10:46 PM PST on Thursday, February 5, 2004

By JEAN ENERSEN / KING 5 News

KING

How far would you be willing to go to turn back the clock? Some doctors are advocating human growth hormone as a way to stay young. But others warn it could kill you.

Lawyer Bob Huskinson works out seven days a week and downs two piles of vitamins every day. He also injects himself with human growth hormone.

"I feel as good as a I did when I was in my 20s or 30s," he said.

At 68, Huskinson has come a long way since this photo was taken 10 years ago.

"If I could go on pretty much like this, I'd be very happy," he said.

HGH is a natural hormone that the body slowly stops producing. When levels drop too low, the result is fatigue, depression, fading memory and poor sleep - all signs of aging.

"We have to do something about old age,” he said. “We can't let it just happen."

Ronald Klatz, founder of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, said prescription HGH can preserve youth.

"In relatively normal aging people, a significant portion of them perk up,” said Klatz. “More energy, more muscle, more bone, more life. What's wrong with those things?"

Klatz uses it himself, but former Harvard researcher and cancer prevention physician, Dr. Samuel Epstein warns of the high cancer risk involved.

"This is a very dangerous drug and should only be administered by a highly qualified endocrinologist for very specific purposes and with full and adequate warning to the patient of the risks," he said.

What would Dr. Epstein tell a friend taking HGH?

"I would say, 'stop immediately,' and recommend that he file a malpractice suit against the clinician who administered it," he said.

"One day in the not-too-distant future, I think it very well may be considered malpractice for a doctor to withhold human growth hormone from those people who are clinically deficient," he said.

While some experts say it will never be safe, others are convinced of its benefits. Bob said he's not waiting for agreement. He doesn't have time.

Even supporters of HGH agree that you should not be on the drug unless blood tests prove you are clinically deficient.