DHEA -- An Essential Anti-Aging Aid

DHEA -- What is it?

DHEA is hormone produced by the body. It is a very special hormone, because it can be viewed as a kind of "hormone stock" which is reconverted by a variety of different glands into their specific hormone products. Thus, it has a direct effect on the body's ability to produce any other hormones.

The other important thing to realize is that its production is very much an age-related phenomenon. The DHEA level peaks in early adulthood and declines steadily thereafter. By age 80 or so, its levels can be only 5 to 10 per cent of what they were at their peak.

What does this mean? Shouldn't they decline? Not unless you enjoy having deteriorating body functions. Artificially increasing the DHEA level will simply enable the body to function better, producing improvements in health as well as in lifestyle. For example, one improvement commonly noted is enhancement to long-term memories. However, there are others as well -- a slight increase in energy, slight moderation of hunger, and others as well. Also, an noted under the section on thyroid hormone, supplementing DHEA will probably also have a slight improvement on thryoid function as well.

Enhancing DHEA Absorption -- and Saving Money!

DHEA is now commonly available in health food stores. But how much should you take? Effective dosages of 5 to 10 mg per day seem adequate for most people, however, your individual needs can vary widely. Tests for serum levels are available as well. Life Enhancement Products, for one, sells the test kits (although they are not cheap). I have noted by observation that my urine changes color to a bright yellow when I take an excess amount. It is likely that most eveyone has a similar reaction, and this can be used as an indication of an excess. However, I caution you that you might want to check with a physician concerning the proper dose for you.

It has been found that absorption under the tongue is four time more effective that absorption through the stomach. Based upon this, you can save a lot of money if you want to do this simple trick. Instead of simply swallowing pills, make a tincture of DHEA! (A tincture dissolves the DHEA into alcohol, and the alcohol in turn makes the DHEA highly absorbable under the tongue). Using this, I can get over a year's supply for less than $15. It should also be mentioned that compounding pharmacies can do the same thing, however you will have to (1) find a compounding pharamacy, since there aren't too many around these days, and (2) get a prescription from a doctor for the tincture. The main disadvantage of doing it yourself at home is that your dosage level cannot be precisely regulated. However, for more precise judging, home test kits and observing your urine color might be effective. As in all these home health care practices, check with a knowledgeable health care provider if you have serious questions.

To make a tincture at home, I will tell you what I do which seems to work fairly well:
(1) I begin with a very clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid
(2) I add 300 mg of DHEA taken from capsules (3) I add 30 ml of vodka (30 ml = 30 cc = 2 tbs.)
(4) I tightly close, then shake or stir and let the mixture sit overnight
(5) next morning I stir it well
(6) I strain the mixture through a coffee filter into an eye dropper bottle (most of the sediment will end up in the filter)
(7) I pour 30 ml of distilled water slowly on top, flushing out the alcohol (8) I slowly and carefully squeeze most of the water out of the filter into the dropper bottle.
(Note that this will produce a slightly cloudy mixture, but it gets more of the DHEA into the final solution. If you wish a clearer final solution, do NOT do step 5, and simply carefully pour off the clear liquid leaving the sediment behind).
This procedure gives me about a month's supply, and I simply put a few drops under my tongue. The DHEA's effect is short-term; it should be used up in about 6 hours. Therefore, a few drops can be added two (or even three) times a day. Do not, however, take it at bedtime, since its action is slightly stimulating.