Dr. David Odom, M.D. in his Palm Springs office.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ETHAN KAMINSKY
Unfortunately, the aging process ushers in a host of challenges. Individuals struggle with weight gain, for example, despite little change in their eating and exercising habits. Another prevalent issue is a decrease in sexual function. At his Longevity Therapeutics practice in Palm Springs, anti-aging physician Dr. David Odom, M.D. offers thoughtful solutions to these and similar problems, which frequently plague the golden years.
Issues begin to crop up when individuals enter their fifties and menopause (women) and andropause (men) occurs. “Age 51 or 52 is typically when sexual function can start to decline. Without the hormones of youth, tissues just don’t react the same way,” says Dr. Odom. For men, the problem manifests itself as erectile dysfunction (ED). The first question he asks male patients is whether they are on a course of hormone replacement therapy. “Because when testosterone is at its nadir, sexual function follows,” Dr. Odom explains. Since bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is a significant component of his practice, it’s the first course of action he recommends.
If ED persists despite attempts to restore hormones to youthful levels, Dr. Odom is pleased to offer a new treatment to help improve men’s sexual health. He recently acquired an Alma Duo device from Alma Lasers, the leading provider of medical aesthetic technologies and energy -based solutions. “As males get older, they lose adequate blood flow to the corpus cavernosum, the two columns of tissue running along the sides of the penis. Blood needs to fill this tissue to cause an erection,” he explained. The Alma Duo uses focused sound wave therapy to stimulate blood flow and restore more natural function.
This non-invasive and clinically validated treatment takes just 15 minutes. “The device pulses sound waves approximately 135 millimeters deep into tissue to promote blood vessel growth. New blood vessels can form in the penis, thus feeding the corpus cavernosum.” The entire procedure is performed in-office and requires no topical anesthetic or downtime.
Of course, declining sexual function isn’t the only problem caused by hormone imbalance. Many individuals age 50 and up who are confounded by weight gain are thrilled to find a solution at Longevity Therapeutics. Dr. Odom offers several different weight loss programs to combat unwanted pounds. The first is his traditional program — a multi-pronged, neurotransmitter modifying approach which includes a high protein/low carbohydrate diet, cardio-vascular exercise plus resistance training, weight loss medications and supplements and most importantly, weekly monitoring.
The second weight loss program Dr. Odom recommends influences fat metabolism and involves use of the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) during the first 40 days. A hormone the female body produces during pregnancy, hCG can reduce feelings of hunger and support weight loss by drawing on fat stores and redistributing body fat from thighs, stomach, and hips in both men and women. More recently, newer diabetes medication such as semaglutide has been enlisted and FDA-approved to help patients safely lose weight. Dr. Odom expects to see this class of drugs commonly called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists soon play a bigger role in long-term weight management.
Dr. Odom received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed anesthesiology residency training at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As a board-certified anesthesiologist, he subsequently spent over 20 years practicing the specialty in Southern California and Fairbanks, Alaska. He began practicing bio-identical hormone replacement therapy in 1997 — the first doctor to do so in Alaska. His passion is age management medicine and by extension, weight management protocols, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and other methods of health maintenance. He has been in practice in Palm Springs since 2016.
Longevity Therapeutics PC
Dr. David Odom, M.D.
3001 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way,
Suite 103
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-698-8400
866-598-2420 fax
dr-odom.com
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