Jordan Metzl is a physician and an athlete who has competed in 29 marathons and nine Ironman triathlons. He has also just published his third book, “The Athlete’s Book of Home Remedies: 1,001 Doctor-Approved Health Fixes and Injury-Prevention Secrets for a Leaner, Fitter, More Athletic Body!” (Rodale Books, March 2012).
The KC native has been in practice in New York City for the past 14 years at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and treats more than 20,000 patients. He has appeared on “Today” and “Good Morning America” and has articles written about him in USA Today. He’ll be in Kansas City next week to promote the book and spend Passover with his family.
The son of Drs. Marilyn and Kurt Metzl, Jordan Metzl grew up at Kehilath Israel Synagogue, where he became a Bar Mitzvah. He attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy through eighth grade and is a graduate of The Barstow School. Now 45, he calls medicine the family business as two of his three brothers are physicians as well.
“Helping people is our family currency,” he said.
Dr. Metzl specializes in nonsurgical treatment, working to help patients get back to their favorite activities as soon as is safely possible. He also strives to be a positive example for his patients, teaching his “Iron Strength” workout classes on weekends and maintaining his own fitness at an elite level.
“I love being fit and active, and I like to encourage others to do the same,” he says. “I feel like being a role model for my patients really helps me communicate with them better. I want to keep them on the field because I know how much better I feel when I’m out there doing what I love to do. Fitness keeps me injury-free and helps me in all aspects of my life, both inside and outside the office.”
“The Athletes Book of Home Remedies” is described as a “go-to resource for safe, effective, do-it-yourself treatments whether you have a strain, sprain, or pain that you’ve never felt before.” The book breaks down all the information “into easy-to-follow strategies for effective self-treatment — while letting you know in no uncertain terms when you should go see your own doctor, pronto.”
As Dr. Metzl describes it, the book is a how-to manual for people to be fit at any stage for whatever level of athlete they are.
“Everybody from the high-level athlete who is going to play sports in college to the person who plays golf at Oakwood once a month to the person who is 75 or 80 who wants to be active, the philosophy for this book and the information in it is applicable for anyone,” he said.
The main thing, he reiterates, is this book is about keeping people healthy the best way he knows, through physical activity.
“I want to get people back to activity and moving as effectively as I can,” Dr. Metzl said. “That’s what the book is about and my life is about. As a doctor and an athlete I encourage people to be active and to move and be fit and make the most out of their activity.”
He does what he does, in the office and out, because he feels so strongly “that exercise is the best medicine for people.”
“Exercise is the thing that keeps my engine going. I value it so much that I want all my patients to have the same experience,” said Dr. Metzl, who has been called one of the 10 best sports medicine doctors in New York by New York Magazine. He also competed in the Maccabi Games in Chile on the fast-pitch softball team several years ago.
He is a huge proponent of people staying active throughout their lives, no matter what their age. In fact that’s the whole purpose of this book.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a 10-year-old softball player or an 80-year-old walker; I want you to be active. We know that people who exercise every day have longer, happier, healthier lives. They stay out of doctor’s offices and they tend to have a better quality of life across all indicies of cardiac disease, depression, it lessons cancer risks. Exercise is absolutely good medicine. My focus in doing this book is teaching people how they can keep their bodies, moving, active and out of the doctor’s office,” Dr. Metzl said.
Dr. Metzl has been working on this book for about three years. He’s written two others and produced an exercise video and doesn’t rule out other projects in the future. But for now he is thrilled with the response his latest endeavor is receiving.
“The nice thing is since the Today Show stuff and the USA Today article, it’s on the way to be a best seller and that’s really exciting,” he said. “People are over the moon excited. People love it. I’ve gotten all kinds of great comments from people all over the world. It’s been really cool to watch it spread.”
Dr. Metzl considers himself lucky that he can help people every day.
“I’m so appreciative and lucky that I have a job where I can actually help people as part of my job. That’s a really nice thing to have as part of your life. I do it every day with my patients but to be able to get that information en masse to people is a very gratifying thing,” he said.
Dr. Metzl meet and greet
KC native and nationally-known sports medicine doctor Jordan Metzl, M.D., will appear at The Barstow School at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 5.
The signing is free and open to the public. Dr. Metzl will give a brief lecture and books will be available for purchase.
The event is sponsored by Barnes & Noble of Town Center. Space is limited. RSVPs are requested via Barstow’s websitewww.barstowschool.org. For more information call 816-942-3255.