HGH or Human Growth Hormone: Who Really Needs It?

There is a lot of controversy about HGH, or Human Growth Hormone. This generation is not the first to seek the fountain of youth. History records many attempts by scientists to find, if not a way to keep us from aging altogether, at least to slow the process considerably, but so far, hoped for progress in this field has not produced really satisfying results.

I am a great believer in the use of medicine to relieve some of the horrible diseases and physical defects that afflict people all over the world. I am also a great believer in checking out possible side effects and scams whenever a new medicine makes its way into the headlines as a "cure-all" for one disease or another.

Some time ago, we knew a family who had a child who suddenly stopped growing on one side of his body. Doctors weren't sure about the cause of the problem, but suspected that growth hormone wasn't reaching the non-growing area.

Growth hormone treatment was recommended by the doctors, and after several, very carefully administered treatments, the child began to grow normally on the affected side of his body again. HGH was seemingly the only remedy in this case, but today, we hear of its use for much more frivolous reasons, and it should make us all take a closer look at the wisdom of adopting it for every-day use.

Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland, located at the base on the brain. This hormone is the substance that causes a child to grow, and it also helps maintain our organs and tissues throughout life. However, after we reach middle age, the growth of this hormone slows down, and aging begins to take its toll on our bodies.

Naturally, this caused scientists to wonder whether or not, through administering synthetically produced growth hormones, they could help older people to regain youth and vitality-and perhaps even extend life expectancy in people.

Although studies of adults who have received growth hormone injections show that bone density and muscle mass has increased somewhat and that the person is able to increase their capacity to exercise, the growth hormone has had no real effect on aging symptoms.

According the experts at the Mayo Clinic, these three things could also be achieved by regular exercise, thus avoiding the possible adverse side effects the injection of human growth hormones may cause.

In that list of adverse side effects are such things as arm and leg swelling, painful muscles and joints, breast enlargement in men, carpal tunnel problems, and possible involvement in the development of diabetes and heart disease.

The use of a synthetic growth hormone is good news when it is used on people who have a genuine need for it-usually young people who have stopped growing or people who lack a sufficient amount of growth hormone to begin with, but natural aging, or enhancing one's athletic prowess is not a valid reason for its use.

If you are considering the use of synthetic growth hormone, don't fall for online schemes trying to sell you pills to reverse the effects of aging or to improve your athletic ability. (Neither of which claims have ever been proved.) Synthetic growth hormone can only be injected, so it isn't going to be available in pill form. Real synthetic growth hormone is also very costly-about $1000 for a single injection, so, again, don't be fooled by internet scams offering you a bottle full of pills for a few dollars.

If you are 5 and a half feet tall and merely want to be a towering 6 feet, that is not a good reason to consider ingesting a risky and expensive drug. Elevated shoes are much safer and far less expensive. On the other hand, if your 15 year old doesn't want to go to school, because he has to stand on his tiptoes to measure 4 feet tall, it may be time for a serious talk with his doctor to see if the risks of not getting some help outweigh the risks of possibly making things much better for him for the rest of his life.

For the rest of us, here are 6 tips to help stave off aging as long as possible, or to slow it down a bit if it has already arrived.

1. Eat a balanced diet of nutritious foods, and avoid junk foods.

2. Get plenty of sleep.

3. Exercise regularly.

4. Don't smoke.

5. Avoid over-indulgence in alcohol.

6. Keep a positive attitude about life.

And, I might add, keep on looking for that fountain of youth; if you should find it, be sure to share its location with the rest of us.