Sunday, October 10, 2010

Cenegenics Scam

"The bottom is line is that Cenegenics is a place for people who don’t know about how the body feels when it is depressed and poorly fed, and they are misleading you when they tell you that a shot of hormones will fix it. Cenegenics and HGH prescribing centers are the new snake oil salesmen of the 21st century."

FROM http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1397263229732742141

Summary is highlighted.


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"Cenegenics"
What is the deal with this 67 year old physician who graces every one of your in-flight magazines with that buff physique and promises that he can do the same for you? Is that a Photoshop project or what?
Turns out, it's legit. Jeffry Life the 67 year old physician who is hawking his program called Cenegenics looks just like he does in this unretouched photo. And yes, he is 67 years old and only 6 years earlier looked like any other 61 year old. Well, OK, he still had a physique underneath all of that fat, but he didn't sport those six pack abs in the ad.

We've also run across another similar ad featuring a 47 year old attorney who had a similarly stunning physique thanks to this remarkable program. It prompted us to look into this Cenegenics thing a little further. What is the secret behind these seemingly over the hill types trading in their flabby bodies for rock solid slabs of granite? Is it a scam? What is the medicine behind it all?

Apparently at the core of it all is Human Growth Hormone (HGH), or at least a synthetic analog. It looks the Cenegenics people have taken a page out of the BALCO books and have been using HGH on many of their patients. Of course, HGH isn't the only thing being used. From what we've read there are people popping 40 pills a day that are basically listed as "supplements"


Cenegenics costs a minimum of $1500 a month, and that explains why most of their clients are "well paid professionals". It is $1000 a mnth for just the supplements. Then there is the initially exam. That is $3000 up front, and you have to fly to Las Vegas to have it in most cases (there are satellite clinics now in other cities).  Then they want you to have 2 blood tests a year for $600-900 each (to monitor your hormone levels). Then at the end of the year they want you to fly in for another complete physical, at a cost of another $3000. You do the math. Just the blood test and original exam are at least $6000, and that plus the $1000 a month supplements are $18000 a year, or $1500 a month. And that doesn’t include air fair, hotels, food, car rentals, or the end of year exam or extra supplements they try to sell you. If you buy these plus the other cost, you can easily be up to $1800 a month!!!


But the real scam about Cenegenics isn’t the cost. The real scam is the way they evaluate you for being a candidate for their Human Growth Hormone (HGH) replacement program. Here is what they do to see if you should get the hormone. First, they have you fill out a questionnaire to see how you quality of life is. What they do is ask you a bunch of “quality of life” questions. You know, things like how much do you sleep at night, and do you feel rested when you wake up? How is your memory and how is your mood? How is your energy level? How is your confidence? Do you enjoy life? Do you have good friendships? Etc…. Well, if you answer any of these “quality of life” questions in the negative, they say it is because you definitely have low Human Growth Hormone. And tell you to buy theirs. The fact of the matter is that only 3 in 10,000 people actually have a true deficiency in HGH.

The truth is you just may be clinically depressed. And all you have to do to fix this is go to your doctor and tell him you feel these things and he will prescribe for you an antidepressant. Also, if you tell a doctor you are feeling “old”, or have low energy levels, he will do a thyroid and testosterone test to determine if these are things that need to be addressed. If they are, he will prescribe these supplements too. Then you can go to any pharmacy and get these supplements for less than 10% a month over the cost of Cenegenics. And you insurance will pay for it!!! Your insurance won’t pay for Cenegenics!


Now, if an antidepressant, a good diet and physical exercise don’t make you fell much better, then go see an endocrinologist and ask him if you need Human Growth Hormone. You can rest assured you can find a reputable non biased one in your city. Especially if you live in a large city. Tell the Endocrinologist how you feel and let him evaluate you. These doctors have spent years studying HGH deficiency and prescribe HGH all of the time. IF you really are deficient they will gladly prescribe it for you. And you can fill the prescription for less than half of the Cenegenics price at any Pharmacy you choose. And, your insurance will pay for it!!!


Another problem with Cenegenics is that you get the HGH and supplement directly through them. You have no way of knowing if they are actually giving you what you pay for, because there is no pharmacy regulating the medicine. And since HGH breaks down over time, there is no way to assay accurately what you are sent.
And finally, HGH may cause cancer!!! It does this by raising IGF-1 in your system. Raised IGF-1 levels are directly linked to higher cancer rates. That’s a fact. Don’t believe us, ask a doctor!


The founder of Cenegenics, Dr. Alan Mintz was also a Cenegenics patient, much like the buff Jeffry Life. Before Dr. Life became the frontman for Cenegenics in those in-flight magazines, Dr. Mintz was the face of the franchise. At the age of 69 years, Dr. Mintz suddenly died. The Cenegenics people say he died of a brain hemorrhage, but a lot of what surrounds Dr. Mintz' death seems to be pretty fishy from what we've read on the internet.

HGH will also cause you to grow, but not how most people want. After taking HGH you will noticed your hands, wrist, fingers, chest, waist, legs, and feet swell. Nothing will fit! All of your clothes and jewelry will be too small. Plus you may experience raised blood pressure and heart rates, along with intense headaches.

The bottom is line is that Cenegenics is a place for people who don’t know about how the body feels when it is depressed and poorly fed, and they are misleading you when they tell you that a shot of hormones will fix it. Cenegenics and HGH prescribing centers are the new snake oil salesmen of the 21st century.


Don’t be one of the scammed!!!


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FROM http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1397263229732742141

21 comments:

  1. This is perfect for people who wants to waste their money. Instead to do a healthy diet and plan for exercises. Nothing is better than a natural way to loose weight and stay healthy.

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  2. There's nothing negative with growing old unless a 60 year old man wanna impress the young ladies the age of his grand children - Nothing short of ridiculous than Jeffry Life old man face with Mr Michelin's body!

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  3. How very uninformed and unintelligent you must be. Were you in the gym with Dr. Mintz when he may have injured his head? Were you supervising his injections and monitoring his dietary protocol, thus ensuring your ill-founded belief that his death was "pretty fishy"? Have you ever even visited Cenegenics (not Cenergenics) or had a conversation with a Cenegenics doctor?

    Didn't think so.

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  4. Tani,

    Could you please tell me where to find a large scale randomized double blind study that corroborates the claims that Cenegenics is making? A study that incorporates their particular treatment methodology and which is not ridden with loads of conflict of interest?

    Didn't think so.

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  5. Actually Tani, I'll save you the trouble of incessant, futile googling. I'll provide a piece of medical literature available on the subject that I think is a great starting point.

    It's a survey article from the may 2008 issue of the German medical journal Der Internist. The article is titled Hormone therapy and anti-aging: is there an indication?

    It reviews all the current anti-aging hormone therapy studies. Check it out sometime. In short it shows that there is no clear cut evidence to suggest that these therapies work. Meanwhile, the risks are mostly unknown although many studies have demonstrated a link to increased cancer risk.

    Anyways, my point is that the detractors of this branch of "medicine" are actually not so uninformed and unintelligent. We just haven't drank the koolaid, that's all.

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  6. Fascinating... but irrelevant. Cenegenics is not an anti-aging company. Try again.

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  7. @ Tani ok semantics aside the Cenegenics website labels itself "the world’s largest age management practice and the recognized leading authority in its field." Their entire business is about selling the idea of slowing the aging process.

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    Replies
    1. The ads I've seen specifically state that their methods do not modify the aging process in terms of longevity but modify it in terms of quality of life.

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  8. I appreciate the insight into the cost and risk of Cenegenics. However, I beg to differ on your Endocrinologist comment. The last thing an Endo will do is test your HGH.

    He is much more likely to throw you out of his office. Endo norrmally only treat diabetes (at least in the Phoenix, AZ area).
    Tell the Endocrinologist how you feel and let him evaluate you. These doctors have spent years studying HGH deficiency and prescribe HGH all of the time. IF you really are deficient they will gladly prescribe it for you.

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  9. I doubt you'll actually post this, but I'm a cenegenics client, this article is the scam... you're numbers are way off, they rarely ever prescribe HGH unless it meets very stringent criteria set by the board of medicine and over 25% of Dr. Life's patients are physicians... I'm a very skeptical individual... get Dr. Life's new book and read for yourself. It's such a shame you post this bullshit.

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  10. Dave - I go to an Endocrinologist, and I just wanted to add that they also specialize in thyroid problems, or anything related to the endocrine glands and pancreas.

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  11. This blog is the scam. I am a pretty satisfied client as is my wife. Most of the information in this blog post (and in most of the comments) is simply wrong or distorted as it is applied to cenegenics.

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  12. I'm currently at a BHRT anti Aging medicine and hormone conference in San Diego right now with 400 - 500 physicians from around the world presenting the latest research on hormones and optimal aging medicine. Most of what you present here in your blog is BS. Come to a seminar.. the research is available.. and thousands of physicians are finally waking up to the possibility of slowing the aging process and preventing if not the ability to reverse many of the diseases associated with aging. Most primary care physicians wont prescribe testosterone if you are sub optimal and most endocrinoligists know squat about the entire hormone spectrum other than what the pharmaceutical companies taught them in medical school. It's good to be wary of promises of youth but its better to be informed with the actual facts and research that is widely available regarding health and aging.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe. Or maybe you're the author of http://hormonesynergy.blogspot.com/ and sell books on hormone treatment :D
      Nice try.

      Delete
  13. It makes me happy to see there are patients of Cenegenics who respond to this blog with an informed perspective on the topic. It is not safely prescribed doses of HGH or leading doctors in age-management medicine that kills... it is ignorance.

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  14. I've been a Cenegenics patient since '07. I can't speak to HGH as I've never been prescribed it. I'm not rich and make sacrifices to stay on this program. I found this blog on a search to see if conventional medicine and my insurance company had caught up in the last 4 years. I'd like to go to a conventional doctor that could prescribe and prevent as well as Cenegenics does. It doesn't exist. Do they have rich clients that just want someone to tell them they shouldn't drink every night or they can't eat out everyday, I'm sure they do. I pay $900 a month for insurance that is basically a catastrophic illness policy outside of my wife and kids Dr. visits and prescriptions in addition to Cenegenics. I don't spend near the amount you list above. I am fortunate to live very close to a Cenegenics office so don't have travel costs.

    Nobody talks about how Dr. Life won the "Body for Life" challenge well before discovering Cenegenics. I met Alan Mintz and John Adams while on an unrelated trip to Las Vegas. Alan's passion and drive and was unparallelled. I wasn't his physician so I can't speak to his death.
    The program is about healthy living, not living forever. John Adams works hard and lives well (in health). I was fortunate to go to dinner with him and some of his staff. I'm not a high powered CEO and he's certainly not getting rich of of me. I love business and could've talked business plans and the Cenegenics model all night, but we really just hung out. He didn't have to do that.

    I'm probably one of their youngest patients at now 37 and 33 when I began. My poor family history of heart disease on both sides drove me to Cenegenics after going to conventional doctors that only wanted to treat disease in the future, not prevent it. The staff's care and passion for health is unmatched. It always struck me odd to see a physician that was out of shape and asking their advice on heart disease prevention. I don't need a babysitter to tell me to eat right and exercise. I really don't use Cenegenics for that. It's there and I have more data that anyone could digest about my body. I use it to maximize what I'm already doing.

    Cenegenics discovered that my testosterone was very low, that of a 50 year old, at 35. I've always exercised and ate right. I was depressed, not b/c of my own head space, but b/c my body wasn't producing enough testosterone. I was prescribed HCG which works along with your body to naturally increase testosterone. It worked for a few years and now I'm adding testosterone to my regimen because of the decreasing benefits of the HCG alone.

    Additionally, b/c they do a bone density scan we learned that I had osteopenia. Pretty troubling to an active 33 year old.

    On 11/11/11 they teamed up with Panasonic and will provide heart scans to their patients. I wish they'd go public b/c I'd buy stock in them. I met Alan and John

    The conversations and care I receive is all centered around heart disease and osteoporosis prevention not how much muscle can I pack on or how much sex I can have. My drive isn't to be younger nor do they empty my pockets. My drive is to see my now 3 young children (5,2, soon to be born)graduate, get married and have children of their own.

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  15. Shawn, et al...what are the real costs for this program?

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    1. Good question! Be aware that marketing boots cannot answer questions :/

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    2. I mean *bots.
      Which reminds me, the perfect syntax and orthography of Shawn also seems suspiciously pre-redacted. Could it be??? Of a blogger who's profile states he's in the "Communications or Media" industry (http://www.blogger.com/profile/01076322645844531258)??? :D

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  16. Fanny, how all the abundance of the human body chemistry were downgraded to a few substances. And this not the only level at which the aging occurs and the tuning is needed.
    If you have an old car, you can use special oil and higher grade fuel in order to maintain performance. But the engine lives longer if you change your driving style from "racing" to "slow" and move from mountains (or city) to plain rural area . I mean that just by reasonably reducing your activity level and stabilizing the environment, you can help yourself live longer and with less health issues.
    Another side of this approach - these supplements kill your body natural ability to produce correspondent substances. Are you sure that you are ready to this kind of dependency for life?
    Look around and analyze your close relative's longevity. Probably, it may tell you more than any other research. Our knowledge of human body is so uncertain, that any results, even double blinded tests, may have no relevancy for yourself. Understand any research results - this is statistics, it does not apply to ANY SINGLE specific case which is you.
    On the other hand - it depends on what you consider a real life. Steve Jobs lived all time that he had the way he wanted.

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  17. Sorry all, I am going with human nature and Cenegenics to just too good to be true. HGH works when abused. I'll wait until I am 67'ish and then see how I feel. I mean, at 67 who cares? If you can look like that - what a way to go. Now about the $$ THIS and THIS alone is why I believe the gentlemen who said it's BS. $2,000 a month - Really? Seems a bit over priced. Oh and if you are paying $900 a month for a catastrophic care insurance policy you are gullible and remember, "Gullible is not in the Dictionary!"

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