One of the wonderful things about integrative medicine is that there are always interesting new things to learn. One new topic of great interest is PEPTIDES and BIOREGULATORS in improving health in many areas.  Peptides are natural short strings of amino acids (essentially small proteins), and bioregulators are even smaller strings of the same natural material. Some peptides have already been turned into blockbuster drugs by the pharmaceutical industry which has made billions of dollars from them – often by turning the natural peptide from a short-acting into a longer-acting molecule and then patenting that. But it is the peptide itself that does that amazing function.

Peptides were discovered by a research scientist in Russia many years ago. The Russian government had realized that their military personnel were getting sick and weak and were not able to perform well under the extreme stressors they were forced to endure. The Russian government tasked the scientist with finding a way to keep their military personnel healthy and functional despite that. The scientist accomplished the goal and discovered the amazing power of peptides.

There may be over 300,000 peptides in our body – all of which perform important functions. Every organ, tissue, and functional system in our body (like the immune system, cardiovascular system, etc.) has peptides that help keep it healthy, and taking those peptides has been shown to improve those tissues. We are learning more about this every day. Peptides naturally decline with age like many other molecules and replacing them has many anti-aging and health benefits. I used to say that it was optimal levels of nutrients and hormones that keep us healthy at a cellular level as we age. Now I am saying that it is nutrients, hormones, and peptides.

Fortunately, some peptides are effective when taken orally or topically, while others are only effective when injected or used intranasally. The oral peptides are listed as natural supplements. We now carry many of these peptides in-office and are able to recommend them for a variety of health conditions. These products have many beneficial effects and can be helpful for: weight loss, general anti-aging (including improved skin collagen and maintaining muscle mass), improving immune weakness (including helping your immune system potentially fight cancer and infections of all kinds including bacteria – even Lyme, viruses, and yeast), treating autoimmune disorders, sleep problems, mast cell activation, gut disorders, brain health with improved memory and focus, hair loss, decreased cravings for addictive substances, decreased joint and other pain kinds of pain, improved tissue regeneration and repair – to name a few. We will discuss which peptides may be helpful with each patient individually based on their own unique health situation.

The injected peptides are currently considered to be drugs (despite being naturally occurring molecules in our body) and are therefore regulated by the FDA. Compounding pharmacy companies that produce the injectable peptides are forced by the FDA to say that their products are for research purposes only and not intended for human or veterinary use. Despite this, many doctors are prescribing them and many patients are taking them – often with great benefit. It is critical to make sure that these are obtained from a reputable source since there are some bad companies out there producing fake or even toxic injectable peptides. It is also critical to know the proper dosing of all peptides because they can have adverse consequences if overused. Of course, there are potential risks with any treatment – for example, someone can have an allergic reaction to any injected or oral product. But in general, when taken correctly peptides are well tolerated.

Overall, peptides are an exciting new area of medical treatment that have the potential to greatly improve human health and decrease suffering when added to a baseline of integrative wellness treatment including detoxification, treating underlying infections, and implementing optimal nutrition and hormone protocols.