Blooming medical tourism services to ‘extend life’

Every year millions of people travel abroad to experience medical treatments that are not available at home or are too expensive. For many, this is the last resort to alleviate the pain of serious illnesses, for others, the goal is to seek out cosmetics.

But in the past few years, a kind of travel medicalNew has appeared serving those looking for ways longevityaccording to Guardian.

There are charlatans offering a cure for aging, cheap travel coupled with lax legislation makes these services more and more prolific.

Thirst prolongs life

A healthy and long life is the dream of many people ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

There are many people who want to prolong life as much as possible. In the UK, people over 65 made up 19% of the population in 2019, up 23% from 2009. Recent advances in the science of anti-aging give many people hope that they can Life expectancy can be extended through medical tourism.

Although science has made some promising breakthroughs in the study of the cause and effect of the process old, but the real solutions are still far away. Many people take advantage of gullible people, convincing them that they can spend some money to buy a few more years of life. Many provide this service abroad, or in countries with lax health laws.

Billion dollar medical tourism market

According to Patients Beyond Borders, guidebook on travel, the global medical tourism market is worth $74 billion – $92 billion in 2019.

A good example is stem cell therapy. It is a regenerative treatment that aims to use cells that form in the body to rejuvenate and repair damage caused by disease or aging. This area of ​​research has great potential, but in practice very few treatments are approved for patients.

According to research published last year, the leading countries for stem cell tourism are the US, ChinaIndia, Thailand and Mexico.

Exaggeration on anti-aging stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapies can also help cure cancer and other diseases, but some US-based stem cell companies hype it as a cure and miracle solution to anti-aging. longevity.

A clinic in Iowa (USA) was found to have put out outrageous ads in customer referrals.

“Stem cell infusion reverses aging by up to 3 years. Do you want 3 years back youth no?”, information in this company’s brochure.

Stem cell research is an area of ​​potential, but approval for disease treatment is still very limited. posteriori / Shutterstock

Even when prosecuted or disciplined in one country, they continue to provide similar services in other places. A Florida man had his medical license revoked in 2015, after two of his patients undergoing stem cell therapy died.

When the author looked up the doctor’s name, he was listed as the chief scientific officer of another stem cell company. A cheerful receptionist said that the clinic is still open and undergoing procedures in the Dominican Republic, a hot spot for medical tourism.

Gene therapy touted to prolong life

Stem cell therapy is not the only anti-aging method attracting people abroad for treatment. Although the field of gene therapy is still young, it is also very popular. Promising studies have not yet shown results, have not been approved, but many people are willing to spend money on the advertised service.

“Recently, I also heard from a person in the US who wanted to prolong his life and planned to go to France to undergo plasma dialysis, a procedure that he claims will rejuvenate his blood. him and give him a chance to live a better life until he is 500 years old,” said Professor Peter Ward, author of the article, and author of “The Price of Immortality: The Race to Live Forever” To share.

In some cases, patients don’t even need to fly abroad to access drugs that could potentially help them live longer. Professor Peter Ward said an elderly woman in London (UK) told him that she had bought the cancer drug Dasatinib from an Indian website and used it in the hope of killing aging cells, according to Dr. Guardian.

The risks when choosing medical tourism to prolong life

Geriatricians and researchers find these methods disillusioned.

Medical tourism presents obvious dangers. Patients may not receive medical care to a standard of care they are served in the country and it is difficult to determine that a doctor or clinic is legitimate. Patients may also experience side effects if they return home too soon after the procedure; Language barriers can also cause problems.

For those seeking treatment they cannot afford in their home country or seeking an unapproved final cure for a critical illness, these risks are well worth taking. . But for those who are merely looking to improve life expectancy, the gamble is much greater, especially when there is no evidence that any medical intervention is effective and approved.

“In the best case, they go home and only lose money. But if it’s bad, life expectancy can be shortened ironically,” said Professor Peter Ward, according to the report. Guardian.