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Dr. BeckerPoised for MedicalBreakthroughsat Enhancementof Life Center“You can’t just prescribe hormones; you have to tailor the therapy, stay on top of it, and look deep.” — Dr. Donna BeckerBy Kathi HolzschuherA year ago, when we visited with the owner and physician, Dr. Donna Becker, of Enhancement of Life Center, she stated, “We have the technology and ability to check an almost unlimited number of laboratory values, including hormone and vitamin levels, and that information can lead to changes in the aging process.” This year, she says, there is “startling news in medicine. It’s about to be a new world with breakthrough answers to age-related issues and amore restorative focus.”Dr. Becker is an expert in hormone therapy and restorative health, choosing to focus on the aspects of aging. A visit with the Dr. will involve detailed labs that will make all the difference toward proper treatments.Doctor Becker reviews all lab tests with you as an individual case.One of the most startling finds in medicine over the past twelve months is an injectable that has had “astonishing” results for weight loss. This medication, semiglutide (Ozempic), which treats Type II diabetes, has been approved for off-label use for obese patients seeking gastric bypass surgery. People lose up to 12 pounds a month. Dr. Becker says excitedly, “those who have been overweight their entire lives, and those who failed gastric bypass surgeries, all lose weight. It’s been amazing.” Of course, not every person is guaranteed to lose that amount of weight. Semiglutide may have serious side effects and a detailed discussion with written instructions is provided to eligible patients. Not everyone is eligible, and this fact is discussed at length.The medication works by slowing gastric emptying, meaning the person feels comfortably full all the time. It reduces the food chatter in the brain-the hormones that tell a person they are hungry. Energy levels are unaffected because the food is always in the stomach, and there are no blood sugar crashes.Dr. Becker is quick to say, “It’s not effortless. Low-calorie, low-fat diet (without hunger!) and walking 10,000 steps/ day, completes the plan. Balanced hormones must be correct from the start. “My patients do best whoeat breakfast and dinner daily, intaking the complex carbohydrates at night, 1⁄2 baked sweet potato, 1⁄2 cup brown rice, or other starches”. Once the weight loss goal is achieved and the patient stops the medication, the brain is reprogrammed to eat less and eat well. “So far, I have not seen weight regain or rebound after stopping semiglutide.” But published reports do report a weight regain after stopping the semiglutide in some patients.Another advancement in medicine worth noting is the use of Choline supplementation. Choline is essential for optimal brain function and is a nutrient found in eggs and fatty meats. Unfortunately, it is deficient in almost 95% of adults. In a study using rodents, scientists found that Choline depletion resulted in brain changes similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Choline supplementation in humans reduces the activation of microglia, which in turn, helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease from occurring.Aside from breakthroughs in weight loss and Alzheimer’s prevention, one more age-related condition has seen advancement over the past year, hair loss. Remember Minoxidil? It was an older, high-blood-pressure medicine from the 1950s. Doctors found that by combining a tiny dose of it with finasteride, a dihydrotestosterone blocker, wonderful hair growth is visible in people who have suffered from severe age or stress-related hair loss. This combination is a specially compounded medication only available at pharmacies that make medications based on a doctor’s prescription. Individuals with low blood pressure can apply the medicine topically.Medicine is changing, and Dr. Becker says it will change even more in the next 10-12 years. Many significant medical enhancements are already available if you can afford them. Some are pending approval in the United States but are already practiced in other countries. Medicine in the future will be “positioned to your genomes, labs, and microbiome,” explains Dr. Becker.One of those pending approval in the U.S. are machine generated stem cells. Stem cells tell our bodies to regrow parts of it, for example, heart and brain cells. Machine- made mother cells stimulate the body to grow and repair like when we were children.It’s already legal in the U.S. to use stem cells derived from donated placentas for specific injuries like torn tendons and ligaments. Eventually, placenta derived stem cells will be used to heal the brain or regrow the heart-all within the next ten years.“We have to stay healthy! says Dr. Becker.” She says the most significant cause of bankruptcy is unpaid medical bills. “These advances will prevent reasons for hospitalizations in the elderly.” Estradiol is essential for the brain. The two most common fears about aging are dementia and frailty. Testosterone for both men and women is necessary. Mengenerate estrogen from testosterone.It begins with a detailed family history to look forpossible genetic variations. The first visit with Dr. Becker is typically 90 minutes and is a deep investigation into the patient’s symptoms, blood work, and history. EveryAt Dr. Becker’s therapeutic practice, new medical advancements are available and affordable.patient is unique, so Dr. Becker treats them accordingly by personalizing treatments. Says one happy patient, “Dr Becker has completely transformed my health/ life in so many positive directions. She is not only kind, compassionate and intelligent...she is a phenomenal listener, unlike most physicians.”Hormones are a big part of Dr. Becker’s therapeutic practice. She believes them to be vitally important, particularly until the new medical advancements are available and affordable. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize their need for hormone therapy. They have just accommodated their physical changes and challenges and accepted them as a way of life. But, as the good doctor says, “you don’t have to live like that!”Patient Christi says, “I owe my health to Dr Becker and her thorough and thoughtful patient care. She treats me as a whole person and digs deep to find answers to questions that no other doctor even thought to ask.”Dr. Becker doesn’t just dispense and forget.“You can’t just prescribe hormones; you have to tailor the therapy, stay on top of it, and look deep. It’s a multi-pronged approach,” she explains. Hormones, diet, and exercise that focus on age and lifestyle. Patient Sara says it well, “Dr. Becker has helped me get back to a healthy and happier life. “Enhancement of Life” is a very apt description of Dr. Becker’s practice!”Enhancement of LifeDr. Donna Becker 14603 Huebner Rd.Suite 2601 San Antonio, TX 78230210-545-5224www antiagingsa.comMarch 2023www.stoneoakhighlights.com9