Dr Oz, HGH Fountain of Youth? Does It Work? Look Younger? Opinion

Is HGH The Fountain Of Youth? Does It Work And Do You Look Younger?

October 13, 2011

Today Dr. Oz talked about the controversy surrounding HGH (Human Growth Hormone) because they claim that it makes them look and feel decades younger.  Body builders and athletes have taken HGH to improve their performance. Now more and more women are using HGH as a fountain of youth formula for looking and feeling younger. They use HGH to burn fat, create muscle tone, and to look younger. You can get HGH from doctors, the internet, and overseas.

How Does HGH Work?

Could HGH really be the fountain of youth?  HGH stands for human growth hormone.  It comes from deep inside the middle of the brain at the pituitary gland.  Dr. Oz says that the hormone is released by the pituitary gland at different rates throughout the day.  At night while you are sleeping is when it is released the most. This is one of the reasons why sleep is so important.

HGH is important for growth throughout your childhood but you need it as an adult as well. It maintains your tissues and your organs throughout your life.  However, HGH declines as you grow older.  It peaks in your mid 20's and declines for the rest of your life.  This is what stems the controversy.  Some doctors feel that if you administer HGH synthetically it raises your hormone level and you will look and feel decades younger.  Opponents say that synthetic HGH messes up Mother Nature and will shorten your life.

What Happens Inside Your Body When You Get An HGH Injection?

When HGH is injected in your body it goes throughout your blood system and affects many of your organs.  It can go into your tissues and shrink your fat cells. It can go into your muscles and stimulate them to grow.  It also goes into your skin and builds collagen and increases elasticity.  Your skin will look and feel smoother and younger.  This is the theory behind HGH. Dr. Oz brought on doctors to discuss this theory about HGH, it's safety, and if it is indeed the fountain of youth.

Dr. Oz brought two doctors on both sides of the fence about HGH. First he spoke to Dr. Alex Martin, a proponent for HGH about how people can know if they will benefit from the hormone. Dr. Martin said that they do a complete endocrine system workup and make sure that the patient is cancer free. It is then up to the doctor to decide if HGH will be beneficial to the patient.

Dr. Stuart Weinerman was asked about HGH and he is against using the hormone as an anti-aging treatment. He said that they don't have enough long term safety data in healthy people. It has only been studied in patients who have HGH deficiencies pituitary disease.  Dr. Weinerman then said that some of the short term risks associated with HGH are swelling, extra body fluid edema, joint pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. His major issue is that it induces insulin resistance and raises your risk for diabetes.  There are also some unclear risks that may be associated with HGH such as heart disease and can potentially raise your risk for cancer.

Do Dr.'s Prescribe HGH Because Of The Financial Rewards?

Dr. Oz asked Dr. Martin about the concerns that people have saying that they think physicians prescribe HGH as a money making venture.  Dr. Martin said that this is indeed a concern because unqualified physicians are prescribing HGH to people without the proper examinations.

Dr. Oz's Opinion About HGH

Dr. Oz says that there isn't enough data out yet about HGH. He is afraid that people taking the hormone are in sense human guinea pigs.  We do not yet know what is going to happen to people over decades.  In response Dr. Martin said they have patients that have been taking the hormone since 1996. While that still isn't over multiple decades the 15 year track record is significant.

It's Dr. Oz's opinion that this is all one big experiment and the people taking HGH are the mice in the cages.  He says that when you receive an HGH injection you change the way all of your other hormones act.  He is also concerned about all the people out there that can make money off of people and feed of their fears.  He is also concerned about people receiving HGH from people other than physicians. He doesn't think that taking HGH is worth the risks that could possibly be involved.