AMMG Awards Anna Cabeca, D.O. the Prestigious Alan Mintz Award for Clinical Excellence
Jeff Morris
On the morning of Friday, November 3, 2017 at the 23rd Clinical Applications for Age Management Medicine Conference, Anna Cabeca, D.O. was presented with the 11th Annual Alan P. Mintz, M.D. Award for Clinical Excellence in Age Management Medicine.
The ceremony, at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, was the culmination of a journey that began with Dr. Cabeca's own family, a journey that was given a giant boost when, appropriately, she attended a lecture taught by Dr. Mintz himself.
"What I feel led me into age management was really the preventive medicine aspect," she told the E-Journal. "Having come from a family with a strong history of diabetes and heart disease, with first heart surgeries at age 50 and my mom dying at 67, I knew that there was something I was missing. And if I could get to the underlying causes, I could probably avert the disease process altogether."
"I went to a lecture," Dr. Cabeca continued, "and Alan Mintz was speaking and it was age management medicine, integrative medicine, and he spoke about, especially in women’s health, the deficit of understanding bioidentical hormones, and giving people options as you get to these underlying causes of disease and the impact of lifestyle changes. To see a field of medicine burgeoning by combining these aspects really made sense to me. It seemed to me a really good platform with which to approach care of medical patients in general."
Dr. Cabeca explained that she was a rural health physician. "I was a National Health Service Corps scholar, so my practice was in southeast Georgia, and we had huge medical needs here. So what we could do to increase health stemmed from preventing the disease process, and reversing it with lifestyle changes using natural therapies and bioidentical hormones."
A board certified Gynecologist and Obstetrician, Dr. Cabeca is also board certified in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine, an expert in Functional Medicine, and an expert in women’s health and sexual health. Dr. Cabeca's educational resume is long and varied. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology and Psychology from Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA; completed graduate course work in Biostatistics and Biochemistry at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences, at the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD; completed graduate course work in Epidemiology in the College of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. completed graduate course work in Epidemiology and Environmental Medicine, at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; earned her medical degree from Nova-Southeastern University of the Health Sciences in Florida, and did her residency training in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Cabeca describes herself as "medical doctor, mother, advocate for women’s health, researcher and educator" and frequently lectures nationally and internationally regarding restorative health and women’s health issues. She specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and natural alternatives, successful menopause and age management medicine. Dr. Cabeca is a mother of 5, speaks four languages, and grew up in a multilingual and multicultural household, which nurtured her love for international medicine and travel. She has traveled around the world learning from and experiencing cutting edge centers, and alternative healing modalities.
She retired her clinical practice in 2013, and now focuses on educating women and men worldwide, including physicians and healthcare providers, on successful age management, hormone balance and women’s health. She is a consultant and trainer for other physicians in Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy and Functional Medicine Principles. She is also the creator of highly acclaimed virtual transformational programs: Women's Restorative Health, SexualCPR and Magic Menopause™ and hosts the highly regarded series, Couch Talk, featuring podcasts on current and cutting-edge health topics. Dr. Cabeca is also the developer of an alkaline super foods drink, and a rejuvenating feminine vulvar cream for women. Her belief is that the advantages of creating health and hormone balance are that we not only improve our own health, but also improve the health of our generations to follow.
Beginning in 2009, Dr. Cabeca became a frequent presenter at Clinical Applications for Age Management Medicine Conferences, and served on the AMMG Conference Planning Committee. She has spoken extensively on detoxification, one of the "Seven Keys to Optimal Health" in her Women's Restorative Health program. Most recently she has focused on vaginal health, which she says is extremely important in women's lives, and not only in their reproductive years. "We need to maintain vaginal health all our lives," she said, telling the E-Journal that vaginal health is a significant indication of internal health. “I take the vagina seriously because I’m a gynecologist," she said, "but also because when I started practicing in rural Georgia, three of my patients in the first six months had serious vaginal disease. I’ve had patients tell me they were told that they never need to have another pap smear after a hysterectomy or after menopause because they would never have any other issues. This is a very grave misconception and misinterpretation."
On receiving the Alan P. Mintz, M.D. Award, Dr. Cabeca said, "To receive this award, especially after retiring my practice—being a single mom since my divorce seven years ago, and deciding to spend as much time as possible with my kids—is such an honor, and quite a surprise. I'm very grateful to AMMG for deciding to bestow this honor on me."
As for her future plans, Dr. Cabeca said she is launching another Magic Menopause program, "an 8-week program for women to take online, from the comfort of their home," in which she will focus on nutrition. And, she is writing a book on menopause, which should be coming out next year.
(right) Dr. Cabeca gestures emphatically in a meeting during her time as a member of the AMMG Conference Planning Committee.
