The Dangers of Anti-Aging Medications Revealed

Truth be told, no one wants to look old. Everyone wants a never-fading youthful look. Who can blame them? Old age has been associated with a wrinkly skin, loneliness, and limitations—and no one wants that. 

A woman named Hanneke Hops, aged 56 had no fear of death; rather, she feared the effects of growing old. She was concerned about being unable to run in marathons and ride horses among other things. Therefore, she turned to a radiologist who founded Cenegenics Medical Institute in Las Vegas, which specializes in age management medicine.

A recombinant human hormone (HGH) was prescribed to her. This was a synthetic version of a pituitary hormone, the said fountain of youth. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration had warned about drugs such as HGH due to the serious health risks it poses. All of this Hops didn’t know.

She began injecting it in her thighs six times a week. She never got old.

In 2004, Hops died with her liver full of tumors, six months after she started injecting herself with the HGH. Although there was no direct link to prove that her death was due to what she has been injecting, HGH has been linked to an increased risk of cancer.

Over 78 million people want to feel and look young and are very willing to pay any price. The anti-aging industry is expected to reap hundreds of billions of dollars in the years to come.

That’s not the problem. Here’s the problem: many anti-aging doctors make empty promises just to fill their pockets. These doctors take advantage of women who have legitimate medical concerns such as low libido, such as libido loss, lack of sleep, and flagging energy.

What’s worse is that these doctors try to make people believe in therapies and unapproved use of hormones such as HGH, which can endanger their patients.

 [su_quote class=”cust-pagination”] “Medicine rests upon four pillars- philosophy, astronomy, alchemy, and ethics.” — Paracelsus [/su_quote]

 The Rise of Anti-Aging Doctors

Middle-aged women seek gynecologists to be treated for menopausal symptoms. Today, a new breed of doctors promises to deliver a lot more including a fitter body and many other advantages that come with being young. These doctors make it look like aging one’s fault while claiming to “fix” the problem.

Aging is a natural process. Some doctors define aging as an irreversible and unstoppable course. They warn about interventions in aging. Not all anti-aging doctors have the expertise to treat hormonal imbalances and other age- related conditions. This expertise is possessed by geriatricians (doctors who specialize on the elderly) and endocrinologists ( doctors who specialize in hormones).

See, doctors stand to make major profits when they set up an anti-aging practice. Insurance does not cover anti-aging treatments for a good reason. This, therefore, means cash on hand, thousands of cash per patient.

 Risky Therapies 

The biggest asset that anti-aging doctors have is prescription hormones. They take an old person and modifying his or her hormone environment so that he or she feels like she’s 20.

Most of these doctors have no training in what they practice. HGH naturally declines in the body with age, but these doctors claim that injecting synthetic HGH can reduce body fat, boost energy, and build muscle among others. To date, there is no evidence to prove this. Studies show that the use of drugs to boost HGH can cause cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Thus, FDA-approved HGH is allowed only under certain conditions. It is, therefore, illegal to sell or distribute products that containing HGH for anti-aging purposes.

 Bioidentical Estrogen

Let’s not forget the bioidentical estrogen. This is a synthetic estrogen that can relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and dryness of the external genitalia.

Bioidentical creams and pills are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. However, many doctors are trying to create their own bioidentical hormone cocktails to cater to their patients’ special needs. 

 Customization 

The most troubling part is the doctors’ customization. This involves taking a prescription to compounding pharmacies where they mix the ingredients to come up with concoctions that are not approved by the FDA. Most end-products do not contain the ingredients they are supposed to have. Thus, they may have adverse effects on the body. 

It is important to avoid taking medications that are not approved by the FDA. They were not approved for a reason, or lack thereof.