Chronic physical and mental-health issues can be very stubborn. You can do it by yourself, but the odds are against you. If you haven’t been successful so far, it’s time for a change. If you want to live well, and live well into your 90s, it’s time for a team approach.

Smoking contributes not just to lung cancer but is also the number-one factor in heart attacks. Smoking shortens lives. If you are still smoking, everything you’ve tried hasn’t worked. We understand. We will create a program for you and make sure you become an ex-smoker. The difference is agreements and accountability. We will research and come up with a suitable plan, then you sign off on the plan and agree to the penalties involved. The penalties will make you think twice before reaching for the next cigarette. Mostly, our constant communication and project management will keep you on track. You should be able to quit completely within six months or less.

Obesity increasingly affects adults and children. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: 31 percent of adults are overweight, 42 percent are obese, and 9 percent have severe obesity. For children ages 2 to 19, 16 percent are overweight, 19 percent are obese, and 6 percent are severely obese. This is not a matter of calories in minus calories out. Generally, you can’t exercise or starve your way to success. In 95 percent of cases, any weight lost comes back within a year. Genetics, epigenetics, and your entire weight history are the main factors. If you have been obese for decades, you are not going to magically slim down. We can help. There are now drugs and procedures that actually work. We can help make lifestyle changes that will move the needle. Talk with us about how a team approach can break the cycle of dieting and failure.

Nutrition science in general is worthless. The vast majority — probably at least 98 percent — of nutritionists and nutritional counsellors are full of shit. Seriously. They don’t have basic statistical training, they are not critical thinkers, and their belief systems are based on some text-book lessons they learned years ago in some university program like Harvard, which is notorious for bad science. Have you read The China Study or Eat Right for Your Blood Type, or any of thousands of other diet books? They are based on pseudoscience and bad statistical analysis. They are designed to make the author into a celebrity. For example, there is no serious evidence that the Mediterranean diet is better than any other. There is no such thing as a “bad diet” or “unhealthy food.” You might think you know what a bad diet is, but you would be hard-pressed to show good evidence for any of these claims. So far, there is no clear evidence that very many people are gluten-intolerant. Most claims and news stories are based on biased and unreplicable research. Do not listen to nutritionists. For more on this, read David’s essay, In Reality. We will work with you to do your own research, try experiments, and see what works.

Supplements are mostly worthless. If you swear by the latest fad berries, seeds, leaves, or concoctions, you are the marketer’s best customer. Almost no dietary supplements provide any value, and the few programs that are based on rigorous scientific findings provide a very mild effect at best. Most of the things you read are just marketing copy designed to sell the latest product. The benefit goes to the manufacturer, not to the customer. Don’t fall prey to these scams. A few things are worth trying. Talk with us about what may work and what probably won’t.

Depression doesn’t just go away by itself. We are not specialists in psychology, but we are specialists in supporting you in meeting your goals. We can help you evaluate various courses of action and make your time attacking depression more effective. We can’t guarantee results, but we believe a team approach is better than doing it yourself. Just having someone you can talk to about your goals and work with to take small steps may help get you out of your rut.

Addiction is a very individual problem. One person may become addicted to a substance, while another person won’t. There are programs for addiction. You may have tried them. You may have gone in and out of several. We want to be the glue that helps you stay on track. If necessary, we will fly in and help prevent you from falling. Whatever it takes. Because we care.

Sexual and gender health issues are becoming more and more complex. Should you circumcise your boy? Should you encourage your tom-boy daughter to go play in the woods or take her to a doctor? Should you delay development of a child who shows a desire to cross? These are questions we can’t answer, but we can help you create a decision framework that gives you the best chance of not regretting your choices later.

Cancer is a huge unknown to families. We don’t have any magic bullets. But we do have biostatisticians. You may have read a popular book like Cured and thought you could change your lifestyle and beat cancer. You may have read about the failures of the War on Cancer. You will get conflicting advice, or you will get conservative or aggressive recommendations. We help you make important decisions. As an example, most men over 70 have prostate cancer that isn’t going to kill them. Far too many men undergo treatments for prostate cancer that have no benefit and can do a lot of harm. There are many situations where statisticians and decision science can help more than the health-care system. There are other times when it may make sense to seek alternative treatments. Let’s figure this out together and find what has the best chance to help you or your loved ones beat cancer.

General fitness solves a lot of problems, whether you are overweight or not. We want to create a fitness program with you and help you fit it into your busy schedule. It is not okay to put this off or to say you are just too busy. You don’t want to pay later for something you actually can do today. It takes planning and execution, and that’s what we do best. Most exercise programs are inefficient — they don’t give you the results you want in the time you spend on them. We can work with you to make the most of 30-60 minutes every day that will pay huge dividends later. There is absolutely no better way to live a longer, healthier life than to be in the top ten percent of people your age for fitness.

Longevity is the latest fad. Everyone seems to have a molecule, a treatment, a drip, a cryo procedure, a sleep aid, or a magic device that does most of the work for you. When it comes to human longevity, we have almost no data. Don’t believe people who tell stories or show epidemiologic data. Don’t believe in magic potions like Resveratrol, Metformin, and Rapamycin. If you want to get educated, read Dr Peter Attia’s book Outlive. We want our patients with serious conditions to go to his clinic in Austin, Texas, and become his patient. We will support you in whatever protocol Peter creates for you.

Good health is fundamental to enjoying your life. We want to keep you fit and strong and away from doctors. Whatever your situation, book a call with us and let’s talk about how we can do it together, as a team.