Wesley Chapel has a new option for dealing with anxiety and depression. The Wesley Chapel NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center recently opened its doors at 2306 Ashley Oaks Circle, Suite 101. The therapy center is open Mondays through Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"If you are struggling with depression and related anxiety, you're not alone," says NeuroSpa TMS Medical Director W. Nate Upshaw. According to Upshaw, on a typical day, 7-10 percent of the population is living with major depressive disorder, and the pandemic is triggering symptoms in people who never experienced them before.

Upshaw describes the treatment NeuroSpa TMS offers as the future of psychiatry. But he notes many people still haven't heard of it, and those who have may not understand how it works. TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation. During a TMS treatment, non-invasive magnetic pulses are used to stimulate nerve cells in the area of the brain responsible for mood regulation, the left prefrontal cortex.

The stimulation causes the neurotransmitters of the brain to begin functioning properly again. A treatment takes only 20 minutes, and patients can return to regular activities immediately after the session. Best of all, TMS treatment causes none of the systemic side effects common to depression medication, such as nausea, weight gain, cognitive impairment, fatigue, and sexual dysfunction.

"TMS is a mainstream treatment for depression, but many people still don't know about it," says Upshaw. "It's FDA cleared and covered by all major insurances, including Medicare and TRICARE." Upshaw is working to change that. He regularly appears in local and national media to spread awareness for TMS.

Upshaw says patients choose NeuroSpa TMS because of two differentiators. "Our success rate is higher than the industry standard, with 88.5 patients seeing improvement and 59 percent experiencing complete remission. Patients also choose us because of the spa-like atmosphere." He says almost every patient who begins therapy completes it.

NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Centers offer TMS Plusâ„¢, a comprehensive program with TMS therapy at its core, including functional MRI targeting, blood work, sleep evaluation, nutrition counseling, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

“TMS Plus offers behavioral and biological interventions to enhance TMS, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. This approach is superior to simple neuronavigation functions of other TMS machines that don't use fMRIs to help target the treatment spot,” says Upshaw.

• Functional MRI targeting enables TMS treatments to be fine-tuned for small variations in brain structure.
• Blood work rules out contributors to depression, including vitamin deficiencies and problems with thyroid function.
• Sleep evaluation determines whether difficulties are triggered by the patient's mental health concerns or sleep apnea, or other issues.
• Nutritional counseling helps patients make diet changes that can improve mood. As TMS treatments improve patients' neuroplasticity, they can make new healthy connections and better meet their nutritional goals.
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy supervised by NeuroSpa TMS's licensed psychologists helps patients maximize their clinical outcomes.

Wesley Chapel is the fifth therapy center NeuroSpa TMS opened since its founding in 2018. Previously it opened therapy centers in Citrus Park, South Tampa, Pinellas Park, and Lakeland. In the short time since the Wesley Chapel NeuroSpa TMS Therapy Center opened, additional new centers have opened in Brandon and Lakewood Ranch.

NeuroSpa TMS offers free initial consultations. To check about your insurance coverage, discuss your needs, or learn more about TMS, call 813-605-1212 or visit https://neurospatms.com/wesley-chapel/.