Hi Dr. Upshaw, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was fortunate early in my career to be able to study with the psychiatrist who is credited with creating transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). I witnessed patients for whom nothing else had worked experience complete remission from their depression. I realized that it was a powerful tool to help my patients and I became very excited about it. TMS is a mainstream treatment that is safer and more effective than medication.
Industry-wide, about 60 percent of TMS patients see their depression symptoms improve with treatment, and about 40 percent go into full remission. NeuroSpa TMS’s numbers are even higher: 88.5 percent of patients see symptom improvement and 59 percent experience complete remission from depression. We attribute this to our wholistic approach to TMS therapy, TMS Plus™. We pair TMS treatments with complementary therapies that help our patients receive maximum benefit from TMS. In turn, the TMS helps patients benefit more from complementary therapies. There’s a synergistic effect. Our exceptional outcomes have made us a leading provider of TMS therapy. NeuroSpa TMS (www.neurospatms.com) was founded in Tampa and has seven therapy centers throughout the bay area.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a board-certified psychiatrist, I was ecstatic that TMS appeared on the scene during my watch. It’s a rare opportunity to be at the beginning with a treatment that has this sort of potential. But I quickly realized there was a long way to go before the people who needed TMS most would be able to receive it. Early on, the struggle was patient access to TMS. When it first became available, it was not covered by insurance and finding a place to receive TMS treatment was difficult. Because I had witnessed first-hand the life-changing impact it had on patients, I became a passionate advocate for accessibility. I worked with others who had seen TMS’s benefits to encourage insurance providers to cover it, and we were successful.
Today it’s covered by all major insurances, Medicare and TRICARE. When people call NeuroSpa TMS to see if TMS might be right for them, we’re able to do an initial assessment over the phone, check with their insurance, and let them know the same day exactly what their insurance will cover. The next hurdle for making TMS accessible to the people who need it is proximity. That obstacle led me to found NeuroSpa TMS in 2018 and we are rapidly expanding. We initially opened therapy centers in South Tampa and Citrus Park. In 2020, we’ve opened additional NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Centers in Lakeland, St. Petersburg, Wesley Chapel, Brandon and Lakewood Ranch. When you’re struggling with depression, everything is more challenging.
We’re making it easier for patients to access care in their communities by making help for depression as convenient as the local grocery store. Now the struggle is getting the word out. Although TMS has been FDA cleared since 2008, it was only after insurance began to cover it that the treatment became mainstream. The news is spreading. When patients feel better, their friends and family members notice the difference, ask, and learn about TMS. But many people who would benefit from TMS therapy have not yet heard of it. I’m working to change that—seeking platforms to educate people about TMS as an option. I am passionate about spreading the word because I see it help patients who’ve struggled with depression for years. I’ve also seen patients who have been helped by medication but suffer from terrible side effects—tiredness, nausea, sexual difficulties—you name it. TMS offers relief from depression with none of the unwanted side effects of pharmaceuticals.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
NeuroSpa TMS specializes in transcranial magnetic stimulation. We typically refer to it by its abbreviation, TMS. TMS uses gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate the part of the brain that modulates mood. It improves neuroplasticity, allowing the prefrontal cortex to begin functioning properly again. This can be seen on an MRI. TMS treatments are pleasant experiences. Patients hear a tapping sound, which many describe as “Woody Woodpecker.” The treatment is painless, has no side effects, takes 20 minutes, and patients can return to their normal activities immediately after. TMS is a nonpharmaceutical treatment. Medications like Prozac and Zoloft are less effective in treating depression. Their effectiveness rates are about 50 percent. And if they don’t work or the side effects are unbearable, the next medications prescribed are even less likely to give relief.
With TMS, patients have a better chance of beating their depression and avoid the side effects that medications can trigger—tiredness, weight gain, nausea, sexual dysfunction. Two differentiators set us apart from other providers: the holistic approach we take, supporting our patients’ TMS sessions with additional effective therapies – we call it TMS Plus™ — and our spa-like atmosphere. TMS Plus™ pairs TMS with other effective therapies in a synergistic way that gives patients who come to NeuroSpa TMS an added advantage. We exceed the industry standards, with 88.5 percent of our patients experiencing improvement in their depression symptoms and 59 percent experiencing complete remission from depression. We begin with bloodwork to check for underlying physical problems that can affect moods, like poor thyroid function or low vitamin D. Next, we conduct a sleep evaluation. I like to say that trying to beat depression when you’re not resting well is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. If sleep issues are present, we determine if they are linked to treatable problems, like sleep apnea.
Next, we address nutrition. Typically, when people aren’t feeling well, they don’t feed themselves as nutritiously. It can become a vicious cycle. Eating poorly makes you feel bad, and when you feel bad, you tend to eat junk food. As people respond to TMS therapy, they want to make better choices and have the energy to do so. This is one of the synergies we like to maximize. As TMS makes people feel like taking care of themselves again, we want to be there with support. As people begin to make better choices about their food, they begin to feel better mentally and emotionally. We also build Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) into TMS Plus™. This is another area where synergy applies. People tell us that after a TMS treatment, their mind is much clearer. Participating in CBT helps patients begin to think about next steps. TMS makes them feel better. CBT helps them decide what they are going to do with that. It helps them identify roadblocks they may encounter and strategies for overcoming them. The last component of TMS Plus™ is functional MRI imaging.
As we discussed, TMS resynchs the prefrontal cortex. That’s an easily identifiable portion of the brain, and just as we have differently shaped noses or eyebrows, our brains have small variations in structure. If a patient is not experiencing improvement with TMS therapy, we use a functional MRI to fine tune the magnetic force to the precise location needed. TMS Plus™ gives patients better outcomes than TMS alone, and we provide the additional therapies to our patients at no extra cost. We are known for our spa-like atmosphere, and our patients love it. Our patients feel pampered when they go to a spa for a massage or facial. A TMS treatment is much the same. From our welcoming staff and the décor to our comfy recliners–our patients’ experience is our priority. Treatments last just 20 minutes and include soothing lighting and music of your choice. When your treatment ends, you are ready to tackle the rest of your day. There is no downtime. You can resume your regular activities feeling better than ever. Our patients find they look forward to coming to their therapy appointments, and almost everyone who begins treatment with us completes it.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’m forever grateful to Dr. Francisco Fernandez, the forward-thinking former chairman of the psychiatry department for the University of South Florida, who sent me to learn about TMS therapy. I was on staff at USF and he sent me to train with TMS pioneer Mark George. As a psychiatrist, my greatest joy is seeing my patients live happier, healthier lives. TMS is a powerful tool—one that works well for many patients not responding well to other therapies. I believe TMS is the future of mental health, and it’s a rare opportunity to be at the forefront of such an important medical development from its earliest days. Dr. Fernandez’s foresight gave me that opportunity. It was a turning point in my career that ultimately set me on the trajectory to found NeuroSpa TMS.
I’m also extremely grateful to our patients. They are our biggest advocates. Their changed lives do more to spread awareness about the benefits of TMS than the facts and statistics I can share. Friends and family members close to them have witnessed their struggle and have seen how TMS treatments have given them their life back. People don’t always talk about the suffering of depression because there is often a stigma around mental health topics, but once they improve, we have patients tell us they want to shout about it from a mountain top. We appreciate them telling others about the help they’ve found and the hope it’s given them.
Contact Info:
- Address: NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center Locations
- Citrus Park NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 6511 Gunn Hwy., Tampa
- South Tampa NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 4830 W. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 130, Tampa
- Lakeland NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 5147 S. Lakeland Drive, Suite 1, Lakeland
- St. Petersburg NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 4419 Park Blvd. N., Pinellas Park
- Wesley Chapel NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 2306 Ashley Oaks Circle, Suite 101, Wesley Chapel
- Brandon NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 1170 Nikki View Drive, Brandon
- Lakewood Ranch NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center – 9015 Town Center Pkwy., Unit 109, Lakewood Ranch
- Email: info@neurospatms.com
- Website: https://neurospatms.com/
- Instagram: @neurospatms
- Facebook: @neurospatms
- Twitter: @neurospa_TMS
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGQ6h9jiMHm64dpItPs52A
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