In this exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Dr. Mark Hawass, Founder of Peak Health VIP, shares his journey from chronic pain survivor to healthcare innovator. With over two decades of expertise in pain management, he has transformed his clinic into a cutting-edge health center that integrates regenerative medicine, functional health, and personalized care. Dr. Hawass explains the clinic’s evolution from Arthritis VIP to Peak Health VIP, emphasizing proactive, holistic health strategies that empower patients to achieve long-term vitality and performance.
Dr. Mark Hawass is a pioneering physician and the visionary Founder of Peak Health VIP, a private medical clinic in the Greater Toronto Area specializing in advanced, non-surgical treatments for joint pain and chronic arthritis. With over two decades of experience in pain management, family medicine, emergency care, and chronic pain management, Dr. Hawass has dedicated his career to transforming lives through innovative, patient-centred solutions.
Peak Health VIP is emerging with a fresh identity and a broader suite of services. What motivated the rebrand, and how is this new direction aligned with the needs of today’s patients?
Peak Health VIP was born from the success of Arthritis VIP, where we helped countless patients overcome arthritis, joint pain, and sports injuries. Over time, we saw more and more cases of osteoarthritis and autoimmune diseases impacting the joints. We wanted to do more than treat the joint; we wanted to uncover the root cause.
This led us beyond traditional medicine and, in addition to advanced regenerative therapies, Dr. Hawass ventured into functional medicine. We discovered that by optimizing hormones, restoring gut health, and enhancing the body’s natural healing capacity, we could not only reduce pain but also address autoimmune diseases, fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, weight gain or loss, low libido, digestion issues and other symptoms holding people back.
Today, Peak Health VIP offers Sports Medicine, Joint Health, Men’s & Women’s Health, and Preventive Care, all under one roof. Modern patients are informed, proactive, and value long-term solutions over temporary fixes. Our integrated approach aligns perfectly with that need, helping them perform at their peak, restore vitality, and enjoy the best quality of life possible—without reliance on endless pills or unnecessary surgeries.
We’re not just treating pain anymore; we’re helping people live stronger, longer, and better.
The transition from a specialty arthritis clinic to an all-encompassing health center is significant. Can you share a patient story that captures the heart of Peak Health VIP’s mission and community impact?
One of our most inspiring transformations began with a patient suffering from multiple osteoarthritic joints, including her knees and shoulder. Alongside the pain, she experienced extreme fatigue, poor sleep, and an overall loss of vitality. We knew that simply treating her joints would be a temporary fix—unless we addressed the root cause of her inflammation, her pain would persist, and new joints could become affected.
We began with extensive blood work to evaluate her hormones and food sensitivity testing to assess her gut health. These revealed imbalances that were fueling both her systemic inflammation and her joint degeneration. By restoring her gut health and optimizing her hormones, she began losing weight, sleeping better, and regaining her energy.
Once her body was in a stronger state to heal, we introduced advanced regenerative medicine—injecting PRP into her knee to further reduce pain and improve mobility. The results were profound: her pain diminished, her function improved, and she returned to daily activities she had long avoided.
This is the heart of Peak Health VIP’s mission—not just relieving pain, but restoring vitality, resilience, and long-term health so our patients can live stronger, longer, and better.
As you expand into sports medicine and dedicated Women’s and Men’s Health programs, what outdated beliefs or misconceptions do you encounter most among your patients regarding preventive and integrative care?
One of the most common misconceptions we encounter is the belief that you only seek care when something is “broken” or when pain becomes unbearable. Many patients still see medicine as reactive rather than proactive, waiting for problems to escalate instead of preventing them.
Another outdated belief is that aging inevitably means declining mobility, low energy, and reduced performance—that joint pain, fatigue, and brain fog are simply part of getting older. In reality, much of this decline is preventable and reversible when we address the root causes early.
We also see patients who think that joint issues can be “fixed” in isolation, without considering hormones, gut health, sleep, nutrition, or systemic inflammation. The truth is, these systems are deeply connected. Optimizing one without the other rarely delivers lasting results.
Finally, there’s still a perception that integrative and regenerative medicine is only for elite athletes or extreme cases. In fact, these approaches are most powerful as preventive tools—keeping people strong, mobile, and vibrant for decades.
At Peak Health VIP, we aim to shift this mindset, showing patients that proactive, integrated care is the fastest route to peak performance, longevity, and quality of life.
Peak Health VIP emphasizes long-term tracking and outcome measurement for every patient. How has this data-driven approach influenced the clinic’s evolution and patient results during the transition?
At Peak Health VIP, every patient’s journey is carefully tracked with measurable outcomes—whether it’s pain reduction, mobility improvement, hormone balance, weight change, or overall vitality. This data-driven approach has been central to our evolution. It has allowed us to identify patterns, refine protocols, and determine which combinations of regenerative medicine, functional medicine, and lifestyle interventions deliver the fastest and most sustainable results.
During our transition from Arthritis VIP to a comprehensive health center, these metrics revealed something powerful: patients who addressed only joint pain improved temporarily, but those who also optimized hormones, gut health, and systemic inflammation experienced significantly longer-lasting relief and greater overall performance.
Tracking outcomes over months and years has also built patient trust. They can see their progress in black and white—objective numbers, imaging, and functional scores—alongside how they feel day to day. This motivates them to stay consistent and engaged in their care.
Ultimately, this approach ensures that we’re not just delivering treatments, but delivering results that last. It has shaped Peak Health VIP into a clinic where every decision is based on evidence, every plan is personalized, and every success story is measurable.
With the launch of the new website on August 15th, what advice would you give to individuals—particularly busy professionals or business owners—on prioritizing proactive health and thriving in their personal and professional lives?
For busy professionals and business owners, health often becomes something you “deal with later”—until fatigue, pain, or burnout forces you to stop. My advice is simple: don’t wait for a crisis to take control of your health. Just as you invest in your business to keep it running at peak performance, you need to invest in your body and mind to keep you running at your best.
Proactive health starts with understanding your baseline—comprehensive testing for hormones, gut health, inflammation, and nutrient levels. Once you know where you stand, you can make targeted changes that give the highest return on your time and energy.
For those in high-demand roles, performance is tied to more than stamina—it’s about clarity, resilience, and recovery. Optimizing your sleep, balancing your hormones, managing inflammation, and keeping joints strong allows you to make sharper decisions, handle stress better, and show up fully in both work and life.
At Peak Health VIP, our new website launching August 15th will make it easier to access resources, book assessments, and explore solutions designed for people who are looking for peak performance. Because thriving in business starts with thriving in health.
