Month: March 2024

With the tagline “Aging Redefined,” AgeRejuvenation — a medical wellness clinic located in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on S.R. 56 at Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — is changing people’s perceptions of what happens as they age. In 2007, founder Brett Markowitz says he saw a gap in regenerative and anti-aging medicine. By looking deeper into why his clients felt the way they did, he created a unique clinic that continues to address the root causes of aging and weight gain while providing a personalized solution for each patient. 

And now, with locations in Brandon, South Tampa, Winter Park, and soon, Winter Garden, Markowitz says that AgeRejuvenation uses the best services available to enhance the quality of its patients’ lives. 

“My vision for the company was to connect with patients who weren’t getting answers from medical providers in private health care because they were limited on how they could help somebody due to insurance limitations,” Markowitz says. “If you went in for a rash but also wanted to talk about hot flashes, they’d want you to make another appointment. When I started AgeRejuvenation, it was to help identify where we saw patients struggling. Back when I was a personal trainer, I worked with patients on dieting and exercise, but (many of them) still wouldn’t lose weight.” 

Markowitz says that one of his personal training clients, who has now been part of his AgeRejuvenation team for the last 17 years, Dr. Johanna deVryer, recommended looking into the thyroid gland and menopause as the culprits. From that idea, a long-term relationship and AgeRejuvenation were born. 

“A lot of people identify that they are overweight, but they don’t know what to do,” Markowitz says. “Their metabolisms are slow because their bodies have begun shutting down as they age. When you are in your 20s, your hormones are at their peak. Your body and your immune system are strong.” 

He adds the following analogy: “When you’re in your 20s, you’re much like a shiny red Ferrari on the lot. As you drive along, you are still a Ferrari, but what’s happened is that you’ve put some dings and dents on the car, and your tank of gas has been depleted. This is similar to what happens to your hormones. At AgeRejuvenation, we are just replenishing the ‘gas’ your body has lost over time.” 

Under the guidance of chief medical officer Dr. Dawn Ericsson, AgeRejuvenation offers several options to combat weight gain, including appetite suppressants, semaglutide, or Tirzepatide injections that regulate appetite and blood sugar. Each patient receives a customized weight-loss program based on his or her body composition, metabolism and lifestyle. Patients also receive nutritional counseling, supplements and vitamin injections. 

“We really aren’t a miracle solution,” Markowitz says. “But, we have achieved some remarkable results utilizing a combination of lab work and understanding each patient’s symptoms and goals. In order to achieve great results, however, the patients have to be responsible for following through. Weight-loss medications aren’t magic. They still require people to eat healthy and make good decisions.” 

Markowitz explains that, according to Dr. Ericsson, one in three females has a sluggish thyroid, and typically if they’ve had one to two children, it becomes one out of two. In fact, he says, menopause symptoms, usually seen between the ages of 45-50, have cases in women as young as 35. 

Female patients going through menopause who come into AgeRejuvenation are often on Wellbutrin, Paxil or other medications that are intended to treat depression, anxiety and other emotional disorders. 

“That’s how those doctors know how to treat it,” Markowitz says. ”They don’t know how to look at the hormones and say, ‘Oh, you’re not feeling well because your hormones are imbalanced.’ They’re just saying, ‘Yup, you’re depressed. Here’s an antidepressant medication.’ When your hormones are out of balance and you don’t feel right, you absolutely are depressed because who feels good when they’re sick?” 

In addition to impeding your ability to lose weight and keep it off, Dr. Ericsson says that imbalanced or depleted hormones also affect energy, quality of sleep, cognitive thinking, risk of osteoporosis and sexual function, among others. 

“We are addressing the main cause in so many of these cases — hormonal imbalances,” Markowitz says. “We don’t just Band-Aid the situation. Every person is looked at on an individual basis. While we do run specific lab tests, we also base how we proceed on your particular symptoms. We’re looking at why you are going through this, what is happening in your body, and how can we help you maintain a better quality of life long-term. There’s a difference between living longer and having a better quality of life. Who wants to be 80 and not active? We want to be treating people to be more responsible for their own health. Giving them the data enables our patients to understand what is specific to (each of) their bodies.” 

Markowitz also notes that AgeRejuvenation provides a customized guide to treat each patient, based on extensive testing of their blood, hormones, thyroid, food sensitivities, heavy metals in their systems, genetics and micronutrient absorption. The office constantly monitors and evaluates each patient’s progress. 

“It would take the average patient we see two years to do the bloodwork we do on Day One,” Markowitz says. “They come to us for a solution, and that’s what we always strive to provide. You don’t have to wait weeks to see us. In many cases, we can get you in the same day for a free evaluation. As Dr. Ericsson says, how we age is defined by our hormones. In our program, while you’re coming to us for weight loss, we want to be the next element in the program so that you can sustain long-term weight loss. That is achieved through balancing hormones and optimizing of the thyroid.” 

Dr. Ericsson earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in History of Science & Medicine from Yale University in New Haven, CT, and her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook Health Sciences Center. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ, where she was the program’s first-ever female African American graduate. She also has experience as a Pharmacy Technician and as a Medical Diagnostics Market Research Analyst. 

Of more than 500 Google reviews, AgeRejuvenation has a 4.9 stars out of 5 overall rating, with hundreds of glowing reviews from patients like Marina Edwards, who says, “I’ve lost 32 lb. in 5 months on the weight loss program. AgeRejuvenation’s nutritionist Terry is amazing. She was encouraging and never made me feel guilty for my little slips. I also feel great on the hormone replacement therapy treatments. Good- bye, hot flashes!” 

Treating Post-Traumatic Disorders & Injuries, Too 

Markowitz says he is excited about the clinic’s new post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) program, serving as a medical partner to the Spookstock Foundation & Operator Relief Fund (ORF). These two foundations are a national nonprofit created to help “shadow warriors” — elite military and intelligence operatives suffering from PTSIs after fighting in U.S.-led wars after 9/11. 

He says the PTSD/PTSI program is led by PTSI medical director Dr. Michael Meighen, whose philosophy is treating PTSD as an injury, not a disorder, because injuries can be healed. 

Dr. Meighen utilizes a treatment known as Dual Stellate Ganglion Block (DSGB) injections on overactive sympathetic nervous systems, which have been shown to relieve often debilitating symptoms of panic attacks, depression, irritability, stress, sexual dysfunction, insomnia and substance abuse associated with PTSIs that often cause long-term health concerns. 

“We don’t want patients to think post-traumatic stress is a disorder,” Markowitz says. “Dr. Meighen wants to empower them that what they are suffering from is an injury. We don’t treat the mental health aspect but DSGB injections have helped people who have suffered with prolonged ‘fight or flight’ response. Dr. Meighen says that when a person is under severe stress for a long time, their body has a breakdown. They’re depleting their hormones faster because their immune system is getting weaker. We’re treating several former military members who are returning after 15 to 20 years of suffering with PTSIs and we have had great success doing our process with them. It’s been really amazing.” 

Dr. Meighen earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in biology from the University of Toledo, OH. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Cincinnati, OH, with a goal of working in the orthopedic and musculoskeletal field. He then completed his Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency at Carolinas Medical Center/Charlotte Rehabilitation in Charlotte, NC, and completed a fellowship in sports, spine and occupational rehabilitation medicine under the tutelage of James Atchison, DO., at the University of Florida in Gainesville. 

AgeRejuvenation also utilizes hormone therapies to treat male patients for low testosterone, erectile dysfunction and hair loss. Female patients also can be treated for sexual dysfunction, for internal vaginal rejuvenation and to restore lost hair. Peptide treatments, such as stem cell therapies, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production and immune support, also are available. 

In addition, aesthetic treatments, such as Botox, dermal fillers, RF (radio frequency) skin tightening and more round out the huge variety of available services at AgeRejuvenation. 

The Wesley Chapel AgeRejuvenation office is located at 1940 BBD Blvd., Wesley Chapel. For more information, call (813) 558-9500, visit AgeRejuvenation.com.