Peptide therapy is a new modality to stimulate healing and slow the rate of aging. The science and study of peptides in human physiology is more than 50 years old so it isn’t exactly new but what we are now able to harvest from this research has exploded in the past 10 years. Peptide therapy is offering a safer and broader impact to deal with difficult problems such as diabetes, autoimmune issues, sleep, joint pain, heart disease, cancer and more. What is so special about this peptide therapy?
First of all, it stems from something so central and natural to your body – cell communication. Peptides are what your body makes within each cell so that cells can talk to each other. It is how one cell signals another cell to function or to heal. It is not a drug and therefore is not saddled with all of the expected side effects that often come with drug therapy. Drugs are not natural to your body and in fact to meet the definition of “drug” it has to be synthesized to be a compound foreign to your body. Peptides are quite literally the opposite, they mirror exactly what the body makes. Peptides are simple proteins.
Peptides are simple small pieces of larger proteins. A protein is a series of amino acids all strung together like letters to form a word. Proteins can be hundreds of amino acids long all bound together in a long string that gets folded upon itself. A peptide by contrast is typically less than 50 amino acids. In fact, most of the therapeutic peptides I prescribe are less than 20 amino acids long and some are only 2 amino acids long. The smaller peptides of 8 amino acids or less are more capable of penetrating the nucleus of the cell and triggering gene responses. They can turn on or turn off genes that effect how we function. What if I could turn on your genes to generate more killer cell production or activity thus making you less susceptible to infection or even cancer?
Let’s explore a few examples of how peptides restore or rejuvenate your body’s ability to “reset”. The intention is to restore a younger level of performance. This is by definition “anti-aging” as restore actual cellular performance.
- Epitalonwhich is only 4 amino acids long, can stimulate your pineal gland, the gland that makes melatonin. The size of pineal gland shrinks and melatonin production declines from age 30 to age 60 by more than 50%. Epitalon restores pineal gland size and function back to that of a 30 year old.
- BPC-157is a peptide you make in your gut and the body uses to repair the lining of the gut but also other tissue. “BPC” stand for Body Protective Compound and has broad impact on immune function, joint health and glucose regulation.
- Thymulin& Thymogenare thymic gland peptides. Your thymic gland flatlines by age 36 leaving more vulnerable to infections and cancer. Thymic peptides restore basic immune function but also killer cell activity.
Benefits of peptide therapy:
- Restores function creating a younger physiology
- Not engaged endlessly, commonly pulsed, short-term use.
- Lack of side effects or allergic reactions.
- Most peptides have a broad, multi-system benefit.
Peptide therapies marry well with other restorative therapies such as stem cells, PRP (platelet rich plasma), prolotherapy, and growth factors. This is what makes this arena of medical care so exciting as it for the first time in my career provides an avenue for repair that no drug has even been able to offer.
If you wish to learn more about individual peptides, then see the articles posted on this website.