Advanced Clinical Peptides

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    Regenerative medicine is the science of helping your body regenerate, rejuvenate and repair damaged tissue.  There is significant evidence for the use of clinical peptide therapy. Peptides work by giving specific instructions (signaling) to cells and molecules, making them a more effective alternative to traditional medicine. Because they are so specific, peptides are also well tolerated with minimal side effects.   

What is a peptide?

     Peptides are often described as signaling agents that can 'boss' cells around by queuing certain actions or behavior inside the body. A peptide is a short-chain of amino acids, which, together with other peptides, forms a protein. Proteins are much longer than peptides, and most proteins are composite structures with the ability to provide binding of all amino acids. Generally speaking, if more than 50 amino acids are linked, the component is characterized as a protein, while smaller chains are called peptides. (1)

     Because they work at the cellular level, peptides have the potential to fundamentally shift the paradigm of aging and disease. Peptides have been shown to impact everything from arthritis, neurodegenerative disease, diabetes, autoimmune dysfunction and nearly every ailment impacting the modern population. (1)

Are peptides safe?

     Though peptides are often thought of as a cutting-edge field of medicine, they have been thoroughly researched  for their benefits and for their safety and effectiveness (many peptides are even found in FDA-approved medications). The FDA has approved medications containing peptides and you can find them being used pharmaceutically in many other parts of the world. Most peptides have very few risks and minimal, if any, side effects. However, it is important to understand where your peptides are coming from. 

     At The Center for Intentional Health, we source our peptides from vetted compounding pharmacies all around the country. Unlike the peptides you can buy off the internet, every peptide we provide our clients is prescribed and filled by one of these established pharmacies.

This allows  us to be confident in the products being provided to clients. It is not recommended to source peptides from the internet both for safety and efficacy. Peptides purchased online are sold as “research-only” peptides to allow for online resale. Much like the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements, buying “off the shelf” peptides can lead to unexpected outcomes. 

Cellular Optimization and Clinical Peptides

     Using the Functional Medicine model, our program looks at overall foundational health in order to evaluate your baseline health status and improve overall health in core domains including: hormones, nutrition, adrenals, cardiometabolic, neuro-cognition, and genomics/epigenetics.  Using the rapidly evolving field of peptide science, we look at how these novel compounds work at the cellular level to support overall health and fundamentally shift the paradigm of aging and disease. 

    Peptides play a vital role in the basic physiological and biochemical processes that keep the 'organism' alive. They perform a multitude of vital tasks in our bodies. Several different peptides control hormones. Your body also has the ability to break bonds in peptides and break them down further into amino acids thus, destroying them. (1,2) 

Medically Managed Peptide Therapy

     A prescription for the compounded peptides is required and there are only a few pharmaceutical laboratories approved to produce advanced clinical peptides for human use.  It is highly recommended clients seek an experienced provider that has obtained certification in this field. 

     Peptide therapies usually have a “loading” period of 3-6 months before the effects are noticed and then can be used indefinitely with little to no side effects. As with any therapy, the best results are achieved when the tool is used as part of a comprehensive approach that optimizes your lifestyle and diet. (1,3)

What Can I Expect?

     For healthy people, peptides generally do not cause side effects. This is because peptides are already present in our bodies and in foods we eat. However, it is valuable to seek out professional management of any peptide therapies.

     Effective peptide therapy requires an expert-level understanding of how peptides work in the body, what peptides are beneficial for specific needs, and the appropriate peptide protocols. (2,3)

Getting an assessment from a Peptide Certified expert is the safest, most effective way to harness the power of peptides for human optimization.

   We'll often use comprehensive blood work and the functional medicine approach to determine cause of any deficits or illness(es). We’ll then create a plan of care, choose a targeted peptide protocol and if indicated,  develop a nutrition plan to maximize your results and optimize performance as we work together. 

   For more information, call for an appointment or sign up to receive our newsletter.

References:

(1) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-022-00904-4

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4415709/

(3) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359644614003997