Project Description

Published May 1, 2024

Jeff H.’s Success Story

When it comes to health, it appears that there are two types of people: those who like to know and inquire about their wellness, and those who don’t. But maybe it doesn’t need to be so black and white. Maybe some of the reasons people don’t want to know about their health can be alleviated with the right approach, and a shift in mindset.

Jeff H. falls into that first category, and openly admits that not only is he proactive about his health, he is somewhat of a “dork”, he says, when it comes to these things. But Jeff has learned that some of the factors that can be stressful in a traditional doctor’s office (the yearly visit that contains all of the health information given at one time, white coat syndrome, cramming all things health into one short appointment) actually go away with the different approach.  Let’s back up:

A few years back, Jeff was living an entrepreneurially busy, tension-filled life that didn’t leave time for him to care for himself. In addition to stress, his sleep was horrible. He knew he needed a change. Time passed, he sold his business, and finally Jeff had a schedule and the desire to work on himself. 

“Initially I was looking for concierge medicine,” he says. “I wanted something that was more than your traditional internal medicine where you pay a fee and get a traditional practice. When I came across Companion Health, I was intrigued by Dr. Jorge’s mentality of researching deeper, and his willingness to think beyond the traditional ways normal docs do medicine. I also liked the testing and diagnostics that were used to uncover the details.”

Jeff didn’t have any “major” health issues, he reports, but his father had recently passed away from heart disease, prompting Jeff to be more attentive to his own health in these and other areas.

Jeff admits that at the time he was a little overweight, his cholesterol numbers were a bit high, and so was his blood pressure. He was on medications for the latter two and wanted to see about improving these areas.

Jeff began the work on himself jumping in with two feet. Dr. Jorge’s arsenal included a number of tests (outlined below), plus further testing to further explore the quality of Jeff’s sleep. Armed with new insights and different tactical suggestions to achieve better rest, Jeff  started to implement changes to feel better and eventually (hopefully!) minimize his medications. Jeff’s health coach worked in parallel with Dr. Jorge, to help him lower stress, improve overall habits, and make some positive nutritional changes.

Additionally, Jeff had a supplement program that he had derived and was taking which he shared with Dr. Jorge. “He poo-pooed some of what I was taking, suggested others, but also had real conversations with me,” says our member of the month. “It is so helpful to have someone listen and give you the real deal, to basically tell you that you are not crazy.” (Surely many people can relate with this!)

Jeff reports making lots of minor tweaks, thanks to the accountability, including improving his snacking, individualized specifics with his fitness routine, incorporating new and different recipes, changing macronutrients based on his needs, and more. And the results show: His weight is down, his blood pressure medicine is lower, and his goal this year is to lower his cholesterol medicine as well. 

To follow up on the intro– Jeff reports “I don’t have anxiety about the doctor anymore. Typically, when you see a doc once a year, you get told all of the same stuff. What I’ve enjoyed about this scenario is that they help me to not get freaked out. I don’t have the guilt or stress that came along with the yearly appointments. And actually, I feel like I have a partner in my corner.”

Tests that Dr. Jorge used for Jeff:

Cleveland Heart Lab to understand cardiovascular risk

CIMT to evaluate for plaques and carotid intimal-medial thickness

ZRT hormone test to test hormones, including cortisol

GI Map to assess status of his gut health

Coordination of appropriate sleep tests + solutions