By Alicia Pack
If you’ve been feeling tired and sluggish, or are hoping to shed some of those excess pounds following the recent holiday season, we suggest you make an appointment with the trained medical doctors and professional staff at Tampa Rejuvenation, located 15-20 minutes from most Wesley Chpael residents near the intersection of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and E. Bearss Ave.
Obesity is a major problem in the U.S. today and not all of it can be attributed to overeating — according to the most recently available medical data, the hormones used in foods definitely contribute to people becoming overweight and feeling sick.
Brett Markowitz, the founder and CEO of Tampa Rejuvenation, says that, “People are not just overweight because of how many calories or how much fat they eat. I work with a lot of patients who have a healthy lifestyle, for the most part, but the foods that they were exposed to have caused their hormones and thyroid gland to not function as they once did.”
Markowitz, who has been in the health and fitness industry for 15 years and is a certified personal trainer who also has a degree in sports nutrition, says he watched how weight gain had impacted such a large portion of the U.S. population, from children with Type-2 diabetes to overweight adults.
“My primary reason for starting Tampa Rejuvenation,” he says, “was because I had met so many people who had long suffered from perhaps the biggest problem plaguing our society — weight gain.”
Tampa Rejuvenation, which also has a second location in South Tampa, offers a unique array of services, mainly geared to helping people shed fat, gain lean muscle mass and generally live a healthier lifestyle. Medical doctors oversee all of the programs at Tampa Rejuvenation and their patients can get help with not only weight loss, but also mental clarity, increased energy and sex drive, lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol levels. Markowitz says that some of Tampa Rejuvenation’s patients have even been able to come off of medication for blood pressure, hypertension and even Type-2 diabetes.
“I’m a Board-certified internal medicine physician,” says Johanna deVrye, M.D., one of two physicians on staff at Tampa Rejuvenation (the other is Dr. James K. Vogler, D.O.). “But, the reason I got involved with Tampa Rejuvenation is because, over the years, I’ve been leaning towards — and learning as much as I can about — a more holistic approach to medicine as a whole and specifically weight issues. I realized that what Brett was doing here really was a perfect fit for me.”
You will meet, for free, with a staff member who will outline all of the available programs at Tampa Rejuvenation and discuss the patient’s goals. From there, the patient will take required lab tests, have an EKG, a physical and a consultation with one of the doctors, who will discuss the results of the tests and determine the best course of action to help each patient achieve their goals. Among the options available are medical weight loss, hormone replacement therapy or even, in some cases, the doctors will simply set up the patient with an appointment with a nutritionist, health coach or personal trainer, who can devise a program specific to the patient’s needs and goals.
The New Tampa location has started a metabolic rejuvenation program that consists of food allergy testing, nutrient-deficiency testing and a detoxification program. These programs are designed to help the body restore itself into a healthier, better functioning body by discovering what foods your body is sensitive to, or is deficient in, and then rectifying the issue, either with medication, dietary change, or both.
Markowitz says that weight loss is still the biggest reason why most patients first call or visit Tampa Rejuvenation. He says that patients typically can lose about 15-25 lbs. in the first month, depending upon gender (men generally, but not always, lose weight easier than women of the same age do), the amount of weight needed to be lost and how well the meal plan and doctor’s protocols are followed. He says that teaching people how to keep the weight off after is a big part of the services Tampa Rejuvenation provides.
“In most cases, we can help you lose the weight, but we also will teach you how to make the change in lifestyle you need in order to keep the weight off,” says Markowitz. “Otherwise, we’d be just another quick fix.”
He adds that people who have tried weight loss centers before will sometimes put all of their weight back on after they finish the medication. They become reliant on the medication to just stop eating. However, when someone quits eating, the body breaks down muscle and not fat.
“We were not intended not to eat,” Markowitz says. “We just have to learn to eat better foods and make better choices. We can teach you how.”
At Tampa Rejuvenation, the focus is on integrative medicine and the doctors look beyond what is considered the norm. This means that, even though a patient’s test may come up in the “normal” range, the doctors will look at the patient’s overall picture — family history, health history and the physical and current symptoms the person is experiencing. Then, the doctor will design an individualized plan that is based on what is best for the patient and what will help him or her feel younger and better.
“The people there are so thorough and everyone cares,” says Leslie Foss, a Tampa Rejuvenation patient who had success with hormone replacement therapy. “They want to see you doing well and that was a big thing for me. It was a great experience and I looked forward to going in. This has literally changed my whole life. I recommend Tampa Rejuvenation to all of my girlfriends. It is the best gift someone can give to themselves.”
Tampa Rejuvenation’s other healthy lifestyle programs and tests include hormone therapy for men and women, adrenal fatigue and thyroid testing and treatment, the popular HCG and more traditional appetite suppressant medical weight loss programs, customized meal plans, food sensitivity tests and personal training.
So, if you are having difficulty shedding those extra few holiday pounds, or you’re just feeling tired and sluggish and want to know why, or you just want to have a healthier and happier transformation, then do what our good friend Jim Henning of Florida Executive Realty did — give Tampa Rejuvenation a call today. Maybe, like the not-nearly-as-big-today Big Jim, who is hoping to soon weigh less than 300 lbs. for the first time in many years, you can lose 80 lbs. in six months — and learn how to keep it off, too!
“When I came to Tampa Rejuvenation,” Jim says. “I was a person who didn’t like what I saw when I looked in a mirror. Now, I do. Tampa Rejuvenation has taught me how to make that lifestyle change, so I can’t see going back to my old way of life. I’m excited about (having more success in) 2012!”
For more information about Tampa Rejuvenation, call 558-9500 or visit TampaRejuvenation.com. The New/North Tampa location is now at 14448 BBD Blvd., in the Arbor Ridge Prof. Park, and is open Monday-Friday. The South Tampa location is at 2007 West Swann Ave.
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