been very encouraging. Replenishment
of growth hormone from a deficient state can lead to improved sex
life, skin tone, and help to balance other hormones in the body
including testosterone, DHEA, melatonin, pregnenolone, and
progesterone.
V. Optimal Anti-Aging Supplementation
The American diet is deficient in many essential nutrients,
leading ultimate to premature death that results from
degenerative diseases.
Even if we follow a healthy diet, our way of farming has
depleted the soil of many essential minerals. Furthermore,
contemporary farming technology has yielded nicer looking produce
by using pesticides, herbicides, artificial soils and genetic
manipulation. But this is accomplished at the cost of nutrition.
When we add the effects of environmental pollution, and the use
of refined sugar, high fat (especially trans-fat), high simple
sugars, and high salt in our fast-food and manufactured products,
our need for proper supplementation is magnified. To get the
amount of minerals, vitamins and phyto-chemicals necessary for
anti-aging effects, we often need to increase our food intake by
4 to IO times. For example, a 5,000 calorie diet is needed just
to obtain 400 I.U. of Vitamin E. Diet alone is therefore not a
tool we can rely on solely for our body to receive optimum
nutrients.
For this reason, supplementation is a cornerstone and key
pillar of an effective anti-aging program.
There is no single "magic bullet " supplement that
can reverse aging. However, we do know that combining supplements
in a "cocktail" type formulation may be the best as the
supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, nutritional
factors, enzymes, and antioxidants work synergistically with each
other.
