Dr. Brendan McCarthy

Today, we’re diving into a topic that should be getting far more attention:

Cardiovascular disease in women.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in women—yet it’s often under-addressed, oversimplified, and misunderstood in clinical practice.

Most women are told: “Eat better. Take this prescription.”

But that approach misses something critical.

Full citation list:    •    Hall, Kevin D., et al. “Ultra-Processed Diets...

Today, we’re diving into autoimmunity—what it actually is, why it happens, and how ultra-processed foods may be contributing to the problem.

Autoimmune disease is often misunderstood. Some will tell you diet has nothing to do with it. Others claim diet is the cure. The truth is more nuanced—and that’s exactly what we explore in this episode.

You’ll learn:

• What autoimmunity really is (and why it’s a case of mistaken identity)
• H...

GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide are everywhere right now—but are they actually solving the problem?

In Episode 8 of this 16-part series on ultra-processed foods, Dr. Brendan McCarthy breaks down the truth about GLP-1 medications: how they work, why they can feel like a “miracle,” and where things go wrong when they’re used without proper medical guidance.

This isn’t about shame. It’s about understanding.

GLP-1s c...

Craving junk food when you’re stressed isn’t a lack of discipline — it’s biology.

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy breaks down what ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods actually do inside your body — from your metabolism to your hormones, your brain, and your stress response.

But this isn’t about guilt or shame.

It’s about understanding what you’re up against — especially as a parent trying to make better choices in a wor...

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy—Chief Medical Officer at Protea Medical Center—dives into one of the most misunderstood topics in health:

Why does it feel like you can’t stick to a diet… even when you’re trying your best?

This isn’t about willpower. It’s not a character flaw. And it’s not your fault.

Dr. McCarthy breaks down the biology behind stress, cravings, and weight gain—explaining how chronic stress rewires your brain,...

Is weight gain really about willpower… or is something deeper going on?

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer at Protea Medical Center, breaks down the real biology behind stress, cravings, and weight gain—and why blaming yourself (or cortisol) is missing the point.

You’ll learn:

• Why chronic stress rewires your metabolism

• How stress drives cravings for ultra-processed foods

• The truth about cortisol ...

We’ve all heard it: calories in vs. calories out. And while that’s not wrong… it’s not complete.

Dr. McCarthy breaks down the three major approaches to weight loss:

1. Calorie restriction

2. Insulin management (low-carb, keto, etc.)

3. Exercise & performance

…and explains why each works—but still falls short on its own.

The missing piece? The signal your food sends to your body.

This episode explores how ultra-processed foods:

...

Why do you crave dessert after dinner? Why are you hungry again an hour after eating? And why does weight sometimes seem to accelerate even when you're watching calories?

In Episode 3 of this series on ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods, Dr. Brendan McCarthy breaks down the biology behind cravings, hunger, and weight gain. This episode connects the dots between food engineering, blood sugar spikes, insulin, and the brain’s r...

In this episode, we’re diving deep into ultra-processed foods — and why cravings in your 30s, 40s, and 50s are not a character flaw.

If you’ve ever:

• Felt compulsive around certain foods

• Wondered why you “used to have more willpower”

• Eaten for stress relief and felt ashamed afterward

• Asked yourself why your partner can stop but you can’t

This episode is for you.

There are three major biologic reasons why cravings ...

If you're a woman in your late 30s, 40s, or 50s and you feel swollen, inflamed, stuck, exhausted, or like your body has completely turned against you — this series is for you.

Let’s be clear: This is NOT a diet episode. This is NOT food shaming. This is NOT about willpower.

This is upstream endocrinology.

In this episode, Dr. McCarthy explains:

• Why weight gain in perimenopause is not a discipline problem

• How estrogen domina...

In this final episode of the Progesterone Promise series, Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center, breaks down one of the most misunderstood hormones in women’s health: progesterone.

Progesterone is not “good” or “bad.” It’s contextual.

In today’s world of quick sound bites and social media medicine, hormones are often reduced to oversimplified claims like “progesterone fixes anxiety” or “progesterone c...

In this episode of the progesterone series, Dr. Brendan McCarthy — Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona — explores the often misunderstood relationship between progesterone, estrogen, and breast health.

For decades, women have been taught to fear their breasts and fear hormones. While awareness matters, fear is disempowering — and it has left many women confused about what’s actually happening in their b...

Unexplained infertility, PMS, and low progesterone are often dismissed when labs fall “within range.” In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy explains why prolactin may be the missing piece.

Learn how mildly elevated prolactin can suppress ovulation, lower progesterone, and impact fertility—even when labs appear normal. We also discuss common causes, symptoms, the role of stress and medications, and why diet (including gluten sensiti...

In this episode of our progesterone series (Episode 5), Dr. Brendan McCarthy — Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona — breaks down the often-misunderstood relationship between stress, ovulation, progesterone, and cortisol.

We explore the concept commonly referred to as the “progesterone steal” and why this term can be misleading. Rather than hormones being “stolen,” Dr. McCarthy explains how the body inte...

In this episode, Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center, explains why progesterone delivery systems matter—and how different routes change what progesterone actually does in the body.

Part 4 of the progesterone series covers oral, topical, vaginal, rectal, injectable, and sublingual progesterone, breaking down which methods affect the brain, uterus, and breast tissue—and why choosing the right route is...

If progesterone makes you feel wired, anxious, angry, emotional, or unable to sleep, this episode is for you.

In this deeply important continuation of our reverse responding series, Dr. Brendan McCarthy—Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center—returns to clarify what was missing in Episode 3C and to walk you through the real physiology, compassion, and treatment strategy behind reverse responding.

Reverse responding is not in...

Dr. Brendan McCarthy, Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona, brings closure to an important and often misunderstood topic: progesterone reverse responders.

Some women take progesterone expecting calm, better sleep, and emotional balance — but instead experience anxiety, irritability, agitation, or feeling “wired but tired.” These responses are real, not imagined, and not a personal failure.

In this episod...

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Brendan McCarthy—Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona—continues his in-depth progesterone series with a deep dive into reverse responders and an often-overlooked mechanism: hormone sulfation.

Many women take progesterone expecting better sleep, calmer moods, and reduced anxiety—yet feel more alert, only mildly calmer, or see no benefit at all. This episode explains why...

Have you taken progesterone expecting calm, better sleep, or relief from PMS… only to feel more anxious, wired, or worse overall? You are not a failure—and progesterone is not failing you. Your body is responding exactly as physiology dictates. The issue is how progesterone is being delivered and metabolized.

In this episode, Dr. McCarthy explains:

• What it means to be a progesterone reverse responder

• How progesterone normal...