Las
Vegas, Nevada – December 10-14, 2008
The annual conference organized by the American
Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) opened a large window into
medicine's future, beyond the current drug-treatment era and our
fears of frailty into vital longevity now within human reach. It
was a blend of thought-provoking CME-credited lectures, hands-on
workshops, and exposition of experiences on the edge of medicine's
frontier.
Townsend Letter readers would recognize
many of the lecturers. Of their talks, one of my favorites was the
new paradigm presented by Stanislaw Burzynski, MD. Cancer treatment
today is where antibiotics were 60 years ago, he explained. We shouldn't
focus on genetics but on genetic expression. If genetics is the
tip of the iceberg, the submerged nine-tenths is epigenetics. Ultimately,
we want to suppress oncogenes and increase tumor-suppressor genes.
Many nutrients perform these functions second by second, without
our realizing it. Several decades ago Dr. Burzynski named cancer-suppressing
agents, antineoplastons, and used the example of phenylbutyrate's
ability to suppress liver cancer.
John Ionescu, PhD, presented his data that explains a mechanism
by which vitamin C kills cancer cells and spares healthy cells.
In short, the transition metals, be they nutrients like iron and
zinc or toxicants like mercury and cadmium, concentrate in cancer
cells. The greater concentration of metals in cancer cells makes
them more vulnerable to the hydroxyl radical production induced
by vitamin C. It felt as if Linus Pauling were sitting in the front
row.
My lecture, "Safeguarding Muscle during Weight Reduction,"
engendered a dynamic hallway discussion, as attendees shared their
clinical methods for monitoring body composition and metabolic health.
We discussed mechanisms by which nutrients such as ribose, amino
acids, and l-carnitine help dieters maintain hard-earned muscle.
Several technologies enlisted my scientific questioning. Diagnostic
ultrasound has broader clinical applications than I had realized.
Our electromagnetic fields, altered by the technology that surrounds
us, can be readjusted as we sleep. Several tests of epigenetic expression
and of genes themselves may be ready for prime time.
The expo combined the inside-out approaches to healthful aging and
outside-in healing approaches of spa medicine. Not only were the
majority of the technologies intended for patients, they could also
be experienced by conference participants. So, take part I did.
My face was lathered in an assortment of nutrient-laden serums,
photographed with a black light or Wood's lamp for sun-damage, masked
with ionized collagen, vacuumed using microdermabrasion, microneedled
with a Bio-Roller, lasered, and massaged. What's left of my face
looks great.
In sum, A4M put on a conference worthy of a toast, "Here's
a toast to your coffin. May it be made from a 100-year-old oak,
and may we plant the tree tomorrow."
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The team from Douglas Laboratories was there to represent
their supplement company, one of the many manufacturers at the
conference. |
Ribose affects healing from the inside out. |
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Dr. John Ionescu discovered the mechanism by which vitamin
C targets cancer cells. |
Participants get facial healing from the outside in with ionized
collagen masks. |
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Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski explains the scientific pillars of
his 30 years of successful cancer care. |
A chance to take charge of your electromagnetic fields with
grounding technology. |
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Attention multitaskers: Now you can bicycle and sauna simultaneously. |
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Ingrid Kohlstadt
MD, MPH, is an FDA Commissioner's Fellow, using diet to improve
drug safety. She has been elected a Fellow of the American College
of Nutrition and is an associate at the Johns Hopkins School of
Public Health. She is the founder and chief medical officer of INGRIDients
Inc., editing Food and Nutrients
in Disease Management (CRC Press,
Jan 2009) and Scientific Evidence
for Musculoskeletal, Bariatric and Sports Nutrition
(CRC Press, 2006).
Disclaimer: The
views expressed in this article are her own and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the FDA.
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