by Elaine H. Bowen
For New Pittsburgh Courier
CHICAGO (NNPA)—The secret to the fountain of youth may not be so secret after all, with the work of Dr. Lewanzer Lassiter. Lassiter has been in the field for more than 25 years and works primarily in women’s medicine, with specialties in anti-aging and bio-identical hormone pellet replacement therapy.
Anti-aging can take many forms, and Black women can use treatments to go from the obvious physical qualities to longer lasting results, Lassiter said. “I take anti-aging to the cellular levels, past the cosmetics,” she added.
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Dr. Lewanzer Lassiter
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While we all know that Black women in their prime—notably the late Eunice Johnson, Tina Turner and Diahann Carroll—can look great for their ages, there’s a secret to that, also, which is attributed greatly to cultural dynamics.
“Well, Black skin doesn’t crack, and it remains youthful in appearance,” said Lassiter. “We don’t experience early wrinkling and frequently defy our chronological age.”
This is a good thing. But, the doctor warns that Blacks shouldn’t become complacent with this theory. “The Black community might have the physical appearance of looking younger, but this doesn’t necessarily correlate with physical well-being,” Lassiter said. “Blacks have a higher incidence of many chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease than our Caucasian counterparts. I believe that this discrepancy exists more due to dietary, environmental, educational, financial and health care disparities.”
And while much work would have to be done to address educational and financial shortcomings, easier lifestyle changes that include diet and exercise can make a person’s inner body just as pleasant as the outside. Ways exist to address the anxiety that people feel as they age. “You don’t have to just live with it, and everything isn’t a part of getting old,” Lassiter said.
The theory of anti-aging, according to Lassiter, depends very much on many facets such as the total body, mental clarity, maintenance of body mass and physical capacity that work together.
One treatment involves bio-identical hormone pellet replacement therapy, which was first introduced in the United States around 1935.
Bio-identical hormone pellet replacement therapy is recommended for both men and women over the age of 45 who wish to enjoy longevity and maintain a balance of wellness and prevention. It is a method by which the natural estrogen in women and testosterone in men is restored so that while a person may not look 30 years old again, one will certainly feel better and be able to do things more easily than before.
In essence, pellet replacement therapy basically picks up where the ovaries and testicles left off, using the same hormonal structure as estrogen and testosterone, along with soy and other natural plant-based ingredients.
“I use biologically equivalent or chemical copies of the human hormones estradiol and testosterone to restore the balance to the levels of a 25 to 35 year old,” Lassiter said.
The therapy is an anti-aging technique that addresses depression; decreased sexual urges in men and women; sleep disturbances; hot flashes and fatigue, among other things. The therapy also allows for decreased body fat and a greater capacity to get results from exercise.
Under local anesthesia, pellets the size of a grain of rice are inserted in the hip or buttocks area. The advantage of bio-identical hormone pellet replacement therapy is that the hormones are released directly into the blood stream, which means lower doses are needed, as opposed to a synthetic or artificial pill or capsule form. This procedure lasts up to six months. After therapy, men and women feel more energized and vibrant, sexier and have friendlier dispositions.
But, Lassiter’s work doesn’t end there. She also has patients follow a weight management program, which is closely supervised, that uses HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) to reset a part of the brain feeding system to mobilize excess fat calories. In turn, this energy is available for fuel, which also results in weight loss. Essentially, HCG is the hormone secreted by the placenta during pregnancy that pulls about 2,000 calories a day from the body’s fat to be used as fuel. However, with non-pregnant women and men as well, these calories can be used as fuel and then low fat and low carbohydrate dietary foods are added to maintain muscle mass, vital nutrients and fluid. This can result in an average daily weight loss of at least one half pound, and 70 to 80 percent of patients will maintain overall weight loss more than one year later, according to Lassiter.
Marques Dixon has been a patient of Lassiter’s for two years, and he enjoys working with her for his weight management needs. “The positive impact and immediate results that I have received, while not jeopardizing my health in the process, are great,” said Dixon. “This diet has also been a lifestyle change for me with regard to my bad eating habits. I find myself eating healthy foods and find that I can enjoy doing so.”
Dixon is 28 and has lost eight pounds since beginning Lassiter’s program, while admitting that he never had success with other programs.
“Dr. Lassiter has taught me how to choose healthy alternatives when it comes to food, and its preparation, i.e., baked vs. fried. I have also learned the values that some foods have and have a clearer sense of the negative impacts of unhealthy foods.”
Taken together, Lassiter’s treatments breathe new life into her patients. Although the birthdays may come and go, the renewed energy, as well as restored beauty and physical ability, are here to stay.
(For more information about Dr. Lassiter or to set up a consultation, visit the website at www.genesis2antiaging.com or phone the office at 773-947-8412.)
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