Before I Found Dr. Derksen
For more than twenty years, I struggled with a difficult digestive autoimmune condition. As I entered my fifties, my health declined rapidly. I was chronically dehydrated, malnourished, weak, and exhausted. Even simple tasks like cooking or getting dressed required enormous effort. I felt like a fifty-year-old trapped in an eighty- or ninety-year-old body. There were days when I felt so fragile and depleted that I no longer felt like living at all.
My visits to conventional doctors left me discouraged. Because of insurance limitations, I couldn't even get routine blood tests every year. Appointments were rushed, and I was often handed mental-health questionnaires instead of being offered real medical guidance. Deep down, I knew something was profoundly wrong with my body, yet I felt dismissed, misunderstood, and invisible.
In desperation, I searched for alternatives--and finding Dr. Salwa Bakkali-Derksen became the turning point that gave me hope again.
How Dr. Derksen Helped Me Reclaim My Health
From the moment I met Dr. Derksen, something shifted. She listened--truly listened--with patience, empathy, and complete attention. She immediately ordered comprehensive testing, which revealed that my testosterone level was essentially zero, explaining my severe fatigue, depression, muscle loss, and bone decline. With confidence and precision, she started me on hormone replacement therapy with estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Within weeks, it felt as though someone had turned the lights back on inside me. My energy, clarity, and joy began to return.
Under her guidance, I began exercising regularly and nourishing myself properly. She performed a body composition analysis and ordered a bone scan, which showed severe osteoporosis--far too early for my age. Instead of leaving me in fear, she took immediate action, consulted with endocrinologists at Mayo Clinic, and developed a thoughtful plan to rebuild my bones and restore my strength.
Joining her practice has been one of the most important decisions of my life. I now receive regular monitoring, meaningful follow-up, and a level of care that addresses my whole health--body, mind, and long-term well-being. For the first time in years, I feel like I have a real chance to live fully again.
Why Dr. Derksen's Care Represents the Future of Medicine
Working with Dr. Derksen has shown me what modern healthcare must become. Today's greatest health burdens--heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune illness, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, and cancer--are chronic conditions that slowly take away vitality long before they end a life. Based on my experience as a post-menopausal woman and current clinical research, hormone imbalance significantly increases the risk of these diseases. Restoring balance is not optional; it is foundational to preventing long-term decline and protecting brain and metabolic health.
The traditional medical system is designed to react after disease appears. The future must be proactive: early detection, continuous monitoring, balanced hormones, good nutrition, muscle strengthening, and lifestyle support. This is exactly the model Dr. Derksen practices. By stepping outside insurance constraints, she removes barriers, looks for root causes, and empowers her patients to reclaim their energy and well-being.
A Message From My Heart
Life is the most precious gift we are given, and each of us has only one chance to live it. Without health, we are not truly living--we are merely existing. Too many people wait until it is too late, regretting that they ignored early warning signs or postponed care because of cost or insurance limitations. No amount of savings can bring back lost vitality.
I encourage everyone to take ownership of their health long before illness forces the issue. Work with physicians like Dr. Derksen--doctors who look deeper, focus on prevention, and are dedicated to restoring strength and clarity. I am forever grateful for the second chance at life she has given me. read more