DEXA SCANS
Your Baseline for Better Health
How do you gauge your health?
Do you weigh yourself on a fancy digital scale, or calculate your body mass index (BMI)? Bad news: studies find nothing as effective as body composition examinations offered by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry machines — also known as DEXA.
A DEXA machine creates an image of the inside of your body by using a tiny dose of radiation. It can determine, with incredible precision, your fat mass, lean mass, and bone density.
Visceral Fat
We’re not just talking about regular fat. We’re talking about visceral fat: fat that surrounds your organs. Even people who are outwardly thin can carry dangerous amounts of visceral fat. It doesn’t just affect people who, say, have oversized bellies.
Visceral fat is linked to metabolic diseases and insulin resistance. Here’s a short list of just some of the health problems associated with it:
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Heart attacks and heart disease
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Type 2 diabetes
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Elevated blood pressure
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Stroke
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Breast and colorectal cancer
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Alzheimer’s disease
Bone Health
You may already know some of the bone health threats awaiting an aging population. One study found that women ages 65–69 who break a hip are five times more likely to die within a year than women of the same age who don’t break a hip.
Helping patients maintain bone health has always been important; with today’s aging population, the matter is sure to reach unprecedented levels of awareness and urgency. A DEXA scan is a great weapon in the fight against bone health degradation.
Even with multiple scans over a 12-month period, a body composition scan is less demanding than a smartphone health app. This ease of access and consistent use may translate to noticeable diet, exercise, and lifestyle progress.
What is Getting a DEXA Scan Like?
Getting a DEXA scan is easy and safe. The scan itself takes mere moments while you lay down on a bed. (You can wear comfortable clothing; a backless hospital gown is not required!)
As for the amount of radiation it uses? You get as much — if not more — simply spending time outside on a regular day.
A Solution That Works
Weight loss products and programs of questionable efficacy, exercise equipment that serves as dust catchers and laundry racks, unused gym memberships: people spend tens of billions of dollars on their health for things they’ll never use. A DEXA scan is a remarkable value in comparison … and may actually save your life. Please speak with a staff member today!
