The alleged benefits of more growth hormone are stronger bones, lower body fat,  additional energy,  healthier skin and quicker recuperation, more lean muscle mass. Those beneficial changes may be observed with HGH releasers the same as with HGH injections. The additional benefits of very few or no side effects plus the cheap price make this a viable option. If an athlete is seeking a legal increase or a middle-aged individual is trying to slow their aging, the HGH releaser may provide results.

The results are generally not as fast as those observed with human growth hormone injections and could take weeks, even months to notice. The sprays occasionally have a flavor that’s hard to get used to, and the pills can be big and difficult to swallow.

HGH releasers are natural mixtures of amino acids and vitamins which exist currently in our bodies. A benefit to increasing your own natural production utilizing an HGH hormone releaser is that your body will not “crash” when you stop supplementing it. When a hormone is injected or put into the body in some other way, the normal production slows down and, in unusual instances, stops completely. This causes a large dip in the amount of that hormone in the body if the hormone therapy is ceased suddenly and not gradually stopped. With HGH releasers, your system is producing the hormones and not depending on other sources. Your body will only produce to the pre-supplement level if the supplement is stopped; you gradually produce less over time.

HGH hormone releasers can offer your body the help necessary to begin producing more of its own growth hormone. The outcome might not be as fast or intense as with injections, but the long range effects, lack of side effects and cheaper price make this a nice option for individuals looking for the benefits of growth hormone therapy.

We all have the ability to transform our aging process into a journey of wisdom and vitality while we become older. The ultimate goal for people who are aging consciously is allowing the wisdom of our experience to guide us as we express who we are in new ways, and to remain a contributing part of the world around us.

With all this diversity and expansion, it seems clear that each of us must assume greater responsibility for our own process, claiming for ourselves what fits us and inspires us to greater well being. We need to be aware of the stereotypical beliefs that pervade our thinking and then examine each one for its accuracy in modern times.

Fit After Fifty:

Being fit after fifty in body, mind and spirit requires a different kind of awareness and attention than when we were in our thirties and forties. No matter how fit we are, our levels of energy shift and change, as do our interests. In a world that values youth and extremes, it can be easy to devalue our years by imitating the young. Rather than waste our time trying to be younger, let’s enhance it by exploring the richness of our longevity, without comparing it to any other age group, including our own, or any previous generation as they have experienced it. To do this takes knowing ourselves, our level of well being, our interests, our commitments and our abilities. It is never too late to build a healthy lifestyle.

To begin to nurture your own spirit, start by trying something new today, perhaps right now!

If you are reading this late at night and it seems too late to be creative, think again! What if you just got into bed from a different side than usual? Or crawled in from the bottom? What if you sang yourself to sleep? What if you slept with your head at the foot of your bed, or took your blanket and camped out under the dining room table? There is no end to the newness we can create in our lives as we expand the boundaries of our thinking.

An Intention Setting Process:

1. Decide the qualities and values you want to experience. If you want more peace, abundance, love, joy, fulfillment, creativity, etc., declare your intention to bring this quality into every goal you set. Write it down. There is a power added to our commitments when we write them down.
2. Create a separate affirmation for each quality you desire, and for the situation in which you want to experience it. An affirmation always states the situation as if it already exists. For example, you might write, “I feel a great peace and creativity at work,” or “I have the abundance to meet my deepest values and experience a prosperous quality of life.”
3. Each week, take time to read through your list and to notice the ways you can create, or allow this feeling to be present in your experience.

Setting off in a chosen direction doesn’t require as much will power as forcing yourself to meet a goal that goes against your deepest intention. All you need to do is a make a commitment to begin and then take a step in the direction of your intention each day. Soon you will find that a synergy develops between your affirmation and your life, your goals will be accomplished.

Hereditary and racial factors will also influence your skin’s aging process, but
protection from the sun and proper moisture will help reduce many skin problems.

One skin problem the elderly face is itching. External irritants most often cause itching.

Ways to provide comfort from itching are:

* Take fewer baths
* Avoid wool clothing
* Maintain a comfortable temperature
* Apply skin cream

If itching does not clear up within two weeks of trying the above suggestions, you may need to see a physician. You may have a more serious problem.

Vitiligo – loss of pigment in the skin. The condition itself is not physically harmful but often causes emotional damage.

Senile Purpura: the skin usually appears thin and transparent.

Other skin problems is an increase in hair. The hair in the ears and nose often become thicker and more apparent. Hair may turn gray or fall out. Men and women alike often use dyes to cover gray hair or treatments for thinning hair such as Rogaine. Your fingernails may also change as you grow older. Some people’s become coarse and thick, others becomes thin and brittle.

We all grow older; we can’t stop the aging process. But there are ways to help relieve skin conditions. You can use creams or lotions to relieve dryness. The best are oil-in-water or water-in-oil mixtures. Most wrinkle creams don’t really help much.

As mentioned before, sunscreen will help prevent overexposure to the sun. Hair can be removed in many ways, including shaving, waxing or tweezing. New products are being created every day to help with hair removal. Cosmetics can be used to mask some conditions, and some people will consider plastic surgery. Many types of common surgery are available to help reduce the signs of aging.

One important tip to prevent skin problems is to care for your skin while you are young.

Drink a lot of water and avoid damaging products. Remember that the skin is the largest organ in the body. Care for it the same way you would your heart or brain. You’ll have it for the rest of your life.

It’s In the Genes

Scientists at Scripps Research Institute have linked the aging process to the genes that control cellular function. Over time, as our cells continue to divide, the genetic material is imperfectly reproduced. The more divisions that occur over the years, the greater the “gene error” that can affect cell function. As genes become slightly damaged because of this reproduction error, then cellular function can diminish or the immune system will not react as well to outside illness.

Gene repression is the diminishing of the action of a tiny part of the genes in our cells. This part regulates cell function, and its repression may be one factor in the aging process. Nutritional deficiencies and toxins such as smoking or alcohol, can “turn off” this type of gene function. (It turns back on when the toxin is removed or the deficiency is corrected).

The accumulation of waste products within our cells and organs over the years may contribute to gene repression. The physical loss of cells in the body can also be a factor in cell aging. Both of these processes can occur in response to free radicals, which can have a damaging effect on the DNA within cells.

Gene loss: apparently our heart and certain brain cells lose DNA as we age. And the older we are, the faster this DNA loss occurs, contributing to their aging.

Cellular senescence, which appears to be a genetically programmed obsolescence for our cells, also plays a part in the aging process. Each time that a cell divides and has to reproduce the genetic material carried on the chromosome, a tiny portion of the telomere, a “cap” on the end of the chromosomes is lost.

With repeated divisions, the telomere length becomes less. After this telomere loss reaches a critical limit, the cells can no longer divide. Human cells can apparently divide around 40 to 60 times before this occurs, and cells taken from older individuals will divide less times in vitro (test tube) culture than those taken from younger individuals.

Our bodies can only renew themselves so many times in a lifespan, apparently. This loss of the capability to divide in known as cell senescence, and can play a role in some of the diseases and changes seen as we age. Cells that are approaching senescense will show changes in their function that mimic many of the changes that we see with aging, before the cells lose their ability to divide.

One possible area for research involves replacing this telemerase “cap” to increase the longevity of cells and to prevent the deterioration of their function.

Hormonal Changes

Other studies have looked at the role of the hypothalamus and the hormones that it regulates as a factor in aging. The hypothalamus, which is located within the brain, releases hormones that cause certain organs to respond by releasing hormones.

People tend to have higher levels of hormones when they are younger, and these levels decline as aging occurs. Studies into the role of such hormones as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which helps with the formation of muscle mass, body fat, thyroid and testosterone, and of the effect of sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone for their role in the aging process have been done.

Some researchers feel that replacing these hormones as their production declines can help to preserve a healthier, more youthful body, while others caution that not enough is known about the long term effects at this point. In fact, some recent studies seem to point out negative consequences of overly zealous hormone replacement.

Calorie Restriction: Longer Life?

Some studies with animals have shown a relationship between calorie restriction and increased longevity as well as delaying the onset of age related diseases. The question remains whether this is true of humans as well, and Tufts University has funded a study to do exactly that. Sixty-six women aged 55 to 62 are participating in a study that involves caloric restriction and its effect on aging. One half of the participants have volunteered to be on a calorie restricted diet, while the other half will have no dietary restriction imposed.

Free radicals can cause destruction in our cells and tissues and contribute to the changes in DNA and cell walls that we associate with aging. The nervous system and reproductive organs and hormones, as well as the immune system are often affected. It appears that calorie restriction decreases the amount of free radicals and can help slow this damage down.

Calorie restriction can also help overcome insulin resistance that develops during aging in animals, and researchers are studying whether this same insulin resistance (which is a factor in the development of type II diabetes and heart disease) can be overcome in humans who restrict calories as well.

There have been exciting advances in recent years in our understanding of aging and how it occurs. While we are still in the process of learning more, hopefully the research that is occurring in this area will contribute to the development of methods of increasing both the length and quality of life.

Be sure to read part three: How To Live Healthier At Any Age

The Colorectal Cancer – Nutrition Connection: A Follow-Up

Tip of the Week: If colorectal cancer is a part of your family history, consider a diet high in folic acid AND supplement with 400 micrograms (mcg.) of this necessary nutrient. The additional supplement (400 mcg. is the amount found in most multivitamin/mineral supplements) is recommended because folic acid’s bioavailability from food varies widely—averaging only 50% overall.

Note: If you are already taking a multivitamin containing 400 mcg. of folic acid, you need not increase your supplemental intake unless directed to do so by your health care provider. Pregnant or lactating women will require additional supplementation beyond the 400 mcg. level.

How to Incorporate This Tip Into Your Lifestyle: Consider adding an 8-ounce glass of orange or grapefruit juice on a daily basis as an enhancement to your healthy diet. In addition to the antioxidant power of vitamin C (as well as a host of beneficial phytonutrients) citrus juices are also good sources of folic acid. And if you choose the calcium-fortified varieties, all the better!

. . . . .

Not long after posting last week’s article on colorectal cancer screening, I came across a recent study regarding the nutritional benefits of folic acid for those individuals with a family history of this curable cancer. In this study (the famed Nurses’ Health Study which has followed the health habits of 90,000 female nurses since 1976) it was found that in participants with an adequate folic acid intake (400mcg. in this case) the presence of immediate relatives with colon cancer did not increase the participants’ risk for the disease. This is in direct contrast to individuals who took in less than the desired amount of folic acid. In this group, those participants having relatives with colon cancer were 2.5 times more likely to contract the disease than those individuals with relatives who did not have colon cancer. In essence, adequate folic acid neutralized the negative effect of the family history for this type of cancer in this study!

The exact mechanism of this neutralizing effect may be uncertain; however, we do know that folic acid is involved in DNA and RNA synthesis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that in the absence of folic acid, normally healthy cells can transform to a pre-cancerous state. These cells have the ability to become malignant, causing cancer. Speculation is that folic acid presents a roadblock in that process.

In addition to citrus foods, legumes (“beans” such as kidney, black, northern, garbanzo, pinto, etc.) green leafy vegetables, and fortified grains are good sources of folic acid. If you’re looking for a folic acid power meal, sit down to a bowl of tomato and bean chili, a green salad (leaf and romaine lettuce will be higher in folic acid than iceberg) a whole-grain roll, and grapefruit sorbet. Don’t forget a healthy beverage—perhaps OJ or green tea?

Not a chili fan? How about a bean tostada or bean burrito topped with lots of shredded greens and accompanied by a citrus smoothie? Challenge your imagination and come up with some ideas of your own!

The Internet offers many recipe sites–some offering search engines that will find recipes based upon product ingredients. Take a look. Invest a few minutes now to improve your lifestyle–you may be rewarded with more years to your life (and more life to your years) down the road.

While we all will grow older, the manner in which we age will not be the same. Genetics and lifestyle are two factors that play significant roles in the aging process. The purpose of this site is to educate its visitors about this process—providing tips on how to both extend and enhance their lives.

As promised, here is your anti-aging Tip of the Week: Challenge yourself to learn more about the aging process and anti-aging strategies. Knowledge is power! The more you know, the better equipped you will be to assess the information that is out there.

To assist you in this endeavor, I have compiled a list of what I believe to be the 10 most important components of an effective anti-aging program. And while other anti-aging proponents might or might not agree with my list, there is one thing on which most of us agree—that the approach must be multi-faceted. Many of the components are synergistic, working together to produce maximum results. Thus, no single strategy will be as effective as a combination.

Top 10 Anti-Aging Components

1. Adequate nutrition

2. Activity – physical

3. Activity – mental

4. Antioxidants (from food and, when necessary, from supplements)

5. Attitude

6. Air (the art of breathing)

7. Alleviation of stress

8.Achievement of inner peace/harmony

9. Awareness of advances in medicine

10. Active partnership with health care practitioner in managing your health

Utilize this list as a starting point for your own anti-aging action plan. After researching the field, you may find additional areas you would choose to include. Perhaps there may be some you would delete. Modify the list according to your needs.

Hydro-cures

Using water to promote an ageless appearance is one of the oldest, most potent (and cheapest) natural self-care tools available. Maybe, that’s one reason why hydro-cures are the most used treatment in health farms (therapeutic clinics) and spas, around the world. The act of simply pouring a stream of cold water over the face, prevents wrinkle formation, or toe aerobics in crushed ice to increase cellular vitality are just two easy, natural law methods of skin rejuvenation which can be performed in the convenience and privacy of our own homes.

Mineral and botanical enriched herbal baths; saunas and other skin-renewing hydro-cure treatments have a luxuriating history of indulging the detoxification of premature aging. Hydro-cures gentle wash away excessive perspiration, dead skin cells and embedded cellular toxins while at the same time, stimulate deep tissue layer cleansing. They also do wonders to refresh the body and renew the spirit. People all over the world, use hydro-cures from the extravagant bath-houses of the ancient Roman’s to the hot mineral springs of Japan, for the sole purpose of skin purification and rejuvenation. Many traditional cultures regard natural mineral springs a sacred gift from Mother Earth, and are frequently visited as special places for miraculous healing. In Europe, the leader in natural-earth therapies, hydro-cures have become a valued alternative to the accelerated cost of drugs, and sometimes unnecessary, cosmetic surgery.

Natural water healing methods, including hot/cold stream application, herbal effusions and compresses, the combined use of the forces of nature (sun, water, food, exercise), a positive attitude and imagery of life expectancy, all form a course of treatment which is designed to restore both physical and mental unity. These simple treatments can be adapted for home use to retard cellular and functional wear and tear. Anti-aging hydro-cures have exceptional versatility. They can be used to stimulate or relax with almost no strain on the body, they can strengthen the immunity, increase vitality, or encourage deep tissue detoxification and with not a negative side effect experienced. While some treatments require full body immersion others require a flowing stream of cold water over a particular body part, it’s that simple. There are literally hundreds of water based, skin rejuvenating treatments (I have included a few my father swore by) which can be adapted to individual needs, as you begin to erase your visible map of self-neglect.

Facial effusion

Use this treatment to stimulate a rich supply of cleansing blood to your facial and upper body skin. If performed frequently, it will restore natural elasticity to the skin and is very popular amongst European men who effuse weekly to increase general suppleness and retain their good looks.

The treatment:

Remain dressed and warm from the chest down, but remove all your clothing from your neck and upper shoulders. On a thick supporting towel, lean your neck and shoulders backwards, over a bathtub or sink, in a warm room. Using a hand held shower hose (with head removed) turn on the cold faucet so that a smooth sheet of constant, non-pressurized water is delivered to your skin. Once the water flow is constant and smooth, circle your skin beginning with the temples, moving back and forth from one side of your face to the other. After about three lengths this way, move the water flow across your face from the left to the right. Repeat both directions once more then conclude by circling water over your whole face twice. Pat your skin dry with a pre-warmed towel to remove any excess water, then allow your skin to air dry in a well ventilated room. This treatment is more beneficial with the help of another person.

Whole body-wash

Use whole body washing as a self-care tool to relax internal functioning while at the same time strengthening it through active elimination of toxic build-up. The spreading of cool water over the skin with a rough linen cloth or hemp mitt activates natural body warmth, while cleansing and purifying the cells and tissues. Whole body washing is an excellent skin renewal tool to refresh your spirit between work and leisure.

When the production of human growth hormones drops, the aging process begins.  There are several reasons for this decline. Aside from simply no longer having a need for these hormones, there are additional reasons for our bodies to slow production of them.

Mother’s milk gives babies extra human growth hormones. For this reason, babies who have not been breast fed develop more slowly. Up until the past one hundred years, people didn’t live to be more than fifty.  Scientists believe that the extended life span we now experience is responsible for the slow down in the production of human growth hormones. And so, there is no real reason for the body to use up energy on these hormones.

You will find this is correct if you look carefully. The top age two thousand years ago was the mid-thirties.  For this reason, the human body had no reason to produce human growth hormones. Life expectancy has increased in regular increments as time has marched on. Cave men had very short life spans.  To live past the age of one was unusual.  A thirteen year old was probably considered quite old and wise.

These days, we live so long that we need supplements to keep our bodies functioning properly.

Recently, athletes have used human growth hormones to enhance and extend their performance.  They have received some criticism for this. When athletes reach their thirties and forties, their bodies naturally begin to decrease the production of the hormones that helped them reach their athletic peak when they were younger. Of course, it is quite controversial when high school athletes, who already have plenty of these hormones, try to benefit from their use. There are some very clear differences between artificial growth steroids and human growth hormones. In the 1970s, the East German Olympic Team used steroids that caused some very serious side effects.  This type of artificial growth steroid is a synthetic replication of natural muscle growth hormones. Your body needs some essential amino acids and some non-essential amino acids to be able to create these hormones on its own.  That is what Human Growth Hormone Supplements are made of.

It is not difficult to see the true potential that these natural supplements could have on the quality of your life. When you get older, your body doesn’t produce these hormones as freely as it once did, so your energy levels will drop. There is definitely proof that these amino acids can improve the quality of ones’ life.  The athletes we mentioned experienced a sharp decline in performance levels when they stopped taking them. Human growth hormones may be the building blocks that will help you to restructure the energy and zest for life you had when you were younger.

How do our bodies use oxygen? Each breath we take brings air into the lungs. The air that we breathe is approximately twenty percent oxygen. Seems low, doesn’t it? The low percentage of oxygen is actually a good thing because oxygen is highly reactive and will begin to damage the lungs after a few hours. In the lungs, oxygen attaches to our red blood cells and is transported to all of the other cells in our body to maintain cell and body functions. It makes sense that more oxygen means that we’re better able to maintain body functions, right? Except that once our red blood cells are fully saturated with oxygen, they are holding their full capacity and cannot take on more. What does this mean? If you are healthy, then your red blood cells are carrying all the oxygen they can. Therefore, breathing pure oxygen will not help you or improve your performance.

Granted, people with specific diseases like emphysema or other lung and heart diseases often benefit from a higher dosage of oxygen, but in these cases, oxygen is a medical treatment prescribed for a specific disorder. Inhaling pure oxygen is also used to combat carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, and other conditions that reduce our capacity to use oxygen. Again, in these cases, oxygen is a treatment prescribed by a physician to treat a specific condition.

What about athletes who claim that oxygen improves their performance? Controlled research studies have shown that it is a placebo. Athletes can’t tell the difference between pure oxygen and regular air; they just think they can. Because they think that inhaling pure oxygen is good for them, they report feeling better afterwards. Likewise, medical studies have not shown oxygen therapy to fulfill any of the other claims. Looks like we have to keep on looking for the cure for aging, sorry.

So, if you like being fashionable, try an oxygen bar. But, remember that the oxygen is only helping your ego and sense of style. Too much exposure can actually hurt you.

If you increase the amount of HGH in your body, you will feel and look years younger. This fact has been proven by doctors already. Until now, HGH was available only by a doctor’s prescription and through an injection. This route could cost you $10,000 annually.

Luckily, now there exists a better option for everyone to naturally elevate the level of his or her HGH. Doctors have formulated all natural supplements that contain peptides and amino acids that help the body increase its HGH levels naturally. Synthetic HGH is expensive and using natural HGH supplements is cheaper as well as a healthier choice.

There are many benefits to increasing your body’s HGH levels. This is a list of some of the benefits.

Skin Benefits

Your skin will become more pliable and younger looking if you boost the levels of HGH in your body. You will look better because more HGH in your system will reduce lines and wrinkles on your face. Your skin texture will be much better, as it is well known for this.

Fingernails and Hair

More HGH in your system will lead to healthier nails. HGH can darken your hair and make it shinier as well.

Energy

You will feel more energetic by increasing your HGH levels. In today’s hectic lifestyle, high energy is necessary.

Loss of Weight

You will be assisted in weight loss and have the ability to keep it off with HGH. By increasing your metabolism, you will burn fat quicker.

Improved Memory

Increased levels of HGH in your body will help maintain a healthy brain and memory.

Improved Immune System

Increased levels of HGH in your system will support your immune system, which protects your health. You will be healthier and not as susceptible to seasonal bugs.

If you would like to look and feel younger, use natural Human Growth Hormone supplements to increase your HGH levels.