If you’re like most, you’ve seen the media headlines about human growth hormone (aka; HGH). Some give stories of danger while being tag lined alongside street drugs while others talk of claims associated with anti-aging and the benefits of turning the clock back to our youth.
The goal of this article is to help distinguish the difference between myths and facts about growth hormone, in a simple way. Let's start with some facts first...
What is Human Growth Hormone?
HGH is a hormone produced in our body that controls growth, repair and metabolism. It is made by the pituitary gland in our brain. When we hear of someone supplementing with HGH via very small subcutaneous (belly fat) injections, this is referencing to a synthetic manufactured form of growth hormone that is identical to what our body makes.
What Does HGH Help With?
Growth hormone plays many important roles in the human body. In growing children, it helps them to grow taller, develop bones and grow muscles. After we grow into adults, HGH essentially helps to repair and maintain strong connective tissue such as muscle, skin and tendons. In addition, growth hormone stimulates metabolism with how it supports the way our body and cells break down food for energy.
Older Individuals who find themselves deficient in GH and who then start supplementing with and optimizing their levels of growth hormone often see the reversing effects of aging and improvements in physical performance and recovery from exercise.
Many older men also often combine HGH alongside testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to enhance benefits even further with the ability to recover and build muscle faster, improve strength, improve bone density and heart health and decrease body fat with all these beneficially optimized together.
Is HGH Legal?
Without having safe and legally doctor prescribed HGH, the answer is no. Obtaining HGH illegally or from the black market is both a risk to your health and staying out of legal trouble. For these reasons and more, this is something to take seriously.
What Are Other Risks With Growth Hormone?
Aside from the legalities of things, additional risks that come along with inappropriate and reckless high dosing amounts of HGH without a doctor’s supervision are many. Some of the more common side effects of short term abuse and excessive administration of growth hormone may sometimes initially include muscle and joint pain, swelling and/or tingling in the feet or hands. Long term abuse of HGH may contribute to high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Please note again, we are not referencing to responsible and doctor prescribed growth hormone here... Potentially dangerous and excessive doses that are being referenced to are often seen at well over 3 i.u. Per day and often up to 9 i.u. per day. These are most often taken in some extreme cases with bodybuilders pushing the limits. Most therapeutic doses of HGH scripted by doctors typically come around 2 i.u. Per day, give or take a little depending on the individual.
Another and probably the most common risk comes from wasting hard earned money on worthless over the counter supplements (OTC) marketed to boost growth hormone levels with just taking a pill. Growth hormone is only effective if it is taken via injection. OTC supplements will not contain any actual growth hormone and you can bet that they most likely won’t do much.
What Are The Potential Benefits with Growth Hormone?
When properly prescribed and taken, the list of benefits is often long. Here are some of the most common benefits that come with optimized levels of growth hormone below:
- Increase in muscle, leading to an increased basal metabolic rate in time
- Decrease in body fat %
- Improved body composition of muscle to fat ratio
- Increased metabolic rate
- Stronger bones
- Faster wound healing
- Younger looking and stronger skin
- Improved cardiac (heart) function and health
What Are Myths About HGH and NOT True?
As it pertains to properly dosed HGH programs, there are many myths that are unfairly associated or confused with illegal street drugs that are often very abused or inappropriately taken. Let’s cover a few of the more common ones here below…
Myth #1: HGH will enlarge your heart and cause a heart attack.
Truth: There is emerging science and studies that suggest the opposite here with those individuals who have growth hormone deficiency and then start administering HGH to optimize themselves to a healthier level, see improvements with the health of their heart and cardiovascular function.
Myth #2: Taking HGH will massively make you grow super human muscles to look like a professional bodybuilder.
Truth: Although GH is anabolic in nature and helps to facilitate the growth of new muscle, this in and of itself is not a magical elixir or fix all. A healthy diet and regular weight training workout program are foundation pieces here.
However, optimizing one’s growth hormone levels back to youthful levels with HGH can just help accelerate and amplify one’s efforts quite a bit. Kind of like how a 19 year old with high levels of GH will respond to a weight training program versus a 60 year old with low GH levels.
Myth #3: HGH ALONE will dramatically extend your lifespan.
Truth: If HGH is taken but one’s lifestyle habits are very poor with smoking, improper diet, lack of exercise and more unfavorable variables - then HGH will be limited to how much impact it can make.
However, if HGH is taken to optimize one’s GH levels while coupled with a healthy lifestyle, it can significantly improve the quality and time of one’s life. In short, we cannot ignore the foundation pieces of healthy lifestyle and body no matter what we take but optimized levels of human growth hormone IS a critical component to one’s rx for holding onto youth.
Myth #4: You can buy OTC oral products that boost growth hormone just like GH injections.
Many desiring the benefits of more youthful levels of growth hormone tend to be easily sold on cheaper products that claim to increase your body's own production of HGH -- in the form of pills and sprays.
Companies that market these products on TV infomercials or online claim they turn back your body's biological clock, reduce body fat, build muscle, restore hair growth and color, strengthen our immune systems, improve blood sugar levels, increase energy and improve sex life and more...
However, the Federal Trade Commission has seen no reliable evidence to support these claims made by the sellers of these products that they have the same effects as prescription HGH, which is always given by injection. Taken orally, HGH would be digested and destroyed by the stomach before it can be absorbed into the body.
Myth #5: You get more for your money with black market HGH
Truth: Although black market GH is often cheaper versus safe, highly regulated (legal) and doctor scripted GH - it doesn’t always mean you’re getting your money’s worth or in some cases anything of value. In fact, it can also be a risky roll of the dice as it pertains to health due to not being fully sure if it was made in a clean sterile environment without being tainted with bacteria or other unwanted ingredients in the mix.
The risks and dangers that come along with black market GH and drugs in general, is very risky for anyone.
Summary
If you would like to investigate if a HGH program may be beneficial for you and you’re exploring with us here at YOUTH-RX as new visitor, take a few minutes to fill out our health history questionnaire and schedule some time with one of our consultants to answer additional questions you may have regarding our programs and processes.
New inquiring future clients, please submit the online form: Click Here
If you’re an existing client and feel this may be one of the key missing links to help compliment your existing program to be the best it can be, simply let us know of your interest and we can see if you qualify and get you a quote based off your suspected needs. It just may be the missing link to help you look and feel your best!
Cheers to fitness & health,
YOUTH-RX
Cited References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21714602
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9255233
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14661681
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/growth-hormone-athletic-performance-and-aging
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11110515
- https://read.qxmd.com/read/16159930/efficacy-of-a-long-acting-growth-hormone-gh-preparation-in-patients-with-adult-gh-deficiency
- https://read.qxmd.com/read/8967668/effects-of-physiologic-growth-hormone-therapy-on-bone-density-and-body-composition-in-patients-with-adult-onset-growth-hormone-deficiency-a-randomized-placebo-controlled-trial
