From Beijing to Bali, Tokyo to Thailand, Asia Embraces Anti-Aging Medicine

Anti-aging and regenerative medicine is the fastest growing medical specialty throughout the world. The goal is not to merely prolong the total years of an individual’s life, but to ensure that those years are enjoyed in a productive and vital fashion. This exciting branch of medicine is founded on the application of advanced technologies for the early detection, prevention, treatment, and reversal of age-related disorders and diseases.

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (www.worldhealth.net) is a major force in advancing the clinical delivery of these medical specialties worldwide. It is also among the fastest growing medical societies in the world today, growing from 12 doctors in 1993 to a current membership of over 20,000.

Physician co-founders Drs. Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman created the anti-aging medical movement in 1992 with the formation of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). Today, the academy serves as an advocate for anti-aging medical science. It also acts as a conduit to physicians, scientists, and the educated public who wish to benefit from the almost daily breakthroughs in biotechnology that promise both a greater quality as well as quantity of life.

By co-sponsoring the world’s largest scientific conferences in the area of advanced preventive medicine, the A4M has grown in three years from just two international conferences to more than 20 annual international conferences on all continents in 2008. Furthermore, many of these conferences have been held with the support of governments, ministries of health, and international sports federation organizations.

Through its co-sponsored/co-supported events in anti-aging and regenerative medicine, the A4M now oversees ongoing training of over 50,000 physicians and surgeons in onsite educational programs. Asia, which is the world’s fastest aging region, factors significantly into current and future plans for the continued widespread adoption of the anti-aging and regenerative medical specialties.

Indonesia

Udayana University School of Medicine in Indonesia is the first educational institution in the world to offer a Masters Degree in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. The two-year government-sanctioned and approved program is offered under auspices of the University’s Department of Biomedical Sciences and is the world’s first such program of study and qualification.

Dr. Goldman and Dr. Klatz, A4M Chairman and President, respectively, each serve as Visiting Professors to this unique Masters Degree program. An official ceremony in September 2007 officiated the posts and signified a giant step forward in the availability of anti-aging medical care in Indonesia. The Masters Degree program offers an academic track that will train physicians locally and worldwide, potentially making Bali an elite educational center for the anti-aging medical specialty. The program offers graduate and specialist programs, as well as short-term courses for family practitioners. Special certificate courses geared toward the general public are also available.

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Bali is also the scene for international anti-aging events. The Asia Anti-Aging Conference took place in Bali in September 2007 and encompassed The 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Anti-Aging Medicine, the 3rd International Conference on Wellness & Anti-Aging Medicine, and the 1st Australasia Hospital CEO Summit. It functioned as the key educational program in the anti-aging medical specialty taking place amidst a regional population of 4 million who comprise a sizeable share of the world’s aging citizens. Hundreds of physicians from across the region participated in lectures and workshops.

The 2008 Asia Anti-Aging Conference takes place October 10-12, 2008 in Bali, Indonesia.

Singapore

The Forbes Global CEO Conference took place in September 2007 in Singapore. Dr. Robert Goldman gave over 400 tycoons a key conference briefing on the medical biotechnology behind the revolution in anti-aging medicine and its societal implications. He submitted to the world’s top business leaders that we now stand on the brink of a golden age of greatly extended human longevity.

“We now understand the human body better than ever,” said Dr Goldman in his conference briefing. “How and why it ages and sickens, and how to prevent disease, and fix or replace body parts that degenerate. We have emerging biomedical technologies such as stem cell therapy, nanotechnology drug delivery, and even the development of bioidentical replacement organs. With early detection and appropriate intervention, many diseases can be prevented, cured, or have their downward course reversed.”

Dr. Goldman suggests that we are at the cutting edge of a major shift in medical science—from the treatment of disease to a focus on wellness. “The cumulative effects of these advances mean that life spans of up to, and over, 120 years are possible for people alive today,” he said.

China

As one of the most rapidly aging nations in the world, China has embraced anti-aging medicine.

The World Anti-Aging Congress comprised two anti-aging events that were held on Oct 29-Nov 4, 2007 and were co-supported by the A4M, the World Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine, the China Food & Drug Administration, China Medical Association, and China Pharmaceutical Association. With a host of renowned speakers from China as well as around the globe, the events drew 20,000 physicians and members of the general public, as well as 1,500 hospital and medical center executives. At the first of these events, the China Pharm Expo at the World Anti-Aging Congress in Shanghai became one of the world’s largest medical meetings by presenting 3,000 corporate booths on 400,000 square feet of exhibition space. Immediately after the Shanghai World Anti-Aging Congress, most of the speakers and exhibitors proceeded to reconvene in Dong Guan (near Hong Kong). Here, more than 2,000 physicians, scientists, and hospital principals assembled for the China Health Industry Forum. Both events received the official backing of the Chinese government and the significant co-ventured support of the China Pharmaceutical Association, China FDA International Medicine Exchange Center, Chinese Medical Association, and China Medical Association Health Promotion Committee, as well as many Chinese medical organizations.

Top-rated scientific institutions are also playing their part. Dr. Goldman has been appointed to the positions of Visiting Professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology Tongji Medical School, rated among the top three medical universities in China; and Visiting Professor at The Wuhan Institute of Science and Technology, the top biotechnology private university in China.

Steve Forbes with Dr. Robert Goldman at the 2007 Forbes Global CEO Conference in Singapore.

Further excitement in anti-aging medicine has been spurred by other activities—a leading Chinese publishing firm has been contracted to translate the A4M’s textbooks and general interest books (more than 30 titles), while a number of business groups are looking to invest in building large anti-aging hospitals and clinics offering comprehensive anti-aging medical care in China. Taken collectively, these activities demonstrate a long-term and focused commitment to advancing the availability of anti-aging medicine in China.

Across Asia

In Asia, A4M-co-supported anti-aging conferences will also take place in Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and India. Visit The World Health Network, www.worldhealth.net, for information about upcoming educational programs taking place in these nations.

Closing Remarks

The 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 halting and optimizing the human aging process. It is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on biomedical sciences, breaking technologies, and anti-aging issues. The A4M believes that the disabilities associated with normal aging are caused by physiological dysfunction, which, in many cases, may be medically treated to increase both the quality as well as the quantity of the human life span.

Although the A4M disseminates 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.

The vast majority of A4M physician members are board-certified in primary medical specialties that are recognized by the American Medical Association. Anti-aging specialists typically devote 80% or more of their practices specifically to the early detection, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of age-related dysfunction, disorders, and diseases. The thousands of anti-aging clinics around the world are largely responsible for the exponential growth of the anti-aging marketplace.1,2