Peptides are a hot topic these days. Why? Because many peptides are great for burning fat, building muscle, and improving athletic performance. There are thousands of different peptides in the human body, but the one my patients have traditionally been most interested in is human growth hormone, or HGH. HGH is the most over-arching of all the peptide hormones in terms of its benefits. As its name suggests, human growth hormone helps babies and kids grow in height. Low HGH in children can cause dwarfism or short stature syndrome. Giving kids with short stature syndrome HGH during the right stages of growth can help them grow to normal or near-normal height. HGH levels are high until a person is around 18 to 23 years old, which is about the time … Read More
Human Growth Hormone Without The Pain: No Needles And A Cheaper Price Tag!
Human Growth Hormone: Believe the Hype Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has been celebrated by many as the holy grail of hormones, because it’s the most overarching in its benefits. HGH has been shown to increase lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, stimulate collagen production and increase skin thickness, improve bone strength, and more. And it’s still gaining in popularity, as talk of its use continues by high-profile celebrities, athletes, the Beverly Hills crowd, and others who covet it to maintain youth, beauty, and a higher quality of life and health. My practice is next to Beverly Hills, so I hear about it on supermarket lines, at the gym, and at cocktail parties. This is a rare instance where I’ll tell you to believe the hype: The bottom line is, HGH … Read More
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Replacement is Still on the Rise in Los Angeles
As a physician specializing in hormone replacement, I am asked frequently about Human Growth Hormone (HGH). There is a certain fascination with Human Growth Hormone (HGH) with people who live in or around Los Angeles, partially because of its popularity with celebrities, but also because of our city’s obsession with staying young and vibrant. A large number of people from Los Angeles are interested in anti-aging in general, whether it’s Human Growth Hormone or other interventions that help us look and feel younger. Human Growth Hormone is a vital component of the human endocrine system. It is secreted by the pituitary gland, a small gland located at the base of the brain that produces several hormones. In childhood and adolescence this hormone is necessary to promote growth in height. In … 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
Extra Belly Fat? Stop Running and Lift a Weight! Weight Training for Healthy Aging
When it comes to healthy aging and exercise, most people think of jogging, endless steps on the elliptical, or hopping on a stationary bike and riding to nowhere. But if cardio is all you’re doing, you’re missing out on a critical component for healthy aging and disease prevention: weight training. Weight training stimulates increased production and recruitment of key anabolic hormones – namely human growth hormone (HGH), testosterone, and DHEA – that are essential for optimal aging processes and health. Who’s Doing What at the Gym Take a look around when you go to the gym: Typically, the older folks are the ones doing most of the cardio, while the younger people are the ones in the weight room pumping iron. If you’re becoming one of the cardio only people, … Read More
How To Treat High Cholesterol The Natural Way
How To Treat High Cholesterol The Natural Way When you hit your mid-30s, your cholesterol levels may be in for a change. Your “bad” cholesterol (low density lipoprotein, or LDL) may start to rise and your “good” cholesterol (high density lipoprotein, or HDL) may start to drop. The Status Quo Doctors often reflexively treat these changes to prevent cholesterol-related heart issues. They do this by administering drugs called statins, which block an enzyme essential for cholesterol production, thereby lowering cholesterol in the blood. Sounds like a great, simple solution, doesn’t it? But while cholesterol levels do drop after statins are taken, a host of side effects may come along for the ride. Among the most significant of these side effects: statins also block the production of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an … Read More