About Element Wellness + Esthetics

You are not alone!  Data from 2017-2020 show that 41.9% of the US population has obesity (Tondt, et al, 2024), and nearly 1 in 3 adults are overweight (NIH, 2024, "Overweight & Obesity Statistics", https://www.niddk.nih.gov/).  The reality is that these numbers are actually about 50-70% of the population is either overweight or obese.  Overweight and obesity are often a pre-cursor, or direct cause, of other chronic health conditions (high-blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, to name a few), Risk of other conditions are also increased such as cancer, heart attack or stroke.  In the past, we have treated all the conditions caused by overweight and obesity without treating the root cause.  Often times, healthcare providers are unsure how to treat overweight and obesity because of lack of training or resources.  For years, doctors and nurses have counseled patients, "eat less" and "move more", and while that's not "bad" advice, its not the full picture!  

Obesity medicine is a practice that focuses on treating people of all ages, through all stages of life, with overweight or obesity.  It requires compassion and specialized knowledge, and the ability to recognize and treat other conditions that are caused by, or happen concurrently with the condition.  Obesity medicine addresses the physical, emotional, social, even genetic causes of the disease..  Wait...did she say "disease"?  Obesity is a disease?  Yes, and despite common thinking, it should be treated as such! 

The appropriate treatment of patients with overweight and obesity includes ensuring that any chronic diseases are appropriately managed, and addressing the physical, behavioral, emotional, and aesthetic aspects of patients with overweight or obesity. 

At Element Wellness + Esthetics, I offer a comprehensive program to address overweight and obesity.  The 12 week program includes an intensive evaluation of where you are, where you've been, and where you'd like to be in regards to weight management.  I analyze not only your diet and nutrition, but also medications that are contributing to weight gain or inability to lose weight, and your personal and family health history, and lifestyle contributors affecting weight.  Patients are evaluated individually, with the deep understanding that each patient requires a different approach to weight loss and weight management for continued success.  

Over 25 years ago, I began in the healthcare field as a registered nurse.  I started as an RN in a cardiac care unit, critical care step down, and worked inpatient and outpatient surgery, until I sought to fulfill the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.  In 2012, I graduated from The Florida State University with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree.  I continued my love of acute care in the hospital setting, working for many years as a hospitalist nurse practitioner.  In this role, I had the invaluable experience working beside many excellent physicians providing general internal medicine care of hospitalized patients.  In this role, I was able to work alongside many specialists in the field of cardiology, nephrology, neurology, and endocrinology.  

As a hospitalist I gained experience treating the acute phase of many chronic diseases including heart attacks, strokes, blood pressure, new onset diabetes, and kidney disease.  Unfortunately, my role in the hospital only allowed me to treat patients for the reason they were there, not for the reason that got them there.  Most often, we were treating the down-stream sequelae of life-style choices like smoking or poor diet, or sometimes just lack of medical care.  

After leaving my hospital role, I decided to open a primary care practice, Element, with the aim to provide patient-centered primary care in our community.  I soon realized that so many of my patients really required intensive lifestyle changes to help them reverse the root cause of many of their problems - and my obesity practice was born.  In January 2024, I switched gears and decided to focus my practice on the treatment of overweight and obesity to help patients with the disease to lose weight, live longer and feel better.   I have specialized training in obesity medicine, and will soon have a certificate of advanced education in obesity medicine.  I am a member of the Obesity Medicine Association.  

I have lived in Panama City Beach for over 30 years with my husband, Brian, and my three children (ages 23, 21, and 13).  We love to travel and spend time outdoors.  We are enjoying the few years we have with just one child "left in the nest", before she's off to high school and then college!  We stay active and busy with two small businesses and family.