Hi, I’m Joh Warren and I’ve been a Bio-identical Hormone Replacement patient of Dr. Brown’s for over 11 years. That was the best healthcare decision I’ve ever made.  Over the years, I’ve watched this practice make incredible advances in preventive medicine due to the fact that Dr. Brown is a pioneer in the area of healthy aging.  Even though I knew that new procedures and services were available, I didn’t really consider them for myself.  I felt great, really not ever sick.  I was a happy camper, enjoying life.

So why am I here talking to you? Well, it began in January of this year; that time when we take stock of our lives, make New Year’s resolutions (even though the chances that we’ll keep them are minimal) and I realized several things.

  • I have been retired since age 65.
  • I’ve done everything I wanted to do during retirement, gardening, shopping, baking bread, gaining weight, reading romance novels.
  • I WAS BORED and had no sense of accomplishment.

My biggest realization was that with the advances in medicine, I could be around for another 15-20 years. Good Grief, what do I do with myself.  I really don’t want to be any more retired than I already am. Maybe I don’t want to be retired at all.  Maybe I should do something radical.  So I decided to re-imagine my life. What would it look like if I could optimize my health, become more active, become involved again in the business that I enjoyed so much before retirement. Why not? What would this mean for my quality of life? How could I use my knowledge and experience to make a contribution? Just because you’re older and retired doesn’t mean that you can’t make a positive difference in someone’s life.

I began to research how to optimize my overall health and get a handle on this aging process. I re-read Dr. Brown’s book The Youth Effect and realized that my answer had been right there in front of me for years. . I took a closer look at the website and found that they offer multiple services that address my biggest fear – that I will become physically or mentally impaired and become a burden on my family. I’ve experienced this in my immediate family and I know that it’s a common fear for people my age.  If there are bio-markers that will tell me whether I am a candidate for a debilitating disease, I want to know what to do to avoid it.  I spend thousands of dollars per year on vitamins and supplements; I have no idea whether they’re effective.  I know my hormones are balanced, but I have no idea whether my brain function is balanced and what the consequences are if it’s not. I didn’t even know that I could actually re-train my brain. The advances in medical science are amazing!

In six months I will be Seventy years old. I don’t feel seventy, but then, I’m not sure what seventy is supposed to feel like. I have six months to re-invent myself.  Now that’s a challenge worth meeting; to be the Best Me that I can be at Seventy!

So, I’ve decided to take advantage of everything the folks at Carolina HealthSpan has to offer – physical, nutritional, healthy brain – I am committed; but I know myself.  If I don’t get some leverage on ME, I won’t follow through. I have lead a pretty self-indulgent lifestyle and up to this point had no compelling reason to change.

Here’s the commitment: I will journal this process every step of the way.  I’ve had my initial evaluation with Dr. Brown and based on the results of that, I will begin my Personalized Health Optimization Program. I will be journaling about my experience on the Carolina HealthSpan website and  I’ll share everything, my successes or failures, the good, the bad, and “you’ve got to be kidding me” every two weeks; so be sure to check the website for updates.  I know I’ll learn a lot and I believe you will too.  I’m excited about this adventure and I invite you to join me.  I believe that aging is inevitable, but getting old and debilitated is an option; after all,  it’s not about Aging, it’s about Living  ~ Joh