TMS Health Solutions Opens Clinic in San Francisco, Expanding Depression Treatment Practice

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 19, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- TMS Health Solutions today announced it has opened its first depression treatment center in San Francisco, expanding the company's practice to three facilities in Northern California. The clinic is directed by both board-certified psychiatrists Dr. Richard Bowdle and Dr. Ramotse Saunders under the direction of the company's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Richard Bermudes, a nationally-recognized authority on depression therapy and the current president of the Clinical TMS Society.

Specializing in "treatment beyond medication," TMS Health Solutions has been at the forefront of utilizing the FDA-cleared drug-free, non-invasive TMS therapy for patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression. Federal clearance of TMS has created a new and effective option in the "toolbox" of psychiatric choices for treating depression, which have traditionally included psychotherapy and medication. TMS Therapy utilizes magnets to precisely stimulate areas of the brain known to be the cause of depression and mood disorders. It does not produce the systemic side effects associated with medication: weight gain, dry mouth, upset stomach, drowsiness, and sexual dysfunction, to name a few.

As a first line treatment for those suffering from depression and mood disorders, the clinic does offer medication management services. The new San Francisco clinic is located at 350 Parnassus Ave, Suite 201 in the Parnassus area due to its close proximity to the UCSF mental health professional community, making it easy for clinicians to use TMS Health Solutions as a convenient therapeutic resource for their clients. Those interested in TMS therapy may contact TMS Health Solutions at (844) 867-8444 or email [email protected].

"Following our success in Sacramento, we believe that San Francisco is the ideal place to open a new facility that will provide a successful alternative to depression treatment," said Dr. Bermudes. "As we looked at the demographics of San Francisco, we recognized that many people represented those most at risk to get depression. We have seen tremendous results with TMS therapy and want to provide that treatment option to the people in the city that are suffering from treatment-resistant or severe depression."

TMS Therapy Board Certified Psychiatrists

Richard Bowdle, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist with more than 35 years of experience in holistic patient care, teaching, and organizational leadership. He earned his medical degree at the University of Florida, Gainesville in 1980, then completing training in internal medicine at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco and a Psychiatric Residency at University of California San Francisco's Langley Porter Institute.

He has maintained a private practice and is Assistant Clinical Professor VCF at the University of California Davis School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Bowdle has also headed behavioral care facilities throughout California, including serving as Medical Director at Sutter Center for Psychiatry and Chief of Department of Psychiatry at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.

Dr. Bowle works with each person seeking care to develop individualized treatment plans promoting wellness and autonomy.

Ramotse Saunders, M.D., earned his medical degree from the University of the West Indies in 1998. He is Board Certified in Adult Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, with special expertise in co-occurring medical and psychiatric illness. During Dr. Saunders' psychiatry residency training at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, he served as Chief Resident and won a merit-based fellowship from the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP). After graduation, Dr. Saunders continued at Downstate as faculty, with roles in clinical care, research, and education. From 2013-2016, he served as the Center's Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry.

Dr. Saunders has been involved for over a decade in brain electrophysiology research (in alcoholism), as well as clinical and psychopharmacology research projects. He has published in these fields, as well as in his clinical specialty of Psychosomatic Medicine. He has also directed courses on psychopathology and neuroscience, and presented at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meetings.

Dr. Saunders believes that patient care should be evidence-based and neuroscientifically informed. His long-standing interest in brain electrical activity led him to pursue therapeutic interventions in the field of clinical brain stimulation, including TMS, which can be extremely useful tools for the betterment of patients' health.

About TMS Therapy
Cleared by the FDA in 2008, TMS is a drug-free, non-invasive therapy for patients who suffer from treatment-resistant depression. It is administered in a physician's office in an out-patient setting. By using an MRI-strength magnetic field to stimulate the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, the core symptoms of major depression can be addressed. Unlike anti-depressants or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), patients undergoing TMS therapy experience minimal side effects.

About TMS Health Solutions
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, TMS Health Solutions clinics specialize in the delivery of TMS therapy for patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression; additionally, the clinics provide traditional treatment for mood disorders. TMS Health Solutions is led by Dr. Richard Bermudes and Dr. Karl Lanocha, two of the nation's leading experts on using TMS therapy as an innovative treatment for depression.

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