Peptides

Benefits of Boosting Human Growth Hormone (HGH) for Recovery and Resilience

By Dr. Matt|2023-09-07T19:30:38-04:00September 7th, 2023|Categories: Peptides|Tags: Aging, Chronic Fatigue, CJC 1295, Diabetes, Human Growth Hormone, Inflammation, Ipamorelin, Pituitary Gland|0 Comments

For many of us, as children and teenagers and even into our 30s, we found ourselves strong and energetic, recovering quickly after moderate and even intense exercise, and often immune to daily aches and pains. As we aged beyond those years, however, we started to lose our stamina and ability to quickly recover.

More and more exercise is required just to maintain our strength, flexibility, and vitality. It takes longer for us to recover from those exercise sessions, and we’re more susceptible to injury. Why is this? What do we lack in our later years that we had in abundance in our youth?

The answer is human growth hormone (HGH). HGH stimulates and regulates the growth and lifecycle of nearly every cell in the body. And when you reach the age of about 30 years, your pituitary gland releases less and less HGH with each passing year. This decline can occur rapidly, and to be clear, it is a normal part of aging. However, this reduction of HGH is largely responsible for many of the signs associated with aging:

Lower energy
Decreased muscle mass and inability to build new muscle
Increased difficulty losing or maintaining weight
Weakened immune system
Decreased healing efficiency
Other signs of physical and mental aging

Today, I want you to know that by working with functional medicine-focused doctor, you can work on reversing this process and boost HGH in two ways:

Directly via injections of synthetic human growth hormone, which is typically recommended only for people whose pituitary gland is damaged or dysfunctional
Indirectly by stimulating the pituitary gland to release more human growth hormone that your body produces naturally

Stimulating the Pituitary Gland to Release More HGH Naturally

Stimulating the pituitary gland to release more human growth hormone is the safer way to increase HGH, and there are several ways to do it: Continue reading…

Semax: A Therapeutic Peptide for Brain Health and Function

By Dr. Matt|2023-07-05T17:39:02-04:00July 5th, 2023|Categories: Peptides|Tags: ACTH, BDNF, Selank, Semax|1 Comment

Brain health and function are at the very core of our physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing. The brain supports — and in many ways orchestrates — cognitive, sensory, motor, social, emotional, and behavioral functions.

Our brain serves as the command center for the body’s central and peripheral nervous systems, controlling nearly every other system of the body — circulatory, respiratory, digestive, muscular, and so on. It is the center of our thoughts and memories, enabling us to learn, work, and be creative and innovative. It’s also the center of our emotions. Thanks to our brains, we can not only live but enjoy our lives and fully realize our potential.

Anything that positively impacts brain health and function enhances our overall health and the quality of our lives, including healthy diet, long-term learning / education, clean water, fresh air, physical activity, intellectual challenges, and constructive relationships.

Many medications and supplements on the market can also be helpful in supporting brain health and function, including omega-3 fatty acids, L-theanine, phosphatidylserine, resveratrol, creatine, choline, ginkgo biloba, B vitamins, vitamin E, caffeine, and others. Currently, my supplement of choice for supporting, restoring, and enhancing brain function is Semax.

Semax peptide illustrated

What Is Semax?

Semax is a therapeutic peptide based on the molecular structure of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) — a hormone produced and secreted by the pituitary gland to stimulate the release of cortisol (the stress hormone) from the adrenal gland. Semax is best known for having the following three properties: Continue reading…

Is There a Miracle Cure for Rotator Cuff and Other Joint Injuries?

By Dr. Matt|2023-06-15T18:24:33-04:00June 15th, 2023|Categories: Peptides|Tags: BPC 157, Rotator Cuff|6 Comments

If you think you’ve tried every treatment in the books for your rotator cuff injury or any other joint injury, think again. I’ve experienced rotator cuff injuries — including frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) in both shoulders.

Visual graphic showing Rotator Cuff

My injuries didn’t require surgery but over the course of 24 months I tried the following conventional and alternative treatments:

Physical therapy: Eight weeks. I was in too much pain for anything good to happen. The ice felt good — that always provides some relief.
Acupuncture: Four weeks. No relief.
Massage: Once or twice a week for more than a year. Sometimes it helped; other times it amplified the pain.
Chiropractic: Multiple adjustments to my neck. Alleviated some pain, but relief was only temporary.
Stretching: Stretching plays a critical role in healing, but it did not resolve the problem.
Vitamins and anti-inflammatory herbs: May have helped, but I took them over the course of two years and continued to experience pain and stiffness.
Prolotherapy injections: Short for “proliferation therapy,” this process jumpstarts the body’s regenerative mechanisms to promote healing. The injections may have helped with healing, but the pain and stiffness remained.
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections: These injections, which have the potential to promote healing, delivered little, if any, relief.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Two to three days max to avoid any liver damage. Didn’t do much for me.
Cortisone injection: I suffered one of these injections so I could go on vacation and not be miserable. It worked for a good four or five days, but then the pain returned to its baseline level.

That’s everything I tried that didn’t work. Later in this post, I reveal what did work for me, but first I want to go into a little background about what the rotator cuff is, the telltale signs of a rotator cuff injury, and the conventional treatment options, which may or may not provide relief and promote healing depending on the nature and severity of the injury.

Understanding What the Rotator Cuff Is

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint and stabilize the arm during complex motions, such as swinging a pickle ball paddle or throwing a ball. When these muscles or tendons become inflamed or are strained or torn, they can Continue reading…

Enhancing the Body’s Self-Healing Properties with BPC-157

By Dr. Matt|2023-06-07T19:34:19-04:00June 7th, 2023|Categories: Peptides|Tags: Blood Pressure, Body Protection Compound 157, BPC 157, Brain Function, Inflammation, Memory, Therapeutic peptides|1 Comment

Imagine a car that maintains and repairs itself. All you need to do is fuel it up, change the oil and other fluids occasionally, and it remains in tip-top condition for decades. As parts wear down, they are rejuvenated within hours. If there’s an accident, it might take a couple of weeks for the dents to pop out, leaving your car looking like new.

That’s pretty much how a healthy human body reacts to proper care, and it’s amazing. Cut your finger, and within days, the tissue repairs itself. Properly set a broken bone, and within six to 12 weeks, it’s almost like new. Plagued by stomach ulcers? Identify and address the cause, and those ulcers heal in a matter of two to eight weeks.

Given the right supports, the body may even be able to heal itself of certain cancers. And thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain can regrow neurons and build new neural networks.

reducing inflammation with peptides

Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that can impair and undermine the body’s self-healing mechanisms. These include age, nutritional deficiencies, toxins, stress, poor sleep, and insufficient physical activity. Some medications can also impede healing, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), immunosuppressants, anticoagulants, and corticosteroids.

In contrast, chemical compounds called peptides show promise of enhancing the body’s natural ability to heal itself. They can trigger responses at the cellular level that kick the body’s healing mechanisms into high gear. I’m especially excited about one peptide in particular — Body Protection Compound 157 or BPC-157 for short — which is the focus of this post.

Dr. Lewis Recommends: For a detailed overview of peptides, please read The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Therapeutic Peptides here on my blog. If you are already familiar with that post, feel free to skip the next section and jump directly down to What Is Body Protection Compound 157?

What Are Peptides?

Peptides are naturally occurring chemical compounds — short chains of fewer than 50 amino acids — that serve as Continue reading…

The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Therapeutic Peptides

By Dr. Matt|2023-06-06T19:14:21-04:00May 12th, 2023|Categories: Peptides|Tags: BPC 157, CJC 1295, Ipamorelin, Therapeutic peptides, Thymosins|0 Comments

As a functional medicine-trained doctor, I thrive on discovering therapies that harness the body’s ability to heal and rejuvenate itself. I’m talking about therapies that build upon the fundamentals associated with proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, and medication.

And that’s why I continue to be impressed with the benefits of therapeutic peptides — those chemical molecules that bind to receptors on the surface of cells and trigger positive responses at the cellular level. I experienced these benefits firsthand recently when I started to treat an old rotator cuff (shoulder) injury of mine with a combination of two therapeutic peptides — Body Protecting Compound-157 (BPC-157) and Thymosin Beta 4. Look for a separate blog post about this later this month. For now, I’m going to share what you need to know about the use of therapeutic peptides in a medically-supervised plan of care.

What Are Therapeutic Peptides?

Peptides are short strings of amino acids — much shorter than protein molecules and easier for the body to absorb and break down. Therapeutic peptides are those that are bioactive and have a beneficial effect on the body. Some common peptides are available in over-the-counter supplements, such as collagen peptides for skin health, and creatine peptides, which may help build strength and muscle mass. Some therapeutic peptides are natural or derived from natural sources; others are synthetic — manufactured in labs.

Pharmaceutical companies have developed a wide variety of natural and modified peptides into medications that act as hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, ion channel ligands, and anti-infective agents. One example is insulin, which is a peptide hormone produced by the pancreas.

Semaglutide (also known as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus), which is commonly used to control blood sugar and support weight loss, is another therapeutic peptide that you may have heard of. More than 60 peptide medications have been approved for use in the United States and other major markets.

Using Therapeutic Peptides to Treat Specific Medical Conditions

Peptides are now being used in plans of care to treat many illnesses and diseases, including: Continue reading…

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Benefits of Boosting Human Growth Hormone (HGH) for Recovery and Resilience

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Semax: A Therapeutic Peptide for Brain Health and Function

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Is There a Miracle Cure for Rotator Cuff and Other Joint Injuries?

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Enhancing the Body’s Self-Healing Properties with BPC-157

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The Healing and Rejuvenating Power of Therapeutic Peptides

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