Author: markdegrasse@gmail.com

Lewis Family Medicine Announces Grand Opening of New Onion Creek Location

Lewis Family Medicine, an Austin-area private medical practice, has just announced the opening of their new location in South Austin, Texas. The new Onion Creek facility is located at 701 East, Farm to Market 1626, Austin, TX 78748.

 

Lewis Family Medicine is on the cutting edge of healthcare training and technology. The practice, founded by Dr. Kevin Lewis specializes in primary care for the entire family. The new Onion Creek location will open on June 22, 2021 and is currently taking appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm. These limited hours will last through August.

 

“We’re very excited about expanding our practice into South Austin,” stated Dr. Kevin Lewis. “Our goal is to serve as many Austin-area families as possible, and this is a great stride towards that goal.”

 

The new medical facility is located in the recently constructed medical tower, known as Medical Plaza at Onion Creek, located at Manchaca and I35. The location was chosen specifically for its convenience for local residents throughout South Austin.

 

Lewis Family Medicine Onion Creek features state of the art x-ray and diagnostics equipment, a well-appointed waiting room, spacious and comfortable examination rooms, as well as nutrition and health consulting rooms.

 

“We have always sought to provide local families with the best health care possible, and our new Onion Creek location will make it more convenient and comfortable as ever,” stated Dr. Lewis. “Our knowledgeable and experienced staff will provide chronic illness management, hormone treatment for both men and women, allergy treatment, prevention of disease, and lifestyle consulting in the form of weight management, blood pressure, and cholesterol control.”

 

This is the third location for the Lewis Family Medical practice. In addition to the new location in Onion Creek, there is also a primary and urgent care facility in Dripping Springs and family medical offices in Manor.

 

The opening of the new medical facility will be June 22nd, 2021 at 9:00am.

 

More information about the new location can be found at https://lewisfamilymed.com/onion-creek.

Healthy Parents: Milestones for Mom

Milestones for Mom

According to most memes, going to the doctor regularly without your parent’s help is the highest level of “adulting.” Basic annual check ups are great for your health, helping you get ahead of the curve, but if you can’t keep up annually make sure you at least hit your healthy milestones with your doctor. Women have a number of exams that they need to keep up to date on, we are here to help you keep track!

Milestone Exams for Women Age 20

The American Heart Association recommends women get checked every four to six years, starting at age 20. This is part of your annual wellness exam and covered by your insurance. High cholesterol at an early age raises the risk of heart disease and should be monitored and remedied as quickly as possible. Exams and treatment in the earlier part of life keep your risk of heart disease at bay.

Milestone Exams for Women Age 21

At age 21 it is recommended that all women get pap smears, it’s recommended for all women who are engaging in sexual activities but most insurances won’t cover them until you’re 21! A pap smear is a test to find out if your cervical tissue holds any cancerous cells, it’s a pre-screening for cervical cancer. Most women say that it’s a slightly uncomfortable procedure, but I think most women would agree anytime you have to put your feet in stirrups at the doctors it’s a little uncomfortable.

Milestone Exams for Women Age 40

Starting in your 40s, your healthcare provider will perform yearly breast exams. They will visually and manually check your breasts for differences in size or shape, rashes and dimpling, and lumps. This will normally happen in your annual obgyn exam, preceding your pap smear.

Milestone Exams for Women Age 50

Once you turn 50, you should start being screened for colon cancer. And receiving annual mammograms. If you’re not 50 yet, you may be spared a colonoscopy. At home colon cancer screenings are becoming more readily available, if your results come back normal there may be no reason for a colonoscopy! Mammograms are x-ray images of your breast tissue to detect any signs of breast cancer. During a mammogram your breasts are compressed between two firm surfaces to spread out the breast tissue.

Milestone Exams for Women Age 65

Women age 65 and older should be screened for osteoporosis, this is usually done by Bone Density Tests. There are two machines used to test your bone density, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). DXA is considered by doctors to be the most useful and accurate test, and it tests the hip spine or total body. QCT is usually used to see if your osteoporosis treatments are working, but is a good second set of eyes when checking your density.

Milestone Exams Throughout the Ages

No matter your age, it’s important for you to be getting your milestone exams on top of your annual exams. Your doctor will assist you in deciding how to execute your exams in the most accurate and timely manner for you. These milestone exams specifically are important in finding ailments before they get out of control! Contact your doctor today if you think you’ve missed an important milestone exam!

Should You Be Looking Into Testosterone Therapy? Maybe!

What is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a vital hormone in males that impacts a variety of bodily functions, including strength, muscle mass, body fat, body hair, sex drive, and sperm count. All of these can be impacted when testosterone drops below an optimal level.

Unfortunately for men, the risk of low testosterone increases with age. David Paolone, MD, an urologist at UW Health’s Men’s Health Clinic estimates that 12% of men in their 50’s, 19% of of men in their 60’s, 28% of men in their 70’s, and 49% of men in their 80’s are suffering from Low Testosterone.

Symptoms of Low Testosterone (typically referred to as Low-T) include decreased labido, decreased erection quality, loss of body hair, low bone density, and poor muscle retention with adequate workouts. This in turn leads to mood changes, depression, fatigue, skin changes, decreased bone density, and an increased risk of late-onset hypogonadism.

Why Does a Proper Testosterone Level Matter for Male Health?

Low testosterone levels could be a sign of pituitary gland problems*. The pituitary gland sends a signaling hormone to the testicles to produce more testosterone.

Abnormally high levels of testosterone could be the result of an adrenal gland disorder, or even cancer of the testes.

High testosterone levels may also occur in less serious conditions. For example, congenital adrenal hyperplasia*, which can affect males and females, is a rare but natural cause for elevated testosterone production.

Why does testosterone health matter to female health?

Having an optimal testosterone level in females helps with labido, energy levels, and metabolism.

What are the common signs that you could be suffering from low-t?

Low levels of testosterone, can produce a variety of symptoms in men, including:

  • decreased sex drive
  • less energy
  • weight gain
  • feelings of depression
  • moodiness
  • low self-esteem
  • less body hair
  • thinner bones

Testosterone levels decline steadily in adult women, however, low T levels can also produce a variety of symptoms, including:

  • low libido
  • reduced bone strength
  • poor concentration
  • depression

What long term health issues could occur if low-t isn’t addressed?

While testosterone production naturally tapers off as a man ages, other factors can cause hormone levels to drop.

Injury to the testicles and cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation can negatively affect testosterone production.

Chronic health conditions and stress can also reduce testosterone production. Some of these include:

  • Kidney Disease
  • Alcoholism
  • Cirrhosis of the Liver
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  • Chronic Opioid Use

Low T levels in women can be caused by removal of the ovaries as well as diseases of the pituitary, hypothalamus, or adrenal glands.

How to naturally improve testosterone levels

Lifting weights and working out, tracking your macronutrients, vitamins and minerals specifically Vitamin D.

Avoiding things like soy products (for men) which mimic estrogen.

How Medical Testosterone Therapy Works?

You may be a candidate for testosterone replacement therapy if Low-T is interfering with your health and quality of life. Testosterone can be administered orally, through injections, subcutaneous pellets or with gels/skin patches. If you don’t have a medical condition that’s contributing to your decline in testosterone levels, your doctor might suggest natural ways to boost testosterone, such as losing weight and increasing muscle mass through resistance exercise prior to offering HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

Of critical importance is that if hormone therapy is initiated is should be done with a complete understanding of your overall health to include cardiovascular health/endocrine health  Heart disease has been #1 for mortality in the United States since approximately 1935 and to be on HRT without a thorough and advanced cardiac evaluation is short sided in my opinion.

At LFMUC we question and screen for any/all causes that may be contributing to symptoms of Low-T and then take a global approach at solving the problem.   It is our goal to prevent disease in our pt population while optimizing in areas we are safely able to do so.

SOURCES

https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-testosterone#testing

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-ways-to-boost-testosterone#8.-Follow-a-Healthy-Lifestyle-and-Avoid-Estrogen-like-Compounds

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/sexual-health/in-depth/testosterone-therapy/art-20045728

 

Parent’s Health

Healthy parent’s make healthy kids,

the best way to ensure that your kids care about their health moving forwards is for them to see you caring about yours. Keeping up to date with annual exams, keeping yourself mobile, and keeping your nutrition in check are all very important maintenance to keep you at your healthiest self!

Three things you should know more about to consider yourself a healthy dad:

-Low T

-Annual Exams, and milestone exams at specific ages

-Back pain

What are some warning signs for these and what do you do when they get bad? When do you need to see a doctor, for maintenance and for emergency? We don’t want to see you become a statistic!

Three things you should know more about to consider yourself a healthy mom,

-Estrogen Levels (and testosterone, yes that’s important for you too!)

-Annual Exams, and milestone exams at specific ages

-Back pain, this can mean a lot of different things for you!

Healthy Parents Eat Healthy Foods, how to properly monitor your nutrition:

We are going to break down some nutrition facts and folklore here. It’s not just about calories and sugars. Carbs aren’t your enemy. Nutrition is all about balance!

-How to lower cholesterol

-Easy diet tips, what to switch for when eating out

-Common Diet Mistakes

We will be releasing these articles in parts, if you’d like to be kept up to date on this series please subscribe to our newsletter to get emails when they’re released!

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