Board-Certified Neurosurgeon

Brett A. Osborn, DO, FAANS, CSCS – THE INSIDE, OUT.

Can you give us a brief background of yourself?

“I was born and raised in North Miami, FL. My father is a practicing chiropractor and inspired me to pursue a career in medicine. After graduating from Brandeis University in 1992, I sought my degree in osteopathy in light of its basis on preventive modalities and holistic slant. Veering from the traditional primary care route post-graduation, I accepted a residency position at NYU Medical Center in Neurosurgery.

Since completing the seven-year program in 2003, I have been in private practice treating traumatic and atraumatic brain and spine conditions. As of the past ten years, however, my practice (Expert Neurosurgical Services, LLC) is heavily geared towards neurosurgical trauma.

Currently, I am the Chief of Neurosurgery at St. Mary’s Medical Center, a level I trauma center in West Palm Beach, FL. As a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), I have also been secondarily boarded by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and obtained the CSCS honorarium from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. My clinic – with an integrated Performance Center – is in West Palm Beach.”

As a Board-Certified Neurosurgeon and author of Get Serious, you have a busy daily existence. How did everything get started for you, and what prompted your decision to follow these paths?

“Midway through my seven-year stint at NYU, I realized that the majority of the diseases we as physicians were treating were, to a great degree, preventable, that the majority of diseases killing us were, in fact, man-made or environmental. We were not victims of bad genes, only bad choices, particularly in the context of spinal pathology. Degenerative disease of the spine, commonly referred to as “arthritis,” is one of the most common causes of workplace disability, yet its development/progression can be thwarted with modalities such as strength training and proper nutrition. Patients are unaware of the fact that THEY have control, not the disease. And this is the primary underpinning of Get Serious and the main focus of my current practice. I’d rather help patients stave off surgery and live healthier lives than operate on them prematurely.”

Can you tell us about your surgical business and how it compares to your Anti-Aging practice?

“They’re one and the same, at least in my mind. While this may seem like an odd conglomeration of discrete medical subspecialties, to me, the hybrid format of my practice is logical.  Again, and particularly as it relates to degenerative conditions of the spine, we are dealing with preventable disease processes. Even neurodegenerative diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s dementia, have mutable risk factors such as insulin resistance or pre-diabetes. Therefore, there is significant overlap between these diseases and all age-related diseases, including cancer.

I pride myself on keeping “surgical” patients out of the operating room for longer than was deemed possible. How? By aggressive application of preventive or so-called “anti-aging” modalities. By realizing that degenerative disease (of all types) – like the aging process – stems from unchecked inflammation and oxidative stress with resultant cellular damage. Accordingly, most patients, barring significant neurologic deficits mandating surgery, leave my office with a prescription for NSAIDs and high-dose omega-3 fatty acids, having been encouraged to pursue an anti-inflammatory diet and daily exercise.”

What does your STRENGTH training routine consist of? Do you do any endurance training?

“Training, as outlined in the pages of Get Serious, taxes all of the so-called “energy systems” of the body. That said, Monday and Friday are geared towards strength/power and muscular hypertrophy in a classic 5×5 variant with foundations in basic anabolic movements: squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bench press. Wednesday is a so-called “strength-endurance” day that taxes the oxidative-glycolytic pathways predominantly. Pull/chin-ups are performed as the staple movement. Tuesday and Thursday are endurance days of low intensity consisting of a run, swim, or rowing movement at 75% target HR.  Weekends are off-days to allow for ample recovery.

The program is all-inclusive. By virtue of its design, one will achieve total body fitness, including strength and endurance. And as size is a side effect of strength, well…”

In addition to your diet and training, do you believe in supplements? What about specific Anti-Aging drugs or so-called “senolytics”? If so, which kinds do you use and what results have these given you?

“There is a chapter dedicated to supplements (inclusive of medications) in Get Serious. My choice of supplements is not random. Geared towards quelling inflammation, reducing oxidative stress, and retarding the development of insulin resistance, all risk factors for age-related disease, the supplement list includes omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, magnesium, metformin, statins, and aspirin, to name a few. I use every one of the listed “supplements” and have for years. Why? They work. More recently, I have been trialing drugs such as rapamycin and valproic acid to exploit their anti-cancer effects. Ultimately, such forefront “medical technologies” – I try to minimize my usage of the words “medication” and “drugs,” as they imply disease – will be made available to my qualified patients. I personally incorporate the latest Anti-Aging technologies into my own regimen. Why shouldn’t they, too, have access?”

Talk about your book, Get SERIOUS. Go as deep as you want. Why does it appeal to every level of person interested in OPTIMIZING THEIR HEALTH regardless of age?

“Get Serious is a back-to-basics guide to optimal health and fitness, its foundations being strength training, nutrition, stress reduction, supplementation, and the judicious usage of medications, all under the guise of risk factor modification and disease prevention. The information is presented in a user-friendly format and is based on 35+ years of experience. The book is not gender-specific and applies to all, young and old. We’re all the same physiologically, right?

Get Serious is geared toward the empowerment of the individual. The corrupt pharmaceutical industry and its “initiative” to foster disease, not health, serve as an introduction, charging the reader to assume control of their health in the current healthcare environment, one relatively void of preventative thought and paradigm. Risk factors primarily responsible for age-related disease are discussed, as is their modification through the modalities above. The book’s appendix is a detailed layout of the training program alluded to before. The included exercises are outlined pictorially in the body of the book with an emphasis on safety and injury prevention.”

As a parent with multiple interests, how do you make time to juggle everything and also get to the gym? Where does your motivation come from in taking time to help others?

“One of the main tenets of Get Serious is the prioritization of health regardless of your career, time constraints, etc. Health comes to the motivated. It is a privilege, NOT a right, despite what Barak Obama tells you. No one will deliver it to you. It takes work: execution, rooted in knowledge. The book’s goal is to empower the reader with said knowledge and encourage them to make the right decisions in the context of health. All of us are familiar with the ‘teach a man to fish…’ adage. Well…

My motivation does not stem from a particular source, per se. However, I am constantly reminded of the perils of the healthcare “system” during stints in the ER. Called to see a patient with a hypertensive hemorrhage in the brain, I simply don’t want to be that guy lying on the gurney. I do everything in my power therefore to prevent age-related disease. Or maybe, I’m on a personal quest for continuous improvement at a more base level. I’ve always been fascinated by older individuals (if that truly means something) who possess the physical and mental capabilities of those half their age.”

As a physician, what advice would you give someone (at any age) who wants to transition towards a healthier and fit lifestyle but doesn’t know where to start?

“Start immediately. My chairman at NYU used to say, ‘You’re never too old for good health.’ And he was 100% correct.

That said, the first step is education. Read everything you can in the context of health. Speak to people. Ask questions. And then execute. Habits are formed within 4-6 weeks. And never give up. Physical changes are slow, but metabolic changes occur relatively quickly (in parallel to reducing risk for age-related disease). Keep in mind that health is a lifestyle. You are not training for a specific event, per se; you are training for a lifetime of health and longevity.”

What is next for you? What are your plans and goals? Do you think you might compete in a Master’s Men’s Fitness Competition?

“We just completed what I consider to be my ‘dream facility’ with an integrated Performance Center. Patients will undergo robust risk factor screenings including cardiovascular assessments, metabolic and endocrine assays, cognitive testing, body fat analysis, and exercise tolerance, to name a few. A personalized treatment plan with a heavy emphasis on patient education (and understanding of the diagnosed risk factors) will be developed and prescribed. Patients will be held accountable through frequent visits to the clinic and the Performance Center. Biochemical and performance data will be analyzed and tracked to ensure success. It’s all about the data. If the data are right, you are right.

At this point, I have no desire to compete in a men’s fitness competition. The vast majority of these contests are being won by individuals on synthetic hormones or growth factors (despite the “natural” claims), and I simply am not interested in exposing myself to the potential risks. This is about health, after all. People fail to realize the stark difference between looking healthy and being healthy. Bodybuilders have some very unhealthy habits, remember.  I always tell people, “The look is a ‘side effect’ of the lifestyle, not the other way around.”