Holistic medicine solving for orthopedic problems

Naturopathic physician uses traditional healing

   by Andrew Kirk, OF THE PARK RECORD STAFF, March 3, 2010

Marc Loveman, a part-time Newpark resident, is really excited to start cross-country skiing soon. That's not such a big deal to many, but he was close to a hip and knee replacement surgery only weeks ago.

Loveman led an active lifestyle participating in triathlons, tennis tournaments, downhill skiing, golfing and more. It kept him in good shape, but took a toll on his joints. Doctors recently told him surgery was his only option.

Not wanting to go under the knife, he tried various physical therapies, but kept getting worse until he was climbing stairs backwards or on fours.

Someone recommended he try Dr. Thad Jacobs, a new naturopathic physician and orthopedic acupuncturist.

Jacobs gave him some injections, strong supplements and exercises to do on his own. After only three weeks, Loveman said he can't believe the results. Before, he could only bend his knees two inches, now he can go all the way down to the floor. He started lifting weights at 10 pounds. Now he's quadrupled his repetitions and the weight.

"I now have a range of motion," he said. "I feel he's a great alternative and very intelligent. He recognized and diagnosed the problem immediately."

Jacobs and his wife Dr. Trevor Holly Cates had a practice in Santa Barbara, Calif., but they and their children found themselves coming to Utah to ski more often than visiting the beach so they moved here permanently. While the kids practice ski racing, Jacobs and his wife work on building their individual practices.

Jacobs is in the Mountain Sage Clinic in Prospector and specializes in acupuncture and Prolotherapy. The latter is a regenerative therapy in which he injects a formula into joints to stimulate the body to re-grow or strengthen ligaments, tendons and cartilage. He said it works well on people with arthritis and gives people like Loveman younger knees.

"With all our athletes here, it can heal up and strengthen joints and give them a competitive edge and bring their game up," he said. "It's almost like stem-cell therapy because it stimulates cells to create a new healthy structure."

But naturopathic medicine also requires more from the patient. It addresses healing from a nutritional and fitness perspective as well. That's why Jacobs believes it will be the next wave in health trends. The entire health care industry is beginning to embrace the importance of full-body health and preventative medicine.

Like other naturopathic physicians, Jacobs uses natural and traditional approaches to solving hormone imbalances, obesity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal disorders, weak immune systems and other ailments.

"You have to treat the whole person. A symptom is usually just a tip of the iceberg," he said. "Everything is connected in some way so I'm focused on optimizing health."

Jacobs said he's now accepting new patients and offers free telephone consultations to talk about his treatments. He's also opening an office in Holladay to serve the Salt Lake Valley.

A medical doctor only has time to spend a few minutes with each patient; Jacobs said he holds patients' hands through a treatment plan that addresses the bigger picture with an individual's health.

Summit Integrative Medicine

1881 Prospector Avenue

805-452-7353

also at:

2180 E. 4500 S., Suite 185 in Salt Lake City/Holladay

www.SummitIntegrative.com