Edit Are Anti-ageing Therapies Too Good To Be True

<div>If his testosterone proved to be low I would treat him. In men with testosterone deficiency, testosterone therapy can restore sexual function and protect against heart disease (atherosclerosis).</div> <div> </div> <div>Also, some men taking testosterone therapy report an increase in energy, sex drive and well-being. In effect, I would not deprive the patient of testosterone if he was aware of the potential benefits and risks of the medication. Though potentially beneficial, high doses of testosterone may result in sleep apnea, and infertility and it may also pose problems for prostate and breast cancer in men. Probably, patients with a family history of prostate or breast cancer should be cautioned.</div> <div> </div> <div>It can be taken in tablet form but many doctors say, that testosterone taken by this method may cause an unfavourable cholesterol profile thereby increasing the risk of blood clots and heart and liver problems. Several other types of testosterone therapy exist.</div> <div> </div> <div>Intramuscular testosterone injections (Delatestryl, Depo-Testosterone) are safe and effective. Injections are given approximately every two weeks. A patch containing testosterone (Androderm) is applied each night to your back, abdomen, upper arm or thigh.</div> <div> </div> <div>The site of the application is rotated to maintain seven-day intervals between applications to the same site to lessen skin reactions. In Ireland, your GP can prescribe a testosterone gel (TestoGel) to put on the skin of the lower abdomen, upper arm or shoulder. I think it also comes in a chewing gum form.</div> <div><br />Many patients ask me about my attitudes regarding the increasing use of Growth Hormone, I suppose my early tempered memories are prejudiced because of my time working as a young doctor in Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Dublin the late eighties when the news surfaced that the cadaver growth hormone they had been using was implicated in multiple cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).</div> <div> </div> <div>This spurned an interest in limb lengthening procedures in our Orthopaedic Department. The medicine was also used for children with kidney disease, Turner's syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome and muscle wasting associated with AIDS and HIV. We knew that growth hormones caused growth in childhood and helped maintain tissue throughout our life. We also know the level of growth hormone in our bodies begins to drop during midlife.</div> <div> </div> <div>In our 40s. Studies of adults with growth hormone deficiencies show that injections of growth hormone can: increase bone density, increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, improve mood and motivation and increase exercise capacity. It's not hard to see why people believe that synthetic growth hormone could help healthy older adults who have naturally low levels of growth hormone regain some of their youth and vitality.</div> <div> </div> <div>We do not have a lot of clinical data but most studies show that Growth Hormone injections can increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of body fat in healthy older adults. It was not exactly clear whether they became stronger or had increased mood.</div> <div> </div> <div>The studies pointed toward a number of side effects, including swelling in the arms and legs, arthritis-like symptoms, carpal tunnel symptoms, headaches, muscle pain and worse still unfortunately diabetes, hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure.</div>

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