Ellis,

I am 61 years old and in excellent health. I am former professional
athlete 6'3" 203 lbs. I have been on testosterone, preglonelone and
progesterone cream for nearly six months with excellent results.


I had an appointment with my (female) anti-aging doctor yesterday.
My testosterone was 574 and she upped the prescription yesterday so
we can get it in the 750 range minimum.

[Perfect. - Ellis]


We went over my blood test and she was amazed that my IGF-1 was 179.
I thought it was low. We will shoot to get it above 350. I should
receive my HGH by next week. $250 a month for 1 unit per day, six
days a week.

[Your IGF-1 is "high" for somebody age 61, but "low" for anti-aging...
I agree, shoot to get it above 350... My IGF was about 520 last time
I tested it (about 2 years ago) and I haven't changed my dose... You
have to take IGF-1 test results with a grain of salt... The score
can vary up to 20% between lab and lab, and you don't really know
which one you went to, the high score or the low score lab... In
any case, 179 is about right for a healthy former athlete, from now
on forget about it because you will inject HGH. - Ellis]


She also put me on Arimidex and Deprenyl, which I requested based on
your recommendation and then my own research.

[Good, perfect. Even good doctors don't know everything, and
there is no shame for a good doctor if a patient does some research
to help yourself and help your doctor to help you, too... When
I went to Tulane (1963 to 1967), I never could have helped my
doctors to help me by doing research in the library, as I can do
today better and more easily with the internet... and I don't have
to pay tuition to be able to use the library... and I can do it
right from my home.... A lot of men our age (I will be 61 in
August) are not even on the internet, they don't even know how
to use a computer... - Ellis]


She thought IGF-1 of 179 was very high for someone my age, however,
could it be because I workout five to six days a week between my
wife, fitness class, and the weight room.

[All three of these are good sports, and good for your health!
- Ellis]


I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma (Stage 11) back in Dec.
2004, and had successful surgery. I have had several follow-up,
brain MRI as well as two followup Cat scans. I just ordered the AMAS
cancer test from Oncolob in Boston and will update that yearly. They
said the test can detect breast cancer when it is only the size of
the period at the end of this sentence up to 19 months before a
doctor discovers it.

[Perfect. Please let us know more about the AMAS... we had a
discussion here, on Rejuvenation, not long ago about the convenience
of taking the AMAS test instead of biopsies... two AMAS tests, one
to give you a result and the second to confirm it, are much more
reliable than a biopsy to detect prostate cancer... and biopsies are
dangerous "according to Ellis". ("according to Ellis" means it is
something that I think is so, but I don't have any proof that it is
true... but... A lot of people think I have pretty good instincts...
"I may not always be right, but I am never wrong!") - Ellis]


By the way, my mother died of melanoma after just 90 days, at the
exact same age that I was when I had my surgery. I did spend a lot of
time in the sun prior to the age of 40. I have not been in the sun
since my mother died over 20 years ago for any long exposures.


After my cancer surgery, I began researching how not to get cancer or
any other disease again. I have read at least 20 books and just
recently found this very valuable discussion list. I told my anti-
aging doctor about it also. Thank you very much for this valuable
information.

[Thanks but... tell us more about how not to get cancer...
"According to Ellis" the number one preventive is to keep your
glucose levels under control, which means somewhere between 70
and 90, if possible all day, and if not possible, as much of the
day as you can. I know I must sound like a broken record, but
"according to Ellis" this is the number one single most important
anti aging therapy. - Ellis]


Here's what we did once I figured out I had to take responsibility
for my own health. My wife, a dietician by profession, and I went
cold turkey to eating only organic food and have basically had no
sugar in over a year. I lost 22 lbs and she, who was in great shape
already at 5'8", 138 is now 125 lbs without doing anything else. She
is a fitness teacher and at 57 has the body of a 30 year old
women... but obviously has the aging skin problems.

[When you say you have had no "sugar" I hope you mean you have also
avoided BREAD and CEREALS and SWEETS too... and rice and spaghetti
and corn and pizza and potatoes and STARCH in general...

Study my Carbohydrate Thermometer... it is a fantastic aid to teach
you (and maybe even your dietician wife) a new way to look at ALL
food. It is very easy to memorize, so you are able to instantly
know what to eat and what to avoid, or at least if you are going to
eat it, you know it is bad for you, so you might not eat too much of
the bad. I always say, "Eat Twice of the Good and Half of the Bad."

But I think I have been avoiding bread and spaghetti and cereals and
potatoes so much that I think I have junk foods down to about 5% of
my total compared to how I ate before I drew the Carbohydrate
Thermometer...

http://www.rajeun.net/carbotherm.html

- Ellis]


She wants to wait and see how HGH works with me and then she too will
go on it. She is post-menopausal and does not take HRT at all.
However, it seems that she does not need it. High energy and very
high labido. We will wait to see what her blood test says.

From what I have read women need twice the amount of men? Can't seem
to find much information online about older women on HGH and the
effect.

[Women get less IGF-1 response to growth hormone than men do.
But they get good physical results anyways. It has been suggested
that estrogen interferes with the function of growth hormone, for
which reason we came up with this pattern for women, here on
Rejuvenation... more or less... On HIGH ESTROGEN days they should
take less dose... and on HIGH PROGESTERONE days they can take what
tehy didn't take on the high estrogen days... So, for example, if
their dose in 28 days is 28 iu, they could vary the dose as
follows:

1. .5
2. .5
3. .5
4. .5
5. .5
6. .5
7. .5
8. .5
9. .5
0. .5
1. .5
2. .5

3. 1.0
4. 1.0
5. 1.0
6. 1.0

7. 1.5
8. 1.5
9. 1.5
0. 1.5
1. 1.5
2. 1.5
3. 1.5
4. 1.5
5. 1.5
6. 1.5
7. 1.5
8. 1.5

- Ellis]



We also take all the supplements recommended in the book Life
Extension Revolution by anti-aging doctor Philip Lee Miller, M.D.

The fact that I am now in excellent health, will this decrease the
noticeable effects of HGH? What would you expect would be my
response, although I know it is individual?

[I expect you will notice you took a shot of HGH within one
hour of taking your first shot. I suggest that your first shot
should be 2 iu, or 4 iu, and then you can drop to 1 iu for 30
days... then "play it by ear" according to your results of the
first 30 days. No, the fact that you are in excellent health
will not decrease the noticeable effects of HGH, on the contrary,
they will be better. I expect you will feel more energy, you
will sleep better, your skin will get more humidified and also
tighter within 30 days... and you will continue to get better and
better long after 30 days... so make up your mind that you will
never stop as long as you are getting good results. I have been
on HGH for nearly 8 years, and I see no reason at all to stop
taking something that is like water, or chicken, or oxygen...
It is good for me, so why should I stop? I will stop the day
that I decide I don't want to live any longer, and that hasn't
even come close. - Ellis]



Although I am quite lean, I still have a little bit of fat at the
abdomen and some love handles but not very much. Will I see this go
away?

[Yes, probably. But it won't necessarily show on the scale, and
don't worry about the bit of fat on the abdomen and some love
handles... As long as you feel great, who cares? - Ellis]


I will start with 1 unit and see what the effect is. How soon would
you believe I needed to go to 1 1/2 units or 2?

[After your body has had a chance to build up some circulatory
system, which will be in about 30 days... You will be able to tell
that you have better circulation when you notice that your skin
is getting better, because that is what better circulation will
do right away: cause skin to get more moist, and better. Your
skin will take about 2 or 3 months for the bottom layers to get to
the top, and that is when you will be happy that you were patient
and didn't stop taking HGH because your skin didn't get beautiful
on the first day. - Ellis]



Is monitoring my blood work every six months adequate?

[It is more than necessary. Monitor your blood when you change
your dose, to check to see that it is not too much, but you really
don't have to worry about 2 iu being too much, because I have
already been there and tested it... You are bigger than I am so I
am sure 2 iu (my dose) is not going to cause you any side effects
at all... so in my opinion, don't bother to test after 6 months...
What will you do differently if it comes out that you have IGF-1
of 350, or if it comes out IGF-1 of 500? - Ellis]

Thanks so much for your knowledge and help.

Richard M
Arizona

[It is my pleasure. Keep us informed, and thanks for writing.
Tell your doctor to come and join us... she seems like a smart
doctor, which is a vanishing species... and she'll find good
company with many other good doctors here.

Three stars for this post. "Three stars" means that I think
that between what you wrote and what I wrote, this is a better
than usual post, so I think you should open it up and read it.
It is just a way to attract your attention to a good post, not
an Academy Award...- Ellis]