Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Schulteis.
Hi Ryan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For almost 20 years, I worked as a physician in a busy academic medical center. Over time, I became discouraged with how medicine was being practiced. Care was increasingly shaped by insurance rules and volume pressures rather than what patients actually needed. Visits were short, schedules were full, and there was rarely enough time to truly understand what someone was experiencing.
That realization is what ultimately led me to start Carolina Longevity. I wanted to build a practice where we could slow down, spend real time with patients, and focus on the questions that matter most to them.
Many people come in saying things like, “I’m tired all the time,” or “I just don’t feel like myself anymore.” In traditional settings, those concerns are often brushed aside once major diseases are ruled out and routine screenings are completed. Those screenings are important, of course—but they don’t always answer the question the patient came in with: Why don’t I feel my best?
At Carolina Longevity, that question is the starting point. We focus on optimizing the four pillars of long-term health: cardiovascular health, metabolic health, gut health, and strength—meaning bone and muscle health. In my experience, almost no one is fully optimized in all four areas, and that means there is almost always an opportunity to improve how someone feels and functions.
Our approach is thoughtful, data-driven, and highly personalized. Instead of telling someone everything looks “normal” and to come back in a year, we work with them over time to identify what can be improved and help them move toward better long-term health.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a new medical practice is never a perfectly smooth road, and we didn’t expect it to be. Building a patient-centered practice takes time because the goal is to do things thoughtfully and at a high level from the very beginning.
One of the main challenges has been creating an environment that reflects the kind of care we want to deliver—unhurried, attentive, and highly personalized. There’s always a natural tension between opening quickly and making sure everything meets the standards you’ve set for your patients. For us, quality has always come first.
Another unique challenge has been operating from a temporary space while our permanent home is being built. It’s required some creativity and flexibility, but it’s also been exciting. Our future location is being designed specifically around how we want to practice medicine, which will ultimately allow us to serve patients even better.
Like any new small business, another challenge has simply been getting the word out. We’ve been fortunate to have strong word-of-mouth support and many patients who already believed in what we were building. But as we continue to grow, helping more people in the community discover what we offer is an ongoing process.
Every step has reinforced why we started in the first place—to create a place where patients feel heard, cared for, and supported in improving their long-term health.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Carolina Longevity is a concierge internal medicine practice—but it’s also much more than that. At its foundation, we provide comprehensive adult and preventive medical care, and many of our patients rely on us as their primary physician. What makes our practice different is that we intentionally keep the number of patients we care for smaller so we can spend more time with each person and provide truly personalized care.
Concierge medicine, to us, means advocacy. When a patient needs specialty care or answers about a medical concern, we don’t accept long waiting periods or vague follow-up plans when we can help it. We make the calls, send the messages, and work directly with specialists to help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible. When someone is waiting for answers about their health, they shouldn’t feel like they’re navigating the system alone.
Another way we differ from traditional practices is that we avoid generic advice. Many patients have heard the same recommendations for years: sleep better, eat better, exercise more. Those are good principles, but they aren’t very helpful without a clear plan. Our approach is highly prescriptive and data-driven. We start with detailed assessments—looking at cardiovascular health, metabolic health, strength, mobility, and body composition—then translate that data into clear, practical steps that patients can actually follow.
We also take a whole-body approach to care. Alongside internal medicine, our patients have access to strength and conditioning coaching, physical therapy, and other therapeutic services within the same environment. Our goal is to bring together trusted experts who can address health from multiple angles rather than sending patients to navigate that process on their own.
What I’m most proud of is that we’re delivering on the promise in our name: longevity. We see measurable improvements in strength, metabolic health, cardiovascular fitness, and overall well-being in our patients. Ultimately, our goal is not just helping people live longer—but helping them stay strong, capable, and healthy for as much of that life as possible.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
One thing I would want readers to know is that our approach to health is intentionally broad. Traditional medicine does many things very well, but there are also areas—like nutrition, metabolic health, movement, and gut health—that deserve more attention than they often receive in routine care.
At Carolina Longevity, we try to bring those pieces together under one roof. That includes services like strength and conditioning coaching, physical therapy, chiropractic care, nutrition guidance, metabolic and insulin sensitivity testing, and advanced assessments of gut health and the microbiome. Our goal is to look at the whole picture rather than treating individual symptoms in isolation.
We don’t spend much time worrying about labels like “traditional,” “functional,” or “alternative.” What matters to us is whether something is thoughtful, evidence-informed, and helpful for the patient sitting in front of us. If it helps someone become healthier, stronger, and more resilient over time, then it belongs in the conversation.
At the end of the day, our focus is simple: helping people live longer, healthier lives—while feeling strong and capable along the way.
Pricing:
- DXA Body Composition Scan & Clinical Interpretation – $145
- VO2 Max Test – $195
- IV Recovery Drip – $295
- Red Light Therapy Session – $45
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Mat Session – $75
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carolinalongevity.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolinalongevity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Carolina-Longevity/61582426448917/
