Long days at the office fueled by caffeine, a carb-rich lunch and the adrenaline rush of pending deadlines can take their toll. So can relentless schedules that offer little downtime or chance to get in a workout at the gym.
Unfortunately, in the fast-paced world we live in today, this is often the reality, whether you’re a CEO running a Fortune 500 company, keeping up with a busy medical practice or taking your agency to the next level. Let’s face it, it’s not possible to achieve a certain level of success and recognition by living life in the slow lane.
Yet over time, even individuals who thrive in a competitive, type A environment will find that their bodies may begin to resist. Subtle signs that should raise a red warning flag are often ignored. That’s the situation Texas neurosurgeon Jacob Rosenstein, M.D., found himself in about a decade ago.
“I was a high-energy person with a demanding practice in neurosurgery. It’s a job that requires 100 percent of your time, effort, concentration and skill,” Rosenstein said. “There’s no room for doubt or error, and certainly no room for fatigue to set in when you’re in the middle of a case.”
Rosenstein began to notice that there were days when he felt depleted mentally and physically. He was putting on weight. His energy was down and his focus was off. Sometimes he’d hit the wall when he had too many back-to-back cases.
“I thought, ‘what’s going on here?’” Rosenstein recalled. “I had just turned 50 and didn’t want admit that maybe my energy levels were crashing because of my age. I still had a long career ahead of me, and I certainly couldn’t afford to take time off.”
Today, Rosenstein is founder of the Southwest Age Intervention Institute (SAII), a Dallas-Fort Worth-based health care practice that offers comprehensive wellness programs for executive men and women.
“There’s no magic pill to reverse aging and maintain one’s A-game physically, mentally and sexually,” Rosenstein said. “But I found that it’s never too late or too soon to intervene and change direction to create a different outcome. My life has completely turned around and I continue to maintain a busy neurosurgery practice in addition to my work with SAII.”
The goal of SAII is to identify the medical challenges, hormonal deficiencies and nutritional deficiencies that can contribute to an individual’s declining energy levels. Then using scientific, evidence-based data, a comprehensive program is created for each individual that promotes optimal health and well-being.
“We’re looking at how we can help our patients improve in several key areas, such as physical strength and endurance, memory and focus, mood and sexuality, healthy body composition and weight as well as disease prevention, especially related to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.”
The first step is for patients to complete an in-depth health analysis that covers every aspect of their lifestyle, including eating habits, exercise, stresses at work and home, hobbies and sports participation. The next step is to undergo a complete medical exam that involves extensive diagnostic blood work to evaluate 90 different biomarkers, including 11 distinct hormones including testosterone. “Most people don’t realize that by age 30, hormone levels begin to decline at a rate of about one to three percent per year,” Dr. Rosenstein explained. “At first it is a gradual process, but by age 50, hormone levels have significantly decreased by 20-to-60 percent depending on the individual.”
Hormone testing is conducted for the most important hormones including thyroid, human growth hormone, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone as well as the adrenal steroids, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). We also look at your insulin level, which is critical for successful weight loss.
“The key to improved health and well-being is to achieve a harmonious balance between all of the hormones in your body. Think of it as being similar to an orchestra with SAII as the conductor. Working together and finding the right hormonal balance, we can create a beautiful symphony and a beautiful body.”
In addition to hormone testing, SAII also looks at nutrition, fitness and stress management.
“Most people are aware that smoking can shorten your lifespan, but so can many decades of poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle,” Dr. Rosenstein said. “As we get older, these bad habits can catch up with us. Our metabolism slows down and affects how our body handles sugar, cholesterol and fats.”
Unfortunately traditional western medicine often just treats the symptoms. Instead, SAII takes a proactive, preventive approach – in an attempt to stop the chronic diseases before they happen – by working with clients to lower their cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce their stressors at home and at work, and build the foundation for increasing muscle mass while reducing fat. “Rather than putting out the fire, we prevent the fire,” Dr. Rosenstein said.
Dr. Rosenstein himself is a good example of the effectiveness of the SAII program. When he was 51, he had 21 percent body fat. Today, at age 60, his body fat is just 6.6 percent. He’s in better shape now mentally and physically than he was in his 30s.
“It’s all about helping individuals increase their vitality, boost their libido, clear the mental fog and feel great about themselves,” Dr. Rosenstein said. “The fact that our patients are able to turn their lives around is our best reward. Working together there’s no end to what we can accomplish.”
There is also no age limit to enroll as a patient and experience the benefit of SAII’s comprehensive approach to living a healthy, more balanced life. Patients have ranged in age from 18 to 94. Both men and women are eligible.
“We take a serious, step-by-step approach to creating a treatment plan that works for each individual,” Dr. Rosenstein said. “Each of our clients undergoes an extensive diagnostic work-up so we have a very good understanding of their strength, weaknesses and areas we need to balance and improve.”
The bottom line is this: “What do you want your life to be like going forward? Are you happy with how you feel? And, if you’re not happy, let’s create a program that works for you and gives you the results you want.”
For more information about Southwest Age Intervention Institute or to arrange a consultation, call 1-800-AGE-EXPERT or visit our website at 800AgeExpert.com.
