As an osteopathic physician, I have been educated 'in techniques of
treating a variety of influences on disease with a focus on structural
manipulation. Examples of osteopathic procedures include the realignment
of the cranium in a young child to assist in overcoming growth retardation
and the effects of spinal manipulation on relieving knee pain.
For me,
understanding these and related concepts comes with the inherent
acceptance that all areas of the body are interactive and while we may
choose to isolate and treat diseases symptomatically, we will attain
better results when we treat the body as a whole. As I continually strive
to practice medicine with this as my guideline, I am assured that I am on
the right path.
In the practice of nutrition and preventive medicine, I have observed
unsurpassed improvements in a variety of disease states for which there
otherwise seems to be no effective treatment.
I have seen the disparity in the response of patients who are treated
similarly with nutrients and medication, but whose dietary and exercise
habits differ. The results of long term exposure to a diet high in fat and
refined carbohydrates are clear: insulin resistance, high blood pressure,
increased body fat, fatigue, heart disease, high cholesterol, arthritis,
and resistance to treatment. In researching growth hormone, I found these
to be the precise areas that consistently improve with GH therapy.
I have long recognized the role of hormone replacement in deterring the
aging process, and it has become clear to me that restoring growth hormone
and IGF-1 ought to be a primary focus in HRT. In the replacement of any
hormone, it is important for me to use a natural hormone rather than a
synthetic one and to mimic the body's own production of that hormone in
terms of quantity and frequency of release. Considering these parameters
as part of a GH therapy that I would implement into MY practice, I
realized that it made a lot more sense to use a natural secretagogue
rather than injections for the following reasons:
: Secretagogues stimulate the body's own growth hormone to
be released, whereas injections utilize
synthesized growth hormone.
Quantity & Frequency:
Symbiotropin enhance, the existing pulsatile
secretions of GH, whit injections take the
place of these secretions.
Conversion to IGF-1:
This process is affected liver & pancreatic
function, which are address by pharmaceutical
sugars in Symbiotropin.
Injections do not address this.
Side Effects:
Symbiotropin consists of all natural ingredients, reducing the likelihood of side effects. Injections can
cause many side effects, especially at higher doses.
Compliance:
Many patients find it difficult to inject themselves
daily. Symbiotropin is delivered in a drinkable form.
Injections must also
be kept at low temperatures until use; this is not always practical.
Cost: GH injections cost $800 - $1,200/month.
Symbiotropin costs about $125.00 - $200.00/month.
The Insulin Hormone Replacement Connection
While most physicians today are familiar with recognizing and treating
hormone deficiency, there is generally a disregard for the complex
interaction that all hormones have with one another. Insulin is a hormone
that greatly affects the secretion and response to estrogen, growth
hormone, progesterone, and thyroid hormone-and it is controlled largely by
the diet,
but not entirely. The aging process results in a declining
ability to manage insulin and other hormones. Hence, the ideal anti-aging
hormone therapy would include insulin management in a way that addresses
insulin production and receptor sites. If insulin is not regulated, much
higher dose of hormones-like estrogen-must be used to attain the desired
response. This concept applies to the interaction of most replacement
hormones that I am familiar with-the broader range of hormones that are
being replaced, the lower the required dose for each of them.
For the most part, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has proven to be
quite effective in reversing symptoms associated with deficiency, but
there are a significant number of patients who have a limited response. A
good example of this is a female patient in her mid-forties who had a full
hysterectomy in her early thirties and had been suffering from severe hot
flashes, depression, and painful vaginal dryness. By the time she came to
me, she had already been treated by many physicians with nearly every
combination of hormones imaginable, but to no avail. By using natural
hormones rather than the synthetic ones that she had been exposed to, we
were able to improve her condition, but it seemed that we couldn't
eliminate her symptoms entirely. Then we introduced Symbiotropin into her
protocol. Within a few days she reported a complete disappearance of her
depressive symptoms and a dramatic decrease in the intensity of her hot
flashes.
Within two weeks she had completely overcome all of her symptoms
that she had suffered from for so many years, including the painful
vaginal dryness. Did this seemingly miraculous recovery occur solely due
to stimulation of growth hormone and IGF-1? Not exactly.
The methods by which Symbiotropin has its action include insulin
regulation and control of blood glucose, which are both essential to GH
release. Excess insulin and blood sugar inhibit the ability of hormones
like estrogen to get into the cell and perform their function. This type
of resistance to hormone therapy is often addressed by using
superphysiologic doses-which go beyond replacement of a deficient hormone.
From clinical experience, patients who do not fully respond to physiologic
doses of HRT have outward symptoms of blood sugar imbalance, including the
following:
- Difficulty getting from one meal to the next
- Fatigue, especially in the mid-afternoon
- Craving of sweets
- Excessive carbohydrate intake
- Dizziness and/or shakiness between meals
- Awakening to hunger in the middle of the night
- High or low blood glucose levels
- Diabetes
Patients with these symptoms are gene candidates for Symbiotropin
therapy.
Diabetic patients are easy to immediate response to Symbiotropin because
glucose levels are monitored frequently patients have demonstrated remark
stability within the first few weeks of is true even for those who are
medic continue to have uncontrolled diabetes. I have observed patients who
have ongoing problems with glucose levels that fluctuate daily, often
reaching 250 - 350. One patient, a 64
year old male had worked with his endocrinologist for years,
adjusting dosages and changing drugs, yet his blood sugar was consistently
reaching 275 - 300. After 2 weeks of Symbiotropin, his blood sugar was
peaking at 120; this response remained consistent to the extent that he is
able to use lower doses of his medication while controlling his blood
sugar in a way that previously seemed impossible.
The profound results that have been observed in controlling hyper and
hypoglycemia are an interesting contrast to the known resistance to hGH
injections that is normally experienced by these patients. As Jamieson has
pointed out, healthy pancreatic function is necessary for the proper
formation of IGF-1 -in addition, glucose and insulin must be circulating
at low levels in order for GH to be released. Addressing insulin
resistance and insulin production seems to be not only a necessary
component of GH stimulation, but a profound means of controlling blood
sugar as well. With insulin playing a central role in the management of so
many different hormones, it's no wonder that we are observing so many far
reaching effects on menopausal symptoms, high blood pressure, heart
disease, and other areas.
Before we go on to examine various areas improvement that have been
observed with Symbiotropin, it should be made clear that we set out to make
these observations in the most objective manner possible. The patients
were not instructed to monitor any symptoms that they had been experiencing at
the onset of therapy. They were only told that their IGF-1 levels were found to
be low, and that we would monitor changes in IGF-1 in response to Symbiotropin. I was amazed to find that patients were calling me within
just a few days to report profound improvement in a variety of symptoms.
They were reporting increased energy, flexibility, reduced pain from
arthritis, and an overall improvement in the sense of well-being. The
areas that I will focus on here are those in which I have observed
consistent improvement. The following areas apply to diseases that afflict
many people, and though I cannot suggest that Symbiotropin is a "cure" for
these maladies-the results cannot be ignored.
Heart Disease & High Blood Pressure
My practice includes the use of EDTA chelation therapy with patients
who have mild to advanced heart disease.
Most of these patients are
working closely with a cardiologist and many of them have severely
impaired cardiovascular function to the extent that they have difficulty
with simple exercises like walking. Reducing the plaque in the arteries is
helpful, but with an unconditioned heart they often cannot perform simple
tasks without shortness of breath. The results of Symbiotropin have been
profound in this area. While a large number of patients have reported
improved energy, perhaps the most profound stories are of those with heart
disease who are suddenly able to not only walk across the room without
running out of breath, but who are able to begin more intense heart
strengthening exercises as well.
Studies that we have referred to previously suggest that hGH injections
elicit a significant improvement in cardiac output. This may be due to the
supportive role that IGF-1 plays in strengthening muscle tissue, but the
effects of Symbiotropin seem to go beyond this effect in ways that are not
fully understood. For instance, many patients with impaired pulmonary
function and emphysema have reported rapid improvements in lung capacity
and subsequent increase in stamina.
A 63-year old male who is overweight and a heavy smoker with heart
disease had undergone chelation therapy and experienced some improvement,
but when he was given Symbiotropin he had a marked increase in strength,
endurance, and breathing capacity to the point that he can exercise daily.
He has experienced increased muscle strength and reduced body fat as well.
Although emphysema is not typically associated with heart disease, the
results in this area are significant in evaluating the total effect in
improving cardiovascular function. A 67-year old male with chronic
bronchitis and emphysema was nonresponsive to other treatments, when he
was given Symbiotropin he immediately experienced increased lung capacity,
energy, and endurance. These results were not expected since I had not
read any data indicating that other forms of growth hormone therapy had
produced these results. Observations of, increased lung capacity have been
consistent despite the variety of influences on impaired pulmonary
function, including smoking, allergies, emphysema and bronchitis.
There are many influences on high blood pressure, including adrenaline,
arterial plaque, and kidney function.
Most patients are able to control
the factors that affect their high blood pressure, while some have
uncontrolled high blood pressure regardless of medication. It is in these
cases of uncontrolled blood pressure that we have observed significant
improvement. One such patient was using a combination of blood pressure
medications, yet it was not uncommon for his blood pressure to reach
170/130 on a daily basis. After just a few weeks of Symbiotropin, he was
able to maintain consistently controlled levels of 120/70 to 130/80.
Angina can be a frightening experience and a hindrance to
heart-strengthening exercises. A 64-year old patient with advanced heart
disease and daily chest pain onset with even mild exertion reported
complete cessation of chest pain within 24 hours of the first dose of
Symbiotropin. I choose this among other examples of improvement in angina
because it suggests mechanisms of action that go beyond strengthening of
the heart muscle, which would normally occur over a much longer period of
time.
Arthritis & Musculoskelatal Improvement
This is another area that I had not anticipated to find the consistent
improvement that we did. Nevertheless, the results couldn't be ignored.
Patients have reported flexibility that they had not experienced in over
30 years, with several patients describing themselves to have an easier
time getting out of bed in the morning. Those with arthritis reported
significant reduction in pain. Many were able to recover from muscular
injuries and pain from exercise much more efficiently.
We observed
increased range of motion in the joints and increased muscular strength. A
few of my patients who had fibromyalgia, a condition that involves chronic
muscular pain, had significantly reduced pain scores. The most fascinating
and consistent reports were those of healing and reduced pain from old
injuries. These include a patient who described pain in his shoulder that
would wake him up at night and continue throughout the day-this 20-year
old injury had caused constant pain that subsided after 8 weeks of
Symbiotropin. An 83-year old man had a back injury that was more than
30-years old. He had such stiffness and pain that he could not bend over
to tie his own shoes, but now he can touch his toes without bending his
knees and without pain.
What are the common elements of these conditions and the changes that
were observed? They all involve inflammation and degeneration, which both
have many causative influences that may be affected by Symbiotropin. It is
known that some forms of arthritis and fibromyalgia are directly affected
by the integrity of the gastrointestinal lining.
As we mentioned in the
chapter, The Facts, studies indicate that growth hormone and the amino
acid L-glutamine
(an ingredient of Symbiotropin) are important factors in
the growth and thickening of the digestive tract lining.
This may be an
important mechanism of action in pain reduction due to reduce leaking of
inflammation-promoting substances from the digestive tract into the
bloodstream. In addition, enhancing the digestive tract lining improves
nutrient absorption, which may assist in healing of damaged tissues.
Nutrient absorption is not the end of the story. Once nutrients are
absorbed they must be utilized in a way that will help to repair cells and
the tissues that they support. Growth hormone is unique among hormones in
that it stimulates growth by directly targeting tissues, rather than
endocrine organs. The insulin-like effects of IGF-1 as well as the insulin
regulating effects of GH therapy play an integral role in the growth and
reparation of tissues. Insulin transports glucose, proteins, and fats into
the cell where they are used for energy and cell replication. By improving
insulin utilization, we inherently promote healing. When we add the
complimentary effects of growth hormone and IGF-1, the results are truly
amazing.
It should be noted that the mechanisms that are described here are a
sharp contrast to the action of anti -inflammatory drugs (steroids and NSAIDS). These medications
reduce inflammation, but at the expense of wearing away the digestive
tract lining and breaking down collagen in the joints. They offer an
effective and immediate reduction in pain, but they do not repair tissues.
In fact, they work to accelerate damage to tissues that are causing inflammation -creating a long-term
dependence and worsening of the condition. There are supportive nutrients that can supply the raw
materials for rebuilding this damaged tissue, but without the proper hormonal stimulation results may be
limited.
Insomnia
Best-selling books on melatonin have shed light on the importance of
sleep in controlling the aging process. Melatonin, referred to as the
sleep hormone, is produced according to a similar circadian rhythm as growth hormone, where they are both released primarily at night.
Some melatonin researchers are now suggesting that some of the anti-aging benefits of melatonin may
come from its growth hormone enhancing properties. Both hormones are
produced in declining amounts as we age-to the extent that many elderly
people have difficulty sleeping and do not have efficient rest.
Most patients, including those who didn't previously describe
difficulty in sleeping, have reported improvements in their ability to
fall asleep, stay asleep, attain deeper and more efficient sleep, and
experience more vivid dreams. They have reported feeling more refreshed
upon awaking and having more energy during the morning hours. We have not
measured melatonin levels in these patients to determine a change, but
there is clearly an improvement in sleep. From experience, melatonin
supplementation produces mixed results-this does not seem to be the case
with Symbiotropin, which seems to work consistently in this area.
Insulin regulation plays a role in sleep patterns as well.
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, tends to occur at night simply because
we don't eat while we are sleeping. When blood glucose levels drop,
adrenaline is released as a secondary energy source. As a stimulatory
hormone, a release of adrenaline at night can result in a variety of
outcomes, from initiating lighter and less efficient sleep, to causing
night sweats and sleeplessness. The management of insulin that occurs with
Symbiotropin may be a significant mechanism of action that helps to
improve sleep by reducing the incidence of nocturnal hypoglycemia.
Weight Control
I refer to control rather that loss because we have observed consistent
increase in muscle mass and significant decrease in body fat, which,
together, do not always produce weight loss. This process often begins
within the first week of Symbiotropin therapy where patients have
experienced weight loss of up to 7 pounds. The majority of overweight
patients maintain a loss of 2-3 pounds per week. At the same time, the
increased strength, energy, and endurance allow them to perform higher
intensity workoutsthereby increasing muscle mass and raising the base
metabolism.
As is the case with so many other areas of improvement with
Symbiotropin, insulin regulation plays a central role.
In our chapter on
Diet & Exercise we will go into greater detail on things that you can do
to enhance this process.
IGF-1 and growth hormone are both known to elicit
lypolisis (fat burning) and building of muscle tissue.
Some ,nutritionists
and doctors still subscribe to the philosophy that fat storage is based
purely upon the difference between calories going in (diet) and calories
going out (exercise). Although this is an important principal, many people
find it to be frustrating and insulting. You don't have to look far
(perhaps as far as the nearest mirror) to find a person who cannot
maintain the body composition that they could previously, despite the fact
that they have not changed their diet or exercise habits. Even worse, many
people continue to store more fat even while consuming fewer calories and
doing more exercise. This unfortunate process takes place largely due to
the hormonal changes that occur with age.
The endocrine system is no
longer maintaining the same metabolic rate. This can often, be observed by
a decline in body temperature and/or reduced energy and endurance. By
restoring growth hormone and IGF-1, we are not only directly restoring our
ability to bum fat, but we are also helping to restore proper function of
endocrine organs, like the thyroid, that maintain our metabolism.
Hair, Skin, and Nails
Growth hormone and IGF-1 stimulate the growth of hair, nails, and skin.
Several patients have reported rapid growth of nails and hair, to the
point that the have to visit the barber shop more frequently. Many have
reported thicker and healthier hair and nails as well. But let's get right
to the point-most of us want to know how to get rid of those wrinkles.
This is a process that is more likely to occur with long term use and with
the other supportive nutrients. However, we have observed significant
reduction in wrinkles in men and women within as little as 4 weeks. I
have seen patients in their 70's and 80's transform their complexion from
gaunt, colorless, and wrinkled to plump, healthy, and smoother in a very
short period of time. Yet, I have seen others who don't seem to show such
dramatic signs of improvement. What is the difference?
Many of my patients are using nutritional protocols that include large
doses of vitamin C, bioflavanoids, and amino acids like proline and
lysine, which are components of collagen -the "glue" for skin cells that
help to maintain firmness and strength. Other patients are not
supplementing with these important raw materials for collagen synthesis
and have had a history of smoking and excess sun exposure, which breaks
down collagen. There appears to be a difference in the way that these two
groups of people respond to Symbiotropin in terms of wrinkle reduction,
but there may be other influences that are not fully understood. It will
be interesting to see if, over a longer period of time, we will see more
consistent smoothing of skin.
Sex Drive
Both male and female patients have reported improvement in libido and
duration of intercourse. The response to sex hormones -like testosterone-
are enhanced with GH therapy, which would explain is the increase in sex
drive for both sexes. In addition, men will benefit from increased
circulation and the effect that this has on maintaining erection.
Testing and Monitoring
At this point, Symbiotropin has only been used under the advice and
supervision of a physician. It has been used only in patients who
demonstrate IGF-1 levels below 350 with monitoring every 4 - 8 weeks. Our
results have shown fluctuating IGF-1 levels in the first four weeks of use
with increases of IGF-1 reaching over 200% and averaging over 18%. In the
next four weeks of use, changes in IGF-1 tend to be stable peaking just
over 100% and averaging 24%. By the twelfth week of use (the end of the
first cycle) we have observed the most consistent symptomatic improvements
and increases in IGF-1, with an average increase of over 30%, to date.
Interestingly, we had a few patients that had temporarily reduced IGF-1
levels, but for the most part these patients still exhibited symptomatic
improvement. In a clinical environment it is probably not necessary to test
IGF-1 more frequently than before and after each 12 week cycle of
Symbiotropin.
