The next time you've spent a night out drinking and wake up with a pounding headache and cringe-worthy hangover, there's a place you can go to make all that pain go away.
Where? The biostation in Delray Beach. There, you can stop in for a specialty B12 shot from the bioBar -- or even a nutraceutical IV -- and walk out feeling like your old (not-so-hungover) self in no time.
With juicing and raw diets all the rage these days, the idea of getting supplemental nutrition from a shot -- or an IV -- doesn't seem so far out there. At the biostation, it's just business as usual, a way to help people feel their best without pharmaceutical drugs and medications.
According to the biostation's cofounder and chief wellness officer, Jonathan Globerman, today's health-care process focuses too much on treating the disease -- not the patient. Pills and medicine are prescribed, and not much goes into addressing the actual cause of the illness in the first place. But for the men behind the soon-to-open biostation, it's an antiquated approach to finding true health and wellness.
The future of what your health-care routine could look like is already here thanks to the team at biostation, several wellness professionals who are passionate about an exciting new approach to helping people combat the aging process in a holistic manner. Led by medical director Martin Bloom, M.D., a former cardiologist in the Boca Raton area for more than 40 years, the team includes cofounders Ross Bloom and Keith Foulis as well as Globerman.
The biostation uses a unique bioID process -- blood analysis that reveals biomarkers within your body's chemistry that can be used to help you prevent illness or treat existing ailments from a more natural and holistic standpoint.
"You can only improve what you can measure," said Globerman. "Once you have your bioID, the [team] can get you on a path to feeling your best through a variety of treatment options."
This approach supports Bloom's practice of functional medicine, or working with a patient to uncover the source of his ailment, and determine what is needed to optimally treat the patient -- not just the disease or condition.
"Functional medicine has many dimensions, but a big part of this approach to health and wellness is nutritional medicine," Globerman said during a recent interview. "That involves looking in-depth at a person's nutrient needs and supplementing based on his or her bioID. Rather than taking a laundry list of supplements, the biostation can instead develop nutraceutical therapies that will have a direct effect on how you feel every day. Customized regimens of pharmaceutical-grade essential vitamins and amino acids, delivered by IV or shot, pack a powerful quality-of-life boost."
So, exactly what is functional medicine? Here's an example. You're a man in his mid-50s who isn't sleeping well. You're tired all the time and lack the vigor you had in your 40s and younger. You go to the doctor. Your doctor asks a few questions, glances at your chart, and recommends a prescription for sleeping pills.
At the biostation, Bloom and his team take a drastically different approach.
"As a physician who practices functional medicine, I would approach the appointment very differently. My role is to dig as deeply as needed to discover how to not only fix the problem but also restore the patient's quality of life," said Bloom. "We examine the patient and discuss health history... and other factors that might make the person lose sleep. We administer tests to uncover often hard-to-find imbalances in vitamins, nutrients, and hormone levels."
From there, bioID test results allow for a plan that not only addresses the immediate problem but also offers lifelong wellness and quality of life. All of this won't happen in a five-minute appointment, however. This back-and-forth conversation and analysis often takes an hour or more, and treatment plans can be anywhere from a few visits to a year of regular nutriceutical treatments.
The biostation offers hormone replacement therapy, nutrient and nutraceutical injections, and nutrient IVs. Although most IV and nutraceutical treatment plans require a bioID blood analysis that range in price from $29 to $349, anyone looking for a quick burst of energy can stop in for a shot at the bioBar, where a menu of nutrient B12 injections is available.
Start with the bEnergized, packed with methylcobalamin -- a potent form of B12 ($10). Want to boost immunity and attain mental clarity? Try the bDynamic, with tons of vitamin C and amino acids ($20). Or go for the gold with the bOptimal, a mega-nutrient shot that is a powerful mix of vitamins with the addition of methionine, inositol, choline and chromium ($25).
In addition to specialty B12 shots, the biostation also offers a full menu of nutraceutical IVs,
specialized IVs that are derived from food that provide extra health benefits, in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. They often contain vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes and metabolites. At the biostation, Bloom advocates such IVs help to prevent chronic illness, improve health, delay the aging process and support optimal function of the body.
Take the bHydrated, the only nutraceutical IV that can be administered to anyone regardless of whether or not he or she has had a blood analysis (other IVs require a blood analysis before administering). The solution is full of B12 and hydrating fluids. If you're feeling fatigued or dehydrated, in just 30 minutes Bloom says you can feel revitalized and recharged. Others include the bWell, a curative cocktail of magnesium, calcium, B complex vitamins and vitamin C. The bActive is perfect for athletes, with ingredients that can help repair muscle tissue and enhance recovery time thanks to a potent amino acid profile and electrolytes.
The biostation will be celebrating its grand opening in June and is located at 3100 S. Federal Highway in Delray Beach. Visit thebiostation.com, or call 561-257-2511.
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