Darrell Wilcox, MD 11/6/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 11/6/26

Your Cholesterol Is Normal. Is Your Heart Risk?

A normal cholesterol panel is good news, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Here’s what ApoB and Lp(a) add, why hormone changes after 40 can shift your numbers, and what’s worth asking about at your next visit.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/30/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/30/26

A Quarter of Your GLP-1 Weight Loss Can Be Lean Tissue. Here's How to Protect Your Strength

GLP-1s mainly quiet appetite. In the tirzepatide DXA substudy, about a quarter of the weight lost was lean tissue, the same share seen with lifestyle weight loss alone. Resistance training and enough protein, together, are the best-supported way to protect strength while the weight comes off.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/26/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/26/26

If You're on Testosterone and an Estrogen Blocker: Drive Gone, Midsection Growing

On testosterone plus an estrogen blocker with drive gone and midsection growing? Part of testosterone's message is estradiol. NEJM work linked estrogen deficiency to more body fat and showed both hormones regulate sexual function. Confirm sensitive estradiol plus SHBG and a real clinical reason before a blocker.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/23/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/23/26

Testosterone for Women: Not Just Libido. Bone, Brain, Muscle After 40

Testosterone in women is not only a libido story. Androgen receptors sit in bone, muscle, and brain. The strongest randomized evidence is still sexual function. Bone, lean mass, and cognition remain incompletely tested.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/19/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/19/26

Four Things Before Any Peptide

Before any peptide, know four things: peptides are messengers not a fix, baseline labs and history matter (including IGF-1), use a licensed pharmacy with a real prescription, and sleep nutrition and hormones come first. Part 2: oral estrogen can blunt IGF-1 response.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/16/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/16/26

Oral vs Transdermal Estrogen and IGF-1: Why Route Determines Peptide Response

Oral estrogen and transdermal estradiol are not the same for IGF-1. First-pass through the liver helps explain why IGF-1 can stall on oral estrogen even when GH or a GH-axis peptide looks active upstream. Route is part of the foundation.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/12/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/12/26

Your Coffee Isn't Fixing Your Fatigue. It's Hiding It.

If more coffee keeps being the answer and the tiredness never actually lifts, that's not a caffeine tolerance problem. It's two different physiological states being treated as one.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/9/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/9/26

The Control Room for Your Sleep: Two Signals, Fighting All Day, Deciding When You Crash

There are two competing signals deciding when you get sleepy, not one. Understanding them explains second winds, jet lag, and why you can be exhausted but wide awake.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/5/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/5/26

Why You're Wide Awake at 2 AM (And It's Not Stress)

If you're suddenly wide awake at 2 AM and it started sometime in your 40s, it's probably not stress. It's a specific, measurable hormone mechanism.

Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/2/26 Darrell Wilcox, MD 10/2/26

Foundation First: Why Peptides Don’t Work Without Hormone Optimization

Peptides are signals. If thyroid, sex hormones, insulin, or sleep leave the receiver offline, the same message gets a weak answer. Foundation first is sequencing, not gatekeeping.

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