I have always tried to maintain a disciplined approach to my health. This included a consistent and rigorous exercise program, the practice of martial arts and reasonably healthy eating habits. When I became a father at the age of 48 demands upon my time increased. Additional career responsibilities eroded further my remaining free time. As the time available for physical training was reduced, my workouts became haphazard and inconsistent. To compound the problem I also found that my body was no longer responding with the same efficiency to the exercise I managed to squeeze in. Unsurprisingly my total body weight increased 40 pounds and my total body fat percentage peaked at nearly 21%.
My family and job gave me great pleasure but the deterioration in my physical conditioning became unbearable. I was determined to get back to into shape and knew that the answer would require more than just recommitting to a disciplined exercise program. With age my body had changed and that change was an impediment to my goals. As I researched various approaches to achieve my goals I came across references to a Dr. Florence Comite. In my initial conversation with Florence I was impressed with her commitment to fighting, slowing down or reversing the negative effects of aging. I was further impressed by her background.
While on the faculty of the Yale School of Medicine she exhibited a respect for both traditional and non-traditional modalities. Florence is unique in her ability to maintain traditional scientific standards while remaining open-minded about pursuing new and interesting approaches that are supported by solid clinical evidence. I have rarely come upon a physician who is more familiar with the most recent research and able to integrate that research to help patients achieve their goals.
I have been working with Florence for nearly two years. There is no magic or quick fix miracle. Rather this is a scientifically based program to create and maintain a strong and healthy body irrespective of chronological age. It works. I have lost more than 44 pounds. More importantly my percentage of body fat is 12% which is within the average range of a world class male gymnast. The majority of this body fat loss took place within the first nine months.
In addition my absolute strength and endurance strength, as measured by my objective ability to handle specific weight loads, is equal to my performance when I was in my thirties. I also favorably compete on a regular basis in a difficult martial art with training partners half my age. Being strong and lean is only a part of my personal results. I am also objectively healthier. This is born out by the exhaustive quarterly blood work and review that Florence insists upon. This blood work provides empirical proof that my internal age is far less then my chronological 58 years. My testosterone levels are the equivalent of a healthy male in his twenties. When I started, my total and free testosterone levels were nearly 70% lower than my current levels. All my cholesterol end points and other coronary risk ratios are at or near the lowest range levels.
There is another aspect to Florence’s practice that deserves comment. I am speaking of her personal commitment to each and every patient’s unique goals and requirements. I have never encountered a physician in private practice who takes the time to understand and work out the correct approach for each individual patient. This is not a broad based program that everyone is shoe horned into. On the contrary, every program is individually tailored to the specific patient’s current medical condition and personal goals. I know this first hand because I introduced both my younger sister and my father (who is 83) to Dr. Comite. It gives me great comfort to say that Florence Comite is my doctor. I hope she remains so for a very long time. If you spend some time with her I am confident you will come to a similar conclusion.
