New Weight Loss Program comes to RVA RevIVe!

Obesity is well known to be a serious and extremely common disease in our country and is a precursor to many other health issues including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. These diseases are terrible for the people experiencing them and cost our healthcare system billions of dollars every year. But losing weight is challenging and often met with obstacles, frustration, and failure, not to mention judgement from friends, family or even your medical provider. Fasting, supplements, fad diets, meal replacement shakes, and even surgery are all methods that people use to try to lose weight. At RVA RevIVe, we understand that obesity is a chronic metabolic disease, and that willpower alone should not be the prescription to overcome it. We have decided to add the game-changing weight loss medication semaglutide to our treatment options to continue to support our clients’ health goals.

What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is approved in June 2021 by the FDA for long-term weight management in adults. While there is no magic solution to the obesity epidemic, when used in conjunction with proper diet and exercise, semaglutide has shown promising results in weight loss. Semaglutide is a synthetic peptide that mimics a natural hormone in your body called GLP-1. When this peptide gets released in the gut, it slows the gut, and sends a signal to your brain that says “I’m full”. This keeps you from reaching for seconds and snacks. An additional positive effect is stimulating increased insulin production and preventing the liver from making and releasing too much sugar. This results in better blood glucose regulation, both for diabetics and non-diabetics.

Semaglutide has assisted people in losing an average of 15% of their weight over about a year’s time, in conjunction with lifestyle modifications. For example, if your weight is 200 lbs, that is a total loss of 30lbs! We offer semaglutide as a take home, self-administered subcutaneous injection. We teach clients and/or their family members how to inject the medication under the skin and all supplies are included in the cost. If you’re queasy about home injections, keep reading because we have solutions!

What are the side effects?

The injection is minimally painful and the majority of people do not experience side effects. The most common side effect is nausea due to the medication slowing down your gut (keeping you fuller, longer) but the nausea typically resolves within the first month of use. Other side effects may include injection site reactions such as redness, loose stools, heartburn, abdominal cramping.

Can anybody qualify?

Each interested client will receive a medical exam from Ashley Shoultz, nurse practitioner, to assess whether you might be a good candidate for semaglutide. Your body mass index will be assessed as well as blood labs and a food diary. Once it is determined that you are a good candidate, you will have a few package options to choose from to optimize your weight loss journey.  Semaglutide should not be used in individuals with a history of medullary thyroid cancer, and caution is advised for the patient with history of pancreatitis and Type 1 diabetes.

Does insurance cover semaglutide?

At RVA RevIVe, we do not accept or file insurance as we have found this treatment is typically not a covered service. We recommend you checking with your insurance carrier to see if they may cover treatment of obesity with semaglutide, under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. If you are interested in this, we advise you to contact your primary care provider for evaluation and management.

I’m ready! What are my options?

We offer three different packages so that you can chose what best suits your personal needs and budget.

 $350/month:  

• Medical consultation
• Laboratory testing
• Monthly weight loss support visits
• 1 month of semaglutide medication with supplies and teaching for at home injections

Schedule online or call/text 804-409-4550 today!