2025.01.16

The Case of Kaihou Clinic [Naha City, Okinawa]: Anti-Aging and Antioxidation

Kaihou Clinic is deeply rooted in the Kohagura area of Naha City. Surrounded by a flower garden that blooms year-round, the clinic is beloved by local residents. It exudes a friendly atmosphere where even children feel comfortable visiting on holidays, embodying the warmth of community-based healthcare. Many patients visit based on referrals, reflecting the high level of trust in the clinic and its reputation.

Since 2021, Kaihou Clinic has been consistently offering Twendee X (marketed as Oxycut). The clinic director and staff have also been taking Twendee X regularly. This time, we spoke with Ms. Yukari Uehara, CEO and Anti-Aging Advisor at Kaihou Clinic.

Challenge for “Democratizing Anti-Aging” to Support Lifelong Activity

—Please tell us about your clinic.

Ms. Uehara:
As a community-based medical institution rooted throughout Naha City, our clinic has welcomed numerous patients over the past 20 years. During this time, the number of patients we have treated exceeds the population of Naha City itself. Currently, we see approximately 21,000 patients annually, with Dr. Masateru Uehara providing consultations in internal medicine, dermatology, and pediatrics.

About 80% of our medical services are covered by insurance, with the remaining 20% being non-insurance services. Our non-insurance services primarily include various vitamin injections and placenta injections related to anti-aging. Initially, these were mostly sought for cosmetic purposes, but since the spread of COVID-19, more people have sought these treatments to “boost immunity” and “maintain health.” Some patients have even expressed a desire to rely on vitamin injections instead of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Over time, the purposes have diversified, but health maintenance and anti-aging remain the main objectives.

—Kaihou Clinic also has a specialized organization for anti-aging called Kaihou Research Institute. Could you elaborate?

Ms. Uehara:
It has been 12 years since we started offering non-insurance medical services. Listening to our patients, we arrived at the idea of “democratizing anti-aging” to support lifelong activity. We aim to make typically high-barrier non-insurance medical services more accessible.

For instance, treatments often performed in specialized fields like cosmetic dermatology or plastic surgery have been adapted at our clinic for easier access by patients. Behind this initiative lies a decline in healthy life expectancy. When I moved to Okinawa from Hiroshima 35 years ago, Okinawa was known as the world’s longest-living prefecture. However, as of December 2022, male life expectancy ranks 43rd nationally, and female life expectancy ranks 16th. Moreover, mortality rates from lifestyle-related diseases are among the highest in the country, with colorectal cancer and heart disease particularly notable.

In our practice, we observe significant impacts of lifestyle habits, such as Okinawa’s car-centric culture that limits walking, lack of exercise, and high-calorie, high-fat diets. Considering these factors, we provide individualized guidance on diet and exercise habits. Recently, we’ve revised our approach to offer advice based on medical progress every four months.

As part of our non-insurance services, we also focus on providing doctor-approved cosmetics and supplements. Our selection is centered around high-quality, effective products, particularly those containing placenta. For patients unable to visit for injections, we’ve naturally expanded our offerings to meet their needs for alternatives. I personally oversee product selection, ensuring that staff test the products themselves before recommending them to patients. After all, we can’t confidently recommend products we don’t personally use.

Our blog, “Beautiful Cafe”, is another initiative for spreading the concept of “democratizing anti-aging.” We share practical content on medical services, products, and treatments, catering to our primary audience of people in their 50s and 60s. Many patients discover and purchase our supplements and cosmetics through the blog.

—What types of patients typically visit Kaihou Clinic?

Ms. Uehara:
Many of our patients share a common goal of extending their healthy life expectancy. Supporting them in maintaining their health to continue working until the age of 75 is a vital mission for our clinic, aligning closely with our philosophy.

For many, maintaining health becomes a challenge after 40 due to lifestyle diseases like hypertension. While some manage to work until 65, sustaining life on a pension alone after retirement is increasingly difficult. Consequently, many seek re-employment, striving to maintain a youthful appearance and good health to enhance their job prospects. Additionally, some aim to cover the high costs of care facilities, which can run into hundreds of thousands of yen monthly, further emphasizing the importance of staying healthy and employable.

We also have multi-generational families visiting the clinic. For example, some patients say, “Doctor, you treated me as a child. Now I’m bringing my child for treatment.” Our commitment to long-term care also includes home visits for patients needing prolonged support.

Exploring the Potential of Antioxidant Supplements as a Health-Preservation Option

—What led you to offer antioxidant supplements at your clinic?

Ms. Uehara:
From the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, our clinic chose not to administer vaccines. Both patients and staff were anxious, necessitating alternative ways to protect their health. Without concrete solutions at the time, we focused on boosting immunity and antioxidation.

This approach stemmed from recognizing that certain issues extend beyond medical solutions and require wisdom and judgment at the national level. At the time, I believed, “We must rely on the wisdom and decisions of the people to overcome this situation.” This thinking led us to focus on the importance of immune and antioxidant measures.

A key turning point was discovering the “Antioxidant Channel” on YouTube by Dr. Inubo, which introduced Twendee X. This sparked our interest in trying the supplement.

—Who uses Twendee X?

Ms. Uehara:
The clinic director, staff, and I regularly take Twendee X. Neither the director nor I have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and we haven’t contracted the virus, which we attribute to Twendee X.

We recommend Twendee X to patients who haven’t been vaccinated or struggle with poor health. For example, a patient suffering from severe atopic dermatitis experienced significant improvement after using Twendee X. Another patient, who lost their sense of smell after COVID-19 and faced lingering symptoms for six months, reported feeling better soon after starting Twendee X and became a regular user.

Previously, patients relied on separate vitamin C and E supplements to enhance antioxidation. Many now prefer Twendee X for its convenience and ease of consumption.

Conclusion

Kaihou Clinic’s core principle, “Love: Cultivating smiles in our patients,” embodies the philosophy of forming long-term relationships through “giving love” from the patient’s perspective. By focusing on the importance of antioxidation and immunity, the clinic supports extended healthy life expectancy and community health as a whole.