Wholly Healthy a Eternity Medicine Institute Helps People Live Longer, Better

ge is just a number, and the physicians at Eternity Medicine Institute know that feeling vivacious and healthy is possible, no matter what that number might be. Employing a holistic approach to age management, the physicians help patients regain vitality and optimal health to live longer, better.

“It became obvious over the years that the things we are expected to do, and should do, as primary care physicians were falling short of keeping people as healthy as we’d like,” said Dr. Joel Schock, the medical director at Eternity Medicine Institute.

Schock and Dr. Hoadley Harris, the assistant medical director at the institute, saw the need for an age management clinic in Fargo when they noticed the baby boomer generation struggling to accept aging. “They don’t want to become who their parents are in nursing homes, tired, sore, stiff and disabled,” Schock said. “Age management is a concept that attempts to prevent all that from happening.”

The institute employs a three-phase process to effectively manage the elements of aging. At a consult, individuals will learn the practice’s procedures and philosophy. If the person chooses to move forward with the program, a session of health assessment, called the Measure phase, will be scheduled. Lab work, a complete physical and a lengthy questionnaire are completed in the visit, along with measurements of artery thickness, body fat, thyroid function and much more. Patients receive access to their lab results and data results at a follow-up visit weeks later.

Next, in the Mentor phase, Eternity physicians develop a customized program for the patient based on the results found during the Measure phase. Diet, a workout regimen and supplements are a part of the program. If necessary, bioidentical hormones, hormones that are identical in molecular structure to the hormones found naturally in human bodies, are added to the patient’s specialized program.

Once the patient is actively implementing the program, they receive continued evaluation through the Lifetime Health Assessment and Monitoring Program (LHAMP). The patient is remeasured constantly to ensure that the program is working. “We can’t assume everything works,” Schock said. “All of our treatments and procedures have significant scientific validity behind them, but you have to do this safely.”

Patients are responding positively to the institute’s approach to age management. One patient started the program in November 2011 weighing 255 pounds, taking blood pressure and cholesterol medication, and also suffered from decreased energy and libido. The patient lost more than 30 pounds and is off blood pressure medication and cholesterol medication, and reports having increased energy and strength.

Another patient started the program with 33 percent body fat. Six months later, the patient was more energetic, and their body fat was down to 20.6 percent. The most common improvements patients relay is increased energy, strength and libido, and weight loss. “Their overall well-being is improved,” said Kelly Stauss Carlson, a certified nurse practitioner who specializes in anti-aging and wellness at Eternity Medicine Institute. “How people are feeling is really amazing.”

“People look different and they feel different. It’s remarkable to see,” Schock added.

The majority of patients utilizing the program are older than 40, but younger individuals concerned about their wellness also seek out the age management program. People who consider themselves healthy could have risk factors that are causing inflammation and accelerating the aging process even as young adults. “Our program is a way for people to be proactive and screen for things ahead of time,” Stauss Carlson explained. “If we find something, we can change their lifestyle and do things to improve it, rather than waiting for something to happen and then try to improve it.”

In addition to a healthy diet, workout regimen, supplements and hormones, Schock says an optimistic outlook on life is essential for living well. “My patients who have gone onto their late 90s and early 100s, without fail, have an incredible attitude toward life. They’ve absorbed trauma and stress but they find a way to stay positive,” he said. “We aren’t going to change society instantly. But for those who see value in this … it could change their health.”

Find Eternity Medicine Institute at 3270 20th St. S. in Fargo. For more information, call 701-293-7408, or visit www.eternitymedicineusa.com. [AWM]