In anti-ageing hormone replacement therapy, a qualified doctor will take detailed blood/saliva/urine tests to determine current levels of hormones in the body. As we age levels of most hormones deteriorate and contribute to physical and mental signs of ageing including weight gain and memory loss.
These are just some of the hormones that might be supplemented as part of an anti-ageing programme:
Human Growth Hormone (Somatotrophin)
It is manufactured in the laboratory and until 1996 was only authorised by the US’s FDA in the treatment of children with HGH deficiencies which led to abnormal height.
HGH can still only be administered on prescription but it is approved for use in hormone-deficient adults. This hormone decreases with age and can improve cognitive function including memory, muscle mass, decrease in body fat, healthier heart, lungs, kidneys, increased bone density, elevation of mood, energy and libido.
There are also some unacceptable side effects such as a possible role in promoting the growth of cancer and its use is still experimental as not enough is known. There are a number of web sites selling “homeopathic” HGH but experts say only injectable HGH works because it by-passes the stomach where it would loose its properties.
When doctors administer HGH the therapeutic levels are monitored by the levels of another hormone called Insulin Growth Factor (IGF-1) as HGH can only be detected in the blood for onlya few minutes after it is administered. The amount of IGF-1 in the blood increases as we get older and also in cancer patients and there is a strong link between IGF-1 and cancer. The transdermal administration of HGH lowers this risk.
This therapy is available from anti-ageing doctors on this site. You are advised to seek a blood test prior to treatment to see whether you are deficient in this hormone in the first instance.
The Baxamed Medical Center has a “Youth Restoration Programme” in which a blood analysis determines the level of hormones such as HGH, Testosterone, Estrogen, Progesterone and DHEA, of which decline with age. At the clinic they replace the missing hormones in the correct dosage. The clinic also offers fetal cell therapy which is injected intramuscularly. The patient then continues the treatment at home.
DHEA – Dehydroepiandroserone
DHEA is the most prolific steroid hormone produced by the human body but it declines with age. aIt helps build muscle, loose fat, normalize cholesterol and even improves memory. DHEA levels decline quite rapidly with advanced age.
MELATONIN
Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland located near the bottom of the brain and regulates the body’s sleeping pattern. Again as we grow older, the pinal gland calcifies and the secretion of Melatonin declines, causing the sleeplessness so often suffered by the elderly.
Melatonin also helps with stress and helps the immune system repair itself. It is helpful for migraine and has been shown to slow down the growth of cancerous cells in certain types of cancer. Its role in anti-ageing is that melatonin is the regulator of other hormones released from the brain and diminised secretation may be responsible for ageing.
PREGNENOLONE
Pregnenolone like DHEA, Melatonin, Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone and Human Growth Hormone is a hormone that declines with increasing age. Recent studies demonstrated that Pregnenolone has a remarkable capability to increase memory function at very low doses. It is used to treat memory impairment due to illness and old age. In the 1930 to 1940s it was successfully used to treat arthritis, but it was forgotten when the first anti inflammatory medications were pushed on the market.
TESTOSTERONE
What is the Andropause: women in their fifties enter menopause, caused by a rapid decline of sex hormones – particularly progesterone. Until recently it was only suspected that men go through a change like menopause. New evidence confirms this supspicion. The decline of the male sex hormone testosterone is much slower than in women making the symptoms develop more slowly and hardly noticeable.
Testosterone is responsible for libido and sperm production. But it is not only a sex hormone, it also increases protein synthesis in the cells, and keeps up aerobic metabolism thus reducing the risk of cancer as cancer cells use anaerobic metabolism. Aerobic metabolism is also important to regulate cholesterol, supply sufficient oxygen to vital organs like the heart and the pancreas thus helping to prevent heart disease and diabetes. At any age aerobic exercise can increase the production of testosterone. Testosterone has fibrinolytic properties, this means it helps to prevent blood clots that would lead to thrombosis. Testosterone has anabolic properties and is counteracted by cortisol and adrenalin. Constant stress increases cortisol and adrenalin and aging decreases testosterone secretion. This leads to a catabolic state, where muscle mass is lost.
Testosterone therapy should be done under the supervision of a specialized physician. Only natural testosterone should be used such as Testosterone cream or patches. Most other forms are synthetic and not identical to the bodys’ own testosterone.