Activities
The main activity of the A4M is outreach, education, and advocacy for anti-aging medicine. It does this through publications, on-line activity and sponsoring conferences: such as the "World Anti-Aging Congress and Exposition" and the "Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine". According to a 2008 A4M press release, "The World Congress is undisputed global gathering of international industry leaders" and quotes Klatz as stating, "our Annual Congress Sessions are regarded as the gold standard for physician education in advanced preventive medicine." Some of these conferences are in conjunction with an organization called the "World Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine", which is an umbrella group for several national anti-aging organizations that is also headed by Goldman. The LA Times, reporting from the 2004 annual conference of the A4A at Las Vegas, stated that this conference presented a mix of "scientific and technical presentations" and exhibitors selling "wrinkle creams, hair-growing potions, sexual enhancement pills and hormone treatments". In a 2008 press release about the Annual World Congress, the A4M stated that:
The physicians of A4M, along with the advocacy of aging intervention and biomedical research, have brought millions of new consumers to the realization that aging is not inevitable. Thanks in large part to these combined efforts, anti-aging medicine and regenerative biomedical technology is a $96.89 billion global industry. The Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging bundles this rapid momentum into a global marketplace of ideas, suppliers and solutions, enabling professionals to: connect with their peers on the latest hot-button issues; source cutting edge products; learn about the latest advancements and technologies; and get ahead of their competition.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". 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". The A4M disputes this accusation and their website states that "Although the 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.". In fact there is very little money to be actually made in "Anti Aging Medicine" according to Dr. Klatz. In a review of the history of anti-aging medicine published in 2004, Robert Binstock of Case Western Reserve University, acknowledged the Academy's position on commercial interests, but noted that it "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." 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." 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”. However, according to a 2005 article in the Chicago Tribune, the company later pulled out of this contract.
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, but the New York Times states that the American Board of Medical Specialties does not recognize this body as having professional standing. MSNBC also comment on this issue, noting 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." 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."
Read more about this topic: American Academy Of Anti-Aging Medicine
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