American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Encyclopedia
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) is a United States registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the field of anti-aging medicine and trains and certifies physicians in this specialty. As of 2011, approximately 26,000 practitioners had been given certificates. However, the field of anti-aging medicine is not recognized by established medical organizations, such as the American Board of Medical Specialties
and the American Medical Association
(AMA). In addition to certifying practitioners, the Academy's activities include lobbying, education of the public, and public relations. The A4M was founded in 1993 by Robert Goldman and Ronald Klatz, osteopathic physicians
, and now has grown to 26,000 members from 110 countries. The organization sponsors several conferences, such as the Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine.
Several of the anti-aging methods recommended by the Academy have wide support among experts in the field, such as exercise and a healthy diet, but others, such as hormone treatments, do not have support from a consensus of the wider medical community. Many scientists studying aging dissociate themselves from the claims of A4M, and critics have accused the group of using misleading marketing to sell expensive and ineffective products. In contrast, the Academy sees itself as acting within science, stating that it bases its ideas on mainstream scientific research, and arguing that its ideas challenge current medical practice. The A4M's founders and merchants who promote products through the organization have been involved in several legal and professional disputes.
The activities of the A4M are controversial: in 2003 a commentary on the response of the scientific community
to the promotion of anti-aging medicine noted that the activities of the A4M were seen as a threat to the credibility of serious scientific research on aging. According to MSNBC, anti-aging advocates have responded to such criticism by describing it as censorship perpetrated by a conspiracy of the US government, notably the Food and Drug Administration
, the AMA, and the mainstream media, motivated by competing commercial interests. Thomas Perls
of the Boston University School of Medicine
, a prominent critic of the organization, has stated that claims of censorship and suppression are a common theme in what he calls "anti-aging quackery".
, their co-founder and president Ronald Klatz stated that "We're not about growing old gracefully. We're about never growing old." With Klatz being quoted in 2004 as stating that:
The A4M believe that an "anti-aging transformation" can be produced by a combination of interventions, which include hormone
s, antioxidant
s, lifestyle modifications and exercise. A 2002 presentation produced by Klatz highlights many widely recommended interventions to maintain health in old age, such as staying slim, avoiding smoking, regular exercise, maintaining an active social and sex life, continued mental stimulation, avoiding stress, a healthy diet, and moderate alcohol consumption. The presentation also recommends consuming antioxidant supplements, and avoiding tap water, which it describes as "dangerous" due to it being contaminated with toxic chemicals. The A4M argues that the application of this set of interventions can produce "practical immortality", which are human lifespans in excess of 150 years, and predict future lifespans ranging up to 200 years old before the year 3000. Writing in 2006, Klatz predicted that such dramatic increases in lifespan will be produced by emerging technologies such as nanotechnology
or stem cell therapy, which he states "shows ubiquitous promise for everything from stroke to spinal cord injury." With the discovery of such future technologies, Klatz believes that "Humankind will evolve toward an Ageless Society, in which we all experience boundless physical and mental vitality."
Writing in the 2001 issue of the journal Generations, historian Carole Haber of the University of Delaware
, states that Klatz' aspirations and the rhetoric of the A4M "reflect well-worn ideas and the often-enunciated hopes of the past", drawing parallels with the ideas of the 19th century physiologists Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
, Serge Voronoff
and Eugen Steinach
. Haber states that the current resurgence of these ideas may be due to their appeal to the aging Baby Boom Generation, in a culture that is focused on the ideal of youth. Haber has also discussed the strong continuities within the philosophy of the anti-aging movement, writing that "For Steinach and Voronoff, as for the members of the A4M, old age was a "grotesque" disease that could be scientifically eradicated through the correct combination of hormones, diet, and surgery."
and Nicholas DiNubile of the University of Pennsylvania
is the vice president. The Academy states that it has over 26,000 members from 110 countries, and that this membership is made up of physicians, scientists, researchers, health practitioners and members of the public. In 2007, the organization reported just over seven million dollars in assets. However, a 2006 review of anti-aging medicine notes that of the researchers who are interested in this topic, the "vast majority dissociate themselves from the A4M." The Los Angeles Times states that "Many physicians, researchers and scientists, delving into the physiological aspects of human aging, view the Academy's activities with disdain, saying that the organization is an inappropriate blend of scientific and commercial interests."
According to a review of the anti-aging movement published in 2005, the A4M is one of the most prominent organizations that are making "attempts at legitimizing anti-aging as a medical specialty". The review notes that these efforts at legitimization are contentious and have been rebuffed by some academic scientists who work on aging, who instead attempt to portray the A4M as "charlatans whose main goal is making money". The A4M disputes this accusation and their website states that "Although the A4M seeks to disseminate information on many types of medical treatments, it does not promote or endorse any specific treatment nor does it sell or endorse any commercial product.". In fact there is very little money to be actually made in "Anti Aging Medicine" according to Dr. Klatz. In a review of the history of anti-aging medicine published in 2004, Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University
, acknowledged the Academy's position on commercial interests, but noted that it "actively solicits and displays numerous advertisements on its website for products and services (such as cosmetics and alternative medicines and therapies), anti-aging clinics, and anti-aging physicians and practitioners." The Times
reported in 2004 that Klatz professes outrage at suggestions that he is motivated by money, quoting him as insisting that "The only thing that I sell are books...my website is non-commercial — we’re just trying to advance science." The Times went on to note a partnership between Klatz and Goldman and a business named Market America, which sells products that promise to “slow the ageing process”. However, according to a 2005 article in the Chicago Tribune, the company later pulled out of this contract.
The A4M's "American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine" (ABAAM) states that it offers anti-aging medicine as a specialty and gives educational credits to those who attend A4M conferences, but the New York Times states that the American Board of Medical Specialties
does not recognize this body as having professional standing. MSNBC also comment on this issue, noting that "as far as the American Medical Association or the American Board of Medical Specialties is concerned, there is no such thing as an anti-aging specialty." Robert Binstock stated in a 2004 review article in The Gerontologist that "Although the organization is not recognized by the American Medical Association, A4M has established three board-certification programs under its auspices—for physicians, chiropractors, dentists, naturopaths, podiatrists, pharmacists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, dieticians, sports trainers and fitness consultants, and PhDs."
The International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine (IJAAM) was another periodical published by the A4M. According to Life Extension Magazine, the name was chosen by the Academy as an alternative to their original choice of the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine when a different publication was started under that name in 1998. Describing the intended scope of this publication, Klatz is quoted as stating, "We hope to cover the waterfront of the entire field of anti-aging medicine, with a clinical focus." As of 2009, the A4M recommend this publication on their website as a good way of keeping up with recent developments in anti-aging medicine, stating that it "report(s) on the latest anti-aging findings". According to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
, IJAAM was published by Total Health Holdings, LLC from 1998 to 2001, on behalf of the A4M.
The contents of the International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine have been strongly criticised. In a 2002 letter published in Science
, Aubrey de Grey
described them as consisting of a set of advertisements for a "pseudoscientific anti-aging industry". According to Bruce Carnes of the University of Oklahoma
:
Leonard Hayflick
of the University of California, San Francisco
, a former editor of Experimental Gerontology, writes:
In 2009 the A4M stated that it is no longer associated with the journal and that it had sold its interests in this publication in 1999. They also defended the scientific quality of its contents, writing that almost all of its articles were reviewed by an editorial board before publication. Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University
stated in 2004 that this periodical is a "nonrefereed publication".
and who believe that no currently available intervention can slow or prevent aging. The alternative viewpoint is represented by people who the article states have "fewer credentials" and who promote a range of products that claim to have anti-aging properties. A similar observation was made by Business Week in 2006, when they stated that although anti-aging medicine is increasingly popular, there is "precious little scientific data to back up their claims that the potions extend life."
As an example of the first viewpoint, a 2004 review in Trends in Biotechnology written by Leigh Turner of the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey
stated that the products promoted by the A4M have "no credible scientific basis" and that "there are no proven, scientifically established ‘anti-aging’ medications". A 2006 review published in the Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine of the antioxidant
s and hormones that are promoted as anti-aging products by the A4M and the Life Extension Institute
concluded that these products have "minimal to no effect on improving longevity or functional abilities." In an editorial accompanying this study, Thomas Perls stated that although many unjustified claims were made about anti-ageing products, no substance had yet been shown to halt or slow the aging process. Similarly, the National Institute on Aging
, who are part of the National Institutes of Health
, published a general warning in 2009 against businesses that claim anti-aging benefits for their products, describing these as "health scams" and stating that "no treatments have been proven to slow or reverse the aging process".
The alternative view is held by the A4M, who argue that anti-aging medicine is "evidence-based, clinically sound health care." and state that "only those diagnostic and treatment elements which prove their validity through independent evaluations are embraced by the A4M." The Seattle Times quotes Klatz as describing those who doubt the validity of anti-aging medicine as "flat-earthers" who make unjustified criticisms that are not backed by scientific evidence, the article also states that Klatz "sees the science and medical establishments as out to get him." Though he has been quoted as saying, "I’m not against the AMA and I’m not against the establishment, I’m really for the establishment, I’m for technology I’m for science-based medicine. But the innovators are always 30 years ahead of the mainstream and that’s just the way it is with anti-aging medicine. We’re just ahead of the curve."
. The study was performed by Daniel Rudman and colleagues at the Medical College of Wisconsin
. Rudman had treated twelve men over 60 years of age with human growth hormone; after six months, these men had an increase in lean body mass and a decrease in adipose tissue mass when compared with a group of nine men who did not receive hormone. Members of the anti-aging movement have interpreted these results to support a role for growth hormone in slowing or reversing aging. A review in The Journal of Urology noted that this promotion of growth hormone as an anti-aging remedy is "arguably similar" to ideas that date back to the late 19th century, when the physiologist Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
advocated rejuvenating hormone products prepared from animal testicles and stated that "the injections have taken 30 years off my life".
The New York Times reports that the idea that growth hormone can improve "health, energy level and sense of well-being." is a core belief of the A4M, with Klatz writing a book in 1998 entitled Grow Young with HGH: The Amazing Medically Proven Plan to Reverse Aging where he states "The ‘Fountain of Youth’ lies within the cells of each of us. All you need to do is release it". A 2005 review in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation noted the long history of these ideas, but stated that the "concept of a 'hormonal fountain of youth' is predominantly mythological." Nevertheless, Klatz maintains that growth hormone reverses aging as a physical process and has described growth hormone as "the first medically proven age-reversal therapy." However, MSNBC reports that Daniel Rudman, the author of the 1990 study that sparked the movement, "issued many caveats and cautions about using HGH and never recommended its use to delay aging. In fact, he was horrified his study was being used to support the industry especially since heavy use of growth hormone can have unwanted side effects".
The New York Times states that medical authorities not affiliated with the A4M question the safety and efficacy of the use of growth hormone in anti-aging medicine, quoting Michael Fossell of Michigan State University
who stated that "hormone therapies are the new patent medicines -- cure-alls embraced by a too-trusting public." A 2003 review that was published in the Annual Review of Medicine noted that the long-term risks or benefits of this treatment are uncertain, that "neither the benefits nor the dangers have been defined" and advising that a "prudent physician should not condone the use of GH for normal aging". A 2007 review on the use of human growth hormone as an anti-aging treatment in healthy elderly people published in the Annals of Internal Medicine
concluded the risks of HGH significantly outweigh the benefits, noted soft tissue edema
as a common side effect and found no evidence that the hormone prolongs life. ABC News
interviewed Hau Liu of Stanford University
and lead author of the paper, who stated that people are paying thousands of dollars a year for a treatment that has not been proved to be beneficial and has many side effects
. ABC News also reported that the A4A disputed the conclusions of this review, quoting from an A4A statement which maintained that growth hormone supplementation is beneficial in healthy adults and which described arguments against the use of the hormone as a "heinous act of malpractice".
It is well-established that low-dose GH treatment for adults with severe GH deficiency, such as that produced after surgical removal of the pituitary gland
, produces positive changes in body composition by increasing muscle
mass, decreasing fat mass, increasing bone
density and muscle strength; improves cardiovascular parameters (i.e. decrease of LDL cholesterol), and improves quality of life without significant side effects. The extension of this approach to healthy elderly people is an area of current research, with a 2000 review in Hormone Research commenting that "Clearly more studies are needed before GH replacement for the elderly becomes established." and noting that "safety issues will require close scrutiny". A 2008 review of the controversy surrounding the use of growth hormone in anti-aging medicine which published in Clinical Interventions in Aging noted the opinions of the A4A on this topic, but suggested that high levels of growth hormone might actually accelerate aging. This concern was repeated by the United States National Institute on Aging
who stated in 2009 that:
The Clinical Interventions in Aging review also stated that although the decreasing levels of the hormone seen in the elderly might reduce quality of life, this change could protect from age-related diseases and cited evidence linking GH to cancer. This concern was mirrored in a 2008 review published in Clinical Endocrinology, which stated that the risk of increasing the incidence of cancer was a strong argument against the use of this hormone as an "elixir of youth" in healthy adults.
They go on to state that they have “valid M.D. degrees from a recognized medical school". Writing in 2004, the historian Carole Haber put this dispute into context, noting that "like the gland doctors before them, the leaders of the A4M have had their practices and credentials assailed by the medical and legal communities".
have stated that the use of growth hormone as an anti-aging product is illegal. However, Klatz and Goldman dispute this, arguing that this use of growth hormone is legal. The United States Department of Justice
states that growth hormone is a potentially dangerous drug and its supply "for any use . . . other than the treatment of a disease or other recognized medical condition, where such use has been authorized by the Secretary of Human Services" is a felony under the 1990 Anabolic Steroids Control Act. Similarly, the FDA has stated in a Warning Letter
that no growth hormone products have been approved as anti-aging treatments and supply for this use is therefore illegal and an "offense punishable by not more than 5 years in prison". In 2007 the New York Times discussed ongoing federal and state investigations into illegal trafficking of human growth hormone and anabolic steroids, noting that "many of the individuals and companies cited in the indictments have been involved with the academy and its conventions over the years". However, the paper notes that the Academy is not accused of any wrongdoing as part of these investigations and quotes Klatz and Goldman as stating that "they barely knew the suspects or the nature of their businesses". A May 2000 article in the Los Angeles Times suggested that, from an examination of the disciplinary records of doctors in California
, members of the A4M in this state were approximately ten time more likely to be disciplined than the national average. In the article, Klatz is quoted as commenting that:
, the A4M co-founders Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman are pursuing legal action against the online encyclopedia Wikipedia
in New York County Court, seeking damages for alleged defamation.
, a biodemographer
at the University of Illinois at Chicago
, who described it as "a lighthearted attempt to make the public aware of...anti-aging quackery". This "award" was presented by Olshansky, who stated that in his opinion, a "suite of anti-aging substances created by Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman...and sold on the Internet by Market America, Inc." had made "outrageous or exaggerated claims about slowing or reversing human aging". Writing in Biogerontology, anthropologist Courtney Mykytyn of the University of Southern California
states that this award appears to have been an attempt by Olshansky to protect what he saw as "'real' science from the taint of swindle." Mykytyn states that this involved Olshansky "tagging the A4M as fraudulent and its principals as profiteers". In response, the Academy filed defamation lawsuits, demanding $150 million in damages, with Klatz stating "We take great exception to Mr Olshansky and his tactics which have finally compelled us to file suit for various unprofessional and improper actions". Klatz and Goldman described this action as "part of a larger campaign of disparagement by Olshansky and Perls aimed at discrediting A4M and its founders". The Chicago Tribune quoted experts on libel law who stated that the action was an "almost unheard-of attempt to punish academics for comments made in their professional capacity". CNN states that Olshansky countersued and that "both sides eventually agreed to drop their cases". The Chicago Tribune states that the case "ended in a settlement, with neither side paying damages or the other's costs."
In 2002, Olshansky, Hayflick, and Carnes published a position paper, endorsed by 51 scientists in the field of aging, stating that "no currently marketed intervention has yet been proved to slow, stop or reverse human aging...The entrepreneurs, physicians and other health care practitioners who make these claims are taking advantage of consumers who cannot easily distinguish between the hype and reality of interventions designed to influence the aging process and age-related diseases,". The A4M responded by publishing a critique of what it argued were biased statements in this paper.
In 2009, Imre Zs-Nagy of the University of Debrecen
, Hungary
, defended A4M from what he called the "gerontological establishment" in an editorial published in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, a journal Zs-Nagy founded and of which he is editor-in-chief. Zs-Nagy defended therapies promoted by A4M, which he states are related to his own "membrane hypothesis of aging", as theoretically feasible. He described the conflict between the scientific community and the Academy as one pitting government funds, "personal gain" and "intellectual dishonesty" against the "independent, open-minded approach" of A4M, calling the conflict one of the "biggest scandals of the recent history of medicine".
Critics
Newspaper articles
Academic and governmental
American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
and the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
(AMA). In addition to certifying practitioners, the Academy's activities include lobbying, education of the public, and public relations. The A4M was founded in 1993 by Robert Goldman and Ronald Klatz, osteopathic physicians
Osteopathy
Osteopathy and osteopathic medicine are often used interchangeably for the philosophy and system of alternative medical practice first proposed by A. T. Still MD, DO in 1874....
, and now has grown to 26,000 members from 110 countries. The organization sponsors several conferences, such as the Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine.
Several of the anti-aging methods recommended by the Academy have wide support among experts in the field, such as exercise and a healthy diet, but others, such as hormone treatments, do not have support from a consensus of the wider medical community. Many scientists studying aging dissociate themselves from the claims of A4M, and critics have accused the group of using misleading marketing to sell expensive and ineffective products. In contrast, the Academy sees itself as acting within science, stating that it bases its ideas on mainstream scientific research, and arguing that its ideas challenge current medical practice. The A4M's founders and merchants who promote products through the organization have been involved in several legal and professional disputes.
The activities of the A4M are controversial: in 2003 a commentary on the response of the scientific community
Scientific community
The scientific community consists of the total body of scientists, its relationships and interactions. It is normally divided into "sub-communities" each working on a particular field within science. Objectivity is expected to be achieved by the scientific method...
to the promotion of anti-aging medicine noted that the activities of the A4M were seen as a threat to the credibility of serious scientific research on aging. According to MSNBC, anti-aging advocates have responded to such criticism by describing it as censorship perpetrated by a conspiracy of the US government, notably the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
, the AMA, and the mainstream media, motivated by competing commercial interests. Thomas Perls
Tom Perls
Dr. Tom Perls is the founding director of the New England Centenarian Study. Once based at Harvard University, the study is now based at Boston University.Perls is also the author of the online Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator...
of the Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was...
, a prominent critic of the organization, has stated that claims of censorship and suppression are a common theme in what he calls "anti-aging quackery".
Beliefs
The Academy's website states that the goal of the A4M is the "advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process." The website also argues that the "disabilities associated with normal aging are caused by physiological dysfunction which in many cases are ameliorable to medical treatment" and states that such treatments could extend the normal human lifespan. More simply, according to The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, their co-founder and president Ronald Klatz stated that "We're not about growing old gracefully. We're about never growing old." With Klatz being quoted in 2004 as stating that:
The A4M believe that an "anti-aging transformation" can be produced by a combination of interventions, which include hormone
Hormone
A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
s, antioxidant
Antioxidant
An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When...
s, lifestyle modifications and exercise. A 2002 presentation produced by Klatz highlights many widely recommended interventions to maintain health in old age, such as staying slim, avoiding smoking, regular exercise, maintaining an active social and sex life, continued mental stimulation, avoiding stress, a healthy diet, and moderate alcohol consumption. The presentation also recommends consuming antioxidant supplements, and avoiding tap water, which it describes as "dangerous" due to it being contaminated with toxic chemicals. The A4M argues that the application of this set of interventions can produce "practical immortality", which are human lifespans in excess of 150 years, and predict future lifespans ranging up to 200 years old before the year 3000. Writing in 2006, Klatz predicted that such dramatic increases in lifespan will be produced by emerging technologies such as nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
or stem cell therapy, which he states "shows ubiquitous promise for everything from stroke to spinal cord injury." With the discovery of such future technologies, Klatz believes that "Humankind will evolve toward an Ageless Society, in which we all experience boundless physical and mental vitality."
Writing in the 2001 issue of the journal Generations, historian Carole Haber of the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, states that Klatz' aspirations and the rhetoric of the A4M "reflect well-worn ideas and the often-enunciated hopes of the past", drawing parallels with the ideas of the 19th century physiologists Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard FRS , also known as Charles Edward, was a Mauritian physiologist and neurologist who, in 1850, became the first to describe what is now called Brown-Séquard syndrome.-Early life:...
, Serge Voronoff
Serge Voronoff
Serge Abrahamovitch Voronoff was a French surgeon of Russian extraction who gained fame for his technique of grafting monkey testicle tissue on to the testicles of men for purportedly therapeutic purposes while working in France in the 1920s and 1930s. The technique brought him a great deal of...
and Eugen Steinach
Eugen Steinach
Eugen Steinach was a leading Austrian physiologist and pioneer in endocrinology.-Biography:He was born on January 28, 1861 in Austria....
. Haber states that the current resurgence of these ideas may be due to their appeal to the aging Baby Boom Generation, in a culture that is focused on the ideal of youth. Haber has also discussed the strong continuities within the philosophy of the anti-aging movement, writing that "For Steinach and Voronoff, as for the members of the A4M, old age was a "grotesque" disease that could be scientifically eradicated through the correct combination of hormones, diet, and surgery."
Personnel and membership
The chairman of the A4M is Robert Goldman and the president is Ronald Klatz. The senior vice president is Joseph Maroon of the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and Nicholas DiNubile of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
is the vice president. The Academy states that it has over 26,000 members from 110 countries, and that this membership is made up of physicians, scientists, researchers, health practitioners and members of the public. In 2007, the organization reported just over seven million dollars in assets. However, a 2006 review of anti-aging medicine notes that of the researchers who are interested in this topic, the "vast majority dissociate themselves from the A4M." The Los Angeles Times states that "Many physicians, researchers and scientists, delving into the physiological aspects of human aging, view the Academy's activities with disdain, saying that the organization is an inappropriate blend of scientific and commercial interests."
Activities
The main activity of the A4M is outreach, education, and advocacy for anti-aging medicine. It does this through publications, on-line activity and sponsoring conferences: such as the "World Anti-Aging Congress and Exposition" and the "Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine". According to a 2008 A4M press release, "The World Congress is undisputed global gathering of international industry leaders" and quotes Klatz as stating, "our Annual Congress Sessions are regarded as the gold standard for physician education in advanced preventive medicine." Some of these conferences are in conjunction with an organization called the "World Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine", which is an umbrella group for several national anti-aging organizations that is also headed by Goldman. The LA Times, reporting from the 2004 annual conference of the A4A at Las Vegas, stated that this conference presented a mix of "scientific and technical presentations" and exhibitors selling "wrinkle creams, hair-growing potions, sexual enhancement pills and hormone treatments". In a 2008 press release about the Annual World Congress, the A4M stated that:According to a review of the anti-aging movement published in 2005, the A4M is one of the most prominent organizations that are making "attempts at legitimizing anti-aging as a medical specialty". The review notes that these efforts at legitimization are contentious and have been rebuffed by some academic scientists who work on aging, who instead attempt to portray the A4M as "charlatans whose main goal is making money". The A4M disputes this accusation and their website states that "Although the A4M seeks to disseminate information on many types of medical treatments, it does not promote or endorse any specific treatment nor does it sell or endorse any commercial product.". In fact there is very little money to be actually made in "Anti Aging Medicine" according to Dr. Klatz. In a review of the history of anti-aging medicine published in 2004, Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
, acknowledged the Academy's position on commercial interests, but noted that it "actively solicits and displays numerous advertisements on its website for products and services (such as cosmetics and alternative medicines and therapies), anti-aging clinics, and anti-aging physicians and practitioners." The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported in 2004 that Klatz professes outrage at suggestions that he is motivated by money, quoting him as insisting that "The only thing that I sell are books...my website is non-commercial — we’re just trying to advance science." The Times went on to note a partnership between Klatz and Goldman and a business named Market America, which sells products that promise to “slow the ageing process”. However, according to a 2005 article in the Chicago Tribune, the company later pulled out of this contract.
The A4M's "American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine" (ABAAM) states that it offers anti-aging medicine as a specialty and gives educational credits to those who attend A4M conferences, but the New York Times states that the American Board of Medical Specialties
American Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
does not recognize this body as having professional standing. MSNBC also comment on this issue, noting that "as far as the American Medical Association or the American Board of Medical Specialties is concerned, there is no such thing as an anti-aging specialty." Robert Binstock stated in a 2004 review article in The Gerontologist that "Although the organization is not recognized by the American Medical Association, A4M has established three board-certification programs under its auspices—for physicians, chiropractors, dentists, naturopaths, podiatrists, pharmacists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, dieticians, sports trainers and fitness consultants, and PhDs."
Publications
The A4M currently publish a periodical named Anti Aging Medical News, which they describe as "the leading business-to-business trade publication of the anti-aging medical movement and the official magazine of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine" They state that this periodical has received six APEX awards, most recently in the category "Meeting & Event Material". The Academy also publishes the proceedings of its anti-aging conferences in a periodical called Anti-Aging Therapeutics, this is edited by Klatz and Goldman.The International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine (IJAAM) was another periodical published by the A4M. According to Life Extension Magazine, the name was chosen by the Academy as an alternative to their original choice of the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine when a different publication was started under that name in 1998. Describing the intended scope of this publication, Klatz is quoted as stating, "We hope to cover the waterfront of the entire field of anti-aging medicine, with a clinical focus." As of 2009, the A4M recommend this publication on their website as a good way of keeping up with recent developments in anti-aging medicine, stating that it "report(s) on the latest anti-aging findings". According to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
Ulrich's Periodicals Directory is the standard library directory and database providing information about popular and academic magazines, scientific journals, newspapers and other serial publications....
, IJAAM was published by Total Health Holdings, LLC from 1998 to 2001, on behalf of the A4M.
The contents of the International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine have been strongly criticised. In a 2002 letter published in Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey is an English author and theoretician in the field of gerontology, and the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Rejuvenation Research, author of The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging and co-author...
described them as consisting of a set of advertisements for a "pseudoscientific anti-aging industry". According to Bruce Carnes of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
:
Leonard Hayflick
Leonard Hayflick
Leonard Hayflick , Ph.D., is Professor of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and was Professor of Medical Microbiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a past president of the Gerontological Society of America and was a founding member of the...
of the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
, a former editor of Experimental Gerontology, writes:
In 2009 the A4M stated that it is no longer associated with the journal and that it had sold its interests in this publication in 1999. They also defended the scientific quality of its contents, writing that almost all of its articles were reviewed by an editorial board before publication. Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
stated in 2004 that this periodical is a "nonrefereed publication".
Divergent views on anti-aging products
According to a 2002 article in the Seattle Times, there are two opposing viewpoints of anti-aging products. The article states that the first view is represented by scientists who publish their findings in the scientific literatureScientific literature
Scientific literature comprises scientific publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences, and within a scientific field is often abbreviated as the literature. Academic publishing is the process of placing the results of one's research into the...
and who believe that no currently available intervention can slow or prevent aging. The alternative viewpoint is represented by people who the article states have "fewer credentials" and who promote a range of products that claim to have anti-aging properties. A similar observation was made by Business Week in 2006, when they stated that although anti-aging medicine is increasingly popular, there is "precious little scientific data to back up their claims that the potions extend life."
As an example of the first viewpoint, a 2004 review in Trends in Biotechnology written by Leigh Turner of the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
stated that the products promoted by the A4M have "no credible scientific basis" and that "there are no proven, scientifically established ‘anti-aging’ medications". A 2006 review published in the Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine of the antioxidant
Antioxidant
An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When...
s and hormones that are promoted as anti-aging products by the A4M and the Life Extension Institute
Life Extension Institute
The Life Extension Institute was an organization formed in the United States in 1913 with the philanthropic goal of prolonging human life through hygiene and disease prevention...
concluded that these products have "minimal to no effect on improving longevity or functional abilities." In an editorial accompanying this study, Thomas Perls stated that although many unjustified claims were made about anti-ageing products, no substance had yet been shown to halt or slow the aging process. Similarly, the National Institute on Aging
National Institute on Aging
The National Institute on Aging ' is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health , located in Baltimore, Maryland.The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life...
, who are part of the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, published a general warning in 2009 against businesses that claim anti-aging benefits for their products, describing these as "health scams" and stating that "no treatments have been proven to slow or reverse the aging process".
The alternative view is held by the A4M, who argue that anti-aging medicine is "evidence-based, clinically sound health care." and state that "only those diagnostic and treatment elements which prove their validity through independent evaluations are embraced by the A4M." The Seattle Times quotes Klatz as describing those who doubt the validity of anti-aging medicine as "flat-earthers" who make unjustified criticisms that are not backed by scientific evidence, the article also states that Klatz "sees the science and medical establishments as out to get him." Though he has been quoted as saying, "I’m not against the AMA and I’m not against the establishment, I’m really for the establishment, I’m for technology I’m for science-based medicine. But the innovators are always 30 years ahead of the mainstream and that’s just the way it is with anti-aging medicine. We’re just ahead of the curve."
Human growth hormone controversy
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine was formed following a 1990 study on human growth hormone (hGH) that was published in the New England Journal of MedicineNew England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It describes itself as the oldest continuously published medical journal in the world.-History:...
. The study was performed by Daniel Rudman and colleagues at the Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin is a private, freestanding medical school and graduate school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was formerly affiliated with Marquette University....
. Rudman had treated twelve men over 60 years of age with human growth hormone; after six months, these men had an increase in lean body mass and a decrease in adipose tissue mass when compared with a group of nine men who did not receive hormone. Members of the anti-aging movement have interpreted these results to support a role for growth hormone in slowing or reversing aging. A review in The Journal of Urology noted that this promotion of growth hormone as an anti-aging remedy is "arguably similar" to ideas that date back to the late 19th century, when the physiologist Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard FRS , also known as Charles Edward, was a Mauritian physiologist and neurologist who, in 1850, became the first to describe what is now called Brown-Séquard syndrome.-Early life:...
advocated rejuvenating hormone products prepared from animal testicles and stated that "the injections have taken 30 years off my life".
The New York Times reports that the idea that growth hormone can improve "health, energy level and sense of well-being." is a core belief of the A4M, with Klatz writing a book in 1998 entitled Grow Young with HGH: The Amazing Medically Proven Plan to Reverse Aging where he states "The ‘Fountain of Youth’ lies within the cells of each of us. All you need to do is release it". A 2005 review in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation noted the long history of these ideas, but stated that the "concept of a 'hormonal fountain of youth' is predominantly mythological." Nevertheless, Klatz maintains that growth hormone reverses aging as a physical process and has described growth hormone as "the first medically proven age-reversal therapy." However, MSNBC reports that Daniel Rudman, the author of the 1990 study that sparked the movement, "issued many caveats and cautions about using HGH and never recommended its use to delay aging. In fact, he was horrified his study was being used to support the industry especially since heavy use of growth hormone can have unwanted side effects".
The New York Times states that medical authorities not affiliated with the A4M question the safety and efficacy of the use of growth hormone in anti-aging medicine, quoting Michael Fossell of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
who stated that "hormone therapies are the new patent medicines -- cure-alls embraced by a too-trusting public." A 2003 review that was published in the Annual Review of Medicine noted that the long-term risks or benefits of this treatment are uncertain, that "neither the benefits nor the dangers have been defined" and advising that a "prudent physician should not condone the use of GH for normal aging". A 2007 review on the use of human growth hormone as an anti-aging treatment in healthy elderly people published in the Annals of Internal Medicine
Annals of Internal Medicine
Annals of Internal Medicine is an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians . It publishes research articles and reviews in the area of internal medicine. Its current editor is Christine Laine...
concluded the risks of HGH significantly outweigh the benefits, noted soft tissue edema
Edema
Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...
as a common side effect and found no evidence that the hormone prolongs life. ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
interviewed Hau Liu of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and lead author of the paper, who stated that people are paying thousands of dollars a year for a treatment that has not been proved to be beneficial and has many side effects
Adverse effect
In medicine, an adverse effect is a harmful and undesired effect resulting from a medication or other intervention such as surgery.An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect. If it results from an unsuitable or incorrect dosage or...
. ABC News also reported that the A4A disputed the conclusions of this review, quoting from an A4A statement which maintained that growth hormone supplementation is beneficial in healthy adults and which described arguments against the use of the hormone as a "heinous act of malpractice".
It is well-established that low-dose GH treatment for adults with severe GH deficiency, such as that produced after surgical removal of the pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g , in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a dural fold...
, produces positive changes in body composition by increasing muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
mass, decreasing fat mass, increasing bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
density and muscle strength; improves cardiovascular parameters (i.e. decrease of LDL cholesterol), and improves quality of life without significant side effects. The extension of this approach to healthy elderly people is an area of current research, with a 2000 review in Hormone Research commenting that "Clearly more studies are needed before GH replacement for the elderly becomes established." and noting that "safety issues will require close scrutiny". A 2008 review of the controversy surrounding the use of growth hormone in anti-aging medicine which published in Clinical Interventions in Aging noted the opinions of the A4A on this topic, but suggested that high levels of growth hormone might actually accelerate aging. This concern was repeated by the United States National Institute on Aging
National Institute on Aging
The National Institute on Aging ' is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health , located in Baltimore, Maryland.The NIA leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life...
who stated in 2009 that:
The Clinical Interventions in Aging review also stated that although the decreasing levels of the hormone seen in the elderly might reduce quality of life, this change could protect from age-related diseases and cited evidence linking GH to cancer. This concern was mirrored in a 2008 review published in Clinical Endocrinology, which stated that the risk of increasing the incidence of cancer was a strong argument against the use of this hormone as an "elixir of youth" in healthy adults.
Credential dispute
The Academy's co-founders include Klatz and Goldman, who are licensed osteopathic physicians and have degrees as doctors of osteopathy (D.O. degrees). However, according to the New York Times, they also received M.D. degrees as doctors of medicine from a university in Belize in 1988, although the paper notes that they had not studied in Belize. In 2009 Klatz and Goldman stated that these degrees involved eight years of medical and surgical training and a year of clinical rotations. The New York Times reported that the Illinois State Board of Medical Registration did not recognize these MD degrees, and stated that the Board fined the men for using MD after their names. Writing in 2004, The Times stated that Klatz and Goldman "agreed to pay $5,000 penalties for allegedly identifying themselves as doctors of medicine in the state without being “properly licensed”." The Illinois Division of Professional Regulation disciplinary records state that Klatz and Goldman "agreed to cease and desist using the designation “M.D.” in addition to the appropriate “D.O.” title and fined $5,000. Both physicians did receive degrees as doctors of medicine, but were never properly licensed to use the title “M.D.” in Illinois" In 2009, Klatz and Goldman stated that Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation had determined that they are currently:They go on to state that they have “valid M.D. degrees from a recognized medical school". Writing in 2004, the historian Carole Haber put this dispute into context, noting that "like the gland doctors before them, the leaders of the A4M have had their practices and credentials assailed by the medical and legal communities".
Regulatory and tort issues
Two articles in the Journal of the American Medical AssociationJournal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
have stated that the use of growth hormone as an anti-aging product is illegal. However, Klatz and Goldman dispute this, arguing that this use of growth hormone is legal. The United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
states that growth hormone is a potentially dangerous drug and its supply "for any use . . . other than the treatment of a disease or other recognized medical condition, where such use has been authorized by the Secretary of Human Services" is a felony under the 1990 Anabolic Steroids Control Act. Similarly, the FDA has stated in a Warning Letter
FDA Warning Letter
The United States Food and Drug Adminstration defines a Warning Letter as "...a correspondence that notifies regulated industry about violations that FDA has documented during its inspections or investigations...
that no growth hormone products have been approved as anti-aging treatments and supply for this use is therefore illegal and an "offense punishable by not more than 5 years in prison". In 2007 the New York Times discussed ongoing federal and state investigations into illegal trafficking of human growth hormone and anabolic steroids, noting that "many of the individuals and companies cited in the indictments have been involved with the academy and its conventions over the years". However, the paper notes that the Academy is not accused of any wrongdoing as part of these investigations and quotes Klatz and Goldman as stating that "they barely knew the suspects or the nature of their businesses". A May 2000 article in the Los Angeles Times suggested that, from an examination of the disciplinary records of doctors in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, members of the A4M in this state were approximately ten time more likely to be disciplined than the national average. In the article, Klatz is quoted as commenting that:
Wikipedia
According to Courthouse News ServiceCourthouse News Service
Courthouse News Service is a news wire that law firms subscribe to. The company is based in Pasadena, California and has reporters in almost every major market in the country....
, the A4M co-founders Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman are pursuing legal action against the online encyclopedia Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
in New York County Court, seeking damages for alleged defamation.
Dispute with Olshansky and Perls
In 2004 a heated controversy was sparked when the A4M received a "Silver Fleece Award", which was invented by S. Jay OlshanskyS. Jay Olshansky
Stuart Jay Olshansky is currently a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Research Associate at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago and at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.-Biography:He received his Ph.D...
, a biodemographer
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
at the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
, who described it as "a lighthearted attempt to make the public aware of...anti-aging quackery". This "award" was presented by Olshansky, who stated that in his opinion, a "suite of anti-aging substances created by Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman...and sold on the Internet by Market America, Inc." had made "outrageous or exaggerated claims about slowing or reversing human aging". Writing in Biogerontology, anthropologist Courtney Mykytyn of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
states that this award appears to have been an attempt by Olshansky to protect what he saw as "'real' science from the taint of swindle." Mykytyn states that this involved Olshansky "tagging the A4M as fraudulent and its principals as profiteers". In response, the Academy filed defamation lawsuits, demanding $150 million in damages, with Klatz stating "We take great exception to Mr Olshansky and his tactics which have finally compelled us to file suit for various unprofessional and improper actions". Klatz and Goldman described this action as "part of a larger campaign of disparagement by Olshansky and Perls aimed at discrediting A4M and its founders". The Chicago Tribune quoted experts on libel law who stated that the action was an "almost unheard-of attempt to punish academics for comments made in their professional capacity". CNN states that Olshansky countersued and that "both sides eventually agreed to drop their cases". The Chicago Tribune states that the case "ended in a settlement, with neither side paying damages or the other's costs."
In 2002, Olshansky, Hayflick, and Carnes published a position paper, endorsed by 51 scientists in the field of aging, stating that "no currently marketed intervention has yet been proved to slow, stop or reverse human aging...The entrepreneurs, physicians and other health care practitioners who make these claims are taking advantage of consumers who cannot easily distinguish between the hype and reality of interventions designed to influence the aging process and age-related diseases,". The A4M responded by publishing a critique of what it argued were biased statements in this paper.
In 2009, Imre Zs-Nagy of the University of Debrecen
University of Debrecen
The University of Debrecen is a university located in Debrecen, Hungary. It is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in Hungary .-History:...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, defended A4M from what he called the "gerontological establishment" in an editorial published in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, a journal Zs-Nagy founded and of which he is editor-in-chief. Zs-Nagy defended therapies promoted by A4M, which he states are related to his own "membrane hypothesis of aging", as theoretically feasible. He described the conflict between the scientific community and the Academy as one pitting government funds, "personal gain" and "intellectual dishonesty" against the "independent, open-minded approach" of A4M, calling the conflict one of the "biggest scandals of the recent history of medicine".
See also
- Maximum life spanMaximum life spanMaximum life span is a measure of the maximum amount of time one or more members of a population has been observed to survive between birth and death.Most living species have at least one upper limit on the number of times cells can divide...
- ApothéCure Inc.ApothéCure Inc.ApothéCure Inc. is a Dallas, Texas-based compounding pharmacy that specializes in custom compounded formulas and nutritional supplements for both patients and physicians. The business began pharmacy operations in 1991. ApothéCure is a sister corporation of the Texas Institute of Functional Medicines...
- Strategic lawsuit against public participationStrategic lawsuit against public participationA strategic lawsuit against public participation is a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition....
(SLAPP Suits)
External links
Proponents- American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) - Official site
- American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine Special Information Center
- Anti-Aging events.com
Critics
- 'Silver Fleece' Awards Warn Consumers of Anti-Aging Misinformation
- Growth Hormone Schemes and Scams - Quackwatch
- hghwatch.com - Thomas Perls
Newspaper articles
- A Drug's Promise (or Not) of Youth Los Angeles Times
- Holding back the years with a little passion Daily Telegraph
- Holding back the years: Scientists say extended youth may be near The Seattle Times
- Want to live for ever? The Times
- Selling The Promise Of Youth Business Week
Academic and governmental
- Beware of Health Scams National Institute on Aging
- Can We Prevent Aging? National Institute on Aging