Q M5D1: Grandpa and Growth Hormone Aging is just a natural part of life. Unfortunately, as we age our bodies do not look or function as well as they use to. Many try to counteract the effects of aging through sensible modifications in their diet, exercise, and rest while others may seek renewed health and vigor through the use of “all natural” supplements or other, more extreme regimens. Beginning is our teen years, the human body undergoes great periods of growth, most of which is directed by hormones. These hormones naturally decline however, as we reach adult maturity. “Body image” can become a near obsession for some throughout life, even well into one’s later years. In the program presented in the video below, the effects of aging are managed by exercise supplemented by a prescribed combination of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (HGH). To begin, please watch the following video presentation: The Wellness Hour (2010). Jeff Life, M.D. – Cenegenics, Hormone Replacement Therapy (Links to an external site.) . [video file 1:47 minutes] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKilvCgBOtA&feature=youtu.be After watching the video, share your ideas about the following brainstorm question (Question #1) based on your opinion, research, and your own experiences. Begin immediately without completing your reading, no later than Tuesday. Question #1: If these programs are indeed medically managed and effective, should the laws regulating steroid and hormone therapies be lifted? Is this a responsible choice, in your opinion? Or has vanity simply trumped sensibility? Read the following questions and briefly describe your thoughts on the answer and how you come to that answer. This activity is intended to allow you to think about what you have learned and how you can apply it to problems or situations in the real world. 1. How would you explain skeletal muscle cell contraction were there no T tubules? 2. How would you design the skeletal muscle differently if there were no epimysium, perimysium, or endomysium? 3. If skeletal muscle fibers could store large quantities of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), how would you explain the change, if any, in our ability to run at top speed for a distance (or to perform any aerobic exercise)?