You go to the ER when you break a leg; urgent care when your fever spikes on a weekend; and your doctor's office when it's time for your checkup.

But where do you go when nagging vitality or cosmetic concerns weigh heavy on your mind?

Until recently, the answer was "nowhere" - unless you could afford the cash-only boutique medical offices in Beverly Hills.

Dr. Chace Unruh, a longtime SCV resident and owner of the Unruh Spine Center, wasn't satisfied with those options. "There are men and women in Santa Clarita suffering from totally-treatable conditions, they just don't know that there's a solution because it is not offered to them under most doctor's-office care models," says Unruh.

So Unruh created Thrive Medical, a boutique medical office that accepts insurance (Or surprisingly-low cash payments. Treatments start at only $25.) and addresses issues like low libido, hair loss, medical weight loss, joint pain... even stretch marks and scar reduction.

For each complaint there is a medically-proven treatment that's prescribed only after you've thoroughly consulted with your Thrive physician. This unrushed experience is foreign to most but essential to ensure that your full medical history is understood and the truly-appropriate treatments prescribed. And while the experience is custom and the treatments effective, there is one thing they don't offer: gimmicks.

Thrive Medical Clinic Director Karim Soliman, MD, is the former medical director of one of the largest multi-specialty medical groups at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. He says, "There are no fads here. Whether we are prescribing organic supplementation; natural injections; compound pharmaceutical creams; new dietary routines; or physical treatments, everything is supported by the best, most current medical research available. These are the treatments that, really, the 'rich and famous' get - it's just now available locally and priced so that it's not out of anyone's reach."

Thrive Medical accepts many insurance policies and offers affordable cash pricing. Call for details. 288-0022

Spotlight on Alternative to Cortisone Shots

"It's well known that, when it comes to cortisone injections, you can only do three per site. Any more than that and you'll see a remarkable degeneration in the joint. The soft tissue is destroyed and the potential for negative secondary affects go up," says Dr. Unruh. "Plus, the affects of cortisone don't last forever. Patients still find themselves in the operating room down the line."

There is an alternative that avoids these negative outcomes and can be utilized as often as you need: non-steroid natural injections of Sarapin. For over 70 years, Sarapin has been used to manage muscular and neuropathic pain. The medicine is a distillate of a suspension of powdered Sarracenia Purpurea - commonly known as the Pitcher plant. It's been proven effective in managing pain by acting on the sensory nerves. Unlike cortisone, there's no systemic or tissue destruction concerns and toxicity tests have shown Sarapin to be harmless; no adverse affects have been associated with its use in seven decades. "We've had patients who were sure they needed surgery and came to Thrive as a last-ditch effort. Two injections of Sarapin later, and we haven't seen them in years. They totally avoided surgery and are feeling great. We only talk to them via phone or e-mail when they're referring new patients to the medical center," shares Unruh.