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Duluth health center specializes in regenerative medicine, hormone replacement therapy

Novus Health Solutions opened in January 2020.

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Novus Health Solutions patient Cara Akervik (right) shows what percentile her hormone levels are in on May 10, 2021, after receiving pellet hormone replacement therapy from Dr. Jay Huber. (Laura Butterbrodt / lbutterbrodt@duluthnews.com)

Greta Winter-Jarvenin, of Cloquet, suspected she was post-menopausal at age 58. But her symptoms had returned, including brain fog, loss of energy and heightened emotions. She was referred by a friend to look into hormone therapy.

“I didn’t connect it with the hormones because I was past menopause,” Winter-Jarvenin said.

She turned to Novus Health Solutions in Duluth. After her consultation with Jay Huber, the clinic’s owner, medical director and physician, she learned she had no estrogen and very low levels of testosterone.

He recommended she try bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, which inserts a small pellet of hormones derived from plants into the body. Hormone replacement therapy has been around for decades, Huber said, but the pellet technology is newer and more effective because it uses the exact makeup of hormones already found in the patient’s body. The hormone pellet is then custom-made to balance each patient’s levels.

The use of hormone pellets is not approved by the Food and Drug Association, but it is used by adult men and women to treat hormone imbalances that can trigger symptoms including fatigue, weight change or change in sex drive.

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She’s already feeling better after her first couple rounds of the pellet therapy and hasn’t felt the way she did before therapy since three days after her first treatment. Plus, Winter-Jarvenin said she finally understands why her body was reacting the way it had been.

“Dr. Jay is just so kind and explains everything to you, and he listens, which I love, because a lot of doctors don’t,” she said.

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Cara Akervik, left, and Greta Winter-Jarvenin both have seen life-changing results from bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, offered at Novus Health Solutions in Duluth. (Laura Butterbrodt / lbutterbrodt@duluthnews.com)

The pellet hormone therapy is typically a routine procedure, happening every three months for women and four months for men, and likely will continue for the rest of their lives.

Cara Akervik, of Duluth, had experienced chronic fatigue her whole life but was never able to find a reason for it, despite numerous medical tests. Although Akervik, 37, was under the impression that hormone replacement therapy was for post-menopausal women, she went to Novus Health Solutions for lab tests.

Huber discovered that while her hormone levels were in the normal range, they were in the 20th percentile instead of the 50th-80th percentiles, where they should’ve been. She said Huber’s medical background as a doctor of osteopathy was critical to these findings, because he was able to see and understand what conditions may be impacting her overall health.

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Dr. Jay Huber listens as Cara Akervik shares her experience receiving bioidentical hormone replacement therapy at Novus Health Solutions on May 10, 2021. (Laura Butterbrodt / lbutterbrodt@duluthnews.com)

“It takes someone who actually knows and understands to be able to explain that to you and to not be afraid to go outside your normal routes,” Akervik said.

Now, after just two treatments, which happen every three months, the Duluthian said her life has changed. She feels energetic and motivated to get up and spend time with her children, and feels less anxious and has more stable moods.

“I hated the way I felt, and compared to the way that I feel now, you couldn’t pay me to go back to that point,” she said.

Another popular offering at Novus Health Solutions is regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is an injection of stem cells into a joint with an injury, arthritis or other degeneration to bring function back without surgery. The young cells are optimal for treatment, Huber said, because they are brand-new and rich in collagens, hyaluronic acid and other proteins, which sends a signal to the body to reduce inflammation at the joint.

“It’s the coolest new cutting-edge thing that exists in medicine right now,” Huber said.

Huber noted that while stem-cell therapy can sometimes be associated with fetal cells, the stem cells used at Novus are from umbilical cords and placentas donated by mothers after giving birth. The stem is sourced from Predictive Biotech in Salt Lake City, Utah, where it undergoes the same FDA regulations that blood banks have, and is of the same quality as a blood transfusion.

The stem cell transplant, also called an allograft injection, is frequently sought as an alternative to surgery. Many athletes or people who need joint replacements, but do not want to wait for six to nine months of recovery, opt for allograft injections, which can yield results in about 12 weeks. Huber said that while a few patients will return for a second injection, the goal is to only have to do it once.

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Stem-cell products are regulated by the FDA. Use of stem cells to treat disorders that affect the production of blood is approved, but use for orthopedic treatment is not. Despite that, Huber said regenerative medicine has been practiced in the United States for about five years now, and increases in popularity more and more. Any physician is qualified to practice regenerative medicine after undergoing training and passing board exams.

It’s a popular offering at Novus. Huber said his clinic, which opened in January 2020 , is getting busier and busier, and patients are coming from Cloquet, the Iron Range, the shores of Lake Superior, the Dakotas, Montana and even Florida for regenerative medicine treatment.

“Generally speaking, maybe 30% of our patients are coming in from out of the area to seek out Dr. Huber’s great experience in this new promising area of allograft transplants,” said Ann Robertson, Novus Health Solutions’ marketing director.

Novus Health Solutions also offers Ultraslim fat-loss therapy and GAINSWave therapy for erectile dysfunction.

The clinic is located at 2522 Maple Grove Road in Duluth.

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Novus Health Solutions at 2522 Maple Grove Road in Duluth offers regenerative medicine and hormone replacement treatments. (Laura Butterbrodt / lbutterbrodt@duluthnews.com)

Laura Butterbrodt is a former Duluth News Tribune health reporter.

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