A4M valued member Kenneth Orbeck, DO, ABAARM, FAARM, shares insight from his professional experience in this Physician of the Month feature. 

Dr. Kenneth Orbeck

After experiencing a severe and life-threatening emergency, Dr. Kenneth Orbeck fought his way back to recovery while beginning to cultivate his interest in helping underserved communities. His passion for prevention and early intervention of disease grew as he experienced the consequences of terminal illness: as he began to practice functional and integrative healthcare on a personal level, Dr. Orbeck experienced a complete personal recovery of previous health problems and injuries.

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

My medical background was in the area of family medicine. I functioned as a board certified family physician for approximately 15 years, at which time I joined the A4M and became certified by the ABAARM and a fellow in the FAARM.

Q: What anti-aging techniques have you incorporated into your practice?

I have incorporated multiple protocols outlined by the American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine, as well as the Medical Metabolic Institute. These involve the functional assessment of systems-based biology and organ systems which allow the application of various detoxification protocols, hormonal optimization, nutritional optimization, and proper supplementation to enhance biochemical pathways. This results in the correction of various metabolic derangements. I have applied systems-based biology to achieve optimal health and recovery, which was not previously possible with the simple application of pharmaceutical intervention.

Q: What are the benefits of practicing anti-aging medicine?

Anti-aging medicine offers multiple benefits to both the practitioner and the patient. With the understanding of systems-based/age management medicine and the application of functional/integrative protocols, the practitioner has a variety of tools that allow optimal patient outcome. The patient benefits from an elevated state of health and the ultimate goal of total health and wellness.

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

When applying the protocols in functional and integrative healthcare management, I often see incredible changes in the patient’s health toward optimal wellness. This involves areas including weight management, muscle mass, bone strengthening, organ system recovery, and overall vitality. Systems-based medical intervention allows organ systems to communicate, often resulting in total health and wellness. The patient simply feels and looks better.

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

I would highly recommend anti-aging medicine to any of my colleagues in the practice of medicine. Understanding and applying systems-based medical management, which involves different functional and integrative protocols, allows enhanced patient care and optimal recovery. Anti-aging medicine teaches one to focus on the underlying problem, not simply treating the patient’s symptoms. Understanding how organ systems communicate with each other in the evolution of disease allows the practitioner a broader sense of disease progression and the greater likelihood of early intervention.

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

It is very difficult for me to imagine anti-aging medicine 20 years from now. After being involved in age management medicine and functional integrative protocols throughout the past seven years, I have seen this area of medicine grow exponentially. New techniques and protocols are now being based on genetic analysis and application. Understanding the concepts that involve the micro-biome and cellular genetics, age management medicine will become increasingly defined to involve more advanced testing. This will allow the practitioner early disease prediction and prevention: the patient’s health will be influenced through both nutrigenomics and epigenetics.