HGH

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is naturally produced by the pituitary gland and functions in children to stimulate growth. Man-made, synthetic versions of this hormone (somatrem and somatropin) have been used under medical supervision to encourage growth in children who have specific conditions which hamper their ability to grow in a normal manner. HGH has also been touted as a way for bodybuilders to bulk up and as a sort of miracle cure to aging. HGH is a topic of intense scrutiny and debate within the medical community.

Medical Uses of HGH

HGH is a very complex hormone comprised of 191 amino acids. It is the largest protein created by the pituitary gland and the most abundant hormone that the pituitary gland produces. HGH secretion by the pituitary peaks during adolescence in or to stimulate growth, but the body continues to produce it for the purposes of tissue repair, muscle growth, healing, mental function, bone strength, energy and metabolism.

In children, biosynthetically produced versions of HGH are used to treat conditions such as:

• Growth hormone deficiency where the pituitary is unable to produce enough of the hormone


• Kidney diseases that fail to encourage bone growth


• Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS)


• Turner's Syndrome.

The medical uses of HGH are not limited to children. HGH is also prescribed to adults to treat growth failure. It has also been successful in treating weight loss due to the AIDS virus. HGH medication should not be used by pregnant woman or women who are breast feeding, as its effect on these populations has not been studied. Individuals taking corticosteroids should not take HGH and the growth hormone may have adverse side effects when taken with other medications. Be sure to notify your doctor of any medications or allergies you may have prior to using HGH.

Other Uses for HGH

HGH has been the subject of some controversy regarding the way in which the general public has sought to use HGH. Substances with chemically similar compositions have been sold in health food stores and on the Internet with broad claims made as to its ability to repair tissue, increase energy, increase lean body mass, increase sexual stamina, enhance mental function, and retard cellular aging.

Although studies indicate that HGH plays a role in all of these functions and their development within children, studies are very limited as to what the effects of HGH related products have on healthy adults. Hormones are very powerful substances that are not completely understood. HGH is only approved for use with a very limited number of health disorders, and many of the expensive products sold to the general public have been shown to have virtually no active HGH present in the product.

While current studies indicate that HGH does help individuals to retain muscle mass, studies reported in the New England Journal of Medicine have been unable to substantiate any ability of the drug to slow the aging process. Until the time comes when more studies are able to better explain the effects of HGH on a healthy individual, it remains to be determined if HGH can really help deter the aging. People are better off learning to accept there is no Fountain of Youth, aside from exercise and a healthy diet, rather than tamper with a substance that they, and experts, don't fully understand.

By Doug Vanisky