Hormone Therapy - Does it Work?

It's been said before that hormones are the building blocks of life. For the most part, that's correct. But do hormones reverse the signs of aging? Are there risks associated with using hormone therapy? To answer these questions, we first need to know what hormones are and how they work.

Hormones are chemicals that are released from your glands. These chemicals perform special functions. Since the hormones are released from our glands, they aren't able to be replenished from the foods we eat. So, this means that there are just two ways to increase the amount of hormones in our bloodstream.

One, you can have hormone injection therapy done in a doctor's office. This can be very expensive.

Two, you can take herbal supplements designed to stimulate your glands into excreting more hormones. This has proven to show mixed results.

The three hormones that are related to the war on aging are HGH (human growth hormone), DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol), and DHEA (dehydroeplandrosterone).

HGH is the most common hormone and, recently, has been billed as the "Anti-aging Magic Bullet." It's called this because of what's been discovered in recent studies.

For example, those taking HGH supplements have lost as much as 14% of their body fat without dieting, they've built muscle mass, they've shown improved sexual performance, and the treatments have proven to remove wrinkles and increase immune function.

There are risks with hormone replacement therapy as well. Because everyone starts off with different levels in their bodies to begin with, it's crucial to get the dosage right.

Another problem, for women especially, is that increased muscle mass that can develop from use of these hormones. After all, who wants to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if you don't have wrinkles?

It's obvious that hormone replacement therapy should not be entered into lightly and it should never, ever, be done without the supervision of a physician. Together you and your doctor can determine if hormone replacement therapy is right for you.