Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

anti-aging approaches 57
spread of bloodborne infections such as HEPATITIS
and HIV/AIDS. Though adverse effects are rare, they
can occur. Some people experience continued tingling
at the site of a needle insertion, and occasionally
there is very minor bleeding at a needle
site. People who are uncomfortable with the
thought or sight of needles may choose to close
their eyes when the acupuncturist is handling and
inserting needles. One of the most common side
effects of acupuncture, typically among people
who are new to the procedure, is fainting at the
sight of a needle or when the acupuncturist inserts
the first few needles. Such a response relates to
the person’s fear or concern about the procedure,
not the acupuncturist’s technique.
Choosing an Acupuncturist
Most acupuncturists in the United States are
health-care practitioners such as conventional
doctors (MDs and DOs), naturopathic doctors
(NDs), chiropractors (DCs), and dentists (DDSs or
DMDs). Most states have some level of certification
or licensing, though standards are inconsistent
among states. The minimum education and
training required for MDs and DOs to become a
licensed acupuncturist in the United States is 200
hours. Some states extend this requirement to
NDs and DCs. States that will license an acupuncturist
who is not a trained health professional typically
require completion of an accredited
acupuncture program that is about 3,000 hours of
classroom education and experiential training. A
licensed acupuncturist uses the designation L.Ac.
after his or her name.
Because standards vary among states, health
experts recommend obtaining recommendations
and referrals for acupuncturists, especially for
people who are new to acupuncture. As with
any health-care practitioner, it is important to
feel comfortable with, and to trust, the acupuncturist.
See also ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR PAIN RELIEF;
BIOFEEDBACK; MIND–BODY INTERACTIONS; OSTEOPATHIC
MANIPULATIVE TREATMENT; REFLEXOLOGY; TRANSCUTA-
NEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION.
anti-aging approaches It is a common observation
that people who fully engage in the activities
of living from when they wake in the morning
until they go to bed at night seem to be much
younger than their chronological ages. They look
younger, they act younger, they feel younger.
With longevity continuing to increase, many people
are searching for ways to be among those who
seem young. It is enticing to think such efforts
might be as simple as taking a pill every morning.
While some methods to maintain the health and
vigor of youth show intriguing promise, many are
ineffective or potentially harmful.
Aging Interventions
Products marketed to slow the aging process seldom
can substantiate their claims through clinical
studies and objective measures. Nonetheless,
they are appealing because everyone wants to
believe they can work. And some may be helpful,
though researchers do not yet know. Some products
commonly marketed as anti-aging substances
include
• Hormones such as DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE
(DHEA) (a TESTOSTERONE/estrogen precursor the
adrenal glands produce) and human GROWTH
HORMONE (hGH), which marketers claim reverse
aging effects such as lost MUSCLE mass and BONE
DENSITY. Some clinical studies show these hormones
can indeed have such effect. However,
health experts caution that there are as yet no
studies that evaluate the effects and consequences
of these products over the long term.
• Antioxidants such as vitamins and COENZYME
Q10, marketed as substances that can clean up
the molecular waste that otherwise accumulates
to cause disease. Indeed, antioxidants do
bind with free radicals, molecular particles that
remain in cells as byproducts of energy generation.
What is much less clear is the precise role
free radicals have in causing diseases such as
DIABETES, CANCER, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD),
OSTEOARTHRITIS, PARKINSON’S
DISEASE, and other
health conditions typically associated with
aging.
Conventional health experts believe there is little
value to claims about any products that say
they can stop or reverse the aging process. Though
such claims remain out there, the bigger truth also
remains: None of these products ever kept anyone