Anti-Aging Medicine Denver

NatureMed Clinic Denver/Boulder

NatureMed is an integrated medicine clinic located in Denver, Colorado. Anti-aging medicine spans a wide variety of medical treatments.

Philosophy of NatureMed's Anti-Aging Medicine

Anti-aging medicine should encompass more than just hormones, botox and face lifts. It should include the aggressive early detection and prevention of disease. Anti-aging medicine should really be about wellness and slowing down aging from the inside out. Anti-aging medicine at NatureMed is about giving you a better quality of life. Many of us confuse getting old with being sick and feeling miserable....it does not have to be that way!

Our Approach
We have a scientific, evidence-based approach to anti-aging medicine. Our clinic is an integrated clinic (MD, ND).

What Are the Key Elements of NatureMed's Anti-Aging Program?

Anti-aging Element One:
Hormones: Hormones have a profound effect on aging. Depending on test results you may be eligible for certain hormones. The most popular hormones for slowing down aging are testosterone and estrogen. Taking excessive amounts of any hormone is dangerous and for this reason we always track your levels.Hormones affect our mood, metabolism, body composition (muscle mass, fat mass), skin health, exercise performance and tolerance to stress.

Some hormones speed up the aging process. For example, cortisol is an important stress hormone made by the adrenals, however, excess cortisol contributes to muscle loss, blood sugar imbalances and weight gain.

Sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, DHEA) decline with age. Though sex hormone decline is a normal part of aging it is sometimes too rapid, causing depression, weight gain, skin wrinkling, fatigue and other symptoms.  Hormone therapy is safe if supervised by a trained anti-aging specialist.

A man must have low levels of testosterone to be able to legally take testosterone. Usually this is a blood level below 300. Because of abuses with anabolic steroid hormones and HGH, the FDA strictly regulates HGH prescriptions. The only FDA approved uses for growth hormone in adults (other than for AIDS, dwarfism and severe burns) is pituitary insufficiency (hypopituitarism) and a condition called Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency (AGHD).

This condition is diagnosed with a growth hormone stimulation test. We do perform this test at our clinic using the FDA approved test; a 30 gram infusion of arginine given over 30 minutes.

A non-prescriptive way to raise your growth hormone levels is with Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide (GHRP). We use a brand called Xentropin. This product is only available from a doctor's office. This is given orally but should NOT be confused with other oral agents.

Anti-aging Element Two:
Decreasing oxidative stress: One of the main ways we age is by oxidation. This is called the free radical theory of aging. Oxidation is a reaction caused by the interaction of oxidants with the fatty acids that make up our cell walls and mitochondria. Oxidants include iron, ozone, oxygen, environmental toxins, cigarette smoke, pollution and metabolic waste products. Poor diet and nutritional deficiencies also increase risk of oxidative damage.
What happens is that over time we lose the ability to repair the damage to our cells and tissues. Thus, we lose the ability to keep up with the repair process and start to lose the fight against aging.

Anti-aging Element Three:
Reducing toxins: Environmental toxins such as heavy metals, solvents and pesticides accelerate the aging process. Metals, for instance, catalyze many reactions that damage our tissues. Environmental toxins also accumulate in our bodies over time. Pulling heavy metals out of our bodies with EDTA chelation is safe and FDA approved.

Anti-aging Element Four:
IV therapies: Numerous vitamin, mineral and antioxidant "cocktails" can be given intravenously and help with reversing the aging process and improving quality of life. Read more about our intravenous therapies.

Anti-aging Element Five:
Preventing heart attacks and cancer: There is not much point in spending money to look good if you end up dying of a heart attack next week. Most heart attacks are preventable. We have a very comprehensive heart attack prevention and treatment program. Since heart attack and stroke kill more of us than any other disease, heart attack prevention is a core part of our anti-aging program. Cancer prevention involves early detection, anticancer diet and avoidance of carcinogens.

Anti-aging Element Six:
Healthy skin: We address the skin from the inside out. Nutrition is directly responsible for the health of our skin. Minerals, B vitamins, fats and hydration all affect the way our skin looks and how fast it ages. Some topical treatments really do restore youthful elements to the skin and we discuss these with patients.

Anti-aging Element Seven:
Getting Trim and Fit: Humans lose muscle and gain fat over time unless we exercise - plain and simple. Exercise has the added benefit of improving insulin sensitivity, bone mass, muscle mass and mood. We will help you develop a customized plan that will increase muscle and burn fat. Occasionally there are hormonal reasons for weight gain and we will address these.
 
Anti-aging Element Eight:
Optimal Diet: Food affects how fast we age.The role of dietary fats, protein, carbohydrate, fiber and antioxidants will be discussed.
 
Anti-aging Element Nine:
Reduce Glycation: Excess blood sugar causes glycation. Glycation occurs when sugars bind to tissue proteins. A good example of age-related glycation are cataracts. Cataracts form because sugar molecules stick to the proteins in the lens of the eye. As a result the lens becomes cloudy. Glycation can occur throughout the body and speed up aging if not addressed. There are ways to reverse glycation that we will discuss.
 
Anti-aging Element Ten:
Tracking Progress with blood work and other tools:
We now have the ability to act like aging detectives. We can determine how much coronary plaque you have, your average blood sugar, bone density and just about every other age-related process in the body. We do some of the most extensive laboratory workups and screening exams available. Laboratory investigation is very important.