Posted by GANDALF on May 11, 2001, at 10:48:44
In reply to Re: Gerovital H3, posted by Neal on May 10, 2001, at 1:30:48
Thanks for this info re the anti-aging hoax. However, most of us are just trying to stay moderately happy so we're more interested in whether or not the claims for *antidepressant* effects are a hoax or not. Do you have any infor regarding that which could help us?
Thanx
GANDALF> Anti-aging hoax
>
> By George Nava True II
>
>
> For decades, thousands of people looking for "the fountain of youth" flocked to the spa-like clinic of Dr. Ana Aslan in Bucharest, Romania. They came to the spa not only to rest and relax but to get their supply of Gerovital H3 (GH3), a drug popularized by Aslan in the 1950s.
>
> Although Aslan is no longer with us, her legacy remains. Gerovital is still the main attraction of several spas in Romania and the promises are plenty. Regular shots of the drug, we’re told, will reverse aging and prevent a wide range of diseases. For elderly tourists in search of a cure-all, Gerovital guarantees smooth skin, improved memory, increased vitality, relief from depression and freedom from arthritis, headaches and heart disease.
>
> These claims have been swallowed by the rich and the famous. Among Aslan’s many clients were John F. Kennedy, Marlene Dietrich, Kirk Douglas, and Salvador Dali. Sylvester Stallone also reportedly takes GH3 shots to remain sexy.
>
> In the Philippines, not a few gerontologists prescribe Gerovital for their patients. Some of them believe the drug will bring back youthful vitality and treat impotence.
>
>
>
> Old Story
>
> But it’s unlikely that Gerovital will deliver what it promises. The reason is simple: Gerovital’s active ingredient is procaine or novocaine, a numbing agent similar to cocaine. Procaine is an excellent anesthetic widely used by dentists but it has no anti-aging effect.
>
> "GH3 is a 2% procaine hydrochloride solution to which minute amounts of the following have been added as‘stabilizers’ or ‘buffers’: Benzoic acid, potassium metabisulfite and disodium phosphate. The procaine (which is the same novocaine anesthetic that you get when you go to the dentist) is supposed to be the active ingredient. Procaine, however, is rapidly hydrolized (decomposed) once it enters the bloodstream, even after buffering or stabilizing agents are added, and there is no evidence - or even any good reason to suspect - that these additives can sustain the activity of procaine long enough to produce the claimed benefits," according to Dr. Sheldon Saul Hendler in The Doctors’ Vitamin and Mineral Encyclopedia.
>
> The Gerovital scam began in the 1930s when German physician Ferdinand Huneke experimented with procaine injections in hundreds of patients. Huneke claimed the drug treated various diseases and relieved severe pain. But more reliable investigators found nothing special about it and denounced Huneke as a quack.
>
>
>
> Gerovital Returns
>
> In the 1950s, Aslan followed Huneke’s trail and promoted Gerovital for a variety of conditions associated with aging. Her perseverance paid off. Although Aslan died in 1988, Gerovital remains as popular as ever. It has been promoted by the Romanian National Tourist Office and is available in some European countries. While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) never approved the drug, Aslan’s supporters lobbied hard to make it available in one US state, Nevada. Legislators there openly accepted Gerovital because of the tourists it would attract and the reveneues it would generate.
>
> "Over the past two decades the US FDA has taken several actions against companies marketing Gerovital but the drug always resurfaces. Despite lavish health claims, its main ingredient has been shown only to have mild antidepressant effects. In some brands tested by the FDA, even that ingredient was missing," said the editors of Consumer Reports, a monthly magazine published by the Consumers Union of the United States.
>
>
>
> Unconvincing Evidence
>
> "Gerovital proponents claim that scientifc studies have proven its value. But the nearly 300 reports of Dr. Aslan and others concerning the effects of Gerovital on their patients were reviewed and evaluated by the National Institute on Aging. This review was highly critical of the methods used by the Gerovital proponents and concluded that the evidence for anti-aging effects was unconvincing," added nutritionist Kurt Butler in A Consumer’s Guide to Alternative Medicine.
>
> Fortunately, the dangers of Gerovital are more to your pocket than your health. But the contaminants found in some products can cause serious side effects like low blood pressure, breathing difficulties, and convulsions. For this reason, it’s best to avoid the drug rather than take chances. While nothing can stop the aging process, there are many ways of staying young and active. Gerovital is not one of them.
>
>
poster:GANDALF
thread:61830
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62474.html