“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others”.

~Nelson Mandela

 In my years practicing medical weight loss, I have seen many different recipes for success. Realizing this, and putting it into practice is part of what separates my practice from other medical weight loss clinics. The research is very clear on the fact that successful, sustained weight loss is not a one size fits all equation and any physician or weight loss clinic that tries to tell you otherwise is simply not current on the research. Yes, there are some aspects of any program that are imperative: you must eat breakfast, you must exercise and weight training is much more effective than aerobic activity in a reduced calorie diet, you must get adequate protein in your diet and create a calorie deficit i.e. burn more energy than you consume without eating too little calories and suppressing your metabolism. And for sustained weight loss, you must be committed to wholesale changes in lifestyle. Notice I have written nothing about weekly B12 shots and amphetamines.

The point of this blog however is one of the single most important lessons I have learned in my own life and what I have seen in my years of practice as a physician. Whether it is weight loss, getting into better shape, or being a better father, husband, or friend, showing up is a large part of the battle. In my personal life any success started with a simple decision to move toward a goal, from there it was showing up to work every day until that goal was accomplished. I’ve found that those who have the most success in weight loss are the ones that show up to work every day for the long haul. I can provide my patients with all the knowledge in the world, prescribe medications, and balance hormones, but they have to do the heavy lifting. Successful weight loss is not rocket science, it’s more like manual labor. Sweat all day in the hot sun, punch out, repeat the process again tomorrow. Eventually the house gets built, the ditch gets completed, the weight is lost.

The results of my weight loss program tends to be pretty consistent over time. Those that show up regularly and exercise consistently lose 10 more pounds over a 12 week period. Again, not rocket science, manual labor. I frequently tell my patients they do not need to be marathon runners or body builders but they have to show up and move.  The goal is to progressively improve fitness levels over time. If you are maxed out walking 10 minutes now than in 12 weeks we need to be able to walk 20 or 30 minutes. Consistent progression is the key. . The reason for this is simple, generally, less weight = lower metabolism because you are carrying around a smaller load, less mass to support etc, OK so maybe there is a little physics involved but the bottom line is, you need to be able to burn more calories during workouts to continue the same rate of weight loss as you lose. Add minutes, add days, add repetitions, whatever, show up and progress and watch the amazing ability of your body to respond by getting stronger, leaner, healthier and happier.

I hope 2010 is the year that you make a decision to make positive change in your life, and then start showing up everyday. Show up and be brilliant, be talented, be powerful beyond measure and let your light shine. Live your life without fear. You may find yourself in a totally different place in 2011, you never know until you decide to try.

Check back in a couple weeks for my next installment, The Anti-Aging Diet.

Until next time…. Stay healthy and live well. – Dr. Mike

I frequently tell my patients that if there are 2 foods you should add to your diet it would be blueberries and green tea because ounce for ounce they bring more to the table so to speak than most other foods in terms of their super food status. A close third however would be foods that contain active cultures. Whereas tea and berries deliver high levels of anti-oxidant and other disease fighting nutrients to your body, foods with active cultures such as yogurt and cultured milk help your body digest and absorb these super foods by supercharging your digestive process. After all, if you can’t digest and absorb the foods you are eating, you can’t get the benefits of the nutrients they contain.

 Good health begins in the gut. Foods with active cultures help by providing you with 2 types of nutrients: prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics, such as inulin, are nondigestable components of food that stimulate good bacteria in the gut and inhibit bad bacteria. They also aid in absorption of minerals that are active in immunity such as zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron, and help in the synthesis and metabolism of other vitamins. Probiotics on the other hand are live microorganisms or “good bacteria,” which promote and maintain digestive health and regularity. Probiotics and prebiotics work together to fight disease and promote health and wellness.

 As we age the number of these good bacteria in our gut declines. In addition, the environment we live in continuously degrades these helpful microorganisms. Antibiotics although helpful against bacteria that cause infection also indiscriminately kill the good bacteria that help our digestive system function at an optimal level. Animal products are packed with antibiotics used to prevent infection in the animals while they are alive but get passed on to you when you consume them. Try to use choose foods that specifically state on the packaging that they do not use antibiotic to avoid this potentially harmful side effect of consuming these foods.  Other medications such as anti inflammatory drugs and chemicals such as chlorine in our drinking water can damage the lining of the bowels and destroy the good bacteria.

 There is a significant amount of research out there that supports the claims that active cultures can decrease cholesterol, strengthen the immune system and fight against certain types of cancer. Acidophilus, one of the main “friendly,” bacteria has been shown to decrease antibiotic induced diarrhea and may help prevent or lessen severity of travel’s diarrhea. Regular intake of these helpful nutrients has also been shown to reduce symptoms associated with Irritable bowel syndrome and constipation.

 The health benefits of pre and pro biotics have not passed by the companies that produce our food. It used to be that yogurt or cultured milk were the only products containing any appreciable amount of these nutrients however now you will find them in breakfast cereals, protein powders and a host of other products.

 For good digestive health, you should eat something everyday that has active cultures in it or take a supplement that contains these powerful nutrients. Check the labels on foods for the content they have. Typical yogurt products contain 2 or 3 different strains of active cultures such as lactobacillus acidophilus. I like Stoneyfield Farms brand, an organic yogurt that contains high levels of 5 different active cultures and if you want to get even more, try Kefir cultured milk in a smoothie. This product contains 10 separate species of good bacteria. If you don’t like dairy products, Kashi brand makes a cereal called Vive which is fortified. If you are using our Vitality Pack line of daily vitamins you are getting a pharmaceutical grade dose of active cultures along with other nutrients to optimize digestive function.

 A word of caution, if you do not typically ingest these nutrients, you should start slow and build up the amount you eat over time. Drastic changes in the environment of the bowel can cause bloating, diarrhea, gas, and cramping. This is due to a shift in the bacterial balance to good bacteria as they literally crowd out the bad bacteria and feed on other toxins in the gut that may have built up over time. As you achieve greater digestive health these symptoms should resolve. I have included a recipe for a smoothie I make a few times a week which is a great way to start the day. It is packed with anti-oxidants, fiber, active cultures calcium and protein. Try this power smoothie a few times a week for breakfast and experience the benefits of  multiple super foods in one meal.

 Until next time, Stay healthy and live well. Dr. Mike

Dr. Mike’s Power Smoothie:

1 cup kefir plain lowfat cultured milk     

 1 cup fresh or frozen blue berries

1 scoop Aria protein powder

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

Place all of the ingredients into a blender with a 1/2 c of water and a few ice cubes and blend to desired consistency.

Nutritional info: 330 calories, 11 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbs, 29 grams protien

This smoothie gives you great macronutrient balance as it contains 34% carbs, 35% protien and 31% fat. It provides 600 mg of calcium (60% of the RDA), 10 seperate species of live active cultures, and a whopping dose of antioxidants. The peanut butter adds healthy fat which gives this meal staying power so you are not hungry in an hour, and the added protien and fat slows down the absorption of carbs which gives you a slow steady source of energy throughout the morning. Optional ingredients could include a serving of benefiber for added satiety, ground flax seeds for omega-3 fatty acids and of course any other fruit you would like to include.

If you had to choose just one supplement to take, it just might be an Omega-3-fatty acid supplement. Otherwise known as fish oil supplements, they are rich in omega-3-fatty acids that are plentiful in cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel. The research on the benefits of omega-3s has been pouring in for the past few years and in some cases is nothing less than astounding.

 A little historical perspective on why it makes such a difference now. Historically, i.e., 100 years ago or so, the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6-fatty acids in the typical American diet was around 1:1. Now that ratio is around 1:10 or higher. High levels of Omega-6-fatty acids are found in processed foods – pretty much anything in a box or bag –because these processed foods are made using products like corn, canola, safflower and sunflower oils, which contain high levels of omega-6-fatty acids.  These products are also full of hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils which have been shown to contribute to many of the health ailments we suffer from in the US.  We need Omega-6-fatty acids in our diet but, unless they are in proper ratios to Omega 3s, they become detrimental to our health.

 The benefit of Omega-3s is in their powerful, anti-inflammatory effect. It is now understood that chronic low levels of inflammation are the root of many of the diseases in our country such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and arthritis. Reversing this inflammatory state means reducing the risk of disease.  To illustrate this point we can look at cholesterol. A goal in medicine is to keep a patient’s cholesterol under 200, yet many individuals have heart attacks because of plaque build up on their arteries even if they have cholesterol levels under 200 naturally. The reason for this is that even with good cholesterol levels, if you still have chronic low levels of inflammation.  This inflammation creates an environment that promotes plaque deposition on your arteries. In addition to decreasing this inflammatory state, Omega-3s can have a dramatic affect on lowering triglycerides and can increase HDLs (good cholesterol).

 Some of the more impressive research about fish oil has revealed its ability to decrease cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm) which can lead to heart attack. One large study followed 22,000 male physicians over 17 years and showed an inverse relationship with the level of omega-3s and sudden cardiac death, meaning the higher the levels of Omega-3s, the lower the incident of fatal heart attacks. Those subjects with the highest levels of Omega-3s had an astonishing 81% reduction when compared to those with the lowest levels. Other studies have shown similar results and it is believed to be due to the anti-arrhythmic properties of omega-3s.^1,2,3  In addition to their anti-arrhythmic properties, Omega-3s also promote vasodilation (which reduces blood pressure), reduce platelet aggragation (which decreases blood clotting), and reduces the inflammatory chemicals which lead to plaque formation in the first place. Each of these effects play a role in reducing cardiovascular disease which is by far the leading killer in our country today.

 Omega-3s have also been shown to reduce cancer risk. Specifically, there seems to be an inverse relationship to Omega-3 levels and breast cancer in women.⁴ It has also been shown that higher levels of Omega-3s are associated with lower incidence of endometrial cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.⁵

 Other research has looked at the positive effect of Omega-3s on rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, as well as auto-immune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. Finally, there is convincing research showing significant reduction in depression as well as improvement in other psychiatric disorders such as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and schizophrenia.⁶  

 Are Omega-3s the cure all? Certainly not, but with the amount of positive research that has come out over the past few years we can no longer ignore the extraordinary benefits of this amazing supplement. It is important to remember, however, that to get the full benefit of Omega-3s you must be mindful that the ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s is important, too. To improve your ratio, add a quality Omega-3 supplement to your diet, eat cold-water fish a few days per week and reduce your Omega-6-fatty acid intake by cutting back on foods which contain seed oils, such as sunflower, safflower, corn, canola, and peanut oils. Read the packages of the foods in your pantry right now and you will see just how pervasive these oils are in our diet. Start finding healthy substitutes for these foods and you are on your way to reducing the chronic inflammation that causes chronic disease and accelerates the aging process.

 Live well and stay healthy, Dr. Mike

1. Circulation, 2002; 105:1897-1903
2. JAMA vol 287. No. 14 p 1815.
3. N Engl J Med. 2002 346:1113-1118
4. Br J Nutr. 2002;87:281-289
5. Lancet. 2001;3571764-1766

All of this being said, this week’s blog is a bullet point list of evidenced based tips on successfull weight loss.

• Proper Hydration- At least 64 oz of non-caffeinated fluids daily (6-8 glasses per day). Even mild dehydration can inhibit weight loss. As your body burns up fat and inevitably muscle during any weight loss program, there are a lot of metabolic by-products that need to be flushed from your system resulting in increased urinary fluid loss. Proper hydration helps the body with this process and ensures that you are replacing the fluids you are losing during this time.
• Make sure you are getting 25-30 grams of fiber each day. Most Americans get less than 10 grams per day. Including fiber in your diet will decrease fat absorption and slow absorption of  carbohydrate (sugar) into the bloodstream. This is important because keeping blood sugar levels constant, keeps insulin levels low and that is one of the keys to successful weight loss. Insulin is a storage hormone. It’s main job is to shuttle glucose into the cells to be used as energy or stored as glycogen or converted to fat if the sugar stores are full. On the flip side however, since it is a storage hormone, it also  inhibits breaking down fat (removing it from storage)which is why high insulin levels make it very difficult to lose weight. An easy way to increase your fiber intake is to use a  scoop of Benefiber before or with meals.
• Eat 4-5 smaller meals per day. Research is very clear that keeping your metabolism revved up throughout the day decreases incidence of obesity by approximately 50%.
• Burn the equivalent of 400 calories daily. For the average person this is a brisk walk for 60 minutes. Research shows that multiple, shorter bouts of exercise (3 10-20 minute walks per day) works as well as one long session and is more beneficial for maintaining normal blood sugar. A few days a week you need to do some sort of resistance training which if you read my last blog on anti-aging tips, you know is important to help maintain as much muscle mass as you can while losing weight. Maintaining muscle mass helps to maintain your metabolism and resistence training has been shown to be superior to aerobic exercise in this regard*
• Eat Protein with every meal. Protein slows digestion and absorption of carbohydrates which helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels as discussed above as well as helping to control hunger. Protein is a thermogenic food meaning it takes a lot of calories to digest, absorb and metabolize it so there is  a slight increase in metabolic rate with protein intake. Ensuring proper intake during weight loss also helps in maintaining muscle mass the importance of which is discussed above… Seeing a theme here yet?? I recommend at least 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight (pounds divided by 2.2) divided evenly throughout the day.
• Weigh yourself at least once a week. This promotes accountability and research shows that if you put 2 people on the same diet program and one of them weighs themselves regularly and the other person does not weigh, the 1st guy consistently loses more weight. The number on the scale is not the end all be all by any means, but you need to know what your weight is doing from week to week
• Eliminate these sources of simple or refined sugar/flour from your diet: Soda, sweet tea, white bread, white rice, regular pasta, potatoes and replace with 100% whole grain products (bread, pasta and cereals that list 100% whole wheat as the first ingredient). Remember though, complex carbs are still carbs and when the body gets carbs it either uses them as energy or stores them as fat so if you eat carbs at night, unless you are going to exercise later that night…..(light bulbs turning on I hope).
• Become and expert in nutrition and exercise. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!! Read everything you can about nutrition and exercise, you will begin to see a pattern in the recommendations which will help you sift through the bull.
• Expect plateaus and setbacks. They will happen, but work through them by trying to maintain your weight. Every day is a new start! If what you are doing is no longer working than it is time to try something else. Remember the definition of insanity?
• Be relentless; losing weight and maintaining weight loss is an everyday, long term challenge, not a short term project. The single most powerful characteristic you can possess in terms of weight loss is good old fashion stubborn persistence. My wife will attest that I am an expert on this topic as well. Just showing up is half the battle in this fight so keep trudging away.
• If all else fails, come and see me and I will put all of the most current knowledge to work for you to accomplish your goals.

Next up I will cover a few highly recommended supplements and why you need to be on them NOW! stay tuned.

Stay Healthy, Live Well… Dr. Mike

*consult with your physician before starting an exercise program or if you experience chest pain, dizziness or shortness of breath, or any other symptoms during exercise.

Longevity… .Much of what it takes to live a long healthy life is not rocket science and you are probably doing much of it now. In my professional and personal opinion, the single most important thing you can do for your health is to exercise regularly and by that I mean an hour of exercise on most days. It needs to be varied, it must include resistance training, and it must also include some high intensity days. To be more specific, if you like to spend time in the cardio room at the gym, make use of the various equipment by biking one day, stair stepping one day and rowing the next. If you always use resistance machines in the weight room, try out some free weights or vice versa. For a real challenge, try a boot camp style class or log on to crossfit.com to see a whole new world of athletic training techniques. 

Resistance training becomes more important as we age because without it we inevitably, slowly lose muscle mass over the course of our lives. Muscle mass drives your metabolism so loss of muscle mass = slower metabolism. Contrary to years of preaching from the so-called experts, weight training is much more effective than aerobic exercise for promoting weight loss. Metabolic rate remains elevated far longer after a 30 minute high intensity weight training routine than it does after a 3 mile run. A word of warning, changing up your routine, while having many benefits, also opens the door to injury so always go easy on new exercises for a few weeks before turning up the intensity to allow your body to adapt to the new forms of stress. The benefits from exercise dwarf just about anything else you can do to improve/maximize your health and preserve your age and looks.

Start taking fish oil supplements NOW. The amount of research pouring in about the benefits of omega-3-fatty acids is astounding. If you just look at fish oil consumption versus all cause mortality (anything you can possibly die of) you get about a 30% reduction just by taking fish oil. The recommendations say 1-2 grams per day but we give heart patients 4 grams per day because of its proven ability to reduce cardiac arrhythmias, lower tryglycerides and increase HDL (good cholesterol) as well as an a staggering 81% reduction in sudden cardiac death in one large study^1,2. The root of its benefit is the anti-inflammatory effect. Inflammation is the root of aging and many of the medical problems we have. Decrease inflammation and you decrease disease and the aging process, period. I take 2 – 3 grams per day, I would take more but I get a fishy aftertaste if I increase much more that that. I know anti-aging docs taking 10+ grams per day. You tend to get what you pay for in Omega-3-supplements. I like a brand called Barleans – which you can get at Publix. I also carry my own brand in our Vitality pack (see below) which is a high potency purified oil. If the health benefits don’t convince you to start this amazing supplement, it also does wonders for your hair and skin.

 Take a good high-potency multi vitamin/multi mineral every day. Health care experts who tell you that you can get everything you need from your diet are living in the dark ages. I speak from experience as I have a degree in nutrition and was fed that same line of BS throughout my training. When was the last time you ate 5-7 servings of any combination of fresh fruit and vegetables in a single day? Get my point?

You need to make sure you are getting sources of Calcium and Vitamin D every day. You’re goal should be at least 1000 mg of Calcium and 800 mg of Vitamin D daily. This recommendation goes way beyond strong teeth and bones. Calcium and Vitamin D-rich dairy products have solid evidence that they not only promote weight loss but when eaten before exercise, have been shown to cause the body to burn more fat during exercise in women.

If you’re not using a daily facial moisturizer or make-up with SPF in it, you need to start now. It’s not the long days at the beach that cause most of the sun’s aging effects, it’s the accumulation of minutes walking to your car, to the store, etc., that causes the most damage over time. Make it a part of your morning routine to apply some sort of sunblock to your face and neck to reduce wrinkles, blemishes and cancer risk.

Read the book SuperFoods Rx, written by Steven Pratt MD and Kathy Matthews, and incorporate as many of those foods into your diet as you can. The book outlines 14 power foods that have evidence-based benefits for health and longevity.

Eat something everyday that has active cultures or take a supplement that gives you these vital nutrients. You need to fortify your gut daily with these good bacteria to combat all the other junk we put into our bodies. Stress, toxins and antibiotics reduce the number of the good bacteria in our digestive system, whose job is proper digestion and absorption of the food we eat and is one of the first lines of defense in our immune system. There are more and more foods on the market that are including these nutrients including cereals like Kashi’s Vive. Most yogurt is fortified with active cultures. I like a product called Kefir cultured milk that I make fruit smoothies with. It’s kind of a yogurt on steroids with 10 strains of active cultures versus the typical 3 you find in most yogurt.

 Eat as many servings of fresh fruit and veggies daily as you can. The government dietary recommendations are generally a  joke but most people don’t even get close to the minimal recommend daily consumption of fruit and veggies. This reccomendation ranks a close second to exercise but beats it in terms of cancer prevention. Fruit smoothies made with yogurt and whey protein are a good way to get a few servings of antioxidant rich fruit, active cultures, Calcium and Vitamin D in one dose. Like exercise, your fruit and vegetable intake should be varied to obtain the variety of phytochemicals they have to offer. Avoid canned fruit and vegetables and if you cook your vegetables, steam them for less than 5 minutes to avoid breaking down the vital nutrients they contain.

 Drink green tea and eat blueberries. These 2 superfoods are some of the most antioxidant (i.e., anti-inflamation) packed foods available. I like Stash Green tea, which you can get at Publix. Testing has shown it contains some of the highest levels of antioxidants in many of the commercially available teas. There is an abundance of research confirming the cancer preventing abilities of a diet rich in antioxidant containing foods.

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health.  If you don’t sleep well for 7+ hours per night you need to figure out how to get there. If my patients don’t sleep well I recommend the over the counter supplement Melatonin, which is one of the major anti-aging supplements and is naturally produced by your body to induce sleep. It comes in 1 – 3 mg doses, and I prefer the sublingual versions that are absorbed under your tongue.

 If you are over the age of 35 and have experienced any of the symptoms listed on our anti-aging section, have your hormones levels checked by an anti-aging specialist that can guide you on potential bio-identical hormone replacement treatment that can improve your health and help you turn back the clock. 

 Check back frequently to my blog and I will keep you up to date on the most current health, anti-aging, and weight loss information available.  Next up, practical tips for weight loss. Thank you for taking time to read, now get out there and get to work on getting healthy. 

-Dr. Mike 

Available now exclusively through our office: The Vitality Pack. This is a nutritional supplement pack which is manufactured exclusively for my office by Prothera Pharmacy and contains many of the supplements discussed in my blog today including: high potency multi-vitamin/multi-mineral tablets, Purified, pharmaceutical grade Omega-3-fatty acids, digestive support enzymes and probiotic supplements. This combination of supplements includes all of the anti-aging nutrients you need in one package and can be shipped directly to your home. If you are interested, call our office for details and pricing. 

1. Albert CM, Campos H, Stampfer MJ, Ridker PM, Manson JE, Willett WC, MA J Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death. N Engl J Med. 2002:346;1113-1118.
2.         Marchioli R, barzi f, Bomba E, Cheiffo C, Di Gregorio D, Di Mascio R,             Franzosi MG, Geraci E, Levantesi F, Maggioni AP, et al; (GISSI) – prevenzione.  Circulation. 2002;105:1897-1903.

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Many times in our lives, there are excuses for not doing one thing or the other.  Most of us, whether on the receiving or giving end of the excuse, choose to simply take the easier route out of the conversation and not say anything like, “Yeah, I’m sure the 7.5 minutes you took getting gas on the way home from work cut out all the time for your normally-1hr-long workout”, even though that’s what we might be thinking.  

Such is the case with Tampa health nutrition; in spite of how much many of us might believe we need to live a healthy lifestyle, there are always reasons why we can’t actually do it on a daily basis. 

The truth of the matter, though, is that sometimes we need a little push to get ourselves out of park and into drive.  If that’s your particular situation (or maybe someone you know) Tampa health nutrition centers could be highly effective in helping individuals live more healthy lifestyles. 

In Terms of Tampa Health Nutrition Centers, Certain Medical Offices Specialize in Weight Management and Helping Keep the Pounds Off

 At The Center for Health and Age Management, Dr. Michael P. Heim is one of only 300 board certified bariatric physicians in the entire U.S.  As such, he’s in a unique position – particularly as one of only a couple such-qualified physicians in the Tampa Bay area – to provide each patient with a personally tailored weight loss program to meet their Tampa health nutrition needs and weight loss goals. 

As a Tampa health nutrition specialist and bariatric physician, Dr. Heim begins each new weight management patient consult at The Center for Health and Age Management with a complete medical history to determine any and all causes of weight retention, including hormone imbalances and other factors, and then creates a treatment regimen around each patient’s specific conditions. 

Dr. Heim, a Tampa health nutrition focused doctor, also practices primary care, anti-aging medicine through hormone therapy, and osteopathic manipulation.  Please visit www.tampahealthcenter.com for useful information online.  Conveniently located in South Tampa at 2102 South MacDill Avenue, you can reach The Center for Health and Age Management and Dr. Heim at 813-843-3107 to schedule an appointment.

 Tampa doctor offices can be found by looking through any phone book, online search results, or even a short conversation with a good friend.  Finding the correct one for you or your family out of hundreds of Tampa doctor offices throughout the area becomes much more difficult. 

 The first step in finding a good Tampa doctor office will be to assess your needs as an individual or family.  As you narrow down the field of various Tampa doctor offices, you’ll have to consider what medical services you require and expect out of the doctor and office you select.  Equally, you should not settle for less than the very best care when selecting from one of many Tampa doctor offices for you and/or your family 

 A final step in narrowing down your choice of Tampa doctor offices is to call the office directly and take in the feel you get as a prospective patient from the phone conversation you have. 

Regardless the reasons why you’re currently seeking one of hundreds of Tampa doctor offices, though, if you live in or around the Tampa Bay area, finding the right medical offices in Tampa is definitely the correct course of action for you. 

Tampa Doctor Offices Vary in Specialties and Medical Services Offered, Along With Scope of Service

If you and your family need primary care and possibly – even if not now – any number of additional medical services, visiting www.tampahealthcenter.com could prove highly useful in securing effective, professional, highly-regarded medical care.

Sure, you could trust care at one of many Tampa doctor offices; however, at The Center for Health and Age Management, Dr. Michael P. Heim offers primary care services along with a variety of specialized fields of medicine. 

Dr. Heim’s areas of practice include weight management, anti-aging medicine, and osteopathic medicine.  He is one of only 300 board certified bariatric physicians, and his approach to weight management is truly uniquely tailored to the individual patient. 

Conveniently located in South Tampa at 2102 South MacDill Avenue, you can reach The Center for Health and Age Management and Dr. Heim at 813-843-3107 to schedule an appointment.

Selecting a Tampa medical doctor for you and/or loved ones can be a daunting prospect . . . With the sheer number of Tampa medical doctors out there, you can be overwhelmed with the amount of info you find with the click of your mouse.  But good, reliable information from a great Tampa medical doctor is available . . .

Offering primary care and specialties like weight management, anti-aging medicine, and osteopathic medicine, Dr. Michael P. Heim at The Center for Health and Age Management will provide only the best in what you’d expect from a Tampa medical doctor. 

Find a Tampa Medical Doctor That Specializes in the Treatment You Need

Led by Tampa Medical Doctor Michael Heim, The Center for Health and Age Management is a full service Tampa health care center offering primary care and specializing in a variety of other areas of medicine. 

Primary Care: Dr. Heim provides both the first contact for your undiagnosed health concerns as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions. 

Weight Management: As one of only 300 board certified bariatric physicians in the entire U.S., Dr. Heim is uniquely qualified to provide each patient with a personally tailored weight loss program to meet your individual needs. Dr. Heim begins each new patient consult with a complete medical history to determine any and all causes of weight retention, including hormone imbalances and other factors, and then creates a treatment regimen around each patient’s specific conditions.

Osteopathic Manipulation: In the tradition of osteopathic medicine, Dr. Heim approaches your medical care from a holistic approach.  This includes evaluating musculoskeletal imbalances which can cause symptoms such as neck pain, back pain and headaches from chronic muscle tension.  This type of treatment helps optimize body function by restoring proper circulation and nerve conduction, both of which can be compromised by subtle misalignment of the spine and joints, and the subsequent muscular and soft tissue tension this misalignment can cause.

 Anti-Aging Medicine: Dr. Heim specializes in menopause and andropause treatment with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for men and women.  Through its extensive use in modern medicine, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has been shown to be highly successful. 

Dr. Heim, a Tampa medical doctor, practices primary care, weight management, and osteopathic manipulation.  Please visit www.tampahealthcenter.com for useful information online.  Conveniently located in South Tampa at 2102 South MacDill Avenue, you can reach The Center for Health and Age Management and Dr. Heim at 813-843-3107 to schedule an appointment.

So you’re looking to shed a few pounds, or you’ve found that a new medication seems to be adding more than just the intended result?  There are countless options available when looking for Tampa weight loss treatment.

In the process of looking and selecting your Tampa health care, one needs to consider what it is exactly that they require and need from a new Tampa weight loss facility or center.

Tampa weight loss centers will vary widely in what they specialize in and what services they offer.  The root causes of obesity and weight gain vary across the board from behavioral and lifestyle factors to genetic factors and hormonal imbalances, but that doesn’t mean that every Tampa weight loss center recognizes the full spectrum of obesity and weight management.  An effective Tampa weight loss center may be the key in helping an individual to fight obesity regardless what the cause.

Unfortunately this is not always the case.  Many times, a Tampa weight loss doctor or center will not recognize the true causes of an individual’s specific weight gain or obesity, or that doctor or center will not have the requisite experience in treating various differing types of weight retention and/or obesity.

The Center for Health and Age Management Will Diagnose The Full Causes of An Individual’s Weight Retention, and Offer Effective Tampa Weight Loss Solutions

Through The Center for Health and Age Management, a Tampa weight loss clinic, Dr. Michael P. Heim helps patients deal with weight management issues.  He specializes in the treatment of obesity and its associated conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. 

As a board certified bariatric physician, Dr. Heim’s unique qualifications provide each patient with a personally tailored weight loss program to meet their individual needs.  He begins each new patient consult with a complete medical history to determine any and all causes of weight retention, including hormone imbalances and other factors.

Conveniently located in South Tampa at 2102 South MacDill Avenue, you can reach Dr. Heim at 813-843-3107 to schedule an appointment.  Please visit www.tampahealthcenter.com for useful information online. 

Whether it’s because of your lifestyle, your genes, or even an illness requiring a specific type of medication, the side effects of which cause weight gain, a Tampa weight loss doctor can be highly effective in helping patients lose weight, relearn behaviors, and live a healthier, slimmer life. 

Through The Center for Health and Age Management, Dr. Michael Heim has helped hundreds of patients deal with weight management issues.  One of only 300 board certified bariatric physicians in the entire U.S., Dr. Heim’s unique qualifications provide each patient with a personally tailored weight loss program to meet your individual needs. 

These weight loss programs offered by Tampa weight loss Doctor Heim not only addresses specific individual issues associated with weight loss, but also looks at existing health conditions that may inhibit weight loss. 

The Center for Health and Age Management, Led by Board Certified Bariatric Physician Dr. Michael Heim, Will Help Patients Lose Weight and Keep it Off

As a recognized bariatrician, Dr. Heim specializes in the treatment of obesity and its associated conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  He begins each new patient consult with a complete medical history to determine any and all causes of weight retention, including hormone imbalances and other factors. 

And whereas another Tampa weight loss doctor might see some weight loss success from a patient, then take that patient off a “weight loss program” only to see them regain the weight and more when they return to the doctor, Dr. Heim’s program eliminates diet cycle and teaches patients how to keep weight off for good. 

As a Tampa weight loss doctor, Dr. Heim offers weight loss treatment through a course of proper nutrition, exercise prescription, behavioral modification, and medication if necessary.

In addition to weight management, Dr. Heim also practices primary care, anti-aging medicine, and osteopathic manipulation.  The Center for Health and Age Management is available for consult and is now taking new patients.  Visit www.tampahealthcenter.com for useful information online, or call Dr. Heim today at 813-843-3107.