In her thirteen years as a practicing anesthesiologist Dr. Kim Zipper saw many patients undergoing surgery for preventable problems. “During that time I would see fifty-five year old female patients that were always on the same three to four medications.  Drug therapies simply mask the symptoms, that’s why it’s important to start on the path to good health early. They required surgeries for conditions like gall bladders and uterine bleeding, most of which were self-induced-they just were unaware of it and this really bothered me.  I would get so disappointed, it was difficult to watch so many people who had no idea that what they were being operated on for was preventable.”

During that time of tracking patients Zipper started studying anti-aging medicine through Fellowships in an effort to try and teach people how to prevent disease and slow the aging process.  “Traditional medicine offers some treatments for aging symptoms, however very little is offered to slow the aging process. When your family physician tests your blood, he or she compares you to patients your age. We don’t want you to feel or look like the typical patient your age. We want you want to feel and look younger.”

Today Zipper guides patients at her Fountain of You practice through a variety of therapies designed to help them feel younger and live healthier lives.

Diet and Exercise

Zipper says, “in the 1950’s fifteen percents of the population’s income was spent on food and five percent on health care.  Today, five percent of their income is spent on food and fifteen percent is spent on health care, partly the result of consuming highly inflammatory foods.” Treatment starts with nutrition.  “Food is where I start.”

She promotes Paleo, a simple dietary lifestyle based on foods being either “in” or “out”.  The “in” foods are ones from the Paleolithic era, prior to agriculture and animal husbandry.  They include meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, berries and fruits. “Out” are Neolithic era foods resulting from agriculture or animal husbandry: grains, potatoes sugar and any processed or “fake” foods.”

“Many foods today are highly inflammatory and the body just can’t break them down.

Today our bodies are forced to deal with pollution from cars, radiation, PVC’s. synthetic foods, caffeine, alcohol and prescription drugs.  Although environmental factors may be hard to control, the one thing we can control is what we put in our mouths.  The number one liver disorder, fatty liver, can be traced to a high synthetic diet.  Food related diseases include heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

This is my passion.  You have start by eating right and exercising. I can’t emphasize how important exercising is.  To prevent frailty you have to have muscle.”

Zipper often refers to exercise guru Jack LaLanne when stressing the importance of diet and exercise.  “You know, back in the 1950’s people thought he was a little bit crazy, but look at him today.”  At the age of 95 LaLanne claims to work out every morning for two hours. Zipper says, “people today are less active, we drive everywhere.  We really need to appreciate where we live get out and enjoy the beautiful Florida weather, our wonderful beaches.   All you have to do is look at the regions we call ‘blue zones’.  Their populations are isolated, not exposed to western lifestyles and regard age, not money as a status symbol.  In these areas there is no stress, no food is packaged and people live longer healthier lives.”

Hormone replacement is also important

“The average American woman’s life expectancy currently exceeds 81 years. This means many women can expect to live more than one third of their lives well beyond their childbearing years. But the hormonal imbalances of our later years don’t have to negatively impact our well-being. Hormonal health directly affects your quality
of life as you age.”

Sleep

“American’s have terrible sleeping habits”, says Zipper who cites a survey conducted by the National Sleep Association on her website.  “More than 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders. This trend is mostly contributed to unhealthy lifestyle conditions, disorders, and diseases.  Many of us who experience daily fatigue, memory problems, or an inability to handle stressful situations are simply in need of adequate high quality sleep.

“We lose our melatonin as we age so replacement melatonin can play a role in better sleep but there are other factors that come into play

-Get into the habit of going to sleep when you feel tired.

-Make your bedroom they place where you sleep. Don’t read or watch television in the bedroom.

-Be aware of the lighting conditions in the bedroom

-Try and go to bed at the same time every night.”

Aesthetics

Treatments such as Botox® and Dermal Fillers, skin tightening, intense pulsed light and permanent makeup “are nice because it’s important to feel good about yourself,” says Zipper.  She wants her patients to think of her program “ as a therapeutic facial. Not all of these services cost a lot and they can really change your life.  People go shopping to feel better about themselves. This is shopping too-just treating yourself from the inside-out.”

Reaching people from the beginning, rather than seeing them undergoing surgery for preventable diseases has been a rewarding experience  “When someone does well it makes me so happy.  I think how long you live is probably controlled genetically, it’s how you live that you can do something about.  This is not a quick fix and it’s not magic. It’s important for people to make their own decisions, to know who they are and what they want.”

Life Track

30’s-Finding balance while juggling your professional and family life

Nicola Benedetto, 35

“It’s less of a battle when you start at a younger age.  The older you get the harder it is to lose the belly fat.”

Dr. Zipper says

-This is when you should start to be very conscious of what you are eating, eat “real” food-fruits, vegetables and lean meats

-I’m starting to see more hormonal imbalance in younger patients, especially in men.  The pressure to be successful causes extreme stress and stress levels are very important

-Develop good exercise habits. Stop any fast food habits you may have developed in your 20’s.  You can negate any exercise by what you are eating so be very aware of your diet.

-I try and have my patients fast forward to where they’ll be.  This is a time when you’re totally consumed by your home life and work, by the time you’re worried about your brain health and brittle bones the damage can be irreversible, so now is the time to plan for the future.

-This is very much the preventive stage of life.

40’s-With age comes the wisdom of experience

Bobbie Dyer, 42

“I feel like this is an investment in my health.  I like to say I’ve hit the pause button.  I may not be able to rewind the years too far back, but at least I can pause and stay at this age awhile.”

Dr. Zipper says

-By this time many of my patients are already taking anti depressants, for many these medications are merely a patch masking the real symptoms

-The most common complaint of patients in their 40’s is severe PMS, irregular menstrual periods and just not feeling like themselves-they are lost and we need to get them to try and find themselves

-As always, diet and exercise play a key role in how you feel

-This is a time when people take very little time for themselves and they need to start.  Look at it this way, 30 years from now is anyone really going to care about how hard they worked if their health is suffering because of it?

-Belly fat begins to appear as body composition begins to change.  You need to make your 40’s-especially your late 40’s a little bit more about you.

-Patients need to be concerned about how much they exercise, because if they don’t things will only get worse

50s-Time to take stock of where you’ve been and where you’re going

Juany Goudy, 51

“This program works because it’s not just about food and exercise, it keeps you fit and energetic.  I don’t really think about my age, I have energy to play with my five grandchildren.  I feel good and I love life.”

Dr. Zipper says

-This is where the majority of my practice is and treatment is in a way more predictable

-This is the most common age when women especially look in the mirror and don’t recognize themselves.

-Many of the people who come to me at this age are already on three or four medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes while taking anti depressants. They’ve been relying on pharmaceuticals to patch them up

-Loss of sex drive at this age can often be traced to hormonal imbalance because around the age of 50 you start to lose hormones, so it’s important to replace them.

-We are living a lot longer these days so it’s smart to replace those hormones if you want to live a prolonged life

Services

Dr. Zipper’s Fountain of You is a boutique-style, anti-aging medical center, offering a comprehensive array of services for men and women. Services include bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid replacement; evaluation and treatment for growth hormone deficiency; lasers for anti-aging; and minimally invasive aesthetics.

Anti-Aging Services for Men include:

Anti-Aging Services for Women include:

Aesthetic Services

Fountain of You

1208 S. Harbor City Blvd.
Melbourne, FL 32901
(321) 574-5376

501 Delannoy Ave.
Cocoa Village, FL 32922
(321) 639-0804

www.fountainofyou.md

 

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