Anti-aging Hoax

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 ...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 left this world in 1988, her legacy remains. Gerovital is still the main attraction of several spas in Romania and the promises are plenty. Regular shots of the drug will supposedly 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, freedom from depression and heart disease, and a pain-free life.

These claims have been swallowed by the rich and 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. Some doctors prescribe Gerovital for impotence. Others use it to make hair grow and treat mental disorders.

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.

The reason some people swear by Gerovital is because oral procaine dilates the superficial blood vessels of the face and scalp, causing a “flush”. This strange feeling creates the impression that the drug works. That plus the program of exercise and much personal attention one gets from Gerovital spas can easily make one feel better. However, studies show that Gerovital is nothing more than an anesthetic.

“GH3 is a two percent 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.”

To this day, Gerovital remains in the US food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) list of unapproved drugs. The agency automatically confiscates commercial shipments of oral and injectable forms of Gerovital and its sister products – KH3, Zell H3, GH3 Cream, etc. Still, many products continue to enter the United States from various areas under the guise of “free medical samples”.

“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.

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. One of them is Dermaxin, a safe and natural cream that nourishes and hydrates the skin to eliminate the signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles. Visit http://tinyurl.com/8jkw6ma for more information.