Homeopathic hGH and IGF-1 for Stress Relief

Homeopathic hGH and IGF-1 for Stress Relief
Barbara Brewitt, Ph.D., M.Div.

Chronic stress is an unfortunate fact of modern life, with well-documented detrimental effects on physical, psychological, and emotional functioning. It causes a breakdown in the ability of our cells to communicate with each other and manifest physical and mental health. Our whole body-mind-spiritual presence, including our physiological and psychological abilities to deal with stress can be adjusted towards a healthier balance with the use of scientifically evaluated, clinically proven homeopathic hGH and IGF-1 products by Biomed Comm, Inc..

Stress, real or perceived, arises from both external and internal causes. External stress arises from events in our everyday life, such as pressure to speed up work and/or to constantly multi-task to achieve a goal. Frustrations, anger, and interpersonal conflicts arise as reactions to external stress and often contribute to a higher level of stress. When we are unable to meet our needs and perceive obstacles that block achievement of our goals, we experience the mounting emotions of stress. Internal stress occurs when we cannot identify our goals, needs, and desires. During such times it is common to be self-reproachful, lose our sense of self worth, and feel incompetent and depressed. Internal stress arises when we must choose between two or more options about which we have conflicting emotions.

Human growth hormone (hGH) and insulin-like-growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are two signaling proteins in the body that regulate how information is managed. There are specific neural pathways that inform the nervous system and physical body how and when to react to stresses based on our emotions, memories, and learned knowledge. Stress signals are carried through the nervous system to the hormonal (endocrine) and immune systems so that the physical body can align with the emotional/psychological perceptions of danger. HGH and IGF-1 pivotally influence the stress response because they regulate how information in the nervous system is used and when stress signal responses should be accessed. HGH and IGF-1 influence which cells react to stress to survive and thrive and which cells die. Under conditions of external stress, such as toxic or under-nourishment. IGF-1 plays a crucial role in determining what neurons in the brain survive or die. IGF-1 and hGH significantly affect our emotions and sensory input which consequently drive our perception of reality. It is our perceptions of reality that determine how we respond to a situation.

Memories, emotions and learned knowledge are stored deep in the brain in discrete regions called the ‘hippocampus’ and ‘amygdala’ (a-mig-da-la). The hippocampus is responsible for storing memories as well as processing spatial and temporal information. The amygdala processes sensory input as well as the associated survival mood-responses such as fear, anger, and aggression. Both brain regions are part of the “limbic system”. Messages from the limbic system travel into the nervous system’s “mainframe”, called the hypothalamus, which then disperses directions to the hormonal control point, called the pituitary gland. IGF-1 and hGH have specific receptors (antennas) that are densely present on the cells in the limbic system. This knowledge has lead scientists to appreciate that IGF-1 and hGH are actively involved in regulating how we perceive reality and manage our behaviors, memories, and wisdom.

A healthy body harmoniously coordinates information flow between the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems through bi-directional gating. HGH and IGF-1 are two major players in regulating this bi-directional flow. Survival depends upon the speed in which the body can adapt and change to the new information provided to it by the senses and the limbic system. It may be surprising, but scientists now know that under stressful situations the limbic system actually directs the body’s metabolism and capacity for physical reactivity based on “fight or flight” decisions deemed appropriate for the situation at hand.

Living under conditions of ever-present stress results in continuous activation of the “fight-or-flight” response, rather than short-term bursts of use in emergencies. The molecules released during the “fight-or-flight” response, such as epinephrine, norepinephrine (adrenaline), and cortisol (a member of a family of molecules called glucocorticoids) produce desirable changes in the short term but can result in undesirable physiologic and psychological changes when continually present. Chronic adrenaline stimulation includes increased blood pressure, digestive system instability, disturbed sleep-wake cycles, depressed mood, and a poor sense of well-being. Glucocorticoids such as cortisol stimulate our bodies to break down muscle for use as energy, but also encourage the storage of energy as fat.

Over time, the wear and tear on our bodies from ongoing stimulation as well as the constant exposure to environmental pollutants and toxins result in a decreased ability of our cells to repair themselves and communicate with each other. This manifests itself as aging, with its host of associated symptoms: decreased metabolism, weight gain, decreased energy, deranged sleep cycles, fluctuating appetite, labile mood, and many others. Chronic glucocorticoid stimulation also decreases the release of hGH from the pituitary gland. This deprives us of the beneficial effects of hGH and its messenger IGF-1 such as increased skeletal muscle, improved pumping action of the heart, increased oxygen uptake by our bodies, decreased fat production, increased energy levels, improved sleep patterns, and improved mood with less emotional lability.

Chronic stress may well lead to decreased levels of growth hormone.
Clinical studies completed by Biomed Comm, Inc. showed that “healthy people” ages 18-72 years old participating in three different cities had lower than normal levels of IGF-1. IGF-1 is an accepted measure of hGH activity in the body. Regular exercise was not an important variable contributing to this observation. It is possible that the chronic stress of our lifestyles contributes to this phenomenon.

The randomized, double-blind placebo controlled studies, published in the peer-reviewed journal Alternative and Complementary Therapie, 1999, proved that oral chewable tablets of homeopathic hGH not only supported a physically healthy body, it supported a healthy sense of well being and improved people’s ability to deal with stress. There were statistically significant treatment effects in people’s abilities to cope with internal stress: increased energy, decreased anxiety, decreased anger, decreased apathy, decreased blood pressure, decreased shortness of breath and improved quality of sleep compared to the placebo group. This is the first clinical study to demonstrate that a homeopathically prepared hGH taken orally resulted in similar beneficial effects as injectable prescription-only hGH, but without the unwanted side effects or the exorbitant costs. The physical benefits of oral homeopathic hGH are statistically significant as well, and include loss of inches around the hips, waist and loss of total weight that was measured as a decrease in fat mass. People also increased lean body mass (mass without fat such as muscle, bone and organ density) so that total lean mass to total mass ratio on the body increased.

IGF-1 is even more significant to the psychological state than hGH. IGF-1 in the body is known to regulate signals from the limbic system, increase muscle endurance to exercise, increase mental information-processing speed, protect neural cell integrity, encourage neural cell healing, and decrease neural cell death. Double-blind, placebo controlled clinical studies demonstrated statistically significant decreases in fear, irritability, discontent, and pain from homeopathic IGF-1 compared to placebo. People who were diagnosed as “depressed” and participating in a small double-blinded, placebo-controlled study could be identified as to who was on treatment or placebo by their observable shift in attitude, eye contact, and general disposition about life. There was a statistically significant lowering of or disappearance of depression and the number of symptoms associated with depression in the treatment group compared to placebo as measured by a standard, reliable assessment tool. Homeopathic IGF-1 had a specific and significant effect on a person’s negative self-talk. Increased energy and endurance plus the ability to concentrate are key features of taking homeopathic IGF-1.