If you’ve been in for a visit with us in the last couple months, you likely heard us discussing “peptides” and how beneficial they might be to your health and healing. But what are they?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids signaling different processes. For example, a 50-chain amino acid would be like a steak that we eat. But the peptides we are talking about here are much shorter chains, around 15-20 amino acids, that are essential for cellular health. And each peptide has its own therapeutic benefits.
One physician described it to me like this: Imagine you have a flashlight. And it shines bright for a bit, but the batteries keep dying out. So, you continually replace them. And each time you get a little stretch of bright light (feeling well) again. But this gets really old because you want sustained light (healing), not this roller coaster. This is where peptides come in. They recharge that flashlight and keep the light shining bright without dimming.
You see, our body naturally makes all of these peptide sequences. But age, inflammation, chronic conditions, infections, toxic exposures, etc. all decrease their production. So it’s no surprise we need a little extra help to get things going again! The best part? Peptides don’t have side effects. Since our body makes them anyway, it’s not a process we are “forcing” to happen–it’s all very natural. In fact, studies show that patients had more side effects with placebo (saline) than the peptides themselves!
Peptides are really popular in the fitness world as they can help with muscle building, weight loss, muscle repair and recovery, and skin health.
While we love to use them for aesthetic reasons, our main focus is on using them for health and wellbeing. Many peptides are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant.
Peptides have been studied to help with:
- brain fog
- cognitive function
- neurodegenerative diseases
- hormone regulation
- gut health
- optimizing sleep
- brain detoxification (the glymphatic system)
- joint pain and destruction
- autoimmune diseases
- infections
- optimal wellness/anti-aging
- and more!
The peptides that are worth their weight, must be prescribed by a clinician. Don’t fall for over the counter or “black market” options online. If you’re interested in how peptide therapy might help you, give us a call! We’d love to discuss this with you more!
