Exclusive Interview "Dr. Gregory Charlop"

Dr. Gregory Charlop’s Insider Secrets on Wellness, Sleep, Longevity & Depression

Why Doctors Skip Breakfast: Wellness Tips to Reverse Aging, Treat Depression, and Get a Good Night’s Sleep is a new book by Dr. Gregory Charlop, who is rapidly becoming known as one of the nation’s preeminent experts in the fields of wellness, longevity and anti-aging. The book is a state-of-the-art guide to leading to maximum wellness and increasing our longevity. The book covers a wide range of topics from how to maximize your sleep to new breakthroughs in treating depression. With insider secrets on how to say goodbye to chronic disease and pain, maximize your performance and immune system, this is a must read for everyone. Writer’s Life recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Charlop.

Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your background?

My parents love telling this story. I was featured on a local TV show when I was ten. There I was, some little pipsqueak in elementary school, debating with my principal about the safety of artificial sweeteners. NutraSweet was popular at the time, and I made it my mission to run around telling everyone that they’re eating poison.

I guess from an early age, I’ve never shied away from challenging conventional wisdom.

Years later, I went on to study medicine at UCLA and Stanford. I’m now an anesthesiologist and wellness fanatic.

These days, I’m running around telling anyone I can find about revolutions in medicine. We can prevent aging and treat depression! Now we know: nutrition, fitness, (and some medications) can change your life.

Can you briefly describe your book and why it is a must-read?

Everything we learned about aging is wrong.

Thanks to groundbreaking research from Harvard, USC, and MIT, we now understand what causes us to age and how we can reverse the ravages of time. Why Doctors Skip Breakfast shares the medical secrets you need for a long and healthy life, free of disability, frailty, and dependence. We can restore your youthful energy and drive.

The book details what foods, medicines, lab tests, red light therapy, wearable technology, and supplements you need to feel young and look great. Get ready to play with your great-grandkids!

We need to treat our minds as well as our bodies. Unfortunately, millions of Americans suffer from depression. Now, there’s new hope. The Ketamine Revolution can help people with depression, even when conventional antidepressants have failed.

Can you explain why you chose the title?

I’m a big believer in fasting. Recent overwhelming evidence suggests that proper fasting is one of the best tools to prevent aging and improve performance.

I work in operating rooms all across the state, from major medical centers in the Bay Area to boutique plastic surgery centers in Beverly Hills. Everywhere I go, I run into doctors who don’t eat breakfast. The medical community appreciates the health benefits of fasting. It is our job to spread the news that simple dietary changes can transform your health.

How long did it take you to compile enough research to write this book?

I’ve been a nutrition nut for decades, so I’m always reading about the latest wellness breakthroughs. Since I’m friends with some of the country’s leading health experts, I have to be on my toes with the latest science. Once I settled on the book idea, it took about six months of intensive work to review all the relevant research papers.

Can aging really be reversed?

The adage still holds: the only certainties in life are death and taxes. But now that we understand what causes us to age, we know how to flip the switch and turn off aging. We can turn back the clock on cellular aging and chronic disability.

What is the number one benefit you hope readers will take away from reading your book?

You are in control of your destiny.

Aging and depression aren’t all-powerful demons preying on your helpless body. Rather, you have the tools to fight back and reclaim your youthful vigor, mood, and sleep. All you need to do is activate your powerful defenses and win the battle against time.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about wellness and aging?

People think that aging is just a gradual buildup of damage. Therefore, the longer you live, the more bits of damage you accumulate. When viewed in this way, aging seems like an inescapable tyrant waiting to claim us all.

The truth is that some discrete changes cause aging. We have cells within our bodies that are just as young and vibrant as the day we were born. We hold the fountain of youth within all of our bodies; we just need to bring it out.

People have huge misconceptions about sleep. I hear people all the time tell me that they only need five or six hours of sleep. Those people are wrong. The research is clear: 99 % of people require at least seven hours of good sleep.

Another big misconception surrounds depression. People think that treatments don’t work, and there is no hope. While they’re right that oral antidepressants aren’t that effective for most folks, there are other treatments out there. Ketamine, combined with some easy diet and lifestyle changes, can be a lifesaver for countless people.

What sets your book apart from other health and wellness books?

There are a lot of great wellness books out there. Unfortunately, most are too complicated, trying to sell you something, or they’re just fantasy without any scientific validity. Surprisingly few wellness books are written by MDs.

My goal was to create a book that’s up to date, easy to read, and simple to implement. I only make recommendations that are grounded in science. And when I advocate something with incomplete scientific backing, I make that clear. As a physician, I take your trust seriously. I only recommend techniques and devices that I can defend with research.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Yes. I have a boutique wellness and anti-aging clinic in Beverly Hills. Since I give personalized service, I only see a limited number of patients by special appointment. I also run a ketamine clinic for depression with several leading physicians in Beverly Hills and Hollywood.

Since most readers won’t be able to schedule an appointment with me, I’m doing what I can to help people fight aging and improve sleep from the comfort of their own homes. I’m finishing up a workbook to accompany Why Doctors Skip Breakfast. It should be out around June 2020.

For more information please check out https://gregorycharlopmd.com/