A4M valued member Gregory Seaman, MD shares insight from his professional experience in this Physician of the Month feature.

Q: Before joining A4M, what was your medical background?

Prior to joining A4M and opening thriveMD, I spent 7 years practicing as an anesthesiologist in the Chicago area. While I enjoyed the pharmacology and pharmacodynamics of anesthesia I didn’t feel very connected to the patients I worked with. I was certainly providing a service to them but I always felt medicine could be more. I started questioning why people needed all of these surgeries. Why do we wait until things go wrong and then take these drastic steps to correct them??

Q: What anti-aging techniques have you incorporated into your practice? And how did you do so?

When I started thriveMD we were focused on 4 main treatment modalities. We focused on bio-identical hormone replacement, medical weight loss, IV therapies and platelet rich plasma therapy. I believed these represented some of the “pillars” of anti-aging medicine. We have since expanded into many additional therapies. We now offer oxidative therapies, adipocyte as well as umbilical cord stem cell therapies, ultra-violet light therapies and will be starting with the HOCATT™ Platinum sauna very shortly. The HOCATT™ is a revolutionary invention by a man from South Africa, which incorporates an ozone sauna, carbonic acid, whole body hyperthermia, exercise with oxygen therapy as well as pulsed electro-magnetic field therapy and more all into one 30-minute session.

We started with the four pillars (as I saw them) and have let the people we work with dictate the direction we have headed. We are always searching for the latest advances and have been blessed to work with many other providers who are also striving for optimal health for their clients.

Q: What are the benefits of practicing anti-aging medicine (as a professional and for your practice)?

There are many benefits to practicing anti-aging medicine. The medicine I practice now is really the reason I wanted to be a physician in the first place. I spend more time with the people I work with and I really get to know them. There are a lot of things that make up a patient that traditional medicine either does not value or simply cannot fit into the current model. Each person that comes into my office is completely unique. Each persons’ family or financial stressors, relationship or work issues, the environmental hazards they are exposed to and these things combined bring a completely unique individual. In addition, so many people deal with GI issues, absorption problems, poor nutrition and high stress. These issues are critically important to the health and well-being of the person in front of me, and yet most of this information can be deemed from a lab test.

Q: What are the changes you see in your patients?

The most rewarding change I have seen in the people I work with is a feeling of some control over their health and their life. Many people just thought they were getting older and had to accept the deterioration in their health. When you work with them preventatively to optimize their health and they feel better, it gives them a whole new view of health. They feel empowered! That then has them wondering “what else can I do” and “how good can I feel at 40, 50 or even 70”?

I have been blessed to work with hard working, dedicated patients. These people are willing to do what it takes to be healthy but just never had the tools. Many people today are not going to the doctor just to get another prescription to deal with some symptom they are now faced with. They realize that this body is the one vessel they will go through life with and they are willing to do whatever it takes to take care of it.

Q: Why would you recommend anti-aging medicine to your peers?

I would recommend anti-aging to my peers because I believe it is why most (if not all) of them went into the field of medicine. To work closely with patients, get to know them and be able to really help them. Help them to not just avoid getting sick but to feel better at any age! We always tell patients at thriveMD that their body is like a Ferrari that they have spent years putting dirty gasoline in and never changing the oil. They really have no idea how their body is capable of functioning and how well it will function with a little help. With anti-aging medicine doctors are able to give these people this help. It is extremely rewarding.

Q: Where do you see the future of anti-aging medicine 20 years from now?

I think the future of anti-aging medicine is extremely bright. I think the more aware people are of the possibilities the more interest there will be and this will, in turn, lead to more possibilities. Traditionally medicine has been reactive in this country. People are now starting to approach medicine proactively and this is fueling the anti-aging boom. I do not see this slowing anytime soon. I hope in 20 years that anti-aging services and preventive medicine are mainstream and considered standard of care. As our country continues to age there will be a greater and greater demand to feel better longer. I envision anti-aging medicine rising to meet this demand.