The Science of Topical Fat Loss

I have previously stated that I believe transdermal prohormones to be the most effective supplements ever to hit the market. That statement must now be amended. Transdermal prohormones are indeed the most effective MUSCLE BUILDING supplements ever to hit the market. But, topical fat loss products have the potential to be an even bigger overall breakthrough in the never ending quest to improve body composition.

There are four areas that need to be addressed in regards to topical fat loss products and so called "spot reducers" in general.

First, one needs to distinguish between the products that are merely diuretics and those that the manufacturer (assuming they have a brain) actually thinks might significantly reduce body fat.

Second, we have to have an understanding of the andrenergic system, which is primarily what these products attempt to manipulate in order to aid lipolysis.

Bikinis and biceps: the world of female bodybuilders

Female bodybuilding used to be big – like female bodybuilders themselves – but it was a craze that wasn't built to last. Now its devotees are an endangered species.

We've been speaking barely 10 minutes when Sarah Bridges shifts her enormous upper body in the doll's-house dimensions of her chair and takes in a young man, kit bag in hand, framed in the doorway of the Dartford pub she runs with her husband, Bill.

'That's my three o'clock,' she says, waving at the newcomer, who it transpires has travelled from Dover for a physical appraisal from Sarah, one of the world's most experienced female bodybuilders. Ten minutes later in the pub kitchen the 26-year-old is ordered to strip and stand posing in his pants while Sarah points out his strengths and weaknesses. At the bar a trio of locals sip Kentish ales and pass around a bag of pork scratchings as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

But Sarah's dedication to bodybuilding is out of the ordinary. Fewer and fewer women in Britain are taking part in the sport; of those who do the majority are opting to adhere to more conventionally feminine classes like 'figure' and 'body fitness', seeing the bulkier frames of women like Sarah as a throwback to the heyday of bodybuilding in the 1980s, when bigger was better and Arnie was king.

THE USE OF HCG TO TREAT BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

In a  published study (1), a new and potentially exciting use for hCG in men is described: the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. It has been known for some time that hCG in vitro is capable of modulating the growth of prostatic cancer cells, leading to decreased growth rates, apoptosis, and cell death. Experiments leading up to this discovery were prompted by reports that hCG is capable of blocking metastasis of neoplastic Kaposi’s Sarcoma in immunodeficient mice. Further research showed that hCG administration led to regression of Kaposi lesions in AIDS patients. Interestingly, some recent research has suggested that contaminants present in some hCG preparations, rather than the hCG itself may be responsible for the effects of hCG on Kaposi’s lesions (2). These findings have led a number of experts to recommend against the use of hCG to treat Kaposi’s sarcoma. It would be ironic if “bad” science had actually contributed to the current research suggesting that hCG is beneficial in the treatment of BPH.
 

What is the difference between bacteriostatic water and sterile water?

 Bacteriostatic Water for Injection, USP is a sterile, nonpyrogenic preparation of water for injection containing 0.9% (9 mg/mL) of benzyl alcohol added as a bacteriostatic preservative, ie. Bacteriostatic water is sterile water which contains a bacteriostatic preservative

 Sterile Water for Injection, USP is a sterile, nonpyrogenic preparation of water for injection, which contains no bacteriostat, antimicrobial agent or added buffer. (Nonpyrogenic - will not cause fever)

 Sterile water and Bacteriostatic Water are made in special laboratories and are often used as a diluent for injections.

Bacteriostatic Water with isotonic NaCl solution for Injection  (the 1ml solvent that comes with HCG amps fromOrganon Pregnyl)

 Your Testosterone Estrogen Ratio

Remember those chem lab days.  Well, if you do, you may remember that sometimes the concentration of a solvent or chemical is more important than the absolute amount of the same.  What I remember even more is getting kicked solidly in the right buttock by my 8th grade chem teacher for goofing around with chemicals in the laboratory, but that's another story.

Again, though, the concentration is often critical and this hold true in the hormonal world as well.  For example, researchers recently found that it is the ratio of testosterone to estrogen that determines prostate cancer health more than total testosterone.

So what is a good T/E ratio?  A solid number for a 20 year old male is 30-40 with some guys shooting near 50.  Of course, some would argue that a T/E ratio that high makes it to where most guys can't think straight.  Regardless, youthful testosterone-to-estrogen ratios are quite high and are certainly ideal in terms of maintaining male health. A healthy, youthful testosterone/estrogen ratio is about 50:1

Of course, the problem is that guys, as they age, find this all-important testosterone to estrogen ratio steadily decreasing to sometimes even the single digits. The situation seems hopeless because all males find their testosterone simultaneously decreasing and their estrogen increasing.  This is assaulting our T/E fraction in both numerator and denominator:  you've got the numerator decreasing while the denominator is increasing.  Quite the "double whammy", eh?

What causes these rapid changes on both top and bottom in the negative direction.  Well, some of it is aging.  Males just naturally lose a little testosterone as they age due to mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA and oxidative damage and so on.  However, one of the greatest culprits is the extra pounds around our middle. Extra fat pumps out more aromatase which in turn pumps out more estrogen into our system.