Your Partners in Optimum Health
Dr. Pamela Egan, a board-certified adult/family nurse practitioner and board-certified diplomate in anti-aging/integrative medicine, has practiced preventative medicine for men, women and children since 2005. She has completed a doctorate of nursing practice, two master’s degrees (one in adult mental health and another in metabolic and nutritional medicine), and is a certified diabetes educator. Egan has trained with hormone expert Dr. Thierry Hertoghe of Belgium and continues to improve her expertise, most recently adding a second nurse practitioner to her staff.
Cindy Otillio joined Egan Wellness & Med Spa after spending 27 years as a clinical nurse at Tulane University Medical Center. She is not a stranger to the practice as she has been a patient of Egan’s for more than 15 years. In fact, it was Egan’s thoughtful approach to functional medicine that inspired Otillio to follow her dream of becoming a certified family nurse practitioner. “I believed in Dr. Egan’s philosophy and experienced the benefits first-hand in my own life. I admired every aspect of her practice, from the comforting waiting room to the length of time she took with me during each visit. Her philosophy of personalized, holistic medicine is evident the minute you walk into the office. It was a philosophy I wanted to emulate in my own practice,” Otillio said. “I wanted more freedom to interact with my patients, so I went back to school to become a nurse practitioner.”
Noting it was more about the person than about the timing when she decided to bring Otillio on board, Egan said, “We share the same approach to medicine and the same passion for our patients. She has completed the hormone module with A4M and is mentoring with Lyme disease expert, Dr. Jonathan Forester in an effort to offer an integrative approach to Lyme disease treatment. It is a great fit. Now, we have extended our ability to treat patients—whether walk-in or by appointment—and partner with them in achieving optimum health.”
At its core, integrative/functional medicine takes into account the entire person when assessing health issues. Additionally, environmental inputs such as nutrition and exercise, the mind-body connection and genetic makeup are all addressed. “It is all about balance,” Egan said. “We perform in-depth lab analyses that goes beyond routine blood work so we can identify nutritional deficiencies or hormone imbalances that can affect overall health. Our goal is to balance the body naturally before resorting to prescription medication. I often see patients who are on multiple medications, taking one medicine to counteract the side effects of another. It can become a vicious cycle—one that inevitably leads to further imbalance. We work with our patients and give them the tools they need to restore optimal function.”
Basing the practice on cutting-edge research and scientific evidence, Egan has become a specialist in the area of hormone replacement therapy. In fact, she wrote a book on it. Compelled by her own struggles with hormone replacement, she took every course she could on the subject. Her book, Managing Menopause with Bio-Identical Hormones, will be available this fall.
“I personally lost 15 years of my life feeling sick and tired following a tubal ligation. I did not want that to happen to my patients,” she said. “This is my purpose. What I went through is not by accident. It is God’s plan for me to help people regain their health and vitality. It is truly a transformative experience for them.”
For those who want to look as good as they feel, Egan’s med spa offers a variety of skin care services and procedures including specialized facials, chemical peels, collagen treatments, lasers, Botox® and facial fillers.Organic skin care lines and pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and supplements are also available to treat the body inside out.
Egan’s mission to bring people to optimum health extends beyond the wellness center. The home health business she and husband Peter created out of their home office 30 years ago has evolved to Egan Home Health & Hospice. With 300 employees covering eight locations throughout Southeast Louisiana, the company has been nationally recognized for its cost efficiency, length of stay and outcomes. “For over 30 years, we have set the standard for home health treatment,” Peter said. “We see the highest percentage of post-acute patients in the region. We do more than treat patients, we teach them how to continue their recovery process. With a focus on empowering patients to take an active role in their recovery, we provide the highest quality level of intervention that has resulted in outcomes that are consistently higher than both state and national averages.”
As part of the continuum of care, the company provides hospice and palliative services in the New Orleans and Northshore areas. “We are blessed with a team of dedicated, loving and compassionate professionals who provide treatment and comfort during a very difficult time. The heart of hospice is in the nurses. They are a treasure to us, to their patients and to the families who are watching their loved ones reach the end of their lives,” Peter said.
Celebrating three decades in healthcare, a new book and five consecutive years as Northshore Best’s Nurse Practitioner, Egan shows no signs of slowing down. “I love what I do and pleased to offer cutting-edge interventions for our patients. It’s the best anti-aging remedy I know.”
Egan Wellness & Med Spa is located at 1116 W. 21st Ave., in Covington. Call 985-892-3031 or visit pamelaegan.com for more information. Learn about Egan Healthcare Services at eganhealthcare.com.
