The scale is going down.
But what is going down?
Losing weight quickly costs muscle mass and bone density alongside fat. A DEXA scan separates the three, so you can see what you are actually losing.
Questions that come up on a GLP-1
The medication works. That is not the question. These are:
- Weight gain
- Fatigue
- Exhaustion
- Food cravings
- Poor sleep
- Irritability
Why the composition matters more than the number
Weight loss is never only fat. Part of it is muscle, and bone follows. That matters because muscle is what keeps your metabolism and your strength going, and because bone lost in this phase does not simply come back. A scan at the start and one later shows the difference between losing weight and losing the right weight.
Mapped per region. One of the three essential pillars of metabolic health.
The same measurement hospitals use to check bone health.
What it doesn't do
We do not prescribe, adjust or advise on your medication — that is between you and your doctor. What we do is measure, and hand you something concrete to take to that conversation.
Is the radiation safe?
A DEXA scan uses a fraction of the dose of a regular X-ray — comparable to a few hours of natural background radiation. It's still why a physician reviews every request first.
Is it covered by insurance?
No — this is a preventive scan you choose yourself, so it isn't reimbursed. The €150 covers the scan, the physician review and the results walkthrough.
Can I come if I'm pregnant?
No — during pregnancy we don't scan, even at this low dose. The questionnaire checks for this, and you're welcome afterwards.
Who performs the scan?
A trained technician performs the scan; a licensed physician approves it beforehand and signs off on your report.
How is this different from an MRI?
They answer different questions. An MRI images tissue and structures in detail and is a diagnostic tool a doctor orders when something specific needs looking at. A DEXA measures what your body is made of — fat, muscle and bone — and where it sits. A DEXA is quicker, far cheaper and uses a very low dose; it is not a substitute for an MRI and it looks for nothing that an MRI looks for.
Why not just use a scale or a smart body-fat monitor?
A scale gives you one number for your whole body, and that number cannot tell you whether you lost fat or muscle. A bio-impedance monitor — the kind in a smart scale — sends a small current through you and estimates the split from how easily it passes; that estimate shifts with how much you have drunk, eaten or trained that day. A DEXA measures the tissues separately and by region, so it can say where fat sits rather than only how much there is. That distinction is the whole point of this scan.