Re: Cryonics, anti-aging scams
Posted by:
Shannon Vyff
()
Date: October 28, 2010 04:21AM
I recently read, Long For This World: The Strange Science of Immortality, Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging, Selling the Fountain of Youth: How the Anti-Aging Industry Made a Disease out of Aging and made Billions, and The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution.
[...] My favourite of the group was The Youth Pill, just because the science was best in it. The whole concept though of how humans are trying to figure out how aging works, is interesting to me--there are some great ideas in The Youth Pill, I'd read most of the things in the other books before. There is an enormous problem with lack or regulation and education about a range of "anti-aging" treatments, that may do more harm than good such as hormone replacement. Now, most cryonicists that I've met see cryonics as a, "well its better than nothing" proposition because they'll be dead anyway --and I don't see a higher than average amount of cryonicists spending money on over-all anti-aging supplements or treatments (I have met some that do take supplements though) than the average population in industrialized nations --but still to me, it seems that the amount spent on cryonics is a drop in the bucket compared to what is spent on some other highly suspect anti-aging treatments, even with cryonics having as low a chance of working that it does. I practice Calorie Restriction (I started 9 years ago, and lost 85 pounds--gained energy, attended some conferences, kept up with the community and still am at--I like doing it because it is easy for me, I've adopted the once-a-day eating--and do that most days). Today I sat down to catch up here and write this, with a cup of tea, which I have instead of lunch ;)--but point is, that is all I do for anti-aging, along with exercising and enjoying my family :). I don't spend a lot of money on anything related to anti-aging (except books perhaps ;) ), because so far, the only thing I think has been demonstrated to actually slow aging, or extend the healthy years, is Calorie Restriction--plus my budget goes to my family, and social action. I don't spend much on cryonics, and I think it has only a small chance of working, but that seems rational to me--compared to what some people spend on anti-aging treatments that might actually shorten their lifespan. I do support people working on ending age-related degeneration over all and extending healthy lifespans, I think it needs to be in a balanced way--as giving money to vaccines in some parts of the world will do a great deal to extend life. There are legitimate ways to work on radical life extension that we may have hundreds of years from now, and ways to help with over all life extension now, world-wide. The supplement market, though, clearly makes a lot of money, and LEF is large, but not the largest player within that field. I've never ordered from LEF, but from following discussions at ImmInst I think they have high quality, and some of the better research into what may help and why. I do know they have had ads for Alcor before, but I don't know if many of their members are cryonicists. I've never met Saul or Bill, and have no idea if they think cryonics would ever make money--but I do know that it so far does not, also the amount a person pays goes towards upkeep that is planned for centuries, there is not "extra money". Of course, a converse view of that would be that the money could be stolen from the patient upkeep funds--so it is up to the organizations to keep reliable, honest people in leadership. I've got to run, don't know when I'll get to read over all 50 pages, but I suspect all the regular arguments for or against cryonics have been made--I will get to reading through eventually and will comment. The next few weeks are highly busy, every day we have lessons or camps, or homework or competitions... this weekend is my eldest daughter's first High School UIL Math Competition :) So, although I may think most of the people reading this particular thread think all cryonicists are naive or misguided, I will make the time to talk here some more. I have no intention of changing minds, and some may still think I'm crazy, but I think I'm a normal mom who took on being a mom with a passion, and who has a hobby of following the field of radical life extension --along with being a voting Democrat, bleeding heart, liberal UU church goer, roller derby referee ;). I support my husband and children, I have many other aspects to my life right now that are more in the forefront than being signed up to be frozen when I die. There may be some good that comes from the debates within this thread for the cryonics community, but so far most of the people within leadership in cryonics have been honest, credentialed people who continue to work on bettering the field.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2010 06:11AM by rrmoderator.