Growing old gracefully has taken on a new meaning in recent years as the medical treatment known as "age intervention" has changed the way many Americans think about life past middle age.
Dr. Jacob Rosenstein, with Arlington's Southwest Age Intervention Institute, is a leading expert in the field and says age intervention (or age management) is about helping people stay healthy and active as long as possible in the latter half of life as opposed to getting older with feebleness or continual health issues.
"As people get older, certain physiological things happen. Some we can reverse, some we can't reverse," he says. "What I did was I looked into some of the causes of aging. By reversing what's reversible, we can keep your health span much longer. The health span is that period of time that you spend in optimal health. So the goal is to keep you in optimal health longer rather than becoming sicker and becoming frail over time."
The treatment has become a popular option to traditional aging as the baby boom generation moves past middle age. Rosenstein says typical clients are usually single professionals around age 50.
They've been working hard their entire lives to take care of their bodies and themselves, Rosenstein says. They may notice a loss in libido, fatigue, experience some weight gain, or loss of muscle mass.
"All of a sudden, they feel like they've lost their edge," Rosenstein says.
Patients undergo a full evaluation of six or seven hours. Blood is drawn, and doctors review 90 different health markers and 11 different hormones. Body composition, physical fitness, muscle mass, fat, mental processes and lifestyle practices are all evaluated.
A plan is set up to help the patient avoid illnesses or reverse or slow down conditions possibly damaging the patient's lifestyle and shortening lifespan. The result is a more long-term wellness relationship between doctor and patient with the goal of keeping the patient in better condition as aging continues.
Dr. Paul D. Thompson, proprietor of the Thompson Clinic in Fort Worth, practiced urology for 20 years and says he began noticing age-related changes, not only physically but also in attitude.
"I felt that quality of life was extremely important and elected to seek out treatment. It was at that time that I became a patient of an age management program, and after experiencing the benefits elected to rededicate my professional practice," he says.
Thompson also became active as a national speaker on age management topics and a regular guest on national and local news shows. He says traditional medicine relies on medication and has a more reactive approach to treating patients than age management medicine. He believes these programs can be important for business professionals looking to stay active in terms of lifestyle and in the office.
"We are looking to add an executive program for both large and small businesses. Many executives feel that when they are evaluated and subsequently deficiencies are corrected and hormones optimized, they see not only an increase in energy and productivity but also improvement memory and concentration," Thompson said.
AGE INTERVENTION CLINICS
Cenegenics
7229 Hawkins View Drive
Fort Worth
817.274.1952
Southwest Age Intervention Institute
800 W. Arbrook Blvd., Ste. 330
Arlington
800.243.3973
The Thompson Clinic
5408 Birchman Ave.
Fort Worth
817.296.6720