The best medical reference available, Anti Aging is aging Well

“Just because you’re an old guy, you don’t need to be sitting around sucking your thumb in the corner.”
— George H.W. Bush, 41st U.S. President, January 2009

When the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De León set out to find the “Fountain of Youth” in 1513 (supposedly located somewhere in Florida), he was looking for much more than a superficial makeover. Instead, he hoped to discover mysterious healing waters that would restore him to his full youthful vigor – body, mind and spirit, representing total antiaging.

Although Ponce De León never found the legendary anti aging waters, that didn’t deter future generations from seeking a variety of “miracle cures” to reverse the effects of aging, especially when it came to their appearances.

Anti Aging is More than “Skin Deep”

Although it’s common to think of anti aging only in terms of physical appearance, the best anti aging physicians focus mainly on treating the internal aspects of aging.  That’s because anti aging is really synonymous with aging well.

As the population grows older, more and more people want to live longer, maintain youthful levels of muscle flexibility, stimulate brain function with improved cognition and memory, prevent heart disease, and restore and repair damage that’s occurred through the stress of everyday living.

After all, who wouldn’t want to restore or maintain the flexibility of a teenage gymnast, recapture some of the stamina of a high-school football player, retain the mental agility of a college student with a 4.0 grade point average, or – yes – preserve the appearance they enjoyed as young (or even middle-aged) adults.

Anti aging is not about vanity.  It’s about restoring and maintaining a high quality of life.  Anti aging is about staying as healthy as possible well into old age.

As anti aging physicians, our mission is to minimize the effects of aging, and optimize your body’s function.  Toward this end, we are developing an easily accessible source of anti aging information, as well as a referral network of physicians designed for patients interested in confronting the challenges associated with premature aging and “aggressive aging.”

Our common goal is this: To prevent and slow the changes established by Mother Nature.

Why Accept the Hand You Were Dealt?

Yes, Mother Nature has preordained the process of aging through our genes.  However, this doesn’t mean we have no choice in how and when we age. 

We can accept the hand that Mother Nature dealt us, or take charge of our own destinies by engaging in an anti aging program.  This may seem bold and confrontational – like Dr. Frankenstein daring to play God – but mankind has been confronting Mother Nature since he learned the secret of fire.

If we had never confronted Mother Nature, we would never give our children vaccines and antibiotics to treat a variety of childhood illnesses.  The fact is, we go through life confronting Mother Nature by not always accepting what she’s trying to hand us.  So why stop with vaccines and antibiotics?  Why decide to “take it easy” as we approach our forties, fifties and sixties?  As one physician said, “The best time to start an anti aging program is now.”

From an anti aging prospective, we human beings start “deteriorating” from the moment we are born.  As we age, our bodies experience many changes – until we essentially evolve into a walking, talking and thinking adults.  In the youthful stage of life, we enjoy what we perceive as endless fun, without giving much thought to anti aging and the future.  We don’t seriously entertain the dreadful thoughts of things to come, such as back pain, neck pain, knee pain, wrinkles, sagging skin, loss of libido, heart disease, sun damage and all the other negative signs of aging.

In youth, there is really no reason to think about anti aging.  Perhaps this is one reason why George Bernard Shaw said, “Youth is wasted on the young.”

Do Not Go Gently …

For many of us, aging is like an insidious disease.  It slowly creeps up until, one day: voilá – we see our parents or grandparents staring back at us in the mirror!

Intellectually, we always knew this day would come, but when it does, we’re never prepared for the emotional impact.  Suddenly, thoughts of anti aging start whirling throughout our minds.

This painful reality dawns on many people every day.  And, though many accept the fate demanded by Mother Nature, others “refuse to go gently into that good night,” and instead “rage against the dying of the light” of youth.

If you’ve read this far, you may already have decided to launch an anti aging regimen.  You may have resolved to take matters into your own hands, and conduct some research to better understand the process of aging – and anti aging.  You’ll need to find the tools and technology that will reverse the adverse effects of aging, including ways to improve function, memory, cognition and sexuality, and then maintain those results.  Congratulations!  You are taking your first steps on the path to anti aging.

Some of you may have already consulted your doctor.  However, he or she may not have been particularly useful or encouraging, suggesting instead that there’s nothing you can do.  Your doctor may have even advised you against looking into an anti aging program. 

Launching Your Anti aging Program

How can you start an anti aging program?

It’s simple.  There are hundreds of doctors around the USA (and the world) trained in anti aging medicine.  These physicians are licensed to practice in their states (if listed on this site) and/or countries.  They have completed training in traditional medicine, and even gone on to sub-specialize in other fields of medicine.  Whatever their training, many have discovered the field of anti aging medicine based on a desire to do more for their patients than accept the ancient status quo.

During the course of their careers, many anti aging doctors realized that they had essentially become salesmen for drug companies, prescribing the “drug of the month” for different conditions, without spending adequate time with patients – without listening and performing thorough evaluations. 

Today, anti aging doctors are committed to spending time with patients by listening, and using science and technology to reverse the negative impacts of aging.  Most important, they are dedicated to treating you as an individual, based on how you feel, not just on your laboratory values.

What are the tools of the anti aging physician?

The simplest one is listening.  By taking time to listen to your complaints, the doctor will acquire a detailed history about your aging concerns.  Just from listening to your complaints, the anti aging doctor will start assembling his evaluation plan to include physical examinations, lab work, radiological testing and hormone testing, along with other specialized tests to evaluate deficiencies and hormonal imbalances.  Then, based on your complaints, the doctor can help pinpoint the discrepancies you describe, and confirm them with diagnostic testing.  Don’t be surprised if your doctor discovers other issues unrelated to your complaints during the anti aging evaluation.  Remember, anti aging is about the “total” you, not just an isolated body part.

Once you have consulted with your anti aging physician, you are ready to defy Mother Nature, but (obviously) not in a rude manner.

Your doctor may have to wait several days to receive the results of your studies.  Once they are completed, however, your doctor can schedule a return appointment to discuss abnormalities, along with an anti aging treatment plan.  The great thing about conducting the initial lab testing is that it allows your doctor to objectively follow your anti aging progress.

By the way, don’t be surprised if your anti aging doctor contradicts your regular physician.   Although this is not part of the mission, he/she is obligated to give you the facts.  Unfortunately, so many patients are conditioned to accept their “regular doctor’s” recommendations that this may be an occasional cause of conflict with the anti aging physician’s recommendations. 

Please note: your anti aging doctor is not trying to undermine your doctor.  He or she would prefer to work with your doctor to obtain the best results in optimizing your function.  Therefore, even where there is disagreement, it’s still best for all concerned to stay “in the loop” regarding the anti aging treatment.

By the way, all doctors practice some form of anti aging.  Prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications is an anti aging tactic, as is prescribing antihypertensive medications.  Your “regular doctor” may actually conduct an extensive anti aging practice, but he/she probably thinks of it as “condition specific,” and refer to it as part of “traditional medicine.”

In an anti aging medical practice, the physician’s approach is both specific and global.  In other words, these doctors are highly specialized and interested in your complete well-being.  Naturally, they will treat specific conditions, but they will also recommend comprehensive anti aging programs.

The Anti aging Toolbox

The tools utilized by your anti aging doctor usually involve a combination of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbal remedies, hormones (including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and thyroid hormone), diet, exercise and various other supplements to optimize your body’s function and well-being.

Other tools at your doctor’s disposal include prescription medications and nutritional supplements, which are products with the ability to replenish deficiencies, help prevent cancer and heart disease, and maintain brain function.  He or she may also prescribe products to facilitate better sleep, improve your libido and sexual function, and much more. 

And, as we’ve already noted, your doctor may also include herbal and homeopathic remedies in your anti aging program.  When it comes to such treatment, there is a plethora of products that will enable the anti aging physician to deliver scientifically effective and proven treatments.

Please understand that anti aging is a commitment to well being.  It is a way of life.  Therefore, once you commit to a program, your doctor will expect you to be proactive.  The physician will want you to take responsibility on your part by actively engaging in exercise and taking your prescription medications as indicated, along with all vitamins and supplements.  Remember, a doctor can lead a horse to the water but cannot make it drink.

3 Phases to Anti aging Programs

Anti aging can be divided into three phases:

Prevention
Intervention
Maintenance

One of the purposes of an anti aging program is to prevent the diseases of aging.  You cannot launch an effective anti aging program without encompassing all three phases.  During the prevention phase, there may not (yet) be any cause for alarm.  No abnormal test results will be received, so you can help prevent the onset of disease just by taking supplements, and pursuing regular exercise and a healthy diet.

In the Intervention phase, obvious laboratory abnormalities are evident, as well as physical, emotional or functional symptoms.  This is a critical phase, since Mother Nature is already exerting her impact on your genetics, creating symptoms that are confirmed by laboratory testing.  Once you’ve entered this phase, your doctor will combine nutritional supplementation, diet, hormone replacement treatment and exercise.  In addition, prescription medications may also be used to reverse laboratory discrepancies and help restore normal function.

Once your doctor has fine-tuned your anti aging program, you have entered the final phase – Maintenance.  Here, the doctor may check labs several times a year (or twice a year) to verify that you’re on track, and will also use this data to further adjust your program.  Maintenance is like “cruise control for total well being.”

Please note that launching an anti aging program does not exempt you from regular checkups and important yearly exams or tests.  And, obviously, it won’t prevent you from sustaining an injury in an accident.  There are always unforeseen events, so we make no claims about preventing such incidents from occurring.

Your anti aging doctor will inform you about any specific or individual risks/ benefits of your program, and we cannot possibly advise you on such matters on this website.  The sole purpose of this site is to provide information and education, helping you make intelligent choices about your health and the general benefits of anti aging programs.