Anti Aging works on delivering longer life as a biological outcome of delivering better health.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."Â Margaret Mead.
“To grow old in a beautiful and dignified way is at the same time a science and an art.â€Â Professor Ana Aslan.
What is Aging?
Aging is perhaps an evocative term, relating as it does to a human process which while many consider natural, is in fact being thought of by more and more scientists, researchers and physicians, as a disease.
The only difference between the ‘aging disease' and other diseases is that it affects every man and woman on the planet!
Aging and Hormones
Over the last 40 years, we have recorded the human condition of aging, charting the progress of various chemical reactions and the output of hormones.
These are hormones, such as human growth hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), melatonin and thymus. The results show that many of these functions reduce in frequency, strength and production as we age.
One of the most obvious results of this decline is a reduction in the function of the immune system, which in turn leads to easier and greater infection and disease.
However, not all hormones decline as we age; a few actually increase. For example; cortisol is a hormone responsible for stress and muscle breakdown; another is prolactin, which is a hormone that is involved in fat synthesis.
Clearly, these results reflect what we all already know about aging, but with a difference - they are the causes.
So the foundation of optimum health may be viewed like a pyramid. The basis of good health and longevity lies in a foundation of genetic makeup, lifestyle, exercise and nutrition.
Further up the scale we know that vitamins, minerals, hormones and indeed some drugs can play an important role in maintaining optimal performance and health.
The scientists, D. Pearson and Sandy Shaw dropped this bombshell on the world in the mid-seventies with their book Life Extension. It exploded the myth that nothing could be done about aging.
They pointed out that the use of nutrition, mega-vitamins, hormones and some drugs help improve and maintain better health in old age, both as a preventative (i.e. growing older) and as a treatment.
Anti-Aging Medicine
Anti-aging medicine is the stimulation and addition of “natural†human elements to help ensure that the body is able to repair and regenerate itself, utilizing the same chemicals it relies on day in, day out, but making their availability greater in older age.
In short, anti-aging is the supplementation of the body's needs as we age, to help it continue to perform as well as it did when we were in our twenties. Nobel prize laureate, L Pauling called it orthomolecular medicine.
For example, DHEA, an adrenal gland sterone that is found in high quantities in human blood, begins to rapidly decline after the mid-twenties.
By the time we reach 70, it is only a small fraction of what it was 50 years earlier. The maintenance of DHEA to twenties levels has been shown to increase energy, well being and strengthen the immune system. This is just one small example of what a properly maintained anti-aging program can do.
Since Pearson and Shaw pointed out the benefits of their “Life Extension†program, many other eminent figures have stepped in where they left off.
The main drive in anti-aging medicine has been from the United States and many hundreds of researchers, scientists and physicians with specific interests in the aging disorder, have formed the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and the International College for Advancement of Longevity Medicine (InCALM).
One aspect of aging that is rallying great interest is the mitochondria - the tiny “power plants†which are in each individual cell.
They produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) - the universal energy molecule that our bodies utilize for every function.
They also help produce a chemical called pregnenolone which is the initial material for all the neuro-steroids* and sterones in our bodies.
As you can see, these tiny mitochondria have a very important job to do, but they are easily damaged. And as the mitochondria become damaged, the organ they support becomes damaged too.
It is important therefore to help prevent this damage from occurring and products such as idebenone have been shown to be highly effective in doing just that.
Every organ contains ribonucleic acids (RNA's) that help the organ repair and regenerate. Each organ appears to have a different set of RNA's to perform its particular role. As such RNA replacement therapy has proved useful, particularly for the elderly both in terms of improved well being and extended organ capabilities.
The good news is that laboratory experiments have shown, for example, that liver samples from both the young and elderly perform almost identically when given the same correct environmental conditions.
In other words optimum nutrition through simulating bodily chemical processes, both in terms of hormones, vitamins and amino-acids etc., benefits the aging process to a far greater degree than previously imagined.
One of the main areas of concern in aging is the brain. This central command organ is perhaps the most overlooked organ today in terms of nutrition.
After all, your average physician may be able to suggest a diet for your heart or for your kidneys, but what about your brain and your memory? This is compounded by the fact that the brain contains a unique protective sheath called the ‘brain blood barrier.'
This barrier proves a difficult obstacle for many supplements to pass through, but its presence is unquestionable. Unlike other organs the brain doesn't possess the ability to renew its cells; once they die they're gone.
In fact the decline of certain brain chemicals has lead some neurologists to state that “if we all live long enough we would all become senile.â€
Therefore the protection and enhancement of brain function has become one of the cornerstones of anti-aging medicine. The improvement and correction of brain function has been achieved with the use of nootropic* nutrients and drugs - the so-called Smart Drugs.
Ward Dean MD has written a best selling series of books, pointing out the clinical trials of such products and their affect upon those who used them.
Dr. Dean proved in his Smart Drug series of books, that the use of nootropic* nutrients and drugs have positive benefits for those concerned about age related mental decline, as well as the onset of senile dementia.
Correcting and preventing brain deterioration is easier when caught as early as possible. For example who is aware that Parkinson's disease is caused by a decline in a brain neurotransmitter called dopamine?
The disease is only diagnosed as Parkinson's Disease (Mohammed Ali is one of its victims) after the person has already lost 80% of their dopamine levels! There is a linear affect in the loss of dopamine each decade.
Drugs such as deprenyl have been used as a preventative for this loss by increasing and stabilizing dopamine levels when taken in small but regular doses.
This is just one example of improving brain function. Of course there are also outside factors that affect aging. Stress is certainly one, but others include environmental factors such as pollution, toxic metals, chemicals in the food chain, air and water supply, as well as the inability for modern food processing and junk food to supply the optimum doses of nutritional needs.
While regulatory bodies in many countries have fixed so-called Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA's), these only represent the Minimum Daily Allowances (MDA's).
For example 30mg of vitamin C per day prevents scurvy, but this is hardly optimum nutrition. Even though many nutritionists recognize that teenagers and pregnant women require extra nutrition, the needs of the particular individual and especially the aging individual are completely overlooked.
Aging and Anti-Oxidants
Potent antioxidants are necessary because we can no longer put our complete faith in the food chain and the environment.
What are the long-term toxic effects of pesticides and fluoride? Will we look back in 20 years time and consider them to be as sinister as we do with DDT and asbestos today?
But, the aging process tends more and more to be a failure on behalf of the DNA to replicate itself correctly, leading to a gradual decline in the function of various organs, until eventually a complete organ failure leads to one form of death or another.
It's therefore likely that the major scientific breakthroughs to combat the process will consist of altering or stabilizing DNA.
There are already a number of leading genetic scientists studying the DNA strain specifically for the changes that occur in aging.
It appears that the telomers that are attached to the chromosomes on the DNA spiral result in becoming shortened through the inability of the telomer to reproduce itself precisely each time it repairs itself. With this comes a “knock on†effect to other organs, for example a reduction in the output of thyroid hormones.
Dr. Kleinsek, a leading specialist in the anti-aging field, has discovered that the correct reintroduction of the thyroid hormone (for example) will help repair the telomers responsible for the thyroid to their original and correct structure.
In other words this is a two way street: it appears that the telomers can be repaired even if damage has already occurred. What we need to do now is take a blood test, examine the DNA structure,see what specific damage has occurred to the individual, and then reintroduce the correct and precise hormones to repair this damage.
Dr. Kleinsek, a leading genetic scientist in the anti-aging field has discovered that the correct reintroduction of thyroid hormone (for example) will help repair the telomers responsible for the thyroid to their original and correct structure.
In other words, the telomers can be repaired even if damage has already occurred. We envisage that the future will involve a blood test that examines the DNA structure to see what specific damage has occurred to the individual.
Then it will reintroduce the correct and precise hormones to repair this damage by carefully pin pointing the damage instead of blasting the cells with unnecessary quantities of the thyroid hormone. What we need to know is what the role is of these millions of telemars and chromosomes. This may be a daunting task, but it is one that Dr. Kleinsek feels we are less than 5 years away from.
We already understand many of the changes and some of the principles of the aging process. The force maneuvering this indicates that major breakthroughs are just around the corner. It is generally felt within the industry that the present generation will witness these feats.
The main focus for optimal health and living longer both now and in the immediate future can be seen in all of the following groups:
1- Genetics: (not many of us get to choose our parents!)
2- Lifestyle: With the reduction of stress, good clean living practices that we all understand such as not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, avoiding narcotics, eating fresh foods in a balanced diet, drinking clean pure water and avoiding radiation, heavy metals and pollution etc.
3- Toxins: Avoiding them as best we can including the lesser known toxins such as fluoride, aluminum and pesticides etc.
4- Exercise: It doesn't need to be intense but regular.
5- Karma: Massage and relaxation techniques to provide inner-calm for the soul.
6- Nutrition: Undertaken with balanced multi-vitamins and minerals to ensure that all nutritional needs are being met, especially as these needs usually increase with age.
7- Anti-Oxidants: Using them to eradicate free radicals (a primary cause of premature aging) and to help eliminate pollutants, in turn have major benefits for the long-term health of an individual.
8- Chelation*: To help flush-out heavy metals.
9- Immune System: Enhancement and support to ensure that infections do not become a major problem and the occasional use (as required) of natural anti-biotics to free yourself from more persistent bacteria and viruses etc. These are very important tasks to ensure that serious aging disorders and diseases do not appear.
10- Nootropics:* The regular use of Smart Drugs and nutrients to provide that the brain remains working at an optimum level and to ensure thorough enhancement and protection that its easy oxidation (deterioration) does not lead to serious senile dementia. This cannot be over-stated, as clearly the brain is the command center of a hierarchy of organs.
11- Hormone Maintenance: The use of hormones and precursors to ensure that they remain at the approximate levels of healthy 25 year-old and that this in turn leads to improved mental and physical capabilities.
12- Excess: Keeping age-increasing hormones such as cortisol and prolactin in check and ensuring that age-inducing enzymes such as MAO do not interfere with brain neurotransmitters.
13- Energy: Provide protection and support for the energy producing processes within the body, especially for the mitochondria (the cells that produce the grandmother hormone pregnenolone and production of the universal energy molecule ATP).
14- Specifics: Nutritional and medical assistance for individual areas of concern, such as treatment of hair-loss or impotence etc.
15- Others: Keeping an open mind and utilizing any other proven sources of benefit, for example the emerging science of electro-magnetic medicine.
16- Ultimately: Pure anti-aging medicine will lie in the ability to decipher DNA and act upon those results and then in the ability to manipulate DNA for our own needs.
Future of Anti-Aging Medicine
1. The Need for Anti-Aging Medicine:
Sometimes we're asked the question; "What is the need for anti-aging medicine when people are already living too long?†Well let's consider this for a moment.
First, when looking at the past, would we have asked the same question when improvements were made to the general medical and sanitation systems that lead to the last leap forward in the human life span? I think the answer at the time would have been that such progress was necessary if not essential.
What would a Victorian have made of open heart surgery, I imagine that he would have felt it was against the God's laws, and yet who would ask a person today about to undergo such an operation to lay down their life in the interest of humanity?
Our usual answer to such a question is; “Are you against progress or do you believe in euthanasia?†Surely these are the only two options left available.Â
The planet already faces having to cope with an expanding population, but the vast majority are in developing countries where traditions still demand large families.
Many developed countries are threatened with declining populations, where education has taught parents to have fewer children and enjoy a more materialistic lifestyle.
This form of education and family planning has yet to truly make an impact on developing countries. But the world continues to cope with its problems and we believe that it will continue to do so.
Whatever they may be we should not and cannot stand still. But now let us consider some of the benefits of a healthy, agile yet elderly population.
First, one must stop thinking that a person who is (for example) 90 years of age is of no use. What can be envisaged in the future will mean that a person who is (for example) 150 years of age will be as fit as the healthiest 60 year old you know today, and perhaps even healthier!
Scientists at the 1996 anti-aging conference estimated that life spans in excess of 200 years were obtainable. Of course the theory is that the longer one lives, the longer one exposes oneself to future technology and therefore the longer one extends his life, etc.Â
But what if we do have healthy, fit, agile 150 year olds? What will this mean? Perhaps people won't leave University until they are 45 or so, probably with qualifications as advanced as a professor!
People will have several careers in their lifetime, and there will be less children - only when the parents are truly in a position to adore and take proper care of them.
Retirement age will be higher than the 60-65 years age group. In fact, one knows of very few people now who have retired in the true sense of the word.
Most say they are busier now than when they were working pre-retirement, and of course they now all work at the pace they like, enjoying their lives much more.
Government talk throughout the world of the problems that are “around the corner†has been rehearsed many times. These reservations concern pension funds that are supposed to support the aging populous where they propose a system where the workers of today look after the retirees of tomorrow.
That's fine, but what about the baby boomers (the single largest section of the population) become retirees in about 10-20 years time.
Then What?
Society really should be taking more care of itself where retirees continue to contribute usefully and perhaps continue to earn.
We need these retirees to stay out of expensive “quick-fix†hospitals and away from expensive drug treatments. Our guess is that we will probably require these retirees to “pay their own way†and that “free†medical treatment will be confined to emergencies only.
Does one have any idea how many billions of dollars can be saved if we only keep the elderly out of convalescence homes and hospitals for just one day? Imagine what can be achieved if we can keep the majority of them away from them altogether!
But the single biggest boon to society must be the large population of educated and experienced individuals guiding the younger generations. Such a leadership will only shed more light on the mistakes made by people in power.
The Chinese belong to a society where their elderly are held in esteem. The difference in the future will be that these esteemed pillars of society will also be able to look after themselves, remain agile and lucid, while not being a burden upon society, and being in fact major contributors to it.
2. Political Factors
Of course all of the above means a major overhaul and rethink of the current situation. Dogma, vested interests and old-fashioned beliefs belie many aspects of our society. But none do so more so than in the medical industry. Tight controls, piles of regulations and extortionate drug prices are designed to “keep you safe.â€
But the fact is that if you look at the Forbes 500 top companies in the world, most of the top 50 are pharmaceutical giants. The regulatory bodies that were designed to protect the public from excesses are now in fact funded by and co-opted by the same giants. We have in effect a “hand in glove†situation.
One may argue cynically that it is profitable to continue to have a sick society. If you disagree, then ask yourself why we almost overlook the use of nutrients and hormones in treating sick people? Why do physicians only spend one day of their 5 years of training discussing nutrients? Who on earth believes that it is only a small minority who get everything they need out of their modern diet?
Is it because these nutrients and hormones cannot be patented? After all, there is not the same kind of profit in them as there is in drugs.
Taking America as an example, we find that the average approval cost for a new drug to reach the market is nearly $500 million US Dollars. That is the average and the average approval time is 12 years.
Who is going to spend that kind of time and money on approving a product that cannot be patented, knowing that once approval is granted the product can be sold by anyone?
Furthermore, the system penalizes one for stating something about a product that is “not approved,†so that physicians lose their licenses to practice, manufacturers lose their licenses to manufacture, pharmacies can no longer dispense and individuals can even go to prison.
One doesn't have to look far to see a “non-approved†product being used to treat disease X, or an “approved†product being used to treat a “non-approved†disease etc.
Many of these products have already undergone clinical trials in a key country, but trials are often conducted again in full in other countries that wish to use it.
In other words, time is expendable to get useful products onto the market. This intense safeguarding was established only after Thalidomide stalked the world.
The idea being that dangerous medication is meant to be prevented from reaching the market, but perhaps now we've turned full circle, and many good drugs are prevented from reaching the shelves as a result.
There are many useful medications around the world that may not be available in your country. There are also many nutrients that when used at the correct dosages will help treat, alleviate or prevent a problem from occurring.
But they aren't a topic of discussion, simply because physicians aren't aware of them and pharmaceutical giants can't make enough profit on them. Likewise the regulatory bodies won't approve them because no one is paid for their approval.
What does all this mean? Well apart from the need for change, it means that your health is the same as all the other decisions you make in your life. You must find out for yourself what's going on and make your own informed decisions.
3. Pressures
Anti-aging medicine does not fall into any of the “normal†categories (of course the category of “aging†is not covered in any of the regulatory bodies listing, as that step demands too much from them and conflicts with their regular interests).
The Internet is a platform were control is proving hard to apply in all regions and where “drugs on the net†is easily exploited by media hype - despite the Internet being the first medium that allows adults to be treated as such and make up their own minds.
We haven't listed any prices of our products here in order to reduce those risks. We feel that the dissemination of information about medication for use in preventing and treating aging conditions is no different than any pharmaceutical giant discussing one of its new drug's in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease etc. Surf and you'll see just that on many websites.!
U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received a blow. It can no longer control natural products that haven't been proven to be dangerous.
Products such as DHEA, pregnenolone, melatonin, 5-hydroxy-tryptophan and progesterone creams remain available in health food stores. However it can be done.
The authorities have recently proven that they can exercise control over products with L-Tryptophan and Gammahydroxybutrate (GHB) - both natural substances that are essential in body chemistry.
Both have been branded by them as causing serious side-effects including death.
As a result, they have been taken off the market. Now drug-analogues of natural chemicals are introduced. [The GHB story can be referenced from the FAQ* section].
If the alternative health medical and supplement field wants continued access to efficacious, and scientifically and clinically backed natural substances, it can not sit back.
The struggle between true individual freedom and the authority is an on-going and continuous battle between two very different points of view and perspectives.
The European Union (EU), in contrast, has already acted to control the movement of health products not only between member states, but also in and out of the EU.
Whether you want to or not, whether you have a say in it or not, if you live in the EU you will be forced to order your “anti-aging†products from out-with it.
This is due to confusion, threats and incompetence, and therefore most suppliers will no longer consider shipping any products to individuals in Europe.
Lastly, there is CODEX, a regulation mainly driven by Germany (the most regulated country on the planet), to curb the availability and dosages of nutrients and other vitamin type products, currently to a maximum of 150% of the RDA's.
In other words a vitamin C tablet containing no more than 45mg! Of course there is no evidence of any side effects from high dosages of vitamins, and cases of nutrient overdosing are extremely rare.
But perhaps Germany wishes to play fair game (i.e. where everyone else is the same as them), where nutrients can only be purchased at a pharmacy and where they are only made by known pharmaceutical giants.
CODEX will severely limit the availability of products and drive up the cost of the remaining products dramatically. It is estimated to be 4 or 5 times their present price. Their attitude seems to be that it doesn't matter what people think, as they won't have a say in it anyway.
Our guess is that these time wasting bureaucrats need to feel that they are performing a useful task, and that unlike the real world of free markets they have to spend their budget each year in order to obtain another the next.
The bigger the empire the higher the position etc. By chance the result is a non-producing inefficient system that interferes with every aspect of our daily lives, charges us dearly for it and claims that it is done with our best interests at heart.
4. How the Authorities May See it (and Want it)
The following fictional story focuses on the way some authorities appear to view the dissemination of information about “drugs†as well as their physical distribution. Through globalization, individual countries' fear the loss of control of their place in the market.
This is understandable in terms of ensuring that high quality and production standards are met. But their approach to other developed countries' innovations and their approved uses of individual drugs is difficult to decipher.
It is also understandable that the authorities want to ensure that people are not hoodwinked into something that is untrue. But when the information is derived from clinical, scientific research it is unlikely to be of suspicious roots.
Throughout the world we find many scenarios. Some “drugs†are not considered “drugs†in other countries and as such, are widely available. Some countries have “drugs†and other health products that are not available in other countries.
Some countries have approved the same “drugs†but for different reasons, applications and protocols. So with this background the governing bodies in many countries allow their individuals to import small quantities with a medical professional's guidance ( such regulations / laws are not widely disseminated).
This is a type of safety valve that stops Aids activists (and the like) from marching on the department's headquarters! So here's that story of how some authorities see the way it works:
5. What's Going to Be Done?
As individuals we must be alert to those who are supposedly looking after our best interests. There are moves afoot by the Rhode scholars of the world to eliminate choice, and to make everywhere the same, without exception.
For example there is more pressure on and interests in “offshore†pharmaceutical suppliers. One can read in press reports about concerns of quality, but in reality the main concern is about control. Do you value an alternative choice in your healthcare or is there no choice?
There are groups actively involved in fighting CODEX and fighting the European Union. We here at IAS* are committed to establishing a “sanctuary†of anti-aging medicine and have been surveying the scene very closely so as to remain one step ahead.
We are currently co-operating with an understanding government who realizes the potential of this new form of medicine.
We hope in the near future to tell you more about this goal, and we trust that we will always be able to provide an outlet of freethinking in the medical community and access to life enhancing products.
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