Achieving Optimal Health in Humans and Pets

Written by LIPPMAN, Ph.D., Richard

Recently, I spent hours with a talented businesswoman who values her health and energy. Jill has suffered from adrenal fatigue since arriving at middle age. I told her that most middle-aged people have significantly falling hormone levels and nutrient-absorption difficulties after the age of 40, especially women because they stop ovulating on average at age 41 (2).

I could see that my sharing of scientific information with Jill was not much help in solving her current problems. She continued saying that 50 milligrams of pregnenolone and an occasional 200 milligram capsule of TA65® seemed to revitalize her and set her on the path to an energetic and fulfilling day. I answered that pregnenolone is an excellent upstream hormone because it converts to many downstream hormones that are essential to health such as progesterone, cortisol, cortisone, aldosterone, and a half-dozen other adrenal metabolites. I further advised her to divide her pregnenolone dose in two and take half (25 milligrams) in the morning and half (25 milligrams) at night. This will reduce the risk of overdosing, and it will facilitate a better triage disbursement of necessary downstream adrenal metabolites.

Later, Jill explained her experiences with TA65®. Her 12-year-old dog’s head had turned from black to gray. To remedy the dog’s rapid aging and loss of pigment, she fed the dog three capsules of TA65® daily.

Surprisingly, after only two weeks (!), the dog’s graying hair was pure black again. She showed me before-and-after photos to emphasize her point. I remarked that three capsules of TA65® for a small dog is quite a large dose, but perhaps it is the correct dose for aging pets that have much higher metabolisms than humans. She agreed that this must be the case. Indeed, her dog’s normal body temperature was approximately 104 degrees Fahrenheit. When adult humans have a 104-degree temperature, they are usually at death’s door because their enzymes start shutting down and ceasing to function at about 106 degrees (2).

Given her successful treatment of her aging pet, I conjectured that aging adult humans probably need at least three or four capsules of TA65® daily to realize significant benefits such as increased energy and darkening of graying hair. According to Jill, one or two capsules just would not work.

Alternatively, I have recommended that patients balance their hormones and nutrients by pursuing a complete course of hormone corrective or replacement therapy. By using this method for several months, one can see that graying of hair seems to reverse it or at least doesn’t become worse.

Jill’s little rescue dog, Fluffy, was ‘rescued’ by TA65®. Jill said, “I really feel TA65® was a major component in saving my dog’s life and repairing her little body. She has gotten stronger, faster, and younger.”

Jill said that she and her female dog benefit from a little di-indolymethane (DIM-Pro2™), evening primrose oil, and a tiny amount of maca powder. She also recommended aldosterone (AldoSpray™), which she applies as a skin lotion to the sides of her face.

She recommended testing pets for weak adrenals with a saliva test kit sold for humans. These saliva kits will work for dogs if your dog salivates excessively because several tablespoons of saliva are needed to fill the test tubes.

Jill stated, “I still feel I am likely not optimal on estrogen but will need to sort this [out].”

In a later conversation with Jill, she mentioned a conflict between those who consume TA65® and those who practice hormone corrective or replacement therapy. I answered, “Not at all. Both methods help prevent and repair loss of telomere end caps commonly damaged during aging (1). I especially recommend injections of human growth hormone and IGF-1 twice daily, as prescribed by Dr. Thierry Hertoghe. These two hormones are found high concentrations in young people because they are the body’s premier repair system in correcting damages inflicted by aging (1).”

Still a third method of correcting hormones is consuming the Russian peptide capsules ‘Endoluten®’ (3-8). According to the literature, Endoluten® helps restore many of the endocrine glands damaged by aging. Endoluten® acts as a pineal gland bioregulator.

Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Hormone and Nutrient Imbalances

I explained to Jill that optimizing anabolic hormones, especially estrogen/ estradiol cream (Esnatri™) for women and testosterone (T-Pro™) for men, can be achieved only through regular blood and urine tests. Signs and symptoms of deficient or excessive hormones will often reveal themselves to knowledgeable practitioners of hormone corrective therapy (1).

Both in Belgium and the United States, Dr. Thierry Hertoghe of the Hertoghe School of Medicine routinely teaches how to recognize the signs and symptoms of hormone imbalances. However, few physicians have learned his methods because one must be extremely observant of physical signs and symptoms. This method is truly an art form that all physicians learned until blood and urine testing arrived in the 1940s. Since the 1940s, physicians have pretty much ignored this meticulous observation method in favor of blood and urine testing—which is unfortunate, in my opinion.

If physicians are willing to learn Dr. Hertoghe’s method, they can effectively combine it with blood and urine tests. These three indicators used together truly reveal hormone imbalances—trust me! For example, weak thyroid is typically determined by taking a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) blood test. If TSH is normal, doctors will refuse to treat a patient in spite of the patient having a dozen or more signs and symptoms of weak thyroid- which is also unfortunate, in my opinion.

On meeting Dr. Hertoghe, I mentioned that to become meticulously observant of hormone and nutrient signs and symptoms—Sherlock Holmes style—a physician should first become an accomplished portrait painter who has trained in having exceptional hand–eye coordination and observation skills. These unique and somewhat forgotten skills recognize subtle differences in the physiology of the face, hands, and other body parts. Indeed, the only physicians I have met who have this unique skill set are practicing dermatologists who routinely inject fillers and Botox® in exactly the correct locations on the face and hands for best aesthetic results. Interestingly, my favorite dermatologist, Winona Wong, M.D., Ph.D., is exceptional at these hand–eye skills, and she is also a portrait painter in her spare time.

Because I am also a portrait painter in my spare time, I have readily acquired Dr. Hertoghe’s hand–eye skills in recognizing hormone and nutrient imbalances. My hobby surprises most people, but it is my way of relaxing and calming down from a day of academic rigor and patient-related stress.

For example, common signs of adrenal fatigue that I saw in my portraiture paintings are dark or black circles around the eyes accompanied by eyelid redness, sunken cheeks, and flattened and thin hair on the top of the head (2). In Dr. Hertoghe’s The Hormone Handbook (1), I counted 29 signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue such as sunken cheeks. In many people, these hypo-adrenal (weak adrenal) signs can be remedied by consuming aldosterone (AldoSpray™) and hydrocortisone daily—and especially by using DHEA (DHEA-Pro™), another approach is the adrenal peptide- Glandokort®.

Alternative Methods

I recommend consuming three or four capsules of TA65® or its generic equivalent daily. The active ingredient in TA65® is the herbal extract ‘cycloastragenol’ (Figure 1). It is a steroid, and its molecular structure and biological activity are similar to those of cortisol (Figure 2) and even closer to those of ginseng and ginsenoside (Figure 3).

 

Figure 1: Structure of cycloastragenol according to Wikipedia.

 

Figure 2: Structure of cortisol according to Wikipedia.

 

Figure 3: Structure of ginsenoside (ginseng) according to Google Images.

For those with weak adrenal glands or adrenal fatigue, I recommend TA65® or its generic equivalents, namely hydrocortisone (Hydrocort-Pro™), prednisone and methylprednisolone (see reference one for dosages). Jill said that when she feels lethargic and listless, she sublingually consumes 20 milligrams of hydrocortisone (Hydrocort-Pro™). Within a few minutes, she will start to perspire while her body reboots its energy reserves. However, for routine maintenance, she consumes four capsules of TA65® daily to prevent episodes of fatigue and adrenal burnout.

As you may have guessed by my discussion, I favor a natural approach with TA65® or hydrocortisone and not a synthetic chemical remedy.

I sympathized with Jill and approved of her alternative approach to treating weak adrenals. I also reminded her that she must consume more protein and fewer carbs in her diet to strengthen her natural adrenal output. I advised her not to always try to be her own doctor. Instead, she should seek help from knowledgeable medical professionals. A month later, the following event occurred.

Further Questions about Hormone Corrections and Optimal Health

During another conversation with Jill, she announced emphatically that she had finally obtained optimal health without using blood and urine tests. I patiently explained that a wise patient should indeed continue to monitor his or her health with routine blood and urine testing. However, if she were truly convinced that she had achieved optimal health, she could use several alternative methods of treatment that I had found. For example, I encouraged her to

  • Do some extreme sport or activity that few women or men her age can do such as push a 150-pound trashcan on wheels up a 45-degree-sloped sidewalk, (my favorite of the suggestions).
  • See her doctor for an annual blood test and physical. And if the doctor refuses to believe the signs of youthful health from her blood work, the doctor may insist that she repeat the blood test several times over a period of several months! (These tedious events happened to me several years ago at a prestigious US hospital.)
  • Visit a cardiologist and undergo a routine 5-minute stress-EKG (electrocardiogram) workout on a motorized treadmill with electrodes attached to her chest. The cardio tech administering the test may read your unusual signs of youthful health and announce that an error must have been made when recording your age. Subsequently, the cardiologist understands that no error has been made, but in his disbelief, he insists that the test be repeated! (This happened to me 4 years ago.)

Jill was surprised by my three methods and admitted that she had not used them. She said that she would keep them in mind. I responded that if she was thinking about starting a serious exercise program, she should not begin until she had taken a stress-EKG test. It is a well-known fact that some people experience sudden death syndrome while exercising because a cardiologist has not properly evaluated them (2).

Conclusion

Jill thanked me profusely for my words of wisdom. In conclusion, I find many people today concerned about their health and aging, and they seek alternative solutions. Alternative solutions are great, but we must not forget the exceptional diagnostic skills of some practicing physicians. Allow these physicians to make their diagnoses and proceed to use alternative remedies for more positive and long-lasting remedies such as TA65 and hormone corrective therapy.

Reference

  1. Hertoghe, T. The Hormone Handbook, volumes 1 and 2, Luxembourg: International Medical Press, 2010.
  2. My personal observations.
  3. Karpov, R.S. et al. Use of Epyphisis Drugs in Clinical Practice, Tomsk Publishing House of Tomsk University, 1985,
  4. Mashkovsky, M.D. Medicines: Pharmacotherapy for Doctors Manual, parts 1 and 2, Vilnius ZAO Gamta, 1993.
  5. Novikov, V.S., Immune Physiology of Extreme Conditions, SPb: Nauka, 1995.
  6. Pierpaoli, W. and Regelson, U. Magic of Melatonin, 1997.
  7. Slepoushkin, V.D. et al. Epiphysis, Immunity and Cancer, Tomsk Publishing House of Tomsk University, 1990.
  8. Tepperman, G. and Tepperman, H. Physiology of Metabolism and Endocrine System, M: Mir, 1989.