Cardiology is a recognized medical discipline. So is neurology. So is — if you want to get closer to home — gerontology.
But how about longevity?
It’s a topic, certainly. And it’s touched upon, and influenced, by many of the other medical disciplines. But is it its own thing? Is there such a discipline as “longevity medicine?” And if there were, wouldn’t it be more accessible?
As reported here, a group of medical professionals is working to make longevity recognized as a credible medical field: “Establishing a new discipline of medicine is no mean feat. Longevity doctors have started to make progress by establishing learning programs and embedding these courses in medical schools.They’ve started drafting guidelines for the field, and working out how they might go about becoming recognized by national medical boards.”
But there are already so-called “longevity doctors” and an ever-growing number of longevity clinics. So what’s the problem? “Clinicians disagree on how they should assess and treat aging. Most clinics are expensive and currently only cater to the wealthy. And their task is made more difficult by the sheer scale and variety of longevity clinics out there, which range from high-end spas offering beauty treatments to offshore clinics offering unproven stem cell therapies. Without standards and guidelines, there is a real risk that some clinics could end up not only failing to serve their clients, but potentially harming them.”
The article goes into some detail about the variations in services at longevity clinics, and it’s well worth reading.
A good example of the range of variations is in testing: “Almost all longevity clinics offer their clients a suite of tests, usually over a four- to six-hour testing session.” But which tests, and how far do they go? Height, weight, bone density, blood workups — but then what? Do they put you on a treadmill to measure how much oxygen your body can use when you exercise? What about cognition? Do they analyze your diet? Will you get an MRI? Will you talk to a fitness coach? How much is enough? How much is too much? And above all, can you afford it?
The answers are all over the map, but heavily weighted toward higher costs and limited affordability.
The article cites Evelyne Bischof, director of the Sheba Longevity Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, who says longevity medicine needs to become mainstream, and more people should have access to a full range of diagnostic tests that might pick up early signs of age-related diseases.
Bischof co-led the development of the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society (HLMS), an international organization established in August 2022 to, among other things, “build a clinically credible framework and platform for longevity medicine.” The society now has more than 200 members, including medical doctors, healthcare professionals, and other people associated with longevity clinics.
From the article: “Bischof wants longevity medicine to be officially recognized as a medical discipline, like cardiology or neurology, for example. Clinics should meet certain criteria to qualify as longevity clinics, she says, and longevity doctors should be required to obtain qualifications before they can make use of the title. This would require sign off by national medical councils like the American Medical Association.”
That won’t happen quickly, but in the meantime Bischof and her associates have developed an online course for doctors interested in longevity medicine, and “it has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, which means that doctors who take the course earn credits that support their continued medical education in the US— something that is required by some medical employers.”
All of this is good news for SuperAgers. While we’re not qualified to judge the underlying clinical issues — which tests matter, which services are essential — that fact that longevity is being viewed as its own distinct discipline represents an important reversal of the siloed system under which health care developed, with the emphasis on treating a specific disease rather than taking a broader look and integrating much more data and options for wellness and prevention. Now that we known about the HLMS, we will keep an active and interested eye on their progress, and report promptly to you.
In the meantime, be sure to read the full article. It has a lot more detail about some of the problems and challenges of making longevity medicine a recognized discipline. You’ll find it a fascinating “inside look” at some powerful new thinking.