Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a much-talked-about but poorly defined disorder. Typically CFS presents itself as disabling exhaustion. By disabling, I don’t mean being tired in the afternoon and needing a nap. People with CFS can’t get out of bed, go out with friends, or live their best lives. They’re exhausted, and sleep isn’t helping. But CFS also has plenty of other troubling symptoms, including memory impairment, mood changes, irritable bowel syndrome, joint pains and muscle aches. CFS is also called Immune Dysfunction Syndrome because it depletes the immune system. To make matters worse, there’s no magic bullet for treating CFS, and plenty of contradictory theories about what causes it. Because it’s not well-understood, patients with CFS are often told it’s just in their heads and are subject to ridicule … Read More
Inflammation and Your Hormones 101
When a patient comes into my office with multi-system complaints — for example, they have gastrointestinal distress and poor recovery from exercise, or they have headaches and joint pains — one of the prime suspects is chronic inflammation. “Inflammation” has become a buzzword recently, appearing in articles with trendy titles like “Eat These Top 10 Anti-Inflammatory Foods” or “Take This Supplement for its Anti-Inflammatory Properties.” But there’s still plenty of confusion about the term “inflammation.” Is it good? Is it bad? Why all this fuss over it? Let’s clear all of that up. Inflammation, simply defined, is a response your body has to any insult or injury. A perfect example: the processes that result from injuring your ankle when you’re jogging. It’s a great morning, you’re feeling good jogging around … Read More
4 Pathways To Fat Loss (Including 2 You Might Have Overlooked!)
One of the top reasons people schedule evaluations with me is because they’re having a hard time losing body fat. It’s a classic problem of aging: For men and women fat typically gathers around the midsection. Not only is it unsightly, but it increases risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer. And the extra fat isn’t there for lack of trying to burn it off! Patients come in baffled, telling me they’re meeting with a trainer four or more days a week, doing everything “right,” or working harder than they’ve ever worked before to lose it. What they’re often forgetting is that as we get older we have a harder time keeping body fat off and lean muscle mass on. Different periods in our lives require different approaches to … Read More
Suzanne Somers and Dr. Mike Carragher Talk Hormones in Men
I was recently asked to be interviewed by the incomparable Suzanne Somers on the benefits of Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) in men. Suzanne has done so much to educate women on the benefits of BHRT in women. But men also suffer from declining hormone levels as they age, and testosterone is usually not the only hormone that needs to be replaced! Men are also frequently told that their hormone levels are “normal” by their physicians, who are all to often unaware that it’s not just a lab number that indicates hormone deficiency or need for replacement. Watch this great interview and learn about the effects that declining hormone levels have in men and what you can do about it. To schedule an Age Management/Hormonal Optimization evaluation, call 1-323-874-9355
Stress Is A Hormone Problem
Are you stressed out? I bet I can guess the answer. The truth is, most people that come to see me are holding an inordinate and unhealthy amount of stress. I don’t just mean the rushing, nervous, phone-checking, frazzled, distracted patients. They’re obviously stressed out, sure. But stress presents itself in every form imaginable. Stress is the number one health problem of our time. It’s linked to nearly all other health concerns, either causing or exacerbating them. So what is stress? Here’s the short answer: Stress is a cascade of events in the body set off by a thought, an action, emotion, a physical problem, or a life situation (also known as stressors). It can be beneficial or detrimental; stress isn’t bad or good in and of itself. But let’s … Read More