Anti-aging medicine in mainstream
12/3/98
by bruce smith associated press writer
bluffton, s.c. (ap) _ the quest for the fountain of youth, which
once led spanish explorers to the wilds of florida, now leads
to quite a different place _ a small office park among the outlet
shops, golf courses and boutiques lining the road to posh hilton
head island. here at the hilton head longevity center, as well
as a growing number of other centers and medical practices across
the country, doctors practicing anti-aging medicine work to
slow and even reverse the aging process. what 15 years ago might
have been considered medical sleight-of-hand has become mainstream
medicine as doctors use hormone replacement therapy, nutritional
supplements, diet and exercise programs to retard the effects
of aging.
the focus right now is on improving the quality of life,'' said
dr. thomas newton, co-founder of the hilton head center that
opened about a year ago and now has about 70 patients.
anti-aging medicine seeks to move life expectancy _ 76 to 79
years for americans _ toward the limits of the human life span
of about 120 years, allowing people to live longer, more active
lives. future medical advances might even increase the life
span, newton said. donna powell wasn't necessarily looking to
live longer when she arrived at the center. she just wanted
to live normally. she had symptoms that included hair loss,
dry skin, low energy and cravings for food. a year and a half
of tests with regular doctors found nothing. the clinic immediately
diagnosed the condition as menopause, though she was just 45
and not having hot flashes. doctors said she was a 45-year-old
woman with a 55-year-old body. a month later, powell was back
to normal on a program of vitamin supplements, diet and exercise,
and hormone replacement therapy.
it basically comes down to yourself,'' she said. ``am i worth
this? absolutely. i am ultimately responsible for my health
and the direction of my life.'' she likes the idea of having
doctors on the cutting edge of aging developments.
if you are doing the right thing with vitamins and exercise
and eating habits, you are going to live longer,'' she said.
and they are going to hear about new things first.'' new patients
at the 4,400-square-foot clinic take a dozen tests that measure
things like heart and lung function, hearing sensitivity, memory,
motor movement and body chemistry. they also discuss with doctors
their lifestyle and future expectations. the results provide
a blueprint for newton, two other doctors and a staff of nurses
to develop a treatment plan. newton estimates that an anti-aging
program started early enough, perhaps when a person is in his
or her 30s, can add 20 quality years to life. once looked at
with skepticism by mainline medicine, anti-aging medicine is
now a clinical medical specialty. the first board exam was given
this past december and there are 150 doctors board certified
in the discipline. the chicago-based american academy of anti-aging
medicine, a4m for short, has 5,000 members and is doubling that
every year.
fifteen years ago, anti-aging medicine was science fiction,''
said dr. ronald klatz, the academy's president. ``today's
anti-aging medicine is hard core medical fact. there is no question
we can slow the aging process for most people and reverse it
for some.'' in five years, he predicted, anti-aging practices
will be as common as other medical practices. as the 77 million
baby boomers, about 29 percent of the population, approach old
age, ``either we start a national program to build nursing homes
as fast as we can or we embrace a new paradigm of medicine which
is anti-aging medicine,'' klatz said. vicki joy, a spokeswoman
for the academy, said anti-aging is the ultimate preventative
medicine.
if you can feel better and look younger and you can narrow the
window of time at the end of your life when you are suffering
from a terminal illness, why not do it?'' she asked. |
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