Category Archives: Anti-Aging Medicine

Today's healthcare challenges and tomorrow's opportunity can only be met by those who search out deeper explanations of the body processes that generate health and disease. Life expectancy has increased due to advances in medical science. However it has come with little progress towards quality of life or the length of disease-free years in the majority of population.

Most researchers believe that maximum life span in human is slightly over 110 years. Beyond that age, the estimates and speculation enter the realms of science fiction.

Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happens to man. -

Leon Trotsky

Aging has been a fact of life ever since it was created. Human beings go through various phases of life from being child to youth to being adult with youth being the best part of life from health point of view. Good health, strong muscles, an efficient immune system, a sharp memory and a healthy brain are characteristic of ideal youth. The hormones work at their peak capacity during the youth years.

Anti-Aging medicine aims to maintain or achieve this irrespective of chronological age i.e. to stay healthy and biologically efficient.

The prestigious scientific journal, Biogerontology, defines aging as: The progressive failing ability of the body's own intrinsic and genetic powers to defend, maintain and repair itself in order to keep working efficiently.

We are now living in the information age. Medical knowledge is increasing at an amazing rate-doubling every three years. This doubling rate of information is progressively decreasing. The world is changing and so is the way we view our health and well being as we age.

Aging has been believed to be inherent, universal, progressive natural phenomenon. It is detrimental with no benefits except perhaps wisdom. But now there is a paradigm shift in looking at the aging process based on firmly documented evidence in medical and scientific literature. If we plot the health in y-axis and the number of years in x-axis, the curve of life is like a triangle which is skewed with its apex at 25-30 years. Anti-aging helps to make it rectangle.

Many natural aging mechanisms frequently result in actual diseases. From this we can conclude that fighting an aging process may well bring about an improvement of an age related illness.

All animals or plants eventually show signs of aging even if they are in a protected environment. When we look at Ayurveda which prescribes plants or their components and extracts to fight against illness, one has to wonder why? Nature created these plant chemicals to help them protect against diseases or aging. Humans have later adapted these chemicals for their own use to increase their chances of maintaining their health.

Anti-aging medicine is an evolving branch of medical science and applied medicine. It treats the underlying causes of aging and aims at alleviating any age related ailment. Its goal is to extend the healthy lifespan of humans having youthful characteristics.

Conventional and alternative medical disciplines are used in an integrated approach to achieve the best possible result for the patient. It is a holistic discipline, seeing the patient as a whole and not as someone having an isolated disease.

Those physicians interested in studying age related medicine can do so by attending courses offered by various organization across the globe with predominant being The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine or A4M. It is not yet formally accredited by the American Medical Association. Some scientists and physicians take offense at the name Anti-Aging as they think it is unscientific. They have suggested terms such as Age Management Medicine, Advanced Preventive Medicine, Interventive Biogerontology. But the underlying principles remain the same.

Aging is a progressive failure of metabolic processes. There is a concept of pause as put forth by Dr. Eric Braverman indicating that every organ ages at a different rate. To a certain extent it is based on hormones. All these have been put forth into various theories as follows:

Free Radical Theory

The Nuroendocrine Theory

Telomerase Theory of Aging

The Wear and Tear Theory

The Rate of Living Theory

The Waste Product Accumulation Theory

The Cross-linking Theory

The Immune Theory

Theories of Errors and Repairs

The Order to Disorder Theory

Some of these contradict and others overlap. But underlying these are three main biochemical processes involved in aging. These are oxidation, glycation and methylation. Other relevant processes are chronic inflammation and hormonal deregulation.

Free radicals are a group of simple compounds with an electron missing from their chemical structure. This makes them unstable. They seek out other chemical structures from which they can acquire an electron and in the process make them unstable.

Free radicals in small and controlled quantities are useful in everyday metabolism. They take part in several normal reactions within the body including breathing. These free radicals are mainly produced during oxygen metabolism within the cells. The problem starts when the production of these free radicals increases and goes out of control.

Free radical reactions can be divided into three stages: Initiation, Propagation and Termination. The defense mechanisms against these are inactivating them within the cells soon after production, removing them by scavenging antioxidants and increasing the elimination of material already damaged by free radicals.

To put it in practice means to prevent exposure to free radicals from sources such as pollution, bad diet, and smoking and take antioxidants. The term antioxidant refers to chain-breaking compound. Broadly antioxidant is any substance, that when present at low concentrations compared with those of an oxidizable substrate significantly delays or inhibits oxidation of that substrate.

Free radicals damage the cell membrane which is composed of lipids and proteins. Their interaction results in the production of the chemical Melondialdehyde which is very harmful, contributing to another important aging process called glycation.

When glucose molecules and other sugars such as fructose attach themselves to proteins, it is called glycation. This results in brownish discoloration of tissues. The binding of sugar to protein causes cross linking of proteins. Cross linked proteins cause more damage by reacting with free radicals and other toxins to create Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs). These AGEs bind to cells at special attachment sites called RAGEs (Receptor for AGEs). These result in the production of several harmful chemicals damaging tissues.

AGEs are found in most tissues in the body and their concentration increases from the age of twenty onward.

However nutrient such as carnosine and other Anti-Aging supplements/drugs can help in breaking this process.

Unfortunately the process of glycation not only affects proteins, but also interferes with DNA. A cross linked DNA molecule is of no use at all. There are drugs being investigated which can actually break this bond between cross linked proteins which are glycated.

When methyl groups are being added to different constituents of the proteins, DNA and other molecules to keep them in good, active condition, it is called methylation. This is necessary for the normal maintenance of tissues and is usually kept at a healthy levels naturally by the body. Methylation of certain parts of the DNA causes permanent switching off of unnecessary genes and saves the body from abnormal DNA division. This means that methylation of those particular sections of DNA blocks any abnormal DNA from being passed onto the future generations of cells.

Any chronic inflammation process affects methylation because the immune system, which is heavily involved in fighting inflammation, gorges itself on methyl groups, leaving nothing for other tissues of the body.

Low methylation is reflected in the increasing levels of homocysteine, which is found in chronic inflammatory processes such as lupus, heart disease and diabetes. Increased intake of methylators reduces the risk of these diseases.

There are scientists who believe that most age related changes in the body are due to chronic inflammation. When there is chronic inflammation, the body tissues are eaten away by toxic chemicals, resulting in dementia, thickening of the arteries, arthritis, diabetes, hormonal imbalance and so on. Taking low dose of anti-inflammatory chemicals such as Aspirin keeps age related inflammation at bay. However, this is not a widely shared opinion. A diet containing nutrients i.e. fish (contains anti-inflammatory oils), fruit and vegetables, particularly berries (which are packed full of antioxidants and inflammation-fighting flavonoids) along with supplements like alpha lipoic acid and co-enzyme Q10 are helpful.

There is little doubt about the important role hormones play in our lives and in aging. The pacemakers of youth, these precious little chemicals keep us young, healthy and vibrant. In general, aging results in imbalance of hormones in the body or one can also ask Does hormonal imbalance cause aging? Hormones such as growth hormone, melatonin and DHEA need to be replaced or reactivated during aging to prevent the body from falling apart. It is also important to make sure that the binding sites of the hormones need to be in good working order. According to Dr. Eric Braverman, proponent of pause theory, every organ in the body ages at a different rate. The classical example of this is the menopause in females and the literature is replete with Hormone Replacement Therapy for the same. It seems prudent to replace the other hormones in physiological limits. Hormone replacement therapy is likely to play a very important role in maintaining health in time to come. It is very important here to make the distinction between the Synthetic hormones and the Bioidentical hormones which is discussed later.

Enhance health through eating a hormonally correct diet

Enrich body with optimum doses of proven antioxidants and nutraceuticals

Improve physical exercise performance, which includes aerobic, anaerobic and flexibility training

Replace hormones to levels to those of 20-30 years old.

The importance of food we eat can be summarized by what Dr. Barry Sears said and I quote: The food you eat is probably the most powerful drug you will encounter. But to use this drug correctly, you have to apply the hormonal rules about the food that haven't changed in the past 40 million years and are unlikely to change anytime soon.

Balancing Insulin and glucagon activity is at the core of eating a hormonally correct diet. The hormonally correct diet contains 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 20% fat along with vitamins, minerals and drinking plenty of water which is filtered, mineralized and magnetized. Eating small meals every 4-5 hours and eating the proper ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fat at each meal or snack can mean a difference between illness and good health.

Eating proper food for one's height, weight and body type and activity level is the foundation for a better quality of life and greater longevity.

Dr. Alex Lief, MD Harvard Medical School has said and I quote: Exercise is the closest thing we have to an anti-aging pill. Regular physical activity has been a way of life for virtually every person who has reached the age of 100 years in sound condition. Exercise is medicine. If you think that smoking is not good, the following statement will enlighten. Not exercising has the equivalent impact on your health as smoking one and one half pack of cigarettes a day.

These include various antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. These include but are not limited to Vitamin A, C, E, mineral selenium, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Carnosine.

First we have to distinguish the synthetic hormones and bioidentical hormones. The former differ in chemical structure from the later which exactly have the same structure as the hormones we have in our body. Hence they can not be patented. These are available as injection, tablets, and creams. They are derived from Yam or Soy. The goal of hormone replacement therapy is to bring them to the level of youth. Again it has to be done after complete evaluation and under the guidance of an Anti-Aging physician.

The future will involve manipulating genes, increasing utilization of stem cells (embryonic and adult) and targeted delivery of nutrients and drugs using nanotechnology.

It is my hope that this will help you begin your educational journey in Anti-Aging Medicine.

Original post:
Anti-aging medicine - PubMed Central (PMC)

Ann J Peters, M.D.

Diplomat, International Hormone Society

Member, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

MD Longevity is a leader in age management medicine. Our anti-aging clinics provide individualized, state-of-the-art diagnostics and treatment. With two offices conveniently located in New York and San Francisco, we see clients from all over the world.

The practice was founded by Dr Ann J. Peters, a leading anti-aging specialist, who helps men and women recapture the vitality and good health of their youth.

Men, Women and Speed. 2 Words: Got Testosterone?

The New York Times- Health

For a variety of intrinsic biological reasons, the best women can never run as fast as the best men. To a large extent, its a matter of testosterone, said Dr. Benjamin Levine, of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine. The hormone affects everything from muscle size and strength to the size of the heart to the amount of oxygen-carrying blood cells in the body to the percentage of fat on an athletes body. Every one of those effects gives men a performance advantage. Read full post.

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MD Longevity offers a wide variety of anti-aging treatments to reduce both the visible and the invisible signs of aging in men and women. These signs include:

Our anti-aging treatments include growth hormone therapy and bioidentical hormone therapy for men and women. Growth hormone therapy slows down - or even reverses - the visible signs of aging. Bioidentical hormone therapy stops the symptoms of menopause in women and andropause in men.

In addition to anti-aging hormone replacement therapy, MD Longevity offers private physician consulting to assess and recommend specific nutrition, exercise and stress reduction therapies clinically proven to slow - or even reverse - the signs of aging. These therapies help men and women of all ages look and feel their best.

Anti-aging medicine turns back the hands of time to restore youthful vitality, vigor, and zest for life. The anti-aging treatments provided by MD Longevity help men and women slow down or stop the signs or aging, have more energy, enjoy a renewed interest in sex, lose weight and sleep better. MD Longevity provides anti-aging treatments to everyone in the greater New York, San Francisco, and Palm Beach areas.

Trust MD Longevity for the most advanced, clinically proven anti-aging medicine and start feeling better and looking younger today.

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Anti-aging Clinics | MD Longevity | San Francisco and New York

Los Gatos Longevity Institute is the first and foremost medical provider of longevity/anti-aging/age management Medicine dedicated to the proposition that:

age is a state of mind ... aging is a treatable condition

As pioneers in the rapidly expanding age management / anti-aging field, we are increasingly imitated -- but never duplicated. Accept nothing but the best. We are the brand name in age management / anti-aging and Longevity Medicine proudly serving you since 1996.

Now relax ... take in a few deep breaths of air. Really deep ... Good. Now enjoy yourself.

Feel free to navigate our site in its entirety. There is a wealth of information here that should begin to answer many of your first anti-aging questions. You can see our specialty areas to the left.

We have a full spectrum of offerings including professional consultations. Bookmark this site and return often. New information is constantly being added and revised as recent developments are announced.

Your questions are welcomed. You can email us, click on our brief feedback page or call us at 408-358-8855 any time of the day.

And, don't forget to ask us about our Premiere Age Management Plans. It's like internal Plastic Surgery.

It's now up to you ...

It's About Time ...

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age management (anti-aging medicine): Los Gatos Longevity ...

Photoaging is the process of aging of the skin due primarily to regular and long-term exposure to ultra-violet radiation. The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) have been implicated in modulating inflammatory processes associated with the skin, and supplementation with 3 g EPA+DHA for 6 months has been shown to reduce both UVB-erythemal sensitivity (i.e. sun induced skin reddening) [1], sunburn and sun induced itchy rash.[2] A recently published study in Journal of Dermatological Science [3] investigated the associations between daily omega-3 fat intake and the severity of skin photoaging...

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Exercise protects against heart disease in many ways. One important mechanism is by elevating HDL, a.k.a. the good cholesterol. It is well established that high levels of HDL-C are protective against cardiovascular disease and the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has emphasized increasing HDL levels to help reduce CHD risk. However, not only HDL levels are important, but also HDL quality and function...

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Making positive lifestyle changes, such as adopting a healthy diet and exercising regularly, may prevent aging and possibly even reverse the aging process...

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Higher-intensity physical activity, even in short bouts, can help win the battle against the bulge...

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Knowing that a deficit of magnesium increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (Massachusetts, USA) studied whether circulating levels of magnesium influence the risk of cardiovascular diseases....

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Curcumin, the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its bright yellow color, is the focus of a number of recent scientific studies suggesting a broad range of health benefits, including potential protection against certain cancers, heart failure, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and arthritis....

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One of the major controversies regarding testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is it purported prostate cancer risk. This study sought to find out how testosterone replacement therapy affects subsequent prostate cancer outcomes....

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Sulforaphane, a compound found abundantly in cruciferous vegetables, may help to prevent or slow cartilage destruction...

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage are a rich source of sulforaphane, a compound for which previous studies suggest an anti-inflammatory effect.

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American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) | AntiAgingAge ...

Anti-aging medicine is the application of medical technology for the early detection, prevention, treatment and reversal of the three age-related Ds-dysfunction, disorders and diseases.

As an extension of preventive health care, anti-aging medicine it is the next great model of health care for the new millennium.

According to the American Academy for Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), the three rules of anti-aging medicine are:

The longer you live, the better your chances are for living even longer. Medical knowledge doubles every 3.5 years, so a time will come when perhaps we will know how to stop aging, put it on hold and even eventually reset the clock mechanism of life itself.

If you have had your cholesterol tested, had a thermogram, or taken bio-identical hormones, you have experienced anti-aging medicine. 90% of all adult illness is due to the degenerative processes of aging. This includes heart disease, most cancers, adult-onset diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, autoimmune disease, glaucoma, and Alzheimer's.

With early detection and appropriate intervention, most of these diseases can be prevented, cured, or have their downward course reversed.

Anti-Aging Medicine in Tampa Bay

Anyone over the age of 30- or 40 years knows that they cant perform the way they used to. This is often true both physically and mentally. It is a rare person who can do more or better at age 50 that they could at 30. But all do wish for that.

When we break this down in terms of objective science, we can see that as people age, their skin losses it elasticity, their thinking is slower, or memory not as accurate, or their hormone levels have fallen or their aches and pains are more. In short, aging causes measurable changes in people. We now know with anti-aging scientific breakthroughs, that much of these functions can be very much improved and sometimes restored completely- or at least so much that a person at 60 will remark, I now feel like Im 35 again!

At our Clearwater clinic, this is our goal: That you not only feel younger, but that your body behaves younger and looks younger, and that by objective laboratory measurements it is younger. That is anti-aging medicine working.

By restoring gut health, hormone levels, restoring vitamin and mineral levels, removing toxins from the body, reducing body fat, increasing lean body tissue, we can anti-age someone. Its not voodoo, its modern medical science and you can benefit from it by seeing our anti-aging specialist practitioners at Lifeworks Wellness Center.

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease affects some 27 million Americans. OA is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage the part of a joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement. As cartilage deteriorates, bones begin to rub against one another. This can cause stiffness and pain that make it difficult...

Blood Pressure Problems

A normal measurement for an adult is about 120 over 80 (though blood pressure varies slightly throughout the day depending on what you are doing). However, systolic pressures of 100-140 and diastolic measurements of 60-90 are usually considered within normal bounds. Abnormally high blood pressure is known as hypertension; low blood pressure is called hypotension...

Prostate Problems

Detection of Prostate problems is tricky because of where the prostate is located. It is a bulb-shaped gland that goes round the urethra just where it leaves the bladder, so when it swells up urination becomes a problem. In fact, the first symptoms include finding it hard to urinate, wanting to urinate often, a burning...

Founder and Medical Director

In 1995, Dr. Minkoff's wife became ill and her physicians couldn't find what was wrong. Not accepting their "no hope" conclusion, Dr. Minkoff went on a search to help her which led him out of emergency medicine into complementary and alternative medicine to find the answers. In the process he gained expertise in Biological medicine, heavy metal detoxification, anti-aging medicine, hormone replacement therapy, functional medicine, energy medicine, neural and prolotherapy, homeopathy and optimum nutrition. He studied under the masters in each of these disciplines until he became an expert in his own right. The answers he found were soon in demand when others learned of his wifes return to good health. In response to this, he and his wife, Sue Minkoff RN established Lifeworks Wellness Center in 1997 and it quickly became one of the most comprehensive complementary and alternative medicine clinics in the U.S.

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Anti-Aging Medicine - LIFEWORKS WELLNESS CENTER

At the DaSilva Institute, our definition of anti-aging medicine is the utilization of safe, effective therapies that address the underlying mechanisms of aging.

Our goal is not to prolong life to some unrealistically advanced age, but to promote successful aging. We define success as staying healthy and functional up to the end of a long, productive life.

Our focus is on natural treatments for anti-aging. These proven therapies prevent and minimize age-related diseases and include targeted nutritional supplements, natural (bioidentical) hormone replacement therapy, and specific dietary and exercise recommendations.

Anti-aging medicine is the pinnacle of biotechnology joined with advanced clinical preventive medicine. This specialty is founded on the application of advanced scientific and medical technologies for the early detection, prevention, treatment, and reversal of age-related dysfunction, disorders, and diseases.

It is a healthcare model promoting innovative science and research to prolong the healthy lifespan in humans.

As such, anti-aging medicine is based on principles of sound and responsible medical care that are consistent with those applied in other preventive health specialties.

The anti-aging medical model aims to both extend lifespan as well as prolong health span the length of time that we are able to live productively and independently.

Conventional medicine is unreasonably cynical about anti-aging therapies. Most traditional doctors will tell you anti-aging medicine is quackery, believing drugs and surgery are the best ways to battle age-related disease.

While these tools of conventional medicine can save lives in an emergency, they cannot prevent disease or promote health, well-being, and longevity.

Anti-aging medicine is:

Hundreds of scientific research studies clearly prove that modest interventions in diet, exercise, nutrition and single-gene modulation in the laboratory setting beneficially and significantly impact healthy function in old-age.

Many of these interventions also modify maximum lifespan by 20-800% as well.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found that the anti-aging lifestyle can add 24.6 more years of productive lifespan.

The research team found that the longest-living Americans are Asian-American women residing in Bergen County, New Jersey.1 They live longer than any other ethnic group in the United States to an average lifespan of 91.1 years.

In contrast, the Harvard team found that the shortest-living Americans are Native American populations in South Dakota. Despite receiving regular medical care, they are living an average lifespan of only 66.5 years.

A distinguishing characteristic of the New Jersey womens longevity is that they are availing themselves of state-of-the-art biomedical technologies in advanced preventive care, including preventive screenings, early disease detection, aggressive intervention, and optimal nutrition all of which are cornerstones of the anti-aging medical model.1

A first-ever study reveals the secrets of exceptional health in old age. Mark Kaplan, from Portland State University (Oregon), and colleagues utilized the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3), a multidimensional measure of health status, to examine the maintenance of exceptionally good health among 2,432 elder Canadians enrolled in the Canadian National Population Health Survey

They tracked participants health for a ten-year period from 1994 to 2004. The researchers found that the most important predictors of excellent health over those ten years were:

The team summarized their research: Many of these factors can be modified when you are young or middle-aged. While these findings may seem like common sense, now we have evidence of which factors contribute to exceptional health [as we age].2

Around the world, people are seeking medical guidance for ways to stay healthy, active, and vital well into their older years. As a result, the principles of the anti-aging lifestyle are gaining rapid and widespread acceptance as a framework for lifelong habits for healthy living.

1Bergen County, NJ is long in longevity, New York Times, September 12, 2006; Asian women in Bergen have nations top life expectancy, Free Republic, September 12, 2006.

2Kaplan MS, Huguet N, Orpana H, Feeny D, McFarland BH, Ross N. Prevalence and factors associated with thriving in older adulthood: a 10-year population-based study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2008 Oct;63(10):1097-104.

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Florida Anti-Aging Doctor - DaSilva Institute