Dr. Dave Arthurs, committed to holistic medicine from an early age, has been practicing osteopathic medicine for nearly 40 years—18 of those spent treating patients in Idaho. In 2005, he brought that experience—and his wife Ruth—to Hawaiʻi Island, where they established Hawaii Family Physicians: Comprehensive Care for the Whole Family in the heart of Kailua-Kona.
Today, that practice has grown to include three physicians, Dr. Arthurs, DO, Dr. Nathan King, MD and Dr. Beth Catanzaro, MD; two physician assistants, Excel Barayuga and Paul Kyle; and a highly skilled support staff and office management team.
Wanting to do even more to help people in our community, Hawaii MedSpa was integrated into the practice in 2021, and earlier this year, it was renamed Hawaii Island Wellness Clinic. The clinic offers body contouring, incontinence and, new this year, mind-strengthening treatments. Cutting-edge, high-tech, non-invasive and FDA-cleared devices from BTL Aesthetics, a global leader in medical innovation, are used. Branded as ExoMIND, EmSculpt Neo and Emsella, the highly sophisticated devices offer revolutionary and effective new options for individuals looking for an alternative to medications and/or more invasive procedures.
“We are the only provider on Hawaiʻi Island to have these three specialized devices from BTL. We invested a lot of money in this equipment because they treat so many conditions—and they are safe,” Dr. Arthurs says.
Mental and emotional health are part of a balanced wellness program; the recent addition of ExoMIND allows them to treat the body from head to core, he says.
ExoMIND uses a form of TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) treatment with advanced technology for deeper, more focused stimulation, allowing it to reach key areas of the brain which are involved with emotional regulation, cognitive function and self-control. This is achieved, Dr. King says, by activating neural pathways to restore healthy brain activity and enhancing neural connectivity for mental wellness.
Not only has the treatment been proven effective for a growing number of patients worldwide, but 90% of those individuals report the treatment is comfortable and well tolerated, he says.
EmSculpt Neo simultaneously delivers heat and magnetic energy to accelerate fat reduction while building muscle by using a non-invasive approach that leads to weight loss and a more toned body. Emsella is used to treat both incontinence and sexual health issues, using high-intensity focused electromagnetic technology to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. With patients sitting comfortably in a specially designed chair, the device delivers thousands of muscle contractions to improve control.
According to Dr. King, interest in alternative, holistic health options such as these has exploded since COVID. Both Dr. King and Dr. Arthurs, with their commitment to helping people achieve optimal wellbeing—both body and mind—continue to research and learn about emerging treatments.
My Personal ExoMIND Experience
For those of you who know me well—and I mean really well—you know I can be a little extra at times. That is, quick to become overly excited and much too enthusiastic. On the flip side, anxiousness, closing in on outright neurotic, sometimes occurs. Yes, I own it!
When I was assigned this story about new offerings at Hawaii Island Wellness Clinic, I imagined hearing about and witnessing demonstrations of cutting-edge equipment that deliver enhanced physical results for a well-tuned body. That turned out not to be the case! Along with about a dozen individuals interested in learning more, I was introduced to ExoMIND, the most recent breakthrough treatment for depression, anxiety, cognitive decline and PTSD. I was intrigued.
However, when offered the opportunity to experience a full 24-minute treatment myself, the extra kicked in: sweaty palms, quickening pulse and a strong dose of fear settling in. The thought of a magnetic device on the top of my head sending signals into my brain without any direction from me, oh no! I guess I forgot to mention I’m also a bit of a control freak.
Then, remembering the last words my mother said to me many moons ago, “Be brave,” I took a deep breath and was all in. Oddly enough, after a week of anticipation—read worry—leading up to my appointment, it turned out on the day of that I was uncharacteristically calm.
After signing the consent form and asking millions of questions—all expertly and reassuringly answered by Kaylee Barido and Malia Iwashita, the two medical professionals delivering the treatment—I was ready to get started.
Settling into the comfortable, reclining leather lounge, the device was placed precisely on the left side of my head. Next, the exact amount of TMS for my individual tolerance was quickly measured. It was easy, breezy and completed in less than five minutes.
What followed was 24 minutes of relaxing, light tapping on the side of my head with soft music playing in the background, and both Kaylee and Malia at my side the entire time. The 24 minutes flew by, and once apprehensive, I was now sorry my ExoMIND treatment was already over.
While the treatment is often described as brain exercise, in my experience, it was a perfectly gentle, blissful massage of the mind. In a word: Amazing!
Learn more at Hawaii-MedSpa.com.
“We are the only provider on Hawaiʻi Island to have these three specialized devices from BTL. We invested a lot of money in this equipment because they treat so many conditions—and they are safe.” —Dr. Dave Arthurs.