Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Video: The Body Well Helps Prepare Olympic Athletes for LONDON 2012

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As the 2012 Summer Olympic Games draw near, I am especially excited!

Over the past year I’ve had the unique opportunity to work with a number of Olympic athletes as they prepare for the upcoming London Games.  In fact, The Body Well team has been working with athletes from several countries including the United States, Japan, Austria, Colombia and Israel.  I was interviewed with one of the athletes, swimmer and Olympic medalist Marcus Rogan, for a segment that aired recently on Austrian National Television, and I am pleased to share this interview with you [see video link below].

It has been a fun and rewarding year!

As is the case with many of my patients, I performed baseline lab testing, including comprehensive hormonal panels, intracellular vitamin, mineral and nutrient analysis, physical exams as well as baseline fitness testing including VO2 max.  Based upon these results as well as personal goals and type of competition, I have created customized programs for each athlete to optimize individual performance.

One of the more challenging problems I encountered was decreased hormone levels from overtraining and stress.  And how to best optimize those levels while working within strict World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) Guidelines.

I have approached this through custom nutrition and nutraceutical prescription, lifestyle counseling including adequate sleep and stress managment, and Intelligent Exercise counseling so the athletes can work with their coaches for optimal performance.  I have also been able to offer personalized meal planning, preparation and high quality food delivery through The Body Well’s partners, Eat Naked and Wholesome2Go.

Our results have been amazing, as our athletes have excelled in their respective Olympic Trials and are in their best forms as they begin to leave over the coming week for London.

We wish all the athletes well and will be cheering loudly from Los Angeles!

Man, Are You Getting Fat?

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Are you a guy who can’t seem to lose that extra weight around the middle?

There is hope!

Research shows a strong connection between weight gain in men and hormonal imbalances.  Low testosterone and high cortisol levels are related to increased body fat, especially in the midsection, as well as decreased lean muscle mass in men.  This excess body fat furthers the hormonal imbalance by converting more testosterone into estrogen.  Increased body fat and lean muscle loss means more fat and less muscle to carry around, resulting in fatigue and low energy levels.

It’s a vicious cycle.

Weight gain in men is also affected by high stress.  Stress leads to increased cortisol levels in the body, and prolonged stress and heightened levels of cortisol increase the production of fat cells and a slowed metabolic rate. Elevated cortisol also increases appetite, causing men to eat more and male weight gain naturally follows.  Making matters worse still, high cortisol levels diminish testosterone levels, which are already decreasing as men age.  Low testosterone causes low energy and fatigue, meaning less physical activity and still more weight gain in men.

Another vicious cycle!

To boot, as men age, thyroid disorders, particularly hypothyroidism, and low levels of the human growth hormone (HGH) also cause weight gain by decreasing the body’s metabolic rate.

So what’s the solution?

A Comprehensive Age Management Evaluation and Program allows us to measure and appropriately optimize hormone levels as an integral part of an overall care plan.  With the help of Age Management and Hormonal Optimization, we can bring your testosterone, cortisol, estrogen, HGH and thyroid hormones, among others, into optimal ranges. This balance will best position you for maximal body fat loss, an increased metabolic rate, better energy and a more vigorous life.

If you’re in the West Hollywood, Orange County, Beverly Hills, or Los Angeles area, schedule an evaluation with Age Management / Hormonal Optimization expert Dr. Mike Carragher.  If you live out of the area, we can take care of you as well, requiring only an annual visit to The Body Well for your anti-aging Age Management Program. Dr. Carragher will request a blood panel, schedule a comprehensive evaluation, and discuss the best individual treatment options for you.

Call (323) 874-9355 to book an evaluation, or for more information e-mail drmike@thebodywellusa.com

Men: The Importance of Knowing Your Estrogen Level

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Men need a certain amount of estrogen. For men, estrogen (specifically, estradiol) begins in the testes as well as through extra-glandular (outside the gland) conversion of androgens. But if a male body converts more testosterone to estrogen than required, the levels become too high. Consequently, the estrogen interferes with whatever free testosterone exists and both hormones compete for receptor sites. In these cases, there are ways of blocking the estrogen and the problem is easily solved.

Through enzymatic action, testosterone can convert to two other hormones: dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estrogen. The enzyme 5-alpha reductase (found in high concentrations in the prostate gland and skin) converts testosterone into DHT. Aromatase (found in skin, brain, fat and bone) transforms the hormone into estrogen (estradiol).

As years pass, increasingly more testosterone converts to estradiol, increasing a man’s risk for prostate cancer, heart disease and stroke.

One report compared estrogen levels of both genders, showing an average 54-year-old man’s to be higher than an average 59-year-old woman’s.

Since estrogen levels increase with age, men never need estrogen therapy. Actually, aging men often suffer the effects of too little testosterone and too much estrogen. The resulting imbalance directly causes many debilitating health and performance problems associated with “normal” aging.

Since testosterone increasingly converts to estrogen as men age, taking testosterone by itself, without monitoring other hormones, is not judicious. Testosterone may convert into even more estrogen, a process called aromatization.

Aromatization potentially worsens the already existing hormone imbalance. Too much estrogen and not enough testosterone can increase risk of a heart attack or stroke. High levels of estrogen also have been implicated as a cause of benign prostate hyperplasia (noncancerous enlargement of prostate) and even prostate cancer.

A Comprehensive Age Management Evaluation and Program allows us to appropriately optimize and follow estrogen as well as your other hormone levels as an integral part of your overall care plan. If you’re in the West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, or Los Angeles area, schedule an evaluation with Age Management / Hormonal Optimization expert Dr. Mike Carragher. If you live out of the area, we can take care of you as well, requiring only an annual visit to The Body Well for your anti-aging Age Management Program. Dr. Carragher will request a blood panel, schedule a comprehensive evaluation, and discuss the best individual treatment options for you.

Call (323) 874-9355 to book an evaluation, or for more information e-mail drmike@thebodywellusa.com

Fat, Sick, and Tired. That is SO Not Sexy!

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Your body’s adrenal glands produce hydrocortisone (cortisol), a hormone known as a glucocorticoid. Glucocorticoids are critical for life and the key to your body’s physical and emotional stress response. The “glu-“ in glucocorticoid comes from glucose, as these steroids play a vital role in blood sugar metabolism.

Among its functions, cortisol stimulates bodily activities on awakening: It influences carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism, helps regulate blood pressure, and improves the stability of blood vessels. Cortisol is also vital for immune function (it fends off bacteria and viruses) and helps mobilize against inflammation. However, escalated levels of cortisol can actually suppress immune function.

Symptoms of high cortisol include the following:

  • High blood pressure
  • Hyperglycemia
  • Obesity
  • Weakened immune response

A cortisol imbalance may result in:

  • Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Weight gain
  • Bone and muscle loss
  • Foggy thinking
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability

Often called the “stress hormone,” cortisol protects your body when emotional stressors or emergencies arise. When the stress subsides, the brain sends a message to stop cortisol production to normalize levels. But if you’re under chronic pressure and stress, elevated cortisol levels may saturate your body. Over time, these elevated cortisol levels lead to fat accumulation, blood sugar problems, fatigue, bone loss and immune system impairment. Chronic stress (physical or emotional) can also eventually exhaust the adrenal glands, resulting in abnormally low cortisol production – an insidious cycle that can cause premature aging of tissues and total body burnout.

High stress levels and poor nutrition may both contribute to an imbalance in the levels of cortisol. As elevated or lowered levels of cortisol may lead to a host of health problems, it is imperative to have lab work completed to determine your levels. Corrective measures for high cortisol levels include balanced hormones, Relaxation Response Training (RRT), eating an appropriate, anti-inflammatory diet, and the correct physical activity.

So how do you know if you have a cortisol imbalance? If you’re in the West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, or Los Angeles area, schedule an evaluation with Age Management / Hormonal Optimization expert Dr. Mike Carragher. If you live out of the area, we can take care of you as well, requiring only an annual visit to The Body Well for your anti-aging Age Management Program. Dr. Carragher will request a blood panel, schedule a comprehensive evaluation, and discuss the best individual treatment options for you.

Call (323) 874-9355 to book an evaluation, or for more information e-mail drmike@thebodywellusa.com

Can HGH Help Burn Body Fat?

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Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is a natural hormone that is produced by your pituitary gland. As you age, the level of HGH in your body declines. As HGH declines you can experience an increase in body fat, lack of energy, and decreased lean muscle mass, as well as other symptoms.

However, by increasing HGH production or with prescription HGH, you can burn unwanted body fat. HGH is converted to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in your liver. IGF-1 competes with the same receptor sites as insulin on your cell’s surfaces. When it does this, less glucose in transported into your cells to burn as energy, so your body will burn fat instead.

Normally, a person’s body uses all of their glucose as energy before burning energy from their fat reserves. Human growth hormone (HGH) forces your body to obtain more energy from its fat reserves. Significant fat loss is the result.

Because human growth hormone (HGH) triggers your body to burn fat for energy, you will lose weight even during inactive periods. Energy is required for all aspects of living. HGH can even cause your body to burn fat while you are sleeping! Additionally, it allows you to eat a normal low-glycemic diet without excess weight gain. It is important that you eat a low-glycemic diet while taking HGH so that you don’t have too much excess glucose in your blood stream, as this can lead to insulin resistance and increase diabetes risk.

Human growth hormone (HGH) also causes heightened energy levels and metabolism. Naturally produced HGH creates these effects when you’re young. An increased metabolism means increased fat loss. In fact, HGH has been shown to cause weight loss even when you don’t exercise.

So how do you know if you are HGH deficient and if HGH hormonal therapy is right for you? If you’re in the West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, or Los Angeles area, schedule an evaluation with Dr. Mike Carragher. If you live out of the area, we can take care of you as well, requiring only an annual visit to The Body Well for your anti-aging Age Management Program. Dr. Carragher will request a blood panel, schedule a comprehensive evaluation, and discuss the best individual treatment options for you.

Call (323) 874-9355 to book an evaluation, or for more information e-mail drmike@thebodywellusa.com