Glossary of Terms Related to HGH
Homeopathy
Natural form of medicine that uses immeasurably small doses of medicines to
stimulate the body's own defense and healing process. Homeopathy focuses on
bringing the entire body back into homeostasis, or balance.
homeostasis
or health; defined as an optimal balance of mental and physical well being. When
the body loses its normal homeostasis, adverse symptoms appear. Symptoms are not
the cause of health problems, but rather an expression of the body's efforts to
defend its weakest areas and bring the body back into balance.
Law of Similars, the
Considered the founder of homeopathy, 1700's German physician Samuel Hahnemann
developed the principle of the Law of Similars, or "Let Like Cure Like." This
remains a defining principle of homeopathy today. If a substance causes side
effects and syndromes at high toxic levels, the same substance can heal those
same symptoms and syndromes when taken in small diluted doses. Similar to
vaccines, these small doses work by stimulating the body's own defense
mechanisms.
growth factors
Small proteins produced by the human body that enable cells to communicate and
effectively coordinate activities between one another. Growth factors in the
body affect the individual cells by binding to growth-factor-specific receptors
on the cell surface. A specific growth factor may have many cell sources and can
use different signal transduction pathways at different times and with different
cells. Growth factors are involved in complex feedback loops between the immune,
nervous and endocrine systems, and have significant effects on DNA, RNA, protein
synthesis, and cell division.
human growth hormone (HGH)
A protein produced in the pituitary gland that stimulates the liver to produce
somatomedins, which stimulate growth of bone and muscle. Human growth hormone is
the most abundant hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. It peaks
during the rapid-growth phase of adolescence, then steadily declines with age.
HGH stays in the bloodstream for only a few minutes. However, this is long
enough to stimulate its uptake by the liver, causing the production of
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Growth hormone affects specific target
tissues in its role as a chemical messenger, working with IGF-1 to affect uptake
of nutrients into the cell. hGH helps boost the immune system, increase lean
body mass, stimulate neuroendocrine system balance and promote optimal physical
and mental performance.
insulin like growth factor (IGF-1)
Polypeptides with considerable sequence similarity to insulin. They are capable
of eliciting the same biological responses, including mitogenesis in cell
culture. On the cell surface, there are two types of insulin like growth factor
receptor, one of which closely resembles the insulin receptor (which is also
present). IGF-1 is primarily secreted by the liver in response to a signal from
growth hormone (hGH). It is also released by many different tissues throughout
the body, and affects almost every cell to some degree. The major target tissues
affected by IGF-1 are muscle, cartilage, bone, liver, kidney, nerves, skin, and
lungs. IGF-1 additionally regulates cell growth by moving cells from a resting
phase to an active phase of the cell cycle. IGF-1 also increases the cell's
ability to complete DNA synthesis. IGF-1 acts within the nervous system and is
critical for the growth and development of nerve cells. IGF-1 plays an active
role at the neuromuscular junction, where interaction between nerve and muscle
cells occurs.
progression factors
Induce cells toward a launching pad for cell division, causing successful
activation. IGF-1 is a progression factor. top
growth hormone deficiency (GHD);
Self-diagnosis of:
No one symptom allows the diagnosis of GHD in adults. The self-diagnosed
symptoms are fairly well defined as some of the following cluster of symptoms:
fatigue, reduced feelings of psychological well being, increase in abdominal
obesity, decrease in exercise performance and/or skin changes. 1994 Ho, KY,
Veldhuis, J.D. Endocrinology and Metabolism 1 (suppl.):61-63 See Symptoms.
recombinant DNA
Homeopathic method of preparation of growth hormones and growth factors. While
all forms of growth hormone and growth factors come from the same sources,
homeopathic versions are diluted with infinitesimal amounts of recombinant DNA.
This process involves inserting specific DNA into the DNA of yeast and bacteria,
causing the organisms to reproduce a large supply of growth hormone/factors
identical in structure to the body's own. The yeast and bacteria are then
removed.
Cell Signal Enhancers®
(CSEs®
Proprietary new class of homeopathic medicines combining molecular biotechnology
and basic homeopathic principles. Manufactured by recombinant DNA technology,
CSEs are designed to help stimulate the body's own defense and healing
mechanisms to return it to its optimum performance level, maximizing health and
performance without toxic side effects, affordably. Patented process invented by
Dr. Barbara Brewitt, formerly with the National Institutes of Health.
dilutions
Common laboratory technique used to obtain the desired concentration. A dilution
will always reduce the concentration of the sample. Dilutions are ratios and are
generally expressed in terms of whole numbers and are reduced to the lowest
common denominator. The dilution ratio can be defined as the volume of sample
per total volume. The total volume is equal to the volume of the sample plus the
volume of the buffer used to make the dilution.
DSHEA (FDA)
Dietary Supplement Health Education Act. Signed into law on October 25, 1994,
DSHEA defines dietary supplements and dietary ingredients as follows:
a) a product (other than tobacco) that is intended to supplement the diet that
bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: a vitamin, a
mineral, an herb or other botanical, an amino acid, a dietary substance for use
by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a
concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these
ingredients.
b) is intended for ingestion in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form.
c) is not represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a
meal
or diet.
d) is labeled as a "dietary supplement."
e) includes products such as an approved new drug, certified antibiotic, or
licensed biologic that was marketed as a dietary supplement or food before
approval, certification, or license (unless the Secretary of Health and Human
Services waives this provision).
amino acids
Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-nh2) and a carboxyl (-cooh)
group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerised to form
proteins.
amino group
An -NH2 group. Organic compounds which have this group are called amines.
bovine growth hormone
A hormone secreted by the bovine pituitary gland. It is used to increase milk
production by improving the feed efficiency in dairy cattle.
growth hormone
Polypeptide (191 amino acids) produced by anterior pituitary that stimulates
liver to produce somatomedins 1 and 2.
growth hormone regulating hormone
Hypothalamic hormones that induce (somatoliberin) or inhibit (somatostatin) the
release of growth hormone (somatotropin).
growth hormone-releasing hormone
Hormone produced in the hypothalamus that promotes production of Human Growth
Hormone. [See Human Growth Hormone]
hormone
A naturally occuring substance secreted by specialised cells that affects the
metabolism or behaviour of other cells possessing functional receptors for the
hormone. Hormones may be hydrophilic, like insulin, in which case the receptors
are on the cell surface or lipophilic, like the steroids, where the receptor can
be intracellular.
peptide
A compound of two or more amino acids where the alpha carboxyl group of one is
bound to the alpha amino group of another.
pituitary
An endocrine gland located at the base of the brain, in the small recess of a
bone - certain sections of the pituitary each secretes important hormones
including growth hormone (GH) and antidiuretic hormone (ADH).
polypeptide
A peptide which on hydrolysis yields more than two amino acids, called
tripeptides, tetrapeptides, etc. According to the number of amino acids
contained.
precursor
Something that precedes.
1. In biological processes, a substance from which another, usually more active
or mature substance is formed.
2. In clinical medicine, a sign or symptom that heralds another.
Origin: L. precursor = a forerunner
secretagogue
Substance that induces secretion from cells, originally applied to peptides
inducing gastric and pancreatic secretion.
somatomedins
Insulin-like polypeptides made by the liver and some fibroblasts and released
into the blood when stimulated by somatotropin. They cause sulfate incorporation
into collagen, RNA, and DNA synthesis, which are prerequisites to cell division
and growth of the organism.
somatostatin
Gastrointestinal and hypothalmic peptide hormone (two forms: 14 and 28
residues), found in gastric mucosa, pancreatic islets, nerves of the
gastrointestinal tract, in posterior pituitary and in the central nervous
system. Inhibits gastric secretion and motility: in hypothalamus/pituitary
inhibits somatotropin release.
somatotrophin
Growth hormone, somatotropin.
somatotropin-releasing hormone
Hypothalamic peptide that regulates the synthesis and secretion of somatotropin
in the anterior pituitary gland.
somatotropin
Hormone (191 amino acids) released by anterior pituitary that stimulates release
of somatomedin, thereby causing growth.
somatropin
Synthetic or naturally occuring growth hormone from the human pituitary gland.
It is given to children with open epiphyses for the treatment of pituitary
dwarfism. Chemical name: Somatotropin (human).
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