The 3 S’s of how cortisol leads to weight gain: In December, 2015, I gave a webinar on the hormonal effects on obesity, that was one of my most popular webinars. Everybody wants to learn about how hormones are related to body weight and food intake. I talked a lot about how cortisol is involved […]
Dr. Friedman recommends for many patients to undergo a relatively new test to evaluate their heart status called a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) or Calcium Heart Scan, formerly called “electron beam CAT scan” (EBCT). This is often part of what is called a “body scan,” which also looks for lung cancer and other types of […]
FLORENCE, S.C. – After struggling with a mysterious illness for nearly three years, Florence resident Taylor Davis is using her diagnosis of Cushing’s disease to raise awareness. Davis was a healthy young adult when she started as a student at the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2015, but soon into her […]
Birth control pills were discovered in the 1960s as a means to contraception with profound implications for society, including separation for women between conception and sexuality. While this most likely had beneficial effects for our society, people have come to see birth control pills as something completely benign, almost like taking a vitamin. Birth control […]
Dr. Friedman usually recommends surgical treatment for Cushing’s syndrome and, specifically, pituitary surgery for those with pituitary Cushing’s disease. However, many patients are not good surgical candidates for their Cushing’s disease. This can occur if they do not have a tumor clearly seen on their pituitary or if their tests are equivocal for Cushing’s. There […]
Often patient with hypopituitarism need growth hormone, and many of them are younger females who do get pregnant. Dr. Friedman has explored the issue about whether growth hormone is safe and needed in pregnancy for those who were already on growth hormone before they became pregnant. The literature supports that growth hormone can be given […]
The adrenals make 2 important hormones, cortisol (a glucocorticoid) and aldosterone (a mineralocorticoid). Patients with adrenal insufficiency from an adrenal cause such as an adrenalectomy or Addison disease require replacement of both hormones, Although the natural mineralocorticoid is aldosterone, we give fludrocortisone or Florinef as a replacement. The glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid axis are 2 different […]
Patients frequently ask me if takin a certain drug will affect cortisol levels, either in regarding to cortisol testing or if they want to raise or lower their cortisol. If a patient is undergoing testing for Cushing’s Dr. Friedman recommends discontinuing the drug for a week before testing, especially drugs in bold. Although it may […]
GH deficiency in adults occurs because of some type of injury to the pituitary gland. GH is the first hormone to be affected if the pituitary gland is injured. Injury usually can occur because of the presence of a pituitary tumor, or pituitary surgery or pituitary irradiation. It can also be caused by trauma to […]
Adults need growth hormone too! Growth hormone (GH) is a protein hormone made by the pituitary, a gland located at the base of the skull. It was known for many years that growth hormone is needed for children to grow. The pituitary gland not only produces GH, but releases (secretes) GH into the bloodstream. Growth […]
