Success Story: Rodney Bailey

As an ex-NFL player and Super Bowl Champion, Rodney Bailey shares his story of mental and physical transformation since retiring in 2008.  He tells us his story of how he has learned to deal with a variety of symptoms from his career and how he has lost over 100 pounds.

I had never played football a day in my life until my freshman year of high school. During my senior year, I was named the Northeast Ohio Player of the Year and All-American Defensive End which earned me a scholarship to the Ohio State University. At Ohio State, I became a four-letter winner and senior captain. I graduated from Ohio State with a B.A. in Communications and in 2001 was drafted in the sixth round, 181st pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers where I played my first three years. I joined the New England Patriots in 2004 and we won Super Bowl 39 before joining the Seattle Seahawks where we became NFC Champions and played in Super Bowl 40.

I retired from the NFL in 2008 and that is when I began to experience a variety of different symptoms including Tinnitus (ringing in my ears), snoring that would lead me to stop breathing, excessive sleeping, fainting spells (which I found out be Vasovagal syncope), and quick weight gain of over 100 pounds. By the end of 2008, I was 360lbs. I began drinking to mask the pain and continued to spiral in an unsafe manner. Until I met my wife, Jenny, in 2015 I had never talked with anyone about my mental and physical well-being before. By this time, I weighed over 470lbs. Jenny was a concierge for professional athletes and other high net worth individuals, so she was familiar with the symptoms I had been dealing with. We were determined to do whatever we could to combat these symptoms and that is when we made my first appointment for testing.

After the initial tests in 2016, we discovered that I had developed Pre-Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (pre-CTE) – a brain degeneration that is caused by repeated trauma to the head. I was also diagnosed with Pre-Parkinson’s disease and sleep apnea. My initial thought was, “Cool, I’ll just drink this thing away. I’ll escape”.

Shortly after my diagnosis, I was discussing it with a fellow retired NFL friend, and he referred me to Dr. Brent Agin. This was the beginning of our wellness journey. When Jenny and I met Dr. Agin for the first time, he was stunned that I had not yet received any post-career treatment of any kind. We loved his approach, and as a former athlete himself, he understood what I was going through. After discovering I had low hormones, Dr. Agin put me on a hormone optimization plan, and I started the Carb Revolution program and switched from alcohol to medical cannabis.

Although I was getting healthier, there were still some road bumps in my journey. In 2017, I lost consciousness, something that happened often, in front of my wife and daughter. Terrified, Jenny called the NFL doctors, and I underwent more testing but came home with no answers. After two more fainting spells, I got a CAT scan on my midsection, and they found an abdominal hernia. I was advised surgery wasn’t needed if there was no pain, and to avoid heavy lifting and strengthen the muscles of my abdominal wall. It was hard to find a fitness routine that was right for me until I discovered yoga. In 2018, I was struggling to breathe and passed out twice in the same day. I went to the hospital where I ended up for 5 days and was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma.

Since the hospital stay in 2018, my health has improved greatly. I started Symbicort and the daily use of a nebulizer to control the asthma, while I also finally received a CPAP machine to help with the sleep apnea. Dr. Agin’s treatment plan was working as well. I have lost almost 100 pounds on the Carb Revolution Program, and with the help of yoga and Growth Hormone peptides, I was physically feeling the strongest I have felt in a long time.

While I was getting healthier physically, mentally I still had some work to do. In 2020, I married my best friend, Jenny. We were expecting a baby boy when Jenny had a miscarriage at four months. She was suffering from severe depression and was suicidal. 

This is when we were introduced to Ketamine Infusion Therapy at Dr. Agin’s Ketamind™ Center.  After almost 20 treatments, Jenny and I are now mentally the healthiest we have ever been. Free of racing thoughts, depression and anxiety, Ketamine has improved our lives drastically. My moods are improving daily, and my positive state-of-mind has helped to manage many of my symptoms from pre-CTE.

This journey of restoration for myself and Jenny is just beginning. We now have the tools and resources to make our body and minds the strongest and healthiest they can be. I cherish Jenny and our daughter, Angelina, and the life that we are building together. I am so grateful for Dr. Agin and the care he has given me on this journey.

A response from Dr. Agin:

It has been a pleasure working with Rodney. His transformation both mentally and physically has been an amazing journey to witness. This is an excellent example of what functional medicine can do when accompanied by important lifestyle changes. Correcting sleep, diet and exercise regimens and including the proper nutrient supplementation and hormone optimization can be life changing. Our bodies are so powerful and built to heal, but it takes time, discipline and the right combination of supplements and prescription wellness therapies. It is important to know that Rodney’s success did not happen overnight, but rather has been progressive improvements that has led him to a whole new path, appreciation, and zest for life.

Rodney Bailey's Wellness Regimen

Available TeleWellnessMD® Prescription Therapies:

• Ibutamoren (MK 677) oral peptide for Growth Hormone Support
• MIC B Complex with Vitamin C for fat burning and immune support
• Methylcobalamin 50,000mcg for overall wellness
• BPC-157 for inflammation and injury repair
• Semaglutide for weightloss
• NAD+ for DNA repair, energy and brain fog

Available Oral Supplements from TeleWellnessMD® and Trim Nutrition:

• Trim Carb Revolution Program
• Mind Drive Nootropic for brain health
• Night Cutter for sleep and metabolism support

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