PROGRAM OVERVIEW Since time immemorial, man has been searching for the Fountain of Youth. In European legend, a fountain of miraculous waters that preserve life or renew vigor was sought after. The concept was probably a fusion of a Hindu belief in a fountain whose waters would restore men to their prime, and a Semitic legend of a "River of Immortality" goes back thousands of years. As the two legends intertwined, they coincided with the belief in an earthly paradise or golden age, in which people would be free from disease and the effects of old age. American Indian lore established that a fountain of youth existed on a West Indian Island. According to legend, Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida in search for this fountain.

While there is no fountain of youth or a river of immortality that man has sought after for centuries, we have indeed found the fountain of youth through advances in modern medicine and alternative medicines which will enable man to achieve a 'golden age' that he has sought after for centuries.

So, while the mythical fountain of youth remains a legend, our approach will provide the treatment to reverse aging and extend the life expectancy, as medical science continues to increase at an amazing rate.

Approximately seventy percent of all anti-aging therapy encompasses the field of endocrinology. Endocrinology is the medical specialty that deals with controlled management of the hormones of the endocrine system, including estrogen, testosterone, growth hormone, progesterone, DHEA, cortisol, protactin and thyroid hormone. The aging process can be slowed and reversed by physiological hormone replacement, sophisticated use of nutritional hormone replacement, sophisticated use of nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes including stress reduction.

In addition, there are ways of modulating gene expression, even in patients with strong family histories of various diseases such as premature heart disease, cancer and critical infectious diseases such as aids, hepatitis c, TB and other viral diseases. The River of Immortality Anti Aging and Longevity Center and Aids Treatment facility will also offer therapy for prevention and treatment of diabetes, mellitus, coronary artery disease and hypertension.

The most widely recognized and addressable influence on aging is the decline of hormone production that begins in mid thirties. Perhaps one of the most interesting discoveries made recently is the fact that there is a significant difference between growth hormone and other hormones in that the body keeps on making large amounts of growth hormone right into old age, while, other hormones diminish in their production. Thus, the challenge in restoring youthful levels of growth hormones (GH) for most of us is not increasing our production or injecting the hormone itself, but releasing it from its sequestered state. We know now how to unlock the gates that keep GH from circulating in the body.

HGH, also known as somatotropin, is the most abundant hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. It is produced at a rate that peaks during adolescence when accelerated growth occurs. Daily growth hormone secretion diminishes with age to the extent that a 60 year old may secrete 25% of the HGH secreted by a 20 year old. Growth hormone is primarily released in pulses that take place, during the beginning phases of sleep, then it is quickly converted in the liver to its powerful growth promoting metabolite. Insulin like growth factor type 1 (IGH1) also known as "somatomedin" C. IGF1 elicits most of the effects associated with growth hormone and is measured in the blood to determine the level of growth hormone secretion. IGF1 promotes glucose transfer through cell membranes as a source of fuel for cells, which is insulin like effect. Thus the term IGF1, or insulin like growth factor. Most of the beneficial effects of HGH are directly associated with IGF1.

The decline of growth hormone with age, sometimes referred to as "somatopause" is directly associated with many of the symptoms of aging, including wrinkles, gray hair, decreased energy and sexual function, increased body fat and cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and more.

Many of these symptoms have been associated with “younger adults” who have growth hormone deficiency; in a sense, the biological age of these adults have surpassed the chronological age. The good news is that clinical evidence demonstrates that by replacing growth hormone, we can dramatically reverse these symptoms to restore hair color and growth, regain bone tissue, increase energy levels, and significantly reduce body fat.

Why do HGH levels decline with age? Researchers have examined the evidence and some theories suggest that the effects of changes in GH regulating hormones like somatostatin and growth hormone releasing hormone (GGRH) account for the decline in GH. The encouraging evidence is that the aging pituitary maintains the ability to release growth hormone, if it is properly stimulated to do so. Proper diet, exercise and secretagogues, when used correctly, allow the pituitary to significantly increase levels of growth hormone. Secretagogues are substances on the cutting edge of scientific research that stimulate the pituitary to secrete growth hormone. Thus, by examining the exciting clinical evidence that demonstrates how effective they are, and demonstrate the relationship between diet, exercise and the effectiveness of human growth hormone in conjunction with these factors.

Until recently, growth hormone therapy has only been available in the form of injections that have been prohibitively expensive and difficult to use. Now, there are natural secretagogues that have been well documented that indicating that these supplements may exceed the effectiveness of injection, or compliment injection therapy.

According to researchers, these cutting edge natural secreagogues may have the ability to more closely mimic the body's youthful growth hormone secretion patterns than any other therapies previously available.

Upon examining the influence on growth hormone and IGF1, and looking further at their complex interaction with other hormones that are centrally controlled by the pituitary gland, it becomes apparent that the Methuselah factor is contained within the pituitary system. There are many ways in which we interfere with the proper functioning of this gland and other endocrine organs - including improper diet and exposure to environmental toxins that block receptors with their hormone mimicking effects. At the same time, we have the tools to optimize the dietary influence on endocrine function and to unblock clogged receptors with the use of natural compounds. When we supply the proper peptides and other compounds, we "kick start" optimal pituitary function. Thus, as we develop a full understanding of the elusive Methuselah factor and its role in the maintenance of other hormones, perhaps we are creating the choice to live for hundreds of years.

Growth Hormone Deficiency

The pituitary gland which manufactures growth hormone (GH) is located at the base of the brain, and growth hormone is only one of many hormones it releases. GH production is controlled by its manufacturing cells called "somatotrophs" while its release is controlled by chemical messages from the hypothalamus. These important distinctions between GH and other hormones present options in treatment methods.

Studies have indicated that GH is released in four main bursts or "pulses" per day in young men, while young women exhibit more frequent bursts that collectively represent 50% more daily secretions of GH. Most of the day's GH release occurs at night during slow wave sleep, and the remainder is released in smaller bursts during the day, which are often determined by exercise and dietary patterns.

GH may be released about 12 times during a 24 hour period, but after age 50, the number and intensity of pulses is decreased. GH decreases about 14% every decade into old age to the point that some elderly people don't release any detectable growth hormone at all. GH has many effects in the body, and what it does may be best illustrated by what happens when it's not there.