"Clinician Chat" is a regular feature in which the Ageless & Wellness News (AWN) sits down for a chat with one of our medical professionals to discuss an area of expertise.
Steven Garces, MSN, ARNP, FNP-BC, focuses on hormone consultations for men, women, and transgender patients, sexual vitality treatments including the Priapus Shot® for men, and a whole-person approach to health and longevity.
AWN: Your degree as a Nurse Practitioner includes a specialization in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Has that experience helped you in your practice at the Ageless & Wellness Medical Center (AWMC)?
Steven Garces (SG): Yes, both specializations teach you strong diagnostic skills. You have to know how to assess a situation quickly, so you focus on the big picture first, then get to the fine details. I learned how to listen. I prefer to partner with my patients to work out a health solution that is tailored to their needs.
AWN: Nearly half of your patients are men, and that number is growing. Do you think men are becoming increasingly aware of health and hormone issues?
SG: Hormone issues have traditionally been seen as something that only women deal with, but as we know that's not true at all -- men struggle with hormone issues as well, and always have. Andropause (the "male menopause") was first identified in the 1940s, but only in the past 10 years has it become less taboo for men to discuss the impacts of their own hormone changes and age-related health concerns.
AWN: What makes the AWMC a good choice for men's health, and what approach do you offer your patients?
SG: Our practice truly understands the impacts of hormone problems in men. Most physicians will just write you a prescription for anti-depressants and Viagra® and send you on your way. That's not what we do!
We offer a whole person approach to health and longevity that addresses hormone issues with safe, highly-effective bioidentical hormone treatments and pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and supplements. Often these treatments are all a man needs to feel energetic again.
For those who want additional benefits, we also offer drug-free sexual health treatments, such as the Priapus Shot®, an innovative new approach for erectile dysfunction.
AWN: What are men's top health concerns when they come to see you? Are there health issues that men tend to overlook?
SG: Men typically come to see me with three top concerns: (1) lack of energy, (2) low libido, and (3) weight gain. All of these concerns are symptoms of hormone imbalance, and can easily be treated with bioidentical hormone therapy.
Men tend to overlook the other underlying issues, like heart health and stress. We can help steer them in the right direction. Hormone balance is the foundation of what we do, and it makes an enormous difference in people's lives. But patients who make diet and lifestyle changes too are the ones who see the long-term benefits.
AWN: You mentioned a sexual vitality treatment that you offer, the Priapus Shot®. What kind of feedback are you getting from men who have tried it?
SG: Patients who have experienced the Priapus Shot® are definitely pleased with the results. And they love the fact that it uses your own platelet-rich-plasma (derived from a blood draw). No drugs, no pills -- this treatment literally regrows tissue and creates new blood vessels. There's nothing else like it!