eModel Magazine Interviews Health Age Guru Dr. Frank Patino

Q. How did you get involved with age management?

A: When I reached the age of 45 I “hit the wall.” I had been active all my life with exercise, but I no longer possessed the motivation or desire to work out. I stopped working out for two years. I missed my active lifestyle and during those two years I began investigating what the problem could be. I began reading about male Andropause and Somatopause and realized that I was probably experiencing an attrition of hormones in my body. I became convinced that modulating my hormones was the key to my problem. So I began down the path of developing my recipe.

Q. Do you think it’s really necessary to have a doctor assisted program for age management?

A: It is definitely essential to have a doctor assisted program for age management. We are dealing with certain parameters of a patient’s blood panels rather than black market guesswork. Specifically, we are striving to titrate hormonal levels back those of a healthy 27 year-old – one’s genetic peak. We stay physiologic - not supra-physiologic - we simply restore our patients’ hormonal levels back to optimum levels. There are many pitfalls to age management medicine if you don’t understand physiology of the human body. Potential pitfalls include gynecomastia, atrophy of the testicles, tendonitis, acne, water retention, etc. It is critically important that patients be under the supervision and care of a physician who is qualified in age management medicine.

Q. What are the benefits of age management?

A: The benefits of age management are vast. We can point to studies that indicate individuals will loose body fat, gain muscle mass, increase their skin thickness, improve their cognitive function, and they will experience an increase in libido and energy level. Age management results in an overall improvement in lifestyle when hormones are on the decline. This therapy can help patients regain some of their youthfulness.

Q. Why can’t a person just do it on their own?

A. Age management on ones own is like performing surgery on oneself. Patients should seek out a doctor who truly understands age management and who is board certified. Their doctor should have extensive experience with the administration of hormone therapy to avoid some of the pitfalls we discussed earlier. It is important for patients to be under the care of an age management qualified physician.

Q. How much does it cost to have a doctor assisted program such as yours?

A. There are three costs associated with our program: The first cost is the expense of the patients lab work; the second cost is associated with the program products; and the third cost is the physician’s fee for review of lab work and administration of the program. If a patient qualifies for the Renami program, most PPO insurance companies will cover the cost of their medications.

Q. Do you know of any other doctor assisted programs? How are they different/same?

A. Typically, in the past, doctors who migrated toward age management
were unqualified in the field of hormone modulation therapy. This field was dominated by many “hucksters” in the past. Doctors who were unable to pass their board certifications or doctors who were dismissed from hospital systems due to character flaws were often attracted to this field. For that matter, surgeons who venture into this field may be board certified; however, they still lack an adequate medical background to administer hormone modulation therapy. It is important for patients to ensure the doctor assisted program of their interest is administered by a board certified physician who is qualified in hormone modulation therapy.

Q. Once someone starts with an age management program, how long before they should notice results?

A. There is a time range depending on the individual. The shortest time period I have noticed has been three weeks. But this is not a physical change, rather it is a positive change in mood, motivation, and overall energy level. The longest time period I have noticed has been three months. These are simply patients with slower responses to the therapy. On average, most patients respond to the therapy within three weeks to three months.

Q. What, if any, are the long term side effects of a medically supervised age management program such as yours?

A. The long term side effects are all good – improved immune system, increased cognitive function, higher energy levels, decreased body fat, and an increase in muscle mass. Age management patients tend to have a lesser incidence of cancer and heart disease than the general population. I think with an enhanced immune system, increase in cardiac output, and an increase in arterial pliability, age management patients experience great health benefits.

In terms of short term side effects, these are dose reversible. For instance, a patient with too high of growth hormone levels might develop tendonitis, increased blood pressure or water retention. These are reversible so long as the physician understands the proper dosing levels and the parameters to be reached. That is why it is imperative to work with a qualified age management physician.

Q. In selecting an age management regime or practitioner, what should I watch out for?

A. The first thing to find out is whether the physician is board certified and if so, in what field do they have certification. Has this physician ever had their license suspended? If the physician’s license has been suspended, they might be attracted to the age management field by default. It is important to have a physician who was attracted to this field because of their interest in and their expertise. Also, I suggest that patients interview the physician’s current and previous patients. Find out about their level of satisfaction with the practitioner and their age management program.

Q. Is there a way to cover the expense of supervised age management with medical insurance?

A. PPOs and traditional insurance companies tend to be very good about this.
Especially with respect to the cost of medications (the most significant expense associated with the program). We have found that patients with HMO coverage have experienced greater difficulty with securing insurance reimbursement.