midlife health
Weight and metabolic health
Waist, energy, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose markers, looked at with sleep, food and the stage of life you are in. One plan. The same Nurse Practitioner. Follow-up included as care, not as a membership.
The whole picture, not a product
Weight that will not shift, a waist that has changed, afternoon exhaustion, cravings, blood pressure or cholesterol that is creeping up: these often arrive together in the forties and fifties, and they rarely fit in a rushed visit. Cortex starts with an assessment. The initial consult is 40 minutes, by video.
Brett looks at your history, sleep, stress, food, movement, alcohol, the medicines you already take, and the blood tests that change the decision. Perimenopause and menopause symptoms are part of that history when they are part of your life. They have their own page, Perimenopause and menopause, and they are managed in the same plan when that is what the picture needs.
A medicine is one possible part of a plan. It is not the starting point, and it is not promised. Sometimes the honest answer is that medicine is not the right tool, or not yet.
What the care covers
- Weight and waist, as measurements to understand, not as a score to chase.
- Blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose markers.
- Energy, sleep, mood and cravings, in the same conversation.
- Blood tests before treatment, unless recent results already answer the question.
- Screening for eating disorders and a difficult relationship with food, before any plan that touches weight or eating.
- Follow-up, and a clear point at which a medicine should be reduced or stopped.
- A letter to your GP, with your consent.
How a plan is built
- Assessment. A 40-minute video consult. Goals, history, medicines, family history and daily life. You are welcome to bring a support person.
- Tests. Blood tests and simple measurements tailor the plan and make the review readable. They are not a judgement.
- The plan. Food, movement, sleep and stress are the part you live with. A medicine is discussed only if it is clinically appropriate and safe.
- Follow-up. A 20-minute review is how the plan is checked. You see Brett each time.
No single-treatment scripts. If you want a named medicine without an assessment, this practice is the wrong door. The safety standard is public, and it applies before anyone talks about a prescription.
Fees, pharmacy, and what is separate
You pay for the consultation. There is no subscription and no lock-in. If a prescription is written, you fill it at a pharmacy you choose. PBS-listed medicines are used where they are clinically appropriate and you are eligible. Not every medicine can be prescribed by a Nurse Practitioner on the PBS, and Brett will say so if that applies. Do not assume a medicine used for weight is subsidised. Pathology is billed by the laboratory.
Who this suits
People, often in their forties and fifties, who want metabolic health taken seriously and who will do the tests, the follow-ups and the day-to-day work. Regional and city patients are both welcome. The consult is by video, Australia-wide.
It does not suit you if you want a script without a history, or if now is not a safe time to focus on weight. Brett would rather say that early than build the wrong plan. If you would prefer a female clinician, he will help arrange a referral. See About Brett.
Start with an assessment.
If you are ready to look at the whole picture and do the follow-up, book the initial video consult.