I'm Dr. Robert Whitfield. I'm a board certified plastic surgeon specializing in some of the most forward thinking cosmetic procedures for breast face and body. I've completed 1000s of successful and diverse cosmetic procedures over the past decade of practicing here in Austin, Texas. But what I really want to share with you is something that is not widely spoken about, and that's become really the focus of my practice. I completed my plastic surgery residency in Indiana, where I specialized in plastic surgery for critically ill patients, burn patients, and reconstruction for breast, head and neck and spatients. Now as a problem solver working with cancer patients on their reconstruction gave me purpose. And I followed that purpose when I started practicing here in Austin more than a decade ago. I started my solo practice in 2017 in Austin. Since then, I've completed 1000s of cosmetic procedures. But one experience one patient gave me a deeper purpose. In 2016, a woman came to me wanting a consultation regarding her existing breast implants after careful consultation we uncovered that for years, she was experiencing chronic fatigue. But now after meeting with hundreds of breast implant patients like this, they're all experiencing these symptoms and she gave me a list including headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, unexplained respiratory problems, hair loss, frequent skin rashes, chronically dry mouth and are as poor memory, concentration problems depression, anxiety and so on. headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, unexplained respiratory problems, hair loss, frequent skin rashes, chronically dry mouth and are as poor memory, concentration problems depression, anxiety and so on. The list was surprising but knowing what I know now it was clear to me she was suffering from a new condition in the world called breast implant illness otherwise known as BII that day before she left my office, we scheduled her explant surgery. A week later we were in the operating room removing her silicone breast implants. And because of my sister who suffered from breast cancer, I knew I had the opportunity to check the area for any residuals cancel cells. After removing each implant and it's capsule cultures of the area were taken at the follow up appointment. I was very happy to report that she had no cancer recurrence, but we were shocked to find she actually had an E coli infection. I was able to treat her with antibiotics which accelerated her recovery. So in 2019, I actually pioneer using qPCR testing protocol for all of my patients during the expense surgery to check for low grade infection or micro amounts of bacteria or fungus. With the rising movement of BII, Breast Implant Illness, more and more women are coming to me wanting to have their implants removed. Now they're all experiencing some level of brain fog, bloating, fatigue and other symptoms that they couldn't connect to any other cause. But what I noticed is that after their explant surgery, they all began to improve albeit at different time periods after their surgery. Since then, I performed more than 1100 explant surgeries and become one of the leading surgeons in the country for explant surgery. But the number of cosmetic surgical procedures done in America has skyrocketed in the last two years. There was a pent up demand from the services during the pandemic when elective surgery was locked down and now surgeons in my profession are doing more procedures than ever before. In just 1997 there were 1.6 million cosmetic surgery procedures performed on American funded by 2020. There have been over more than 5.5 million that's a 54% increase in just the last two decades. Although technology of these procedures has improved, the risks associated with any surgery remain the same and there are the typical post-op challenges that each patient needs to overcome. But what if there were things you could do before and after surgery to limit pain, swelling and discomfort that is expected after a procedure? The root cause here is inflammation and my whole program is centered around decreasing inflammation. What if there was a simple program that would help you reduce bruising, swelling, inflammation, get back to work quicker, give things you love doing faster, get back to feeling better than you did even before your surgery. That's exactly what HARP™ is designed to do. So what makes me so passionate about this? I was in medical school just for two weeks when I received a call from my sister. She was 37 years old and she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I saw her go through a mastectomy and reaction chemotherapy so severe that she developed congestive heart failure. But fortunately she recovered from all this has been cancer free. Then in my third year of medical school I'll never forget this. We were doing ER rounds and and I was assigned to a woman just laying on a gurney in the hallway. She was experiencing pain all over her body and couldn't even move. I took her vitals didn't abdominal exam, I listened to her heart and lungs. And I couldn't find anything wrong with them. So I went back to the ER staff doctor and explained my findings. He asked me if I had done a breast exam. She's laying on a gurney in the hallway so I did not perform a breast exam. I was told by the ER staff to get a chest X ray and some laboratory analysis done. Turns out she had metastatic breast cancer which affected her spine and ribs. She was having such severe pain in her bones even in her spine. And that was the reason she could not move. I was really shocked by this that I almost missed this and what if this had been my sister. It was not long after this experience that my mother called me complaining of abdominal pain that on CAT scan turned out to be a cancer recurrence. So for the second time in a very short period I had to watch someone I love to go through cancer treatment. For my mother it was chemotherapy and radiation. This time even though she fought as hard as I've ever seen anyone fight. My mom passed away a week after I graduated from medical school. So when I say I never want to miss cancer, I test everything. Until there's nothing else to be done. I would never let the woman on the gurney be my patient. I would never want someone to miss my sister's diagnosis. And being the cause of or missing an infection is not something I accept. Yes, I'm a plastic surgeon I've one of the most experienced reconstructive doctors out there. The reason my success rate is so high and my patients continue to be healthy is that my entire career has been hyper focused on advancing the well being of my patients, not just the way they look. The body needs to be looked at as a whole with implants. Infections can happen. What can we do to prevent that? With surgery, your body's fighting to heal what can you do to support that healing? Patients get fatigued and spend weeks in recovery. What can I do to understand that individual better and come up with a customized recovery plan. So I developed a transformative program for pre and post procedure care that can be adapted for any elective surgery. This approach is unique because we start by running the most comprehensive biomarker testing, which includes food sensitivity blood panels, hormone levels of inflammatory markers, total toxicity, genetics and even stool testing. After surgery, we continue with a well rounded recovery care program that includes lymphatic massage and restorative supplementation.
All of this truly empowers my patients in a way that's all about what's right and not what's just convenient for that surgery. And this is what developed it's been to heart a secret strategy to keep people healthy before during and after surgery. So what does all this mean to you as someone who's considering or about to undergo any elective surgery? There is a solution designed to help you feel confident in your health before even undergoing a procedure, creating an optimal cellular environment for surgical recovery. Well, I've created a structured way for you to recover faster so you can get back to doing all the things you love to do in a short period of time. Something designed just for you, the patient committed to truly feeling better in your life in the long run. Heart can support you to decrease recovery time, decrease swelling, inflammation, limit the risk of infection, reduce scarring, minimize muscle fatigue, joint and nerve pain while promoting overall health for you. The five steps of HARP™ help us identify the deeper causes of any symptoms before we do surgery. And that gives us a plan of action for the period before and after surgery. that alleviates anxiety and gives the patient confidence moving forward. Here in my office. We're not just about surgery. We're about guiding you through a healthy, transformative journey. When my patients do the recommendations I suggest they feel focused, confident and ready for surgery and thriving holistically through the experience and beyond. Let me tell you about Donna a patient who came to us at age 41, feeling anxious and stressed out. She was surfing the internet one evening and she started to learn about breast implant illness or BI when she saw a long list of symptoms. She believed her breast implants may be the cause of her health struggles. When she found me through a podcast appearance I made. She was in my office the following week. In that initial consultation Donna described how she was super bloated, so much so that she always felt a few months pregnant. Even though she wasn't. She had dry skin, dry eyes, debilitating brain fog, fatigue, and was actually worried about our ability to take care of her kids. As a wife, she confessed that she had lost her drive with a very inactive libido at our first console I started her own heart. Although we discovered that our hormones were normal. We found that she had severe food sensitivities specifically to tuna and avocados that she snacked on often. Now once we adjusted her diet, things began to improve. We also discovered that Donna's DNA results showed impairment and our methylation pathway which we began to treat with my Dr. Rob's Solutions, methylation support supplements. Within a few weeks, she was ready for surgery. After explant procedure, we found bacteria that was attached to the unblock capsule that housed the implant we carefully treated that pocket at the time of exit plan so she began to recover and feel better after the procedure. With each step this up Donna get back on her feet faster and feeling better than she did before surgery. Today her life has changed completely. Her skin is glowing. And it works so well for her that her husband went through HARP™ as well before and after his surgery. So how does it work? We start with five comprehensive tests to gather information that will develop our treatment plan these include DNA testing, identifying food sensitivities, hormonal analysis, urine for total toxicity, evaluation, and stool samples. Based on the results we develop a customized plan and preparation for your surgery and post op recovery. Let's begin with step one. DNA testing which measures six critical markers, immunity and detox, sleep, diet, nutrition, the cardiovascular system, mood behavior, hormone and fitness. I know that's a lot but why is it important to test your DNA before surgery. For example, it's imperative to see how you convert vitamin D for proper immune system function. And then the methylation is crucial for DNA repair and wound healing. DNA testing will show us your antioxidant pathway and how one breaks down free radicals. Have you ever met someone that doesn't respond well to anesthesia? Of course we have but DNA tests will help us have clues to how best to approach managing anaesthesia to support them during surgery and recovery. DNA testing is my favorite test because allows a custom blueprint for your body and frankly allows me to geek out and shape your own unique playbook for both today and the future of your wellness. The second step in the HARP™ journey is to identify and address any food sensitivities you may be experiencing. Your body reacts to everything you put in it. Digestive ly if you have an allergy or sensitivity to something, it can cause a variety of reactions in the body. from mild to systemic issues that impact everyday life. Inflammation being the biggest culprit. As a surgeon The last thing I want to do is cut on an area that is inflamed. Trust me my experience with inflammation is present it can take significantly longer for you to heal while a true food allergy can produce an immune system reaction. And even in severe cases, cause anaphylaxis. food sensitivities are more likely to cause us less life threatening but no less impactful. There are life symptoms that like abdominal bloating, gas, pain from that headaches, migraines, upset stomach, heartburn, nausea or diarrhea. If you don't eat right, you can experience brain fog fatigue, anxiety and depression. Food is your fuel to recovery. It doesn't matter how good a surgeon you have. I can't operate a bad diet. I had a liposuction. Patient once a woman who was unhappy with cellulite around her thighs and buttocks. Our previous attempts did not give her the results she wanted. During our consultation, we chatted about her life habits and it became apparent that there was some outside factor affecting our ability to get good results. We took the second step of HARP a food sensitivity test was discovered she had a severe reaction to rice that she did not know about. Now this was something she had eaten virtually every day of her life up to that point. Once beyond that secret, we're able to help her make changes to her diet decrease her overall inflammation before surgery make our tissues less swollen which allowed her to achieve a world class result. It was an optimized experience from beginning to end. We eliminated her dimpled buttocks I like with my proprietary smart cellulite treatment. The procedure was a success and it's just one example of how much food sensitivity can impact one person's results. The third step in HARP™ is an intricate blood panel with particular attention to hormone analysis. Because hormone levels change as we age and sometimes changes during the course of the day. We do blood testing to check the levels of blood count, liver function, kidney function, estrogen, progesterone, FSH, testosterone and the thyroid hormone levels. Looking at your levels helps identify and diagnose a long list of issues underlying the symptoms you may be dealing with. Even those you've been dealing with for a considerable amount of time to be found. For example, a patient of mine Jenny, she was a peri-menopausal patient of mine who was on hormone replacement therapy for low estrogen understanding where her hormone levels were currently enabled us to adjust how she was receiving estrogen. We changed her from a patch to a pellet. We added testosterone before surgery which helped create a better healing environment more conducive to fat transfer. And as a result of our adjustments, her hot flashes disappeared and our energy levels improved. Step four and HARP™ is a total toxicity and inflammation biomarker panel. Now many patients complain a feeling of they have brain fog. It's a condition that causes difficulty focusing maybe short term memory loss and sensitivity to light and or sound. Brain fog can interfere severely in daily living. This is one of the most underappreciated conditions as a driver in immune dysfunction, and is wise to be looked at before any surgery. More than a quarter of the population is genetically predisposed to health issues related to mold exposure. So it is a fairly common occurrence. Mold exposure is not found on a blood test typically it's found in a urine test. If we find that you are compromised by mold, we'll begin a treatment plan to eliminate the mycotoxins. We design specific supplementation approach to address this condition. My goal is to make your organs optimal for surgery.
The final step in heart is a stool sample analysis. This is where we'll be able to measure unhealthy levels of bacteria, fungus and parasites that can cause imbalance in the gut such as high levels of Candida. Candida is a type of naturally occurring fungus in the human body. It thrives in the warm and moist places. In the body, like the mouth, the stomach and the vagina, and it can be measured in your stool sample analysis. Candida is not a problem. In most cases, the only time becomes an issue is when the overgrowth occurs. At that point symptoms can range from fatigue to joint pain, sinus infections, skin, nail and infections. Left untreated more serious conditions can become an issue like oral thrush or recurring urinary tract infections. Once we understand the situation, we can adjust the patient's diet and treatment to put you in the right position for a positive surgical outcome. Stable gut brain axis is one of the keys to optimal results and better health. So that's how we do it. HARP™ has helped hundreds of patients to prepare for the surgical procedures they want and me. It has also reduced their anxiety and allowed them to feel more empowered going into their procedure. Not only do we optimize their recoveries with lab protocols, and pre and post surgery harp supplements, they often feel completely transformed afterward, ready to enjoy their renewed body and are healthier than ever before. We covered a lot today and I know you may still have some questions on how far it can be applied to your own health and well being, especially if you're considering elective surgery. I honor you for taking the time to watch this webinar today and want to show you how to take today's information and turn it into a lasting transformation. I've created an opportunity for you to talk with one of my trusted associates at no charge to see if this holistic approach to surgery is for you. Whether you end up being a patient of mine or not in my Austin facility. Let's prepare your body for successful surgery and recovery. No matter where you are in the world. Simply click on the HARP™ link https://www.harp.health to reserve your free HARP™ discovery call working with us you'll have a better idea of why you've been struggling with your underlying health issues and how to begin the journey of optimal health. You will also understand why what you have been doing hasn't given you the results you were looking for. And finally, we will assess your current situation and determine what you need most and where you want to go with your procedure. There is no cost involved and the HARP™ discovery sessions are scheduled on a first come first served basis.
