American women now have a life expectancy of 80.1 years, with life expectancy for men currently standing at 74.8 years. Today, Americans can expect to live 67.6 years of their lifespan in a healthy fashion. The number of years spent in a healthy lifespan is, however, far short of the newest estimates on how long men and women will live. How will Americans live those years past the ‘healthy lifespan’ and into the projected, full life expectancy in a fit, productive, satisfying manner? The A4M’s XIII Annual International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine serves as an essential mechanism for knowledge exchange in the battle against aging-related diseases.
American men and women are living longer than ever. In its annual mortality report, issued March 2005, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that American women now have a life expectancy of 80.1 years, with life expectancy for men currently standing at 74.8 years.
In 2003, deaths due to three of the nation’s leading diseases declined. The death rate from heart disease decreased by 3.6%, the cancer death rate declined by 2.2%, and the death rate from stroke dropped by 4.6%. However, the death rate for Alzheimer’s Disease increased by 5.9% and by hypertension increased by 5.7%. Deaths attributable to Parkinson’s Disease rose by 3.4%. For the first time in history, Parkinson’s Disease became among the top 15 causes of death in the United States. Observes Dr. Ronald Klatz, President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net), the world’s leading nonprofit professional medical organization dedicated to advancing research and clinical pursuits that enhance the quality, and extend the quantity, of the human lifespan: “The Baby Boomer population, totaling 77 million Americans with 24 million over the age of 50, has reshaped every major phase in its life, and they are now redefining the nature of old-age disease. Left unchecked, old age diseases will ravage our nation, exerting profound economic and political impact as well as taking significant personal tolls on the aging population and their loved ones.”
Today, Americans can expect to live 67.6 years of their lifespan in a healthy fashion (2001 figures; United Nations OECD and reported by http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/hea_lif_exp_hea_yea?=-1), free of major disabilities and dependence on others. The number of years spent in a healthy lifespan is, however, far short of the newest estimates on how long men and women will live. As posed by Dr. Robert Goldman, Chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M): “The question, then, is how to live those years past the ‘healthy lifespan’ and into the projected, full life expectancy in a fit, productive, satisfying manner?
The American pharmaceutical industry is working to help Americans live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. A survey conducted in 2004 found more than 800 medicines in-development for diseases of aging, including:
~ 123 for heart disease and stroke
~ 395 for cancer
~ 22 for Alzheimer’s disease
~ 11 for depression
~ 53 for diabetes
~ 14 for Parkinson’s Disease
(Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association PhRMA, September 2004).
Comments Dr. Goldman, “The pharmaceutical industry approach to aging is very much parallel to that of the anti-aging medical specialty. Many of the 800 new drugs in-development employ cutting-edge technologies to attack diseases in novel ways. The 14,500 members from 75 nations of the A4M are innovative scientists themselves, and are continually on the look-out for new ways to approach old problems.”
Americans over age 65 take an average of 5 or 6 medications every day (WebMD via MSNBC, March 11, 2003). The anti-aging patient is similar, averaging a total of 6 to 10 medications and over-the-counter supplements daily, in an effort to stave the effects of aging. Remarks Dr. Klatz: “The anti-aging medical practice is a private practice typically with a predominantly self-pay patient population, lending the freedom to physicians to prescribe for a wide array of pharmaceutical products based on actual medical need and not to conform to mandates instituted by insurance companies or governmental agencies.”
As a result, the A4M’s Anti-Aging Expositions, industry events that network decision-making physician buyers with manufacturers and distributors of cutting-edge products and services for life enhancement and life extension, are recognized globally as the world’s leading trade shows in the anti-aging arena. All totaled, A4M sponsored/co-supported events in 2005 will bring 23,000 attendees (projected) to more than a dozen venues. View the World Map of A4M Events, online at www.worldhealth.net.
The premier A4M Anti-Aging Expositions will be held in the United States, in conjunction with the XIII Annual International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine. The Summer 2005 Conference Session, and the co-located Chicago Anti-Aging Exposition, will take place August 19-21, 2005, in Chicago, IL USA. The Winter 2005 Conference Session, and the co-located Las Vegas Anti-Aging Exposition, will take place December 9-12, 2005, in Las Vegas, NV USA. At the Expositions, a veritable “Who’s Who” of companies that produce and distribute products and services relevant to the anti-aging medical industry participate. Exhibitorships and sponsorships are available. Space is selling out fast for the 350 exhibitor booths at the Chicago Anti-Aging Exposition, taking place August 19-21, 2005, and remaining space is very limited. Inquire with Ms. Doreen Brown at (561) 997-0112 or send fax to (561) 997-0287. To learn more about the XIII Annual International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine, visit www.worldhealth.net/event.
James Vaupel of the Max Planck Institute (Germany) reports that “The number of centenarians (people age 100 and over) in many industrialized nations is doubling every decade,” and that “The average lifespan in industrialized countries in 2150 will be 122.5 years.” (Wright K, “Staying alive,” Discover, vol 24 no. 11, Nov. 2003). The A4M wholeheartedly agrees with Dr. Vaupel’s prediction, estimating that lifespans of 100 years will be the norm by the year 2029.
Together, industry, public officials, and the private sector can bridge the gap to achieve longer, healthier, productive lives around the world. The A4M’s XIII Annual International Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine serves as an essential mechanism for knowledge exchange in the battle against aging-related diseases.
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Inc. (“A4M”) is a non-profit medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on biomedical sciences, breaking technologies, and anti-aging issues. A4M believes that the disabilities associated with normal aging are caused by physiological dysfunction which in many cases are ameliorable to medical treatment, such that the human lifespan can be increased, and the quality of one’s life enhanced as one grows chronologically older. A4M seeks to disseminate information concerning innovative science and research as well as treatment modalities designed to prolong the human lifespan. Anti-Aging Medicine is based on the scientific principles of responsible medical care consistent with those of other healthcare specialties. Although A4M seeks to disseminate information on many types of medical treatments, it does not promote or endorse any specific treatment nor does it sell or endorse any commercial product.
