New service line · Coming soon · Altoona, WI
Look Beyond Weight Alone.
A scale cannot show whether a change in weight came from muscle or fat. It cannot tell you how your bone health is changing, either. At Revitalizing Health & Hormones in Altoona, our upcoming DEXA service will help you look beyond weight alone. We plan to offer whole-body composition assessment and bone density testing, with results considered in the context of your goals, health history, and risk factors.
We take a proactive approach to healthspan: preserving the strength, movement, and independence that matter throughout your life. For some people, that means establishing a useful baseline well before traditional age-based screening. For others, it means following up on a known risk or tracking meaningful changes over time.
Interested in a DEXA scan? Contact our team or call 715-666-4313 to ask about availability, pricing, and which assessment fits your needs.
Not yet accepting appointments. Waitlist members are contacted first when booking opens.
What can a whole-body DEXA scan show?
DEXA (also written DXA) stands for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A whole-body body composition scan can assess total and regional fat mass, lean mass, and body fat percentage. This offers a more useful view of your progress than body weight alone. Depending on the scanner and software, the report may also include measures such as bone mineral content, regional lean mass, or estimated visceral fat. We will explain the measurements available on our specific system when scheduling opens.
A body composition scan may help you ask better questions:
Am I maintaining muscle as I lose weight?
Tracking lean mass can be especially valuable during nutrition or medically supervised weight loss programs.
Is my strength plan changing my body composition?
A baseline and appropriately timed follow-up can help put changes in context.
Where are changes occurring?
Regional measurements can show patterns that a scale or overall body fat percentage cannot.
These measurements are pieces of information, not diagnoses by themselves. Hydration, preparation, positioning, and equipment can affect comparisons, so consistent scanning conditions matter.
Bone health is a lifelong conversation
Bone is living tissue. Genetics, aging, menopause, activity, nutrition, certain medical conditions, and medications can all affect bone health. Waiting for a fracture is not the only way to start paying attention. If you have risk factors, a provider may recommend evaluating bone density earlier in adulthood.
Diagnostic bone density testing generally measures the lumbar spine and hip, and sometimes the forearm when appropriate. These sites have validated uses for diagnosing low bone density or osteoporosis and helping estimate fracture risk. A whole-body composition report may display total or regional bone measurements, but those measurements do not replace a diagnostic bone density scan at the recommended sites. Your provider can help determine which scan you need and whether both assessments make sense for you.
A bone density result is also not a complete fracture-risk assessment. A personalized review may consider prior fractures, family history, menopause status, falls, medications, other health conditions, and a validated risk tool when appropriate. If the findings call for further evaluation, our team can discuss the next steps or an appropriate referral.
When might earlier evaluation make sense?
An individual bone health conversation may be worthwhile if you are in the menopause transition or postmenopausal, have had a low-trauma fracture, have a family history of hip fracture, have low body weight, use medicines associated with bone loss, or have a condition that affects bone health. You may also want a body composition baseline when starting a strength or weight management program, especially if preserving muscle is one of your goals.
There is no single screening age that fits everyone.
Routine osteoporosis screening is recommended for women 65 and older, and guidelines also support testing some younger postmenopausal women and women in the menopause transition based on risk factors. Testing in other adults is an individualized clinical decision. Our goal is to discuss your risk and choose a test that can lead to a useful decision, rather than use age alone as the gatekeeper.
What happens after the scan?
We want your results to lead to a meaningful conversation. Depending on your findings and goals, your provider may discuss strength and weight-bearing exercise, adequate nutrition, fall prevention, medication history, additional evaluation for possible contributors to bone loss, or other evidence-based treatment and referral options. For body composition, the focus may be on protecting lean mass and following trends that matter to you.
No single scan can measure your entire healthspan or predict exactly what will happen in the future. It can, however, give you a starting point for decisions you and your care team can revisit over time.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Does DEXA scan my whole body or only my hip and spine?
A whole-body composition scan assesses the body from head to toe and reports total and regional body composition. A diagnostic bone density scan measures specific skeletal sites, usually the spine and hip, and sometimes the forearm. They serve different purposes. Ask our team which scan or scans are included in your appointment.
Q: If my whole-body scan shows bone measurements, do I still need a bone density scan?
Possibly. Whole-body bone measurements on a composition report are not interchangeable with the validated spine, hip, or forearm measurements used for adult osteoporosis diagnosis and fracture-risk decisions. Your provider can advise you based on the question you are trying to answer.
Q: Am I too young to think about bone density?
Age alone does not decide whether a bone health evaluation is useful. Younger adults with certain fractures, conditions, medications, or menopause-related risk factors may benefit from a discussion and, when indicated, diagnostic testing. In premenopausal women and men younger than 50, results require age-appropriate interpretation. A low number alone does not necessarily mean osteoporosis.
Q: Can a DEXA scan tell me whether I will fracture a bone?
No. Bone density is one important part of risk assessment. A provider may also consider your clinical history and other risk factors when estimating fracture risk.
Q: Do I need to prepare for a scan?
Our team will give you instructions for the specific assessment you book. Tell us if you are pregnant or may be pregnant, or if you recently had contrast imaging or a nuclear medicine procedure. Consistent preparation helps make follow-up body composition scans easier to compare.
Q: How often should I repeat a scan?
That depends on the type of scan, your initial findings, your risk, and whether the result could change your care. Your provider can recommend a sensible follow-up interval.
Coming soon to Altoona
Get a clearer baseline for your next chapter
Revitalizing Health & Hormones serves Altoona, Eau Claire, and the surrounding Chippewa Valley. Whether you want to understand your body composition, assess bone health, or discuss how both fit into a longer-term plan, we would be glad to help you choose a starting point.
Contact us or call to ask when DEXA appointments will be available. We’ll add you to the list.