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Health issues such as fatigue, low sex drive, insomnia, high cholesterol, increased abdominal fat, insulin resistance, and mental fog are common among Americans, especially as we age. These seemingly unrelated issues are typically treated by various specialists who focus on each one as an isolated problem. This often leads to a team of physicians attempting to rectify various symptoms, without consideration of how these conditions may be connected.
A new health optimization program in Tampa seeks to change that. For more than 30 years, Dr. Jay J. Garcia has studied the role that metabolism plays in overall health and its interrelationship with chronic disease. As he observed the ways in which various imbalances and dysfunction manifested in different symptoms among his patients, he saw the need to develop a more integrated approach to health care.
“Our current healthcare system has failed many patients who are actively seeking to improve their health,” says Dr. Garcia. “Restrictions posed by insurance companies mean that patients don’t always get the tests or treatments they need. Our health system is designed to treat and control symptoms, but failure to identify the root cause of a health problem will never result in true healing.”
Excess weight is one of these common symptoms. In his successful weight-loss clinics, Dr. Garcia has developed a holistic approach that identifies and targets the underlying causes of weight gain, which often include hormonal imbalances and internal inflammation.
Now, Dr. Garcia is expanding his integrative health care model to address additional needs such as vitality, immune system response, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health. The result is an approach he describes as a personalized health concierge service.
His health optimization program looks at how the body is functioning through genetic testing, as well as various lab tests that reveal underlying biochemical processes that influence health and wellness. Each patient is assigned to a health track designed to address their most pressing health needs. Health tracks are further customized for each patient based on their lab results. Because Dr. Garcia’s health optimization is cash based, he is able to provide tests and treatments that typically aren’t allowed in the restrictive insurance-driven healthcare model.
One of these tests is a sophisticated DNA analysis that evaluates more than 80 genetic markers. In 2003, genetic researchers completed a 13-year international collaborative research project known as the Human Genome Project, which mapped the entire human genome. This allowed scientists to conduct deeper studies into the ways that specific genetic variants influence health.
Many wellness programs or weight-loss plans rely on trial and error, or are based on data from studies that did not take generic variants
into consideration, explains Dr. Garcia. But people with certain genetic variants may be more likely to gain weight or may experience a higher risk of other health issues due to the way that their bodies respond to different foods and other factors.
“Historically, medical research and clinical trials have been conducted on white males, with the results extrapolated to different patient groups,” says Dr. Garcia. “We know now that this approach is ineffective for people whose genetics differ from the research sample. DNA testing, along with blood, urine, and saliva tests, gives us a complete picture of how the body is actually functioning, so that we can develop a program that truly meets each patient’s needs.”
To learn more about Dr. Garcia’s personalized health optimization services, visit jayjgarciamd.com
2801 S Macdill Ave. Tampa, FL 33629
(813) 327-6004
JayJGarciaMD.com