Our Bloodstream: The Fountain of Youth!

Like intrepid adventurers, medicine men, mystics, and explorers have searched for the secret of life. Where might this fountain of youth be hidden? In some Himalayan Shangri-La secluded by a wall of skyscraping peaks? In some green curtained maze of vegetation in the distant Amazon jungle? Or in some undiscovered oasis of a forbidden desert?

What if the fabled fountain of youth were actually found in one’s very own bloodstream? What if the substances that enriched this life-granting stream commonly grew beneath our very own feet? If the ancients were correct in declaring, “The life of the soul is in the blood,” then a closer look at what feeds the blood is in order. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys (which includes the gonads and adrenal glands) are the seat of life. Think of the kidneys as a powerful filtration system for the bloodstream. The kidneys additionally send hormonal messages to make blood cells of various types, from stem cells to muscle cells. Every day our kidneys filter up to 200 quarts of blood and expel two quarts of toxins.

In addition to our kidneys, all the other glands act in concert, releasing hormones into this river of life. A hormone is a chemical messenger that goes directly into the bloodstream, instructing organs how to function. As we age, organ dysfunction, disease, and disability increase as hormonal levels decrease.

The age-related decline of the physical body is primarily hormonal.

One example is the decline of human growth hormone or hGH. By the time a person reaches 60 to 70 years of age, hGH levels have dropped to only 15 to 20 percent of what they were in youth. This is why an older person rarely has the body or the physical abilities of someone in their twenties. The reason for this is the lack of hGH leading to the body’s inability to synthesize protein. Therefore, when the collagen in our skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments is depleted, we become wrinkled and stiff. Additionally, there’s a difficulty in breaking down fat, causing it to accumulate.

As long as you have enough dopamine and norepinephrine (two crucialneurohormones) present in the brain’s hypothalamus, the pituitary gland will produce a vigorous supply of hGH, keeping you youthful. I’ll share with you how I make this happen. But, first it’s important to understand what blocks the pituitary gland’s production of hGH. There is another hormone that some researchers have labeled a “death hormone.” This is somatostatin. When somatostatin is secreted from the hypothalamus, it suppresses secretions from the pituitary gland such as hGH and also thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone regulates how the body uses food for energy. When somatostatin is secreted from the pancreas, it inhibits insulin production and glucagon, which controls blood sugar.

The question arises: if aggressive somatostatin secretion could be curtailed, would hGH levels increase, leading to reduced body fat, increased lean muscle mass, smoother skin, stronger bones, and greater natural flexibility? Would this lead to a dramatically increased life span? Would somehow increasing dopamine in the hypothalamus allow the pituitary to produce more hGH and cause a return to youthfulness?

In 1974, Dr. George Cotzias at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York was able to double the life span of mice by feeding them a derivative of the black velvet bean (mucuna), which yields L-dopa, as 4 percent of their diet. L-dopa has proven very powerful in helping people with Parkinson’s disease. Mucuna, which is a very rich source of L-dopa, grows freely in the southern US, as well as abundantly in India, where it is revered in Ayurvedic medicine and especially by Siddha yogis. I’ve been adding mucuna each morning to my oats. Oats contain the amino acid arginine, also known to elevate hGH levels.

It is believed that mucuna and another herb, epimedium (horny goat weed), can dampen the effects of somatostatin, thus increasing the youth-bearing effects of hGH. Two more things you can do to enrich your own fountain of youth are getting to bed early and enjoying deep sleep. Within the first 30 to 60 minutes, you’ll be secreting human growth hormone and replenishing your body. Another thing you can do is follow a regular program of heavy resistance exercise. This is another powerful release mechanism for hGH.

Here’s what I do for revitalizing my fountain of youth, I consume plenty of organic oats, raw hemp seeds, berries (blueberries, schisandra, and gogi), horny goat weed, and powdered mucuna. Your body is a natural growth hormone releaser if given the right stimulus to do what it knows how to do. Remember, our bloodstream is the real fountain of youth! Here’s where I obtain mucuna and also horny goat weed.

I’ve also made a short YouTube video for you. In it, I describe four things you can do naturally to boost hGH. I hope you enjoy this material, and thank you for being here.

 

Blessings from Turtle Lake!

Love, Peter