American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) is a United States
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
The activities of the A4M are controversial: in 2003 a commentary on the response of the
Beliefs
According to The New York Times, their co-founder and president Ronald Klatz stated that "We're not about growing old gracefully. We're about never growing old."[9]
Writing in the 2001 issue of the journal Generations, historian Carole Haber of the
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."[3] 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."[4]
Activities
The main activity of the A4M is PR and advocacy for its brand of anti-aging medicine. It does this through publications, on-line activity and sponsoring conferences including the World Anti-Aging Congress and Exposition and the Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine.[4] Some of these conferences are in conjunction with the World Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine, an umbrella group for several national anti-aging organizations that is also headed by Goldman.[12] The Los Angeles Times stated that the 2004 annual conference of the A4M at Las Vegas presented a mix of "scientific and technical presentations" and exhibitors selling "wrinkle creams, hair-growing potions, sexual enhancement pills and hormone treatments".[4]
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".[13] 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."[13] In a review of the history of anti-aging medicine published in 2004, Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University noted that A4M "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."[6] 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."[14] 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".[14][15] However, according to a 2005 article in the Chicago Tribune, the company later pulled out of this contract.[16]
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. The New York Times has reported that the American Board of Medical Specialties does not recognize this body as having professional standing.[9] MSNBC noted 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."[7] 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."[6]
Publications
The A4M publishes Anti Aging Medical News, a trade periodical which is their official magazine, as well as proceedings of its anti-aging conferences in a periodical called Anti-Aging Therapeutics, this is edited by Klatz and Goldman.[17]
The International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine (IJAAM) was another periodical published by the A4M. According to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, IJAAM was published by Total Health Holdings, LLC from 1998 to 2001, on behalf of the A4M.[18]
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".[19] According to Bruce Carnes of the University of Oklahoma:[5]
This alleged "journal" is particularly misleading because it gives the false impression that it is a genuine scientific journal and that what is published in it is peer-reviewed. It is little more than an advertising vehicle for every conceivable anti-aging product.
Leonard Hayflick of the University of California, San Francisco, a former editor of Experimental Gerontology, writes:[5]
The International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine is not a recognized scientific journal. What I find reprehensible about this 'journal' is that advertisers who publish in it can then claim there is scientific evidence to support their outrageous assertions by pointing to the publication in an alleged scientific journal.
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.[20] They also defended the scientific quality of its contents, writing that almost all of its articles were reviewed by an editorial board before publication.[20] Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University stated in 2004 that this periodical is a "nonrefereed publication".[21]
Divergent views on anti-aging products
According to a 2002 article in the
As an example of the first viewpoint, a 2004 review in
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."[22]
Human growth hormone controversy
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine was formed following a 1990 study on
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,[9] 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".[30] 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."[31] Nevertheless, Klatz maintains that growth hormone reverses aging as a physical process[32] and has described growth hormone as "the first medically proven age-reversal therapy."[16] 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".[7]
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."[9] 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".[33]
As a result of the reactions to the 1990 article and its frequent citation by proponents of HGH as an anti-aging agent, in 2003 the New England Journal of Medicine published two articles that strongly and clearly stated that there was insufficient medical and scientific evidence to support use of HGH as anti-aging drug. One article was written by the Journal's then-editor in chief, Jeffrey M. Drazen, M.D. and was entitled, "Inappropriate Advertising of Dietary Supplements".[34] It focused mostly on the advertising of dietary supplements. The other article was written by the editor-in-chief at the time the 1990 article was published, Mary Lee Vance, M.D., and was entitled, "Can Growth Hormone Prevent Aging?"; it focused more on the medical issues around whether there was sufficient evidence to use HGH as an anti-aging agent.[35]
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.[36] 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.[37] ABC News also reported that the A4M disputed the conclusions of this review, quoting from an A4M 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".[37]
Some small studies have shown that low-dose GH treatment for adults with severe GH deficiency, such as that produced after surgical removal of the
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 A4M on this topic, but suggested that high levels of growth hormone might actually accelerate aging.[41] This concern was repeated by the United States National Institute on Aging who stated in 2009 that:[42]
As with other hormones, hGH levels often decline with age, but this decrease is not necessarily bad. At least one epidemiological study suggests that people who have high levels of hGH are more apt to die at younger ages than those with lower levels of the hormone. Researchers have also studied animals with genetic disorders that suppress growth hormone production and secretion and found reduced growth hormone secretion may actually promote longevity in those species that have been tested.
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.[41] 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.[43]
Legal disputes
Credential dispute
The academy's co-founders include Klatz and Goldman, who are licensed osteopathic physicians and have Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees (D.O.). 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.[44] In 2009 Klatz and Goldman stated that these degrees involved eight years of medical and surgical training and a year of clinical rotations.[20] The New York Times reported that the Illinois State Board of Medical Registration did not recognize these M.D. degrees, and stated that the Board fined the men for using M.D. after their names.[44][45] 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"."[14] 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".[2][46] In 2009, Klatz and Goldman stated that Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation had determined that they are currently:[20]
licensed physicians and surgeons of osteopathic medicine in good standing in Illinois for over 20 years, which allows them to practice and carry out all duties equivalent to what a medical doctor, an M.D., may do in Illinois.
They go on to state that they have "valid M.D. degrees from a recognized medical school".[20] 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".[11]
Regulatory and tort issues
Two articles in the
When you are out on the frontier, you are going to attract some of the very best people, and some who are ... not the very best. We have had situations where we've had to contact people and say, 'Would you mind affiliating yourself with another organization?' It is an ongoing process, and I think we are attracting better and better doctors.
Wikipedia
According to lawyers claiming to act for A4M and one or more people involved with it, their clients had initiated "defamation actions in New York and Massachusetts" against Wikipedia editors in 2009.[52] According to Courthouse News Service, 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.[53][54]
Dispute with Olshansky and Perls
In 2002, A4M was a co-recipient of the first "Silver Fleece Award", created to publicize "the most ridiculous claims about antiaging medicine" according to the award's inventor,
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,".[57]
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".[58]
See also
- Maximum life span
- ApothéCure Inc.
- Strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP Suits)
References
- ^ Fontenot, Cliff. "Dr Ronald Klatz's Interview With The Anti Aging Source". Interview. The Anti Aging Source. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2011.[self-published source]
- ^ a b c Caleb Hellerman (May 9, 2007). "'Age management' is a controversial new medical focus". CNN. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009.
- ^ S2CID 21608690.
- ^ a b c d Valerie Reitman A rift in business, science of aging Los Angeles Times January 12, 2004, archived url Accessed September 10, 2009
- ^ a b c d "'Silver Fleece' Awards Warn Consumers of Anti-Aging Misinformation". University of Illinois at Chicago: Newswise. February 26, 2004. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ PMID 12604740.
- ^ a b c d Alexander, Brian (April 21, 2008). "Mainstream docs join anti-aging bandwagon. But with M.D. endorsements, is the field more credible – or risky?". NBC News.
- PMID 15304532.
- ^ a b c d Kuczynski, A (April 12, 1998). "Anti-Aging Potion or Poison?". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ISSN 0738-7806.
- ^ PMID 15215256.
- PMID 15215259.
- ^ PMID 16040177.
- ^ a b c d Want to live for ever? The Times September 4, 2004 archive url, page 1 archive url, page 2, Accessed September 15, 2009
- ^ Market America Refuses to Grow Old Gracefully; Company Launches Anti-Aging Store at Recent Conference. PR Newswire March 18, 2003 cached copy[permanent dead link], Accessed September 15, 2009
- ^ a b c Jeremy Manier Professor sued over opinion of anti-aging group Chicago Tribune June 22, 2005, archived url, Accessed September 10, 2009
- ^ Anti-aging therapeutics Archived June 22, 2018, at the Wayback Machine National Library of Medicine, Accessed September 20, 2009
- ^ Record for International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
- S2CID 7235337.
- ^ a b c d e f Deposition www.courthousenews.com, archived url August 20, 2009
- PMID 15215257.
- ^ a b Joel Garreau Holding back the years: Scientists say extended youth may be near Seattle Times 2002, Accessed September 28, 2009
- Business WeekMarch 20, 2006, Accessed September 28, 2009
- PMID 15109806.
- ^
Kamel, Nabil S; Julie Gammack; Oscar Cepeda; Joseph H Flaherty (2006). "Antioxidants and hormones as antiaging therapies: high hopes, disappointing results". Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 73 (12): 1049–1056, 1058. S2CID 14018352.
- PMID 17190307. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
- ^ "Age Page: Beware of Health Scams". National Institute on Aging, U.S. National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
- PMID 2355952.
- PMID 17509279.
- ISBN 978-0-06-098434-2.
- PMID 16760618.
- ^ Arlene Weintraub. "The Guru of Anti-Aging". Business Week. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
- PMID 12471175.
- PMID 12606730.
- PMID 12606731.
- S2CID 27279712. Archived from the originalon July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Dan Childs (January 16, 2007). "Growth Hormone Ineffective for Anti-Aging, Studies Say". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- S2CID 24874132.
- S2CID 12681649.
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- ^ PMID 19281058.
- ^ National Institute on Aging. "Can We Prevent Aging? Tips from the National Institute on Aging". Archived from the original on August 25, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
- S2CID 20122924.
- ^ a b c d e Wilson, Duff (April 15, 2007). "Aging: Disease or Business Opportunity?". The New York Times.
- ^ Brian Alexander (July 9, 2006). "A Drug's Promise (or Not) of Youth". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013.
- ^ Illinois Department of Professional Regulation Monthly Disciplinary report for December 2000 Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, Accessed September 13, 2009
- PMID 16249424. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 20, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
- S2CID 167551449.
- United States Attorneys' Manual1997, Accessed September 6, 2009
- ^ Warning Letter Department of Health and Human Services 2002, archived url, Accessed September 6, 2009
- ^ a b Benedict Cary Troubling Record for Anti-Aging Doctors Los Angeles Times May 8, 2000, Accessed September 22, 2009
- ^ "Claims of Defamation on Wikipedia :: Notices :: Lumen".
- ^ Hull, Sarah (September 1, 2009). "Doctors Group Says Wikipedia Defamed It". Courthouse News Service.
- ^ American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine v. Wikimedia, Citizen Media Law Project.
- ^ R. J. Davenport, "And the Loser Is ...: Silver Fleece Awards 'honor' antiaging quackery (Questionable therapies)", Science's SAGE KE, February 20, 2002, Accessed January 12, 2015 [1]
- ^ Judith Graham Legal dispute over anti-aging medicine ends. Chicago Tribune November 17, 2006, Accessed September 14, 2009
- ^
Olshansky SJ, Hayflick L, Carnes BA (August 1, 2002). "Position statement on human aging". The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 57 (8): B292–7. PMID 12145354.
- PMID 19269702.
External links
- A4M.com Official website
- 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
- Selling The Promise Of Youth Business Week
- Academic and governmental
- Olshansky, S. Jay; Leonard Hayflick; Bruce A. Carnes (June 19, 2002). "Position Statement on Human Aging". Sci. Aging Knowl. Environ. 2002 (24): pe9. . Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- Beware of Health Scams National Institute on Aging
- Can We Prevent Aging? National Institute on Aging