Elevate Health, a Premier Integrative Wellness Clinic, Helps Patients Feel Infinitely Better
Photographer / Sarah Mulinaro Photography
Myla Ramsey was 37 years old and had just given birth to her fourth baby when she began noticing that she didn’t feel like herself. She suffered from significant joint pain in her fingers, elbows and wrists. She knew she had Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland, so she saw her endocrinologist to ask him to check her thyroid.
After being dismissed three times over by her endocrinologist, primary care doctor, and OBGYN, Ramsey reached out to her friend Jess Shaffer, who had been practicing integrative medicine. She explained how despite being told repeatedly that she was “normal,” she felt terrible.
Shaffer and her husband, Jordan, currently own Elevate Health, Center Grove’s premier integrative wellness clinic on Indy’s south side. Shaffer did a deep dive into Ramsey’s labs and found she was not only prediabetic, but she also had testosterone levels consistent with menopause and was not treating the autoimmune component of her hypothyroidism. Without proper levels of testosterone women suffer physical, metabolic, cognitive, emotional, sexual, nervous system, and sleep symptoms. Ramsey was so exhausted she was barely able to function.
“I’d sit on the couch and wonder how I was going to muster the energy to do a load of laundry,” Ramsey says.
Shaffer started Ramsey on testosterone and GLP-1, a hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels and appetite. Shaffer stresses that preventative medicine is important in averting morbid obesity. Unfortunately, society often stigmatizes obesity medicine.
“That’s unfair because we don’t think twice about someone taking blood pressure or cholesterol meds,” Shaffer says. “Recent guidelines changes now advise obesity drugs such as the GLP-1 peptides, should be considered first-line treatment options for eligible patients.”
In addition to taking testosterone and GLP-1, Ramsey began weight training and improved therapies for her autoimmune disorder. Two weeks after interventions, Ramsey’s joint pain had vanished.
“I felt like a lightbulb came back on for me,” says Ramsey, who initially lost an average of five pounds a month. Ultimately, she shed 98 pounds over a two-year period and has maintained her weight ever since by following the lifestyle and advice Shaffer offered.
Ramsey, who had worked for seven years with Shaffer at a hospital ER, was so pleased with her health transformation that she was inspired to become a nurse practitioner so that she could help others navigate this path she has walked. Now she works alongside Shaffer at Elevate Health.
“I think it’s wonderful that we’re working here together, considering that Myla was one of my first patients when I started in this integrative wellness world,” Shaffer says. “She’s such an amazing success story.”
In recent months, the FDA has removed black box warning labels for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in reference to cardiovascular, breast cancer, and dementia risk for HRT.
“It’s been a disservice to women in the last two decades with this black box warning that made them fear hormones,” Shaffer says. “Hopefully we’ll continue to educate the masses that hormone therapy is safe when done appropriately and monitored and managed well.”
One of Shaffer’s patients was battling pain during intercourse at age 60. She assumed she was too far into menopause for HRT to help. Shaffer weighed the risks versus benefits, applied evidence-based education, and ultimately started her on HRT.
That patient’s pain has since resolved.
“I cannot believe I waited this long to start estrogen,” she says. “I feel amazing.”
Any woman or man (40% of their patients are male) who is interested in feeling better physically, cognitively, and emotionally is invited to schedule an appointment at Elevate Health where they will check hormone levels as well as explore different avenues of health that will lead to improvement.
In addition to managing hormone changes and weight struggles, at Elevate Health they also focus on utilizing other modalities such as Regenerative Medicine, Peptides, Joint Injections, Microneedling, and Shockwave Therapy for pain management, recovery, and anti-aging.
When Nicole Coffey’s daughter, Hadley, was suffering with knee pain, she consulted an ortho specialist, who told her that she would need to sit out the basketball season. Coffey then sought a second opinion from Shaffer. With a diagnosis of tendinitis and Osgood-Schlatter, Shaffer recommended Shockwave Therapy.
“Hadley was in tears after basketball practices and track meets, but after two sessions with Jess, the pain was almost completely diminished,” says Coffey, noting that not only did her daughter not miss the season, but she also never missed a practice.
Mackenzie Pierce, who plays varsity basketball at Center Grove, came into Elevate Health unable to move well after a double basketball practice. After one session of Shockwave Therapy, she felt instant relief.
“I felt lighter and was able to move fully again. A lot of my tightness and pain went away as well,” says Pierce, who was back to practice the following day, pain free, and with a considerably improved range of motion.
In order to garner positive results, it’s key to find a provider who’s willing to take a multifaceted approach to your health. Shaffer and her staff spend a lot of time with their patients to create specialized, individualized care plans. Plus, every appointment is 30-60 minutes. This is why they charge an annual membership fee ($250 for a single person; a spouse can be added for $120).
“We look at all the different angles of your health, which can take an exorbitant amount of time,” Shaffer adds. “You’re not going to get that level of care from the traditional model because they have an insurance governing body that dictates they must see X number of patients per hour. Fortunately for us, we aren’t bound by the constraints of insurance models, so we can spend that extra time with each patient.”
However, they do offer an entire a la carte service line that is not subject to the membership fee. These include Microneedling, Joint Injections, Shockwave Therapy, and all the aesthetics, including hair regeneration and scar therapy.
Shaffer and her team are dedicated to helping their patients maximize their health span, not their lifespan.
“We want to give our patients quality of life in the years we’re extending because what’s the purpose of living to 100 if you feel bad the last 40 years of your life?” Shaffer says.
Mention this article and save 20% off any a la carte service booked in the month of January.
Located at 313 Western Blvd., Suite F in Greenwood, Elevate Health offers 50% off for student athletes who get shockwave services. For more information, call 317-708-0798 or visit elevatehealthcg.com. You can also visit them on Instagram @elevatehealthcg or Facebook at elevate health center grove.
