The Wild West of Anti-Aging Medicine
The Wild West of Anti-Aging Medicine
In its marketing materials online and on social media, Cenegenics claims its elite, pricey program—or "healthy aging plan"—will "reverse the declines of aging and protect your future health." Cenegenics clinics worldwide offer the same promise, from Boston to Columbus, Ohio, to Karnataka, India.
Physicians who specialize in so-called anti-aging medicine have long operated on the outskirts of the medical profession, and they draw their share of criticism, particularly for prescribing hormone therapy -- something Ledda does.
On a website called HGH Watch, longevity expert Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, characterizes the prescribing of human growth hormone (HGH) for anti-aging as "quackery and hucksterism." Perls, a professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine, also writes that hormone replacement therapy "and the drugs used to treat their side effects end up being hormonal toxic soups that can cause great medical and financial harm that far outweighs any long-term benefit."
But as physicians brace for growing numbers of aging patients who hope to live longer and have a better quality of life in their older years with less disease, some treatments previously waved off as too emerging, expensive, or even vain are slowly becoming more accepted. The idea is that aging is inevitable, yes, but it's also treatable—and even somewhat preventable.
"There's way more scientists who are coming around [and] agree with our approach of primary prevention," says Ledda, whose certification in age management medicine is a credential that is not recognized by mainstream medicine.
Still, the ranks of doctors who practice anti-aging and age management medicine are growing. The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine—which states its mission is to support research and technology that will "detect, treat, and prevent diseases associated with aging," as well as treatments "designed to prolong the human life span" and "optimize the human aging process"—now has over 26,000 members. Of these, 85% are physicians and 12% are researchers, scientists, and "health practitioners." (The remaining 3% is a mix of people, including members of the public.)
'Specializing' Without a Specialty
The question is, are these interventions that claim to combat the effects of aging based in science? Critics argue that the anecdotes and testimonials don't pass the rigorous standards set by evidence-based medicine. Without clinical trials, the purported effects aren't measurable or proven by legitimate science.
The Wild West of Anti-Aging Medicine
In its marketing materials online and on social media, Cenegenics claims its elite, pricey program—or "healthy aging plan"—will "reverse the declines of aging and protect your future health." Cenegenics clinics worldwide offer the same promise, from Boston to Columbus, Ohio, to Karnataka, India.
Physicians who specialize in so-called anti-aging medicine have long operated on the outskirts of the medical profession, and they draw their share of criticism, particularly for prescribing hormone therapy -- something Ledda does.
On a website called HGH Watch, longevity expert Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, characterizes the prescribing of human growth hormone (HGH) for anti-aging as "quackery and hucksterism." Perls, a professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine, also writes that hormone replacement therapy "and the drugs used to treat their side effects end up being hormonal toxic soups that can cause great medical and financial harm that far outweighs any long-term benefit."
But as physicians brace for growing numbers of aging patients who hope to live longer and have a better quality of life in their older years with less disease, some treatments previously waved off as too emerging, expensive, or even vain are slowly becoming more accepted. The idea is that aging is inevitable, yes, but it's also treatable—and even somewhat preventable.
"There's way more scientists who are coming around [and] agree with our approach of primary prevention," says Ledda, whose certification in age management medicine is a credential that is not recognized by mainstream medicine.
Still, the ranks of doctors who practice anti-aging and age management medicine are growing. The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine—which states its mission is to support research and technology that will "detect, treat, and prevent diseases associated with aging," as well as treatments "designed to prolong the human life span" and "optimize the human aging process"—now has over 26,000 members. Of these, 85% are physicians and 12% are researchers, scientists, and "health practitioners." (The remaining 3% is a mix of people, including members of the public.)
'Specializing' Without a Specialty
The question is, are these interventions that claim to combat the effects of aging based in science? Critics argue that the anecdotes and testimonials don't pass the rigorous standards set by evidence-based medicine. Without clinical trials, the purported effects aren't measurable or proven by legitimate science.
