Dangers and Benefits of HGH

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Using HGH is a great way to boost your productivity in sports alongside with modeling your perfect body. Not to mention tremendous HGH benefits for your health, these factors themselves paint a rather attractive picture. However, no matter how sad it may sound, there is no miraculous cure. Even HGH with all its pluses still has some downsides if there is either too much or too little of it in your body.

Excess of HGH

An excess of HGH in the body commonly leads to a pituitary tumor consisting of somatotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland, called somatotroph adenomas. The adenoma grows slowly and progressively begins to manufacture more and more HGH. When the adenoma becomes large enough, it can cause severe headaches, vision impairment by putting pressure on the optic nerves and displace other pituitary hormones, thus causing their deficiency.

A prolonged excess would cause thickening of bones in the jaw, fingers and toes (called acromegaly), pressure on the nerves resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome, muscular weakness, extra production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), type-2 diabetes (an uncommon form) and decreased sexual function.

Often recognized in a person’s 50’s, a pituitary tumor created due to excessive HGH may cause excessive growth (known as pituitary gigantism). This tumor rarely occurs in childhood.

HGH Deficiency

Depending on the age of an individual, Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) effects differently on their health. In children, congenital malformations and genetics cause deficiency of HGH, which can lead to:

• Short stature

• Late growth for developmental age

• Delayed puberty onset

• Chubbiness (especially around the waist)

• The child will look younger compared to others of his or her age

• Prominent forehead

• Slow growth of hair and teeth

• Less than 2 inches of growth in height each year

In adults, GHD symptoms include:

• Decreased energy and increased exhaustion

• Less endurance

• Decreased muscle mass

• Decreased bone density and accelerated osteoporosis

• Weight gain (especially around the waist)

• Increased LDL cholesterol levels

• Psychological problems including anxiety, issues with concentration, memory loss and depressed mood

• Thin and dry skin and hair loss

• Constant exhaustion

• Increased risk of heart disease

• Resistance to insulin

Although growth hormone deficiency is rare in adulthood, it can occur due to various conditions including:

• Congenital causes, i.e. present since birth and related to an abnormal pituitary gland

• Damage to the pituitary caused by radiation therapy for the head, a structural lesion, trauma, intracranial diseases or other such conditions

• A pituitary adenoma

• A continuation of a childhood problem

• Acquired later in life (caused by infections, trauma, injury, brain tumors, radiation or surgery)

• A very rare idiopathic form (of unknown cause)

• Slow muscular and motor development (specifically motor milestones like standing, walking, jumping, etc.)

• Delayed teeth growth

• Hypoglycemia

• Repeated jaundice occurrences

• Episodic seizures

It is also important to differentiate between GHD acquired through medical conditions and normal ageing. In normal ageing, the natural production of HGH by the pituitary gland begins to decline.

Side Effects of HGH

The misuse or excessive use of HGH can bring:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome marked by feeling “pins and needles” on the palms and fingers, especially if strain is placed on the wrist (during workouts); however, this is a temporary side effect which fades away lower dosage

• Water retention, which leads to the fingers feeling swollen and the face looking fuller

• Morning aches characterized by slight pain in the fingers, toes, joints and muscles; however, the pain goes away after a few minutes of waking up

• Hypoglycemia manifested in a sudden burst of hunger and a drop in blood sugar

• Acromegaly, which is the enlargement of fingers, bones and organs

• Hypothyroidism, which is a deficiency in the thyroid hormone’s production

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Respiratory infection

• Numbness of the skin

• Moderate edema which is swelling caused by fluid in the body’s tissue

• Headaches

• Joint pain

• Short-term type-2 diabetes

• Nerve, muscle or joint pain

• High cholesterol levels

• Growth of cancerous tumors

These side effects can be very severe for a person abusing human growth hormone, however, they can be avoided easily with proper guidance. One of the easiest ways to avoid the short-term side effects of HGH (like carpal tunnel syndrome or water retention) is to lower the dose taken per day.

Even with such risky side effects, HGH is still widely used by lots of people and is prescribed by medical professionals for certain conditions.

Uses of HGH

Children with the following conditions are prescribed HGH by medical professionals:

• Turner’s syndrome (a genetic disorder which impacts a girl’s development)

• Prader-Willi syndrome (a genetic disorder which causes poor muscle tone, decrease in sex hormones and continuous hunger)

• Incessant kidney disease

• HGH deficiency or insufficiency

• Children born small for their age

In adults, HGH is prescribed for the following conditions:

• Short bowel syndrome (a condition where the absorption of nutrients is improper because of an intestinal disease or the surgical removal of a portion of the small intestine)

• Pituitary tumors caused by HGH deficiency

• Muscle wasting caused by AIDS/HIV

Other than its medical uses, HGH is taken for other purposes including:

• Body building

• Anti-aging

• Weight loss

• By athletes for gaining muscle mass and performance enhancement

• Improving sex life

HGH often offers desired results when used right.

Benefits of HGH

The benefits of HGH for both men and women include:

• Reduction of fat by accelerating lipolysis

• Increased muscle mass and strength by promoting the synthesis of collagen in the skeletal muscles and tendons

• The tightening of skin, which leads to the disappearance of wrinkles

• Increased cardiovascular function, which leads to increased vitality and reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases

• The growth of hair (which becomes thicker as well)

• Libido and sexual performance are increased

• Improved vision and hearing

• Faster healing of wounds and fractures through the application of IGF-1

• Increased endurance

• Enhanced energy and less fatigue

• Improved mood (reduction in mood swings and depression)

• Decreased joint and muscle pain that is a natural result of aging

• Enhanced metabolism

• Increased growth of lean tissue

• Better sleep quality

• Improved blood pressure

• Relief from muscle wasting associated to diseases like AIDS/HIV

• Prevention of osteoporosis

HGH Benefits for women include:

• Avoidance of premature aging of the body (including sagging of breasts, belly fat and the wrinkles)

• Enhancement of the immune system

• Helps menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms

• Improvement in the elasticity of the skin, which leads to elimination of wrinkles

The psychological benefits of HGH include:

• Improved quality of life by promoting emotional and mental well-being, thus boosting mood and decreasing depression

• Improved cognitive functioning including memory, learning and concentration

The benefits of HGH are endless and they can be seen within an instant after taking the first dose. The timeline of the effects is quite satisfying. Compared to all these benefits, the potential dangers of HGH seem less scary and even appear easy to avoid.