With the U.S. elderly population (50+) expected to increase to 100 million-plus people by 2012, a lot of retirees and near retirees will be shopping for healthy lifestyles. That’s where Cenegenics Carolinas comes into play. Cenegenics’ staff of certified age-management physicians, nutritionists and exercise physiologists give clients personalized programs to follow based on the results of extensive testing for body fat, muscle mass, bone density and other factors.
Based on the test results, Cenegenics prescribes programs that include nutrition, exercise, vitamins and sometimes human growth hormones (HGH), with many patients reporting that they feel years younger as a result.
Some critics of the program cite such drawbacks as the cost, $2995, which cannot be covered by insurance and Cenegenics’ occasional prescriptions of HGH. But Cenegenics responds that someone who isn’t healthy can run up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills annually and that it only prescribes HGH about 12 percent of the time, once exercise, diet and other options have been exhausted.
Cenegenics is headed by physician and anesthesiologist Mickey Barber, who found herself in intensive care at age 42 because of hypertension, high cholesterol and stress. After completing a Cenegenics-style program, she finished in second place in a masters figure competition and decided to become certified in age-management medicine herself. 211 King St., Suite 310, (843) 577-8484.
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