DEXA Scans for Bone Health

When it comes to preventative medicine, naturopathic medicine really shines. We emphasize disease prevention and use various forms of assessment like labs, imaging, or physical exams to assess symptom pictures and aid in early detection of imbalances.
 
Bone Density
Northwest Life Medicine is welcoming a new assessment tool via a partnership with NOMAD Fit Labs and their mobile DEXA scan device. DEXA scans are low dose X-rays (far lower than a common X-ray) that are used to assess bone mineral density as well as the body’s muscle and fat composition.  

Generally, DEXA screening recommendations are encouraged at age 65. We’ve noticed that bone health can start to change much earlier than that, so screening at younger ages can help us get on top of bone building and deterioration prevention before getting the levels of osteoporosis or osteopenia. While an in-house DEXA machine at an imaging center is the gold-standard for DEXA scans, NOMAD’s mobile unit maintains a level of accuracy that allows for a general early screening that can be followed over time to watch for trends at a fraction of the cost. The difference in results between NOMAD’s DEXA Scan and one you might get at an imaging center are nominal.

All adults can benefit from tracking bone mineral density – however, women over the age of 35 may benefit the most; hormonal changes leading up to menopause are the biggest trigger for bone density loss. 

Muscle and Fat Composition
Metabolic health is a hot topic and has been for many years. But research is increasingly abundant on what impacts our metabolism and how to best support it. A primary area of focus in the research right now is muscle’s impact on metabolism. It turns out that having more muscle mass tends to improve metabolism and energy levels through increasing amounts of mitochondria (cellular energy producers) in the body. The DEXA scan reports you’ll receive from the NOMAD team will be a thorough report of where and how much lean muscle mass a person has.

While many folks shy away from learning how much body fat they have, a particular type of body fat can have major health implications – and it is very good to know if you have it.

Visceral fat is a type of body fat that is stored inside your abdomen and surrounding important internal organs like your liver, pancreas, and intestines. Having some visceral fat is essential to health, but having too much - especially if it becomes inflamed - can cause some undesirable issues. For example, visceral fat can impair hormone and nerve signaling, which leads to metabolic dysfunction and increased hunger levels. Screening for visceral fat can help us hone in on therapies to help reduce that specific kind of fat. With regular screenings we can watch how effective our therapies are over time. 

Whether you’re wanting to get your metabolism on the right path, track your bone health, or optimize your fitness, a DEXA scan is a great assessment tool.

After your 10-minute DEXA scan on Wednesday, January 14, we will also review your results with your provider in either your next scheduled appointment or in a 15-minute appointment designed specifically to review your specific DEXA results. 

Please contact our clinic to get scheduled for your DEXA scan and naturopathic review.