Dr. Loki Skylizard doesn't want this story to be all about his name, so we'll save that for later and cover robots and hormones first.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Skylizard (his legal name) moved to Springfield in 2015 to work as a thoracic surgical oncologist at Mercy Clinic, where he performed robot-assisted surgery to treat lung cancer patients. His name frequently helped him break the ice.

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But after six months of working at the clinic, the doctor noticed how rapidly he was aging — more rapidly than he expected even in a high-stress job like his. He knew doctors age faster than many people.

That's when he discovered bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. He said it changed his life.

"I didn't realize how bad I felt until I finally felt good," he said while sitting on the edge of his seat at Hebrews Coffee on Republic Road. His passion for the treatment was palpable.

At first, Skylizard was skeptical of hormone replacement therapy. He had spent decades studying cancer, not hormones.

Skylizard completed medical school at the University of Michigan and did his general surgery residency at Tufts University School of Medicine western campus, Baystate Medical Center. He then completed his surgical residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and an additional 12-month fellowship in minimally invasive and advanced robotic thoracic surgery.

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Years of education taught him that hormones cause cancer and heart disease, so he did some investigating. Within a day or two, he was convinced and soon began his own HRT.

In the beginning of his therapy, Skylizard was obese, had high blood pressure and was prediabetic, which he said "puts me in the class of most Americans." He started to feel better, have more energy and slim down with HRT. He saw his patients at the surgery center, who he thought could benefit from the hormone replacement therapy, as well.

Skylizard said that as people get older, conventional medicine tells them to "eat less and exercise more," which he called a "two-legged stool." With HRT, medicine becomes "a stable chair," he said.

With HRT, doctors identify different hormone levels that are on the low end of "normal," Skylizard said. The idea is to get the hormone levels back up to the higher end.

As we age, our hormone levels often decrease. Some women going through menopause undergo HRT to handle the symptoms, such as hot flashes, by taking replacement hormones like progesterone and estrogen. Skylizard said hormone levels start to decline in our 30s.

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He started testing his patients, and they were all showing extremely low hormonal levels. When he attempted to treat his patients in conjunction with other doctors, he met "extreme resistance" to HRT.

Then Mercy began moving away from the lung surgery program of which he was a part, Skylizard said. He specialized in minimally invasive surgery to remove lung cancer, and Mercy wanted to invest in its heart program, he said.

In March, Skylizard started his own HRT practice in Springfield because he saw a need for it and because he believes in it.

"It healed me," he said.

Skylizard said he enjoys seeing the "dramatic changes" in his clients after they go through HRT, which usually takes full effect after 18 months to two years.

"They're awake," he said. "There's color in the world again."

But what about that name?

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The name is not of Puerto Rican origin. Skylizard chose it himself as a child as part of a "crazy family" tradition and he's happy with it. He said there's a lot of "legend and love around it." His brothers and sisters also have unconventional names.

"For better or worse, I can't say my name ever hurt me," he said.

In fact, he once came close to winning the Name of the Year contest, a competition put on by online sports news site Deadspin each year. People nominate others with unique names, and a bracket of names is made. People vote for the moniker they think is best.

In 2014, Skylizard came in fifth, beaten by Shamus Beaglehole, Dr. Eve Gruntfest, Alkapone Cruz-Balles and Chubacca Hung — much to Skylizard's disappointment.