Dr. Jim Adametz

Adametz is a walking (or we might say running) advertisement for his own wellness program. Approximately eight months ago he completed training at the University of Las Vegas for an age management program developed by Cenegetics. He has begun eating better and jogging since adopting the program 35 pounds ago.

“I feel better than I have in the past 30 years,” Adametz said. “I really haven’t been promoting my age management program at all. It has been word of mouth at this point. People see me and say, ‘Wow. You have lost a lot of weight. How are you doing this?’  I started out doing this just for me and decided to go through the training so I could do it for others as well. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself.”

Patients must be committed to making the changes necessary to lose weight and feel better. But the roadmap provided by Adametz helps a lot. If they are willing to do the work, he can show them how to lose weight while eating well and not going hungry. They don’t have to overly stress themselves through exercise, but do have to put forth a little effort.

The rewards could be the kind of health and vitality many younger men would envy.

“It has to do with trying to improve your health as much as possible as you age,” Adametz said. “Most of the diseases associated with aging have to do with inflammation and just sort of general deterioration. Our bodies are designed to stay healthy, strong and fit until we reach adulthood and reproduce, but unfortunately, after that, our bodies begin to fail. Fortunately, medical science has reached a point where we can slow down that process.”

His approach, which has many elements that also apply to women, includes a combination of good nutrition\weight control, exercise, supplements including Vitamins and Omega 3s, and include hormone optimization.

Men after age 30 see hormones including testosterone, growth hormones and DHEA start declining 1 to 3 percent a year. By the time they are between 40 and 60, a large number of men have fairly low levels of these hormones.

“Testosterone is the one you hear the most about,” Adametz said. “Low testosterone is associated with all kinds of health issues. The one everyone is familiar with is the loss of sexual function, but there is also loss of muscle mass, weak brittle bones, an increased risk of heart disease, loss of energy and even depression and dementia. So one of the things common in middle age men is by replacing testosterone back to the normal levels, they regain energy and vitality they have lost.”

Physicians have known about the issues with male hormones for a while. But some men haven’t wanted to admit any problem with testosterone levels because it doesn’t seem “manly.” It may help that there are now television commercials about testosterone.

“It is just a common problem associated with getting older,” said Adametz, who periodically tests his patients to make sure the hormone dosage is correct.

Adametz also sees women patients, in particular women going through menopause who find the program helpful.

The first step in his program is an extensive laboratory evaluation that includes nearly 50 items with very detailed testing of hormone evaluation, blood sugar analysis, cholesterol and heart disease risk analysis, tests for inflammation, kidney and liver function, cortisol, insulin levels, and others.

Next, is a detailed history of the patient’s current health and lifestyle to determine what issues need to be addressed.

And the third step is an extensive onsite visit that includes evaluation of current fitness with exercise physiology testing. There is a detailed evaluation of eating habits and explanation of how to lose weight and improve health by eating healthy yet delicious foods. Onsite testing includes a bone density and body fat analysis.  Depending on goals and current physical condition, a custom fitness plan will also be recommended.

Adametz is seeing great success with many of his patients.

“We can train someone how to exercise to get the most effect with the least work,” he said. “And we teach them how to adopt a diet that’s very healthy, avoiding a lot of the processed foods people like to eat. Obesity and diabetes are an epidemic in this community. But adopting these changes can show a significant impact on health.”

Part of the recommendation is to takes things slow and easy. Often when people first try to exercise, it is very tiring and they feel terrible. But by starting slow and building up gradually, it becomes so rewarding to feel and look better that those healthy habits can become ingrained.

“As you get used to it, you want to do it,” Adametz said. “I’ve never liked to run in my entire life. Now I like to. I don’t feel bad now when I do it. As you work into it, it feels good. It gives you tremendously more energy.”

He recommends four to five small meals a day to avoid spikes in blood sugar levels that can make it hard to lose weight. He favors the Mediterranean diet, which is a high-fiber balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats that is low in carbohydrates and includes some healthy fats like olive oil.

While it might be easier with fast paced lifestyles to just pick up some fat, calorie and salt laden fast food, Adametz doesn’t accept the excuse of not having time to eat healthy.

“If you have time to eat, you have time to eat healthy,” he said. “You just have to make better choices as to what you eat. I love food. But I’ve just changed what I eat. You have to work at it a little to find things you like a lot that are healthy. And I can help somebody do that.”

His day job is still neurosurgery, but he hopes to do more and more with his Arkansas Age Management program.

“You have to realize this is your life,” he said. “You can either feel good and enjoy it, or not. It is your choice.  You just have to make a choice about your health.”

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