About Us

Medical weight management is NOT about the “skinny shot”. We take a holistic and individualized approach to weight management. When considering providing these medications to patients, the approach SHOULD be providing an individualized approach to the patient’s short-term, and long-term health goals and risk reduction.

IT’S ABOUT THE PATIENT!

YOUR provider (not a representative from a website), should be accessible to you personally. Many people who start medications have mild side effects which can easily be addressed. This is ESPECIALLY true regarding medications which have an escalating dose structure (such as semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepitide). You should never feel alone.

All medications have side effects.

All medications have benefits and risks, this must be a balanced relationship.

GLP-1, GLP-1/GIP medications are NOT for everyone—-

Those with a history of medullary thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome Type-2, gastrointestinal and stomach abnormalities, type 1 Diabetes, history of diabetic neuropathy, and of course those with allergies to these medications should NOT take them.

GLP-1, GLP-1/GIP medications ARE a good resource for many patients!

They offer a significant advantage in lowering body mass index (weight), as well as the reduction of other serious risk factors for patients. This is CRITICALLY important for those with obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, type- II diabetes (or pre-diabetes). This is especially important when we view these as risk factors which can eventually lead to a devastating cardiovascular event. They have even showed benefits for females with PCOS associated obesity.

Wellness and Medical Weight Management Associates doesn’t engage in sales or aggressive marketing, we don’t offer introductory prices or “deals”. We DO want you to make an informed decision. The decision to utilize these medications is yours to make and your provider should insure that is the case.

If you are considering medical weight management, we suggest that you do the following:

• Find a provider that you know and trust.

• Keep your PCP in the loop.

• Be honest and up front about your health status and medical history.

• DEMAND the provider provide you with instruction and guidance.

• Report any side effects and concerns as soon as possible.

• Start at the lowest dosing, and increase in a step-wise fashion.

• EXPECT slow but steady results (weight, diabetes control, etc)

• DON’T get frustrated with a slow start or a plateau in weight loss.

• Be willing to discuss individual dosing outside the standard schedule.

Red flags when finding a provider…

• NOT BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY SPEAK WITH A PROVIDER (MD, DO, NP, PA)

• Too good to be true pricing schemes

• Memberships

• Mass advertising (especially late night TV)

• Being met with an agent or representative when making initial contact.

• One size fits all approach. VERY FEW OF OUR PATIENTS ARE AT FULL DOSING LEVELS. Many patients respond well to low to moderate dosing levels with LESS side effects.

• Dosing schedules which are not individualized.

• Over-willingness on the part of the provider to prescribe medications.

• Recommendations to change medications midstream without a reason (follow the money).

YOUR provider should be able to tell you the following:

• Where do they source their medications?

• If compounded, what is the medication compounded with?

• What side effects can you expect?

• If you have a negative response to medication, what does your provider do to resolve the issue and provide you care?

• Average patient’s response regarding weight loss and general health response for a given population (age, sex, conditions) or at least for each BMI category.

• Follow up, weaning plan, and maintenance dosing.

Regarding your research---

Restrict your research to evidence-based sources such as PubMed, ResearchGate, or at least use Google Scholar.

The best research is ground in “random control trials” , “meta-analysis” or “systematic reviews”. These have an “abstract” which summarizes the results, as well as a “methods” section, which tells you how the project was structured.

Be very careful about what you hear on social media, internet searches, blogs, forums, threads, and groups.

Here’s to your health!

Feel free to reach out via Facebook Messenger.

James Toone, APRN

Wellness and Medical Weight Management Associates, LLC