I run a concierge health and wellness practice called Physiologix Wellness Institute (www.physiologix.org), this is Age Management/Concierge care. We strive to optimize health through nutrition, fitness, lifestyle, and hormone replacement therapy. Although I am trained in traditional allopathic medicine, I incorporate aspects of holistic, naturopathic, Ayurvedic, and alternative therapies depending on our clients desires. I believe that there are pros and cons to each of these areas of medicine but we incorporate the best of each. We treat the person. I believe that nutrition and fitness form the base of a pyramid of wellness that is necessary for optimal health. I follow a strict paleolithic diet and my exercise consists of CrossFit and Mountain Athlete. I received my training at the Cenegenics Medical Institute (world's largest Age Management institutes) and functioned as an affiliate with them for two years.
Accomplishments
- two marathons
- Crossfit level one certified
- Crossfit kids certified
- Mountain Athlete trained
- Cenegenics Age Management Training
Interests
- Mountain biking/road biking
- Rock climbing
- Weight training
- Vipassana/Zen meditation
My History
I wanted to be a physician since 3rd grade - not sure what influenced me at that age but I did not deviate from that goal. I had this idealized concept of being the "healer" and educator. I realized this dream when I graduated from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 1993. My disenchantment began during those medical school years. Th idealized concept had vanished into a world of bureaucracy and medico-legal medicine. I saw physicians that spent very little time with patients, treated numbers rather than the person, and saw common sense disappear. There was no health and wellness planning, preventative screening seemed more CYA than concerns over patient risks. The physicians were so overwhelmed with disease treatment that they had no time for prevention. Medication was the answer to everything rather than lifestyle, where it belongs. I chose General Surgery as my residency because I felt that general medicine was just a practice of postponing death rather than promoting health. I developed a strong interest in human physiology and nutrition while in residency and was leaning toward a fellowship in critical care medicine but at the last minute opted for the allure of private practice.
In private practice, my focus shifted toward advanced laparoscopic techniques and weight loss surgery. I performed the first laparoscopic gastric bypass in West Virginia and became a national speaker and educator. I travelled around the country teaching the technique. I also developed one of the top programs for comprehensive treatment of obesity - at one point we had two nurses, two physician assistants, two dietitians and two exercise physiologists. After 3000 weight loss surgery operations and up to 10 years of follow-up, I concluded it is not the answer. We had a non-surgical weight loss program that incorporated the comprehensive lifestyle approach and we were seeing similar long-term results. In January 2010, I walked away from surgery.
I had started working with Age Management/Concierge Medicine in 2005, more as a hobby but soon came to realize that this was the idealized concept of medicine that I had lost, I gradually transitioned my practice to the point of this becoming my sole focus.
I have always been one of those "outside of the box" type people.
Recent Comments