Should We Integrate " Longevity Medicine " into Mainstream Care

More than 12 years ago, I posted a blog note about the field of anti-aging medicine, longevity and its practitioners (see:Anti-Aging, Longevity Medicine, and Lab Testing) that included the following paragraph:Just to frame the issue and get your attention, annual revenue from the anti-aging industry is estimated to be $56B  -- this includes products such as anti-aging cream and botox injections. Need to find an anti-aging physician?  No problem. Here is the link to the home page of theAmerican Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). It's not too late to attend the 14th Annual International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine.Since I posted this first note, there still seems to be a heavy dose of hucksterism in the anti-aging field. A patient visiting a practitioner often is screened with a large panel of lab tests to determine the difference between his or her chronologic and biologic age. Study of telomere length may be one facet of such testing (see:Easing the brakes on the"immortality" enzyme could slow aging). The consequence of testing is often to suggest the need for dietary supplements or anti-aging sera. Here's a typical web page located by a search with the termanti-aging (see:The Best Anti-Aging Secrets). Perhaps even worse for the patient may be the occasional advocacy of the physician for off-label administration of growth hormone as a kind of elixir of youth (see:Growth hormone therapy).Perhaps the longevity and anti-aging"brand...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Clinical Lab Testing Healthcare Business Lab Industry Trends Lab Standards Medical Research Preventive Medicine Quality of Care Source Type: blogs