My biochemist friend and patient, Bob, phoned me recently. In an urgent voice, he requested an immediate appointment. I was a bit surprised because several times previously he wanted to use only his traditional physician, who was covered by his medical insurance. I made the appointment for the following afternoon, wondering why Bob suddenly wanted my help.
The next day, Bob arrived in my office, flustered and haggard from lack of sleep. He explained that several of his senior friends had passed away in recent months; one of them had fallen in the bathroom at night and was sent to the hospital with head trauma. Apparently, this poor fellow had fallen because of adverse reactions to prescription medications—an all-too-common occurrence among America’s seniors. Unfortunately, the same thing happened to beloved comedian George Burns, who slipped and fell fatally in his bathtub at age 97 years. Also unfortunate is the fact that most medical doctors do not know how to prevent bathroom falls. Contrary to what many people believe, an expensive medical insurance plan will not save them from many of the medical and lifestyle problems encountered during aging or from the diseases of aging!
Bob was also at risk from falling in the bathroom at night, and he asked me for a remedy. I explained to him that the answer is simple and straightforward: First, hire a carpenter for one day and have him install around the toilet and bathtub/shower areas stainless-steel 3-inch thick railings, which are available at most hardware stores. He would then be able to grab hold of these railings when he feels faint or off balance. He may also use them as additional towel or wet-clothing racks. These attractive 3-inch thick railings will fit neatly and aesthetically into any bathroom with the help of an experienced carpenter. However, they do need to be firmly attached to the framing in the walls with heavy stainless-steel screws. Also, one should have the carpenter lay down ‘anti-slip strips’ on the shower, bathtub, and bathroom floors.
Second, I advised Bob to spray his nose nightly at bedtime with one dose of Minirin® or VASO-pro™ nasal sprays. These remedies will reduce the urge to urinate and limit the need for nocturnal visits to the bathroom.
Third, Bob should purchase from IAS their advanced formulated melatonin MZS™ (melatonin Zn-Se) prescribed by the famous Swiss professor Walter Pierpaoli. Melatonin MZS™ helps most people sleep better and attain a more restful REM sleep.
Last, Bob explained that during nocturnal hours he sometimes stumbles on the bathroom mats. I advised him to remove these mats and, if the floor is slippery, replace them with anti-slip strips or even replace the floor tiles with slate. Unlike tile, marble, and other floor materials, slate does not become slippery and dangerous when wet! Therefore, it is ideal for older people who are at risk of falling in the bathroom.
Bob thanked me for my help and promised to report to me the results from my suggested lifestyle changes.
As you can see from the above case study, preventative and anti-aging medicine offers more advanced and cutting-edge solutions for common problems encountered during aging.
In the foregoing study, Bob has high blood pressure (bp), and he consumes bp-lowering medications that cause him to become dizzy and disoriented and lose his sense of balance. This is a common tragedy for modern American medicine and there should be better solutions. There are better solutions, but many remain unknown to medical practitioners.
Upon gaining Bob’s confidence in the quality of my advice, I persuaded him that the underlying cause of his high bp is a loss of hormones as he aged. This phenomenon is especially true for those over age 50 years, but it even plagues some people much younger.
In Bob’s case, I encouraged him to take comprehensive blood and urine tests. These tests confirmed my visual observations: Bob was deficient in the hormones DHEA, cortisol, thyroid, growth hormone, and testosterone.
The first two—DHEA and cortisol—were visually apparent, as depicted in the following younger-to-older photos of GOP Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Figure 2. House Speaker John Boehner progressively aging.
Observe that because of aging, Mr. Boehner’s adrenal glands produce lower and lower amounts of vital hormones such as DHEA, cortisol, and aldosterone. These adverse effects are evidenced by dark circles around his sunken eyes. Mr. Boehner, my patient Bob, and many others would benefit from daily supplements of hydrocortisone and DHEA. These dark circles and sunken eyes will all but disappear when one consumes these corrective hormones combined with a healthier diet—in other words, no junk food. These combined remedies cause the dark-circled pigmentation to disappear and will push forward the eyes in their sockets as gains are made in laying down new and healthy collagen and elastin. This simple remedy results in true regenerative medicine as practiced by knowledgeable anti-aging physicians during the past decade. Indeed, my own dark eye circles disappeared after about three months of daily DHEA treatment. My sunken eyes pushed forward in their orbitals (sockets) after about a year of treatment!
Myxedema As a result of low cellular metabolism, waste products accumulate, especially between the cells of the jaw and chin, causing hanging jowls, double chins, and probable cardio-vascular disease.
Also, notice the jowls Mr. Boehner acquired as he grew older. This aging sign is often referred to as ‘myxedema.’ Historically, men hid it by growing long beards. Today, we can prevent it with daily doses of growth hormone (or a growth hormone releasing peptide like Releasing-PRO™) and a natural thyroid like Armour® over a treatment period of approximately three years. I believe that correcting with Armour® thyroid is worthwhile for more than aesthetic reasons: I strongly recommend this option because untreated thyroid deficiency will result in an approximate 43% increase in the risk of dying!
On the other hand, for aesthetic reasons, if you insist upon an immediate fix for myxedema, I strongly recommend the dermatological filler called ‘Radiesse®.’ It contains the completely natural substance hydroxyapatite, and skilled dermatologists inject it below the skin and often against the bones of the face. A dermatologist will make this procedure virtually painless by first numbing the face with lidocaine cream. This treatment lasts for about a year and provides an instant straightening of the jawline—much to the amazement of many laymen. Radiesse® also treats sunken high cheekbones caused by collagen loss (corrected by hGH or Releasing-PRO™) plus insulin growth factor 1 [IGF-1]) and osteopenia (caused by bone loss). A highly experienced and artistic dermatologist must judge the exact positioning and depth of the filler for best aesthetic results.
A second quick fix is to spray your nose weekly with MSH2-PRO™. This will completely and naturally increase the tanning of your skin without damaging your skin with sunlight.
In summary, I strongly encourage both short- and long-term remedies for significant improvements in skin coloring and facial structuring and appearance.
You may have noticed that Bob might need up to five different hormones supplemented in his daily diet for improved health and slowed aging. Multiple hormone deficiencies need to be corrected because all hormones work together in a concerted fashion and they do a ‘delicate dance’ with one another for optimal health benefits. This delicate dance occurs naturally and without medical intervention in our youth, but it often stumbles as we approach middle age. The foremost example of this multiple hormone loss is found in women. On average, women stop ovulating at age 41 and experience hot flashes, dry skin, headaches, cranky moods, etc. When their gynecologists provide them with natural bio-identical estradiol (Esnatri™ cream) combined with natural bio-identical progesterone (Progest-Pro™) creams, these adverse symptoms subside (and the risk of cancer also diminishes).
The Delicate Dancing of Hormones
The hormone progesterone (Progest-Pro™) offsets the negative effects of the hormone estradiol (Esnatri™ cream), especially regarding hyperplasia (excessive cell growth) in the tissues of the breasts, ovaries, and prostate. Thus, these two hormones delicately dance with and balance each other. This promotes healthy and youthful breasts, ovaries, and prostates without deleterious side effects such as excessive cell replication and cancer. This would not be the case if either one of these hormones were deficient.
Indeed, if you have ever wondered as I have ,how teenagers and twenty-something’s can consume large quantities of junk food and mostly retain hard muscles—especially hard and round buttocks and breasts and a firm, non-sagging face—the answer lies with Mother Nature’s incredible ability to balance our hormones in a delicate dance with one another during our youth!
This delicate dance and balance can be restored to us older folk by correcting with low-dose natural and bio-identical hormones as prescribed by Dr. Thierry Hertoghe in his many lectures and books.1 This balance encourages a lean and youthful body and nimble brain and avoids weight gain and the diseases of aging.
Some hormones such as Armour® thyroid positively impact every cell in the body by restoring cell metabolism and output (homeostasis). Other hormones are more focused. For example, aldosterone (and fludrocortisone) improves kidney retention of water and salt and acts on the inner-ear cochlea to improve hearing by up to 30 or 40 decibels in aldosterone-deficient patients.
Unlike many prescription drugs, these more natural hormone remedies significantly improve our health and appearance without nasty side effects.
Figure 3: The brain acts as a top manager or overseer in directing most hormone activities in the body.
The brain uses top managers or overseers to produce hormones that direct their actions in our cells. The bloodstream carries hormones to all our cells. The hormones penetrate deep into our DNA, turning off or on our genes. Upon arriving at this genetic level, these hormones assert command and control of key biochemical processes. These key hormones and their helper proteins are human growth hormone (hGH or its stimulator, Releasing-PRO™), IGF-1, and TRH (pineal gland proteins). These three dominate at the top of the heap in directing a symphony of cellular processes throughout the body. These critical hormones and their helper proteins slowly mold and sculpt our bodies to a more youthful appearance and help us maintain a quick, firm, and more resolute-thinking brain.
2030’s Anti-Aging Medicine
Knowledgeable computer scientists and the Gerontology Research Group in Los Angeles have predicted that scientists will be able to reprogram our epigenomes (DNA) in the 2030’s, thus eliminating genetic defects at birth as well as those defects caused by aging.
My colleagues and I have conducted studies where patients consumed Releasing-PRO™ four times daily. We found that IGF-1 doubles from approximately 70 to 160 (plus or minus 15 ng/ml blood). This 160 level of IGF-1 will direct and sculpt the body to a more youthful appearance, as depicted below.
Figure 4: Before-and-after photos of hormone body sculpting
In summary, low-dose, bio-identical hormones will cause our thinking to become increasingly firm and resolute and make our bodies more shapely and sculpted, even if our daily exercise is marginal*.
Many of the problems of aging can be corrected by making constructive changes to our living quarters and by supplementing with key hormones and peptides. People who desire better control of their health and aging find great value in what IAS has to offer. My colleagues and I use IAS products to enhance longevity, appearance, brain activity and health.
*Footnote: However, optimal results are achievable only if one is willing to exercise religiously one hour daily along with using hGH and IGF-1 therapies according to Dr. Thierry Hertoghe’s The Hormone Handbook.1 Seven to eight hours sound sleep is also critical since recent research (2) has indicated that during sleep the brain flushes out cellular waste, especially beta-amyloid, a key component that accumulates in aging brains and Alzheimer’s disease. Nearly all centenarians when autopsied show significant accumulation of beta-amyloid.
1. Hertoghe, T. (2010). The Hormone Handbook, Vol. 2, Surrey, England: International Medical Pub.
2. Lulu, Xie, et. Al. (2013) Science, Vol. 342 no. 6156, pp. 373-377.
