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Gerovital-H3®
A Classic Anti-Aging Medicine
By Mircea Dumitru M.D., PhD
The
history of Gerovital-H3® began in 1946 when Ana Aslan, Professor
of Internal Medicine at the University of Timisoara thought about
all the suffering in old age. As a result she discovered a new type
of medicine and proved for the first time, a scientific efficacy against
the aging process.
Her
life was not easy, on the contrary, she had to fight against all the
misconceptions regarding cronos-age, and most of all, against the
opinions of many colleagues.
After
her first scientific results, Aslan introduced in 1956 for the first
time at the International Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics (G.
& G), in Merano-Italy, the concept of Gerontoprophylaxis. Let
me tell you about what Aslan named "Decalogue" which after
some time I referred as "Alan's Ten Commandments."
Food-
a secret to an extended life.
Physical movement.
Training for aging.
Sex at any age.
The drug of intelligence-Gerovital-H3®.
Stress and aging.
Cosmetics and age.
The elderly' s leisure.
Loneliness, depression and music.
The art to prevent chronic diseases.
This
synthesized the importance of general recommendations to delay the
aging process and maintain a healthy and active life.
In
1964 working at The National Institute of Geriatrics & Gerontology
in Bucharest, I was directly involved in the scientific programme
of Gerovital-H3® studying one topic: "The effects of Gerovital-
H3 in outpatients." Over more than 10 years I elaborated on five
scientific papers regarding its effects on healthy elderly people,
chronic degenerative diseases and the possibility to partially reverse
the aging process. From 1978 until 1990, as a Director of The Nat.
Inst. Of G. & G and as a chairman of scientific topics, I have
introduced new topics and methodologies to study this drug.
Many
scientists from the US, Germany, UK, Japan, Austria, Italy and Romania
etc. have studied Aslan's Product and more than 400 articles have
been published in scientific journa1s. Many symposiums, conferences
and scientific sessions at International Congresses have been dedicated
to present and to discuss the effects of her treatment.
After
54 years and after hundreds of thousands of healthy and sick people
from all over the world have received Alan's treatment, what can I
say, (as a close collaborator of Aslan) about her and her famous product-Gerovital-H3®?
Alan's
Method of Geriatric Treatment and her product Gerovital-H3® is
most efficient in the Pre-geriatric-stage of life (40 to 65 years)
and Geriatrics (after 65).
More
than 15 books were written about Aslan's work and her life.
Even
today, in all the world's continents you will find Aslan's Geriatrics
Clinics.
Ana
Aslan is one of the most important personality's in the history of
G. & G. because she especially fought the aging process and was
against the sufferings of old age.
Here
we are now, at the start of the second millennium and after more than
40 years of Gerovital research. I want to share two of my thoughts
to doctors and to patients, because not all of the physicians recommending
Gerovital-H3® had a training in Romania, and many people are taking
this medicine over the counter .
What
is it necessary for the doctors who are using Gerovital treatment
to know?
When
I asked Aslan how do you fight the aging, she answered:
"Old
age is full of suffering and pain and I regard this as a parasite
of life which develops slowly. I declared war on aging. As a gerontologist
and a geriatrician you have to explain to healthy and sick people,
what it means to grow old, and what they have to do in order to improve
the quality of their life. My treatment is a solution and Gerovital-H3®
is not only a treatment, it is a philosophy and a hope".
In
1946, Aslan published her first research on Novocain and stated:
"After
the first results with Novocain injection, I tried this treatment
on patients with arthritis. Because these diseases are chronic, I
administered each with more injections. With great joy, I noticed
an improvement in the local symptoms and in their overall general
condition. The biggest reward was to notice an increase in their interest
in life. This lead me to the hypothesis on Novocain's general effect
on the neuro-psychical system. After doing pharmacological research,
this conviction crystallized in my mind."
Her
adventure began in Timisoara, the city of Romanian revolution that
took place in December 1989, and continued onto Bucharest. As soon
as Aslan began publishing and sharing her treatment, more and more
people started to visit her and the Institute in Bucharest. The Institute
was situated in an anonymous place but gradually became the Mecca
of the ill. Scientists came to learn from her and to undergo personally
her treatment. Their spoken and written words are proof of the effectiveness
of her method and product, Gerovital-H3®, which has bought so
much relief and hope to the suffering.
The
Characteristics of Gerovital- H3
The
solution of Gerovital-H3® contains the following active principles:
Procaine
hydrochloride 0.100009
Benzoic acid 0.006009
Potassium metabisulphite 0.005009
Disodium phosphate x 12H20 0.000509
And the excipient, distilled water up to 5 ml.
The
Gerovital H3 sugar coated tablets contain:
Procaine
hydrochloride 0.100009
Benzoic acid 0.006009
Potassium metabisulphite 0.005009
Disodium phosphate x 12H20 0.000509
And the excipients
Pharmacokinetics Absorption
The
radio-pharmacokinetic studies have shown that Gerovital-H3® is
quickly absorbed after administration. During the first 240 minutes
the two metabolites, diethylaminoethanol (DEAE) & para-amino-benzoic
acid (PABA) are produced and absorbed. This result is due to procaine
and esterase's action of splitting Gerovital-H3®. The absorption
of DEAE & PABA takes place in a competitive manner, which means
that the two metabolites compete for the active sites of the mechanism
that governs the absorption. The age of the subject is what differentiates
the absorption of DEAE, the older tissue having a greater affinity
for it.
Distribution
Radio-cromatographic
experiments have showed that Gerovital-H3® splits into DEAE and
PABA, which bind the plasma proteins no matter the route of the administration.
PABA binds specially to the light molecular weight plasmatic proteins.
The distribution of Gerovital-H3® and its metabolites is fast,
both for i.m. or oral administration. At the tissue level procaine
crosses the biological membranes acting upon their fluidity, and facilitating
the process that imply trans-membranary transport.
Metabolism
Once
absorbed by the animal organism, procaine undergoes the first stage
of hydrolysis into the blood and liver resulting in DEAE and PABA
(Figure 1). Radio pharmacological experiments proved that in a second
stage hydrolysis, DEAE splits into ethanol amine, glycine and urea.
By certain methylation processes together with "base exchange"
reactions, the ethanol amine enters the synthesis cycle of choline
and then acetylcholine as a next step. After injecting 99mTc-DEAE
to rats, radioactive marker was found in the ethanol amine and acetylcholine
extracted from brain and blood homogenates. There exists a saturation
limit for metabolisation of DEAE after which the substance is eliminated.
Characteristics
and mechanisms of action
The
addition of benzoic acid to procaine increases absorption from 15%
to 32% (as compared to isolated procaine), the fraction that enters
the organic phase of butanol, induces a greater access of procaine
into the hydrophobic cellular compartments.
-
Eutrophic properties
-
Procaine as a molecule and DEAE are cell membrane modulators.
- Monoamineoxidase (MAO) reversible inhibitor. The procaine hydrochloride
normalizes the body's production of certain neurotransmitters by monitoring
the degrading action of MAO .
- Excessive levels of MAO is a common cause of mental depression.
Gerovital-H3® is a reversible antidepressive monitoring the action
of MAO rather than destroy the MAO as do traditional antidepressant
drugs.
-
A deficiency in PABA can causes stress, digestive disorders, fatigue,
headaches, irritability and graying hair. By stimulating the intestinal
flora, PABA aids in the production of vitamin K, folic acid and thiamine.
- DEAE aids in the production of choline which is a precursor of acetylcholine.
DEAE is effective in relieving migraine and tension headaches.
- Antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects. Gerovital-H3® exerts
an inhibition on the generation super oxide radical in a non enzymatic
system.
- Gerovital-H3® has a lipid lowering effect consisting of either
diminishing the level of plasmatic lipoproteins and lipids, or increasing
the membrane fluidity. This protection against osmotic hemolysis,
or its antioxidant mechanism reduces the oxidative stress exerted
on the membrane structure and on the low density lipoprotein (LDL).
Indications
-
Gerovital-H3® is indicated for people older than 40 years to retard
the aging process and as a preventive and curative treatment for chronic
degenerative diseases.
- Moderate and light depressive syndromes.
- In troubles concerning attention, concentrating, cognitive process
and in balancing the neuro-vegetative distonies.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Sleep disorders
- Tegument dystrophies, trophic ulcers, atonic wounds
- Osteoarthritis, degenerating rheumatism, osteoporosis and during
fracture consolidation periods
- Sexual management- improving sex drive
- Parkinson disease and Parkinson syndromes
- Due to the inhibition of the generation of the super oxide radical,
Gerovital-H3® is a powerful antioxidant, a free radical quencher.
Outcome
of Gerovital-H3® treatment
-
Desire to be active and more ability to cope with the environment.
- Improves affective tone, psychic and vegetative balance
- Diminished extra pyramidal rigidity, improved gait and exercise
capacity
- Balanced endocrine functions with oestrogens reappearance and reactivation
of androgens and sex drive
- The alleviation of chronic disease symptoms, arthritis, varicose
ulcers
- Improves the Quality of Life retarding the rhythm of aging and having
a role in preventing chronic diseases.
Posology and mode of administration
Before starting the treatment you must
perform two tests: first inject 1ml i.d., and after 24 hours, 2ml
i.m., this is in order to establish the possibility of an allergic
reaction to Gerovital-H3®. If after the test no allergic reactions
appear (such as rash, itching, eruption, general reaction of the organism
with headache, vertigo, cephalic heating sensation or a metallic taste),
the treatment may be continued. These effects disappeared with the
treatment by respecting the post-injection rest period. It is seldom
necessary to reduce the dose. Usually these side effects occur only
in patients of more than 80 years of age.
In the experience of many hundreds of
thousands of patients that have completed this treatment, an intolerance
has only occurred in 1 in 7000 cases.
Preventive treatment of chronic diseases
and to reverse partially the aging process, consists of 4 courses
of 12 injections and 4 courses of 24 pills. Starting from the age
of 40, the prophylactic treatment with pills only is recommended in
a series of 25 tablets during 12 days, with an interval of 2 months.
First day, l/day, 2 hours after breakfast increasing to the 12th day
when 2 pills per day are taken (2 hours after meals, for example one
at 10:00 AM and another at 4:00 PM). There should a series of 5 treatment
courses in the year , which should be increased to 6 per year for
people over the age of 65.
Curative
treatment in chronic diseases requires 6 courses of 12 injections,
and 5 courses of 24 pills, yearly. One course of 12 injections over
4 weeks (three injections per week); 2 week break followed by one
course of 24 pills over 12 days, and after a further 2 week break,
the cycle is then resumed. After the i.m. injection the patient should
take a 10 to 15 minutes rest.
Limits
of use- Contraindications
Gerocital-H3
should not be used together with eserine or prostigmine, and at the
same time with sulphamides, because of the competition on the bacterial
metabolism.
Precautions
Take
care when administering Gerovital-H3® in epilepsy cases or high
blood pressure. The treatment does not interfere with the vigil state
or the reaction aptitude if the recommended pause after injection
is adhered to. There have never been any observed cases of drug dependence.
There is no evidence regarding human fetus' risk.
Over
dosage
The
intoxication with Gerovital-H3® occurs only over 400mg in i.v.
rapid injection and manifests as convulsions, hypotension, coma. The
treatment to apply is non-specific, the same as for any acute intoxication.
Chronic intoxication has never been observed.
Special
remarks
It
is possible to dilute Gerovital-H3® in glucose or NaCl 9%, and
also to be mixed with cortisone drugs.
Information
for the patient
Gerovital-H3®
belongs to the class of drugs whose general action is upon the organism,
especially in depression and overworking due to stress and over activity,
also in arthritis and in other degenerative diseases.
Gerovital-H3®
is recommended to people older than 40 who present symptoms of tiring,
to those suffering from chronic disease, to prevent chronic disease
or to partially reverse the aging process.
The
treatment has both prophylactic and curative purposes and it is used
alone or in association with other drugs in case of depression, rheumatic
diseases, Parkinson or systematic arteriosclerosis.
The
treatment method
It
must be administered two hours after the meals, either by oral or
by i.m. injection mainly at the beginning of the treatment: I recommend
a 10 to 15 minutes rest.
Where
Gerovital-H3® is not recommended
It
is not recommended in the following circumstances: severe liver disease,
renal failure and severe arterial high blood-pressure. A1so, it is
not recommended in feverish states and in association with sulphamides,
eserine and prostigmine.
Precautions
regarding the treatment with Gerovital-H3®
You
must inform your physician about the following circumstances:
-
you suffer from another disease
- you are allergic.
you are taking some other drugs-self medication.
- before starting the treatment you must undergo an intradermic test
(l ml) and also an i.m. test (2 ml) to reveal a possible allergy to
procaine.
- The treatment with Gerovital-H3® should be under medical supervision,
mainly in the first series of injections in order to establish the
optimal dose, and eventually to reduce the doses of previously used
drugs or even cancel them.
Method
of administering Gerovital-H3®
The
usual injectable dose is 1.5-2.0 mg/kg of body weight and day. This
means 1 ampoule in an i.m. injection.
The
usual oral dose is of 2 sugar coated tablets a day.
The
patient has to follow Alan's method presented to specialists. Other
schedules of treatment will be established by the physician adapting
them to the patient's characteristics: age, associated diseases. If
the patient forgets to take one or more doses, the treatment should
be respectively lengthened. Do not change the prescribed doses by
your own will. Go to your physician whenever you think that the drug's
efficiency is either too little or too strong.
What
are the possible side-effects of Gerovital-H3®?
Rarely,
at the beginning of the treatment the patient may observe slight vertigo,
metallic taste, cephalic heating sensation. These effects disappear
during the treatment. Even if the first tests do not point out an
allergic reaction to procaine, the subsequent occurrence of coetaneous
reactions determine that you should go to your physician.
What
else should be taken into account?
You
must take the drug after meals.
Maintain a 10 to 15 minutes rest after the Gerovital-H3® injections.
The product must be stored in a dry place, at room temperature, respecting
the validity date mentioned on the packing. Keep out of children's
reach.
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