And one of the ways the Fort Dodge clinic is hoping to accomplish that goal is through a method called regenerative medicine.

“Active Health is always willing to help our patients live their best life,” said Mason, who co-owns the practice with his brother, Dr. Zach Mason. “With the expansion of regenerative medicine to our services, we feel like we can not only help our patients live their best life, but also for their whole life. With regenerative medicine treatments, the amount of cases we have been able to help has drastically increased and we are able to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis and degenerative joint disease in ways we never have before.”

In September, Active Health added regenerative medicine to the services it provides. In addition to regenerative medicine, Active Health provides chiropractic care, rehabilitation exercise, passive therapies, massage therapy and nutritional support.

Along with the added service, Active Health introduced a name change. The business, which used to be called Active Health Chiropractic is now Active Health Clinics.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Dr. Josh Mason sits in one of the patient rooms at Active Health Clinics.

According to Mason, regenerative medicine is administered through stem cell injections.

“Stem cells are injected into the area that is damaged and stem cells have a fantastic ability to help the body regenerate the tissue that needs healed in that area,” Mason said.

Mason, who is a chiropractor at Active Health, said regenerative medicine can help people who have chronic conditions like arthritis or a failed back surgery.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy is one form of regenerative medicine.

“PRP injections are great for chronic inflammation — a more natural way of helping the body heal as an alternative to cortisone injections,” Mason said.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Dr. Zach Mason is all smiles in an exam room at Active Health Clinics.

For a PRP injection, Mason said a patient’s blood is drawn, placed in a vile and centrifuged.

“It separates the red blood cells from the plasma cells and we are able to take the plasma and inject it into the area of pain to assist the body to heal faster,” Mason said.

Erika Hout, a nurse practitioner who has obtained additional training in regenerative medicine, was added to the staff.

Hout is a Fort Dodge native. She holds a Master of Science in nursing from Kaplan University. She also completed the Master Family Nurse Practitioner program from Kaplan University.

With her talent, Active Health Clinics is able to offer regenerative services.

-Submitted photo
Erika Hout, nurse practitioner at Active Health Clinics, prepares to perform an injection.

“There is no one else in town doing those types of treatments (stem cell),” Mason said. “Treating more naturally and holistically without the use of medications or surgery.”

Mason said people who are considering a cortisone shot or surgery are “good candidates” for regenerative medicine treatments.

Including Hout, Active Health has eight providers: four chiropractors, one massage therapist, an athletic trainer, and one dietitian.

Six support staff are employed at the practice.

Mason said Active Health can help with multiple conditions.

“We treat primarily musculoskeletal conditions including back and neck pain, head aches, sciatica, other joints, shoulders, rotator cuffs, tennis elbow, hip, knee, and foot issues,” Mason said. “We describe ourselves as a natural orthopedists. We treat a lot without medications and without surgery.”

Mason, who also owns Anytime Fitness, said doing business in his hometown of Fort Dodge has gone well.

Active Health gets between 2,000 and 2,500 visits per month, according to Mason.

The business opened in October 2010. It was moved to its current location, 20 N. 29th St., in November 2017.

Active Health is just over 7,000 square feet and includes three exam rooms. One of the exam rooms is an onsite X-ray suite.

The practice also has two medical rooms, seven adjusting rooms, three passive therapy rooms, two massage therapy rooms and a corporate health room for pre-employment testing.

Meanwhile, Anytime Fitness has 11,000 square feet of space.

The recreation center has 24-hour access for its members. It has two group classrooms and group classes including yoga, spin, and a boot camp-style class.

Mason said after graduating Fort Dodge Senior High, there was little doubt he would pursue a career as a chiropractor.

“I’ve been pretty focused on this,” Mason said. “I decided to become a chiropractor the summer after my senior year. My girlfriend (Kim) at the time who is my wife now said I should look into chiropractic care and after doing research on the field it seemed to fit both my personality and my philosophy.”

Mason earned his bachelor’s degree and Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport.

He said meeting patients is a highlight.

“The nature of chiropractic care,” he said. “We really start to build a relationship with our patients. It’s more than a one visit interaction. It becomes a big family atmosphere.”

Mason said the ages of patients range from infancy to someone in their 90s.

“We really treat the entire family,” Mason said.

Motivating patients is important, according to Mason.

“We love to tell patients not to give up on life,” Mason said. “We want to convey to them that many times there is still hope for them even if they feel like they have lost so many of their abilities. Our goal is to really help people regain the parts of their life that they enjoy.”

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