H E A LT H & B E AU T Y
DR . CHRISTOPHER CALAPAI RENOWNED STEM CELL RESEARCHER By Bennett Marcus
I
f you don’t know Dr. Christopher Calapai yet, you should. He is a board-certified family practitioner, specializing in stem cell research, health through nutrition, and anti-aging medicine. And he’s been in practice for 31 years. His celebrity clients include Chris Noth; Mike Tyson; Mickey Rourke; Steven Seagal; Donal Logue, of Fox’s hit series Gotham; and actress and model Anastasia Garvey.
ADVANCES IN STEM CELL THERAPY Medicine has made some huge advances since Dr. Calapai first earned his license back in 1986. The field of stem cell therapy has experienced a huge boom. “Stem cells are the one
type of cell in your body that can become something else because they don’t have their own blueprints,” he explains. They can replace older cells with new cells, making them the ultimate mechanism of repair and anti-aging.”
HEALING THE BODY WITH STEM CELLS As the field has progressed, so have treatments. “The stateof-the-art process for extracting stem cells involves taking some bone marrow from the crest of the hip, which has been numbed for a painless procedure. The marrow is then put into a high-speed centrifuge from which billions of stem cells are extracted. We then inject stem cells directly into a joint or intravenously to reach the organs,” he explains. The beauty of stem cells is their ability to help heal the body.
STEM CELL THERAPY FOR ANTI-AGING As for stem cells’ ability to help with anti-aging efforts, Dr. Calapai points out that they can be used for facial enhancement or used intravenously to help the body’s organs function the way they did years ago. This means that not only can stem cell therapy make you look younger, but it also can make you feel younger from the inside out. “The beauty of stem cells is that they are programmed to seek out damaged areas, so they migrate to wherever they are needed,” he notes. Combined with other efforts in the areas of diet and exercise, the results can be truly dramatic. In other words, when you feel good, you look good, and he can help you with both.
EASY HEALTHY TRICKS To help patients stick with their recommended plans, he offers little tricks, such as having a protein shake before you take a shower and are even tempted to reach for that box of cereal. For people who find it hard to motivate themselves to exercise, he encourages them to simply walk around their block. Because most blocks in New York City are rectangular, it becomes easy to keep track of distance and progress. As for the summer, he says red wine is okay. “You can have a glass or two of wine,” he says. Over the years, he has also adjusted his approach to be more like a counselor compared to a standard doctor.
Sonja Morgan, Dr. Christopher Calapai
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