(732) 222-2219 
(732) 222-2219
About two years ago, I took a deep dive into peptides. I haven’t come up out of the water yet.
I pride myself on forward thinking. But when my wife Stacy gave me an audio book on peptides for our ride to Virginia to see our son, I was kind of embarrassed about how little I knew about them.
Long story short, I’ve caught up, and I will soon be presenting on peptides during my public speaking engagements. Everyone should become educated on peptides, not just clinicians.
Peptides are short chains of up to 50 amino acids, many of which occur naturally in the human body. Peptides serve as the building blocks for proteins, which are longer chains of amino acids.
Peptides send signals that instruct cells to perform certain tasks, like repairing tissue, regulating metabolism, and producing hormones.
Many peptides occur naturally in the human body. For example, body protection compound (BPC)-157 is made in gastric juice and supports recovery from injuries. They’re also found in protein-rich foods like eggs, meat, fish, and beans.
Peptides are also made in pharmaceutical labs for medication. For example, Ozempic is a type of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a synthetic peptide that mimics hormones that regulate hunger.
Ozempic is a single antagonist, which means it targets a single hormone to suppress appetite by slowing the process of emptying the stomach.
When Ozempic was first introduced, I was adamantly opposed. It was like sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) in a syringe. People weren’t eating enough to maintain their muscle mass, much less increase muscle mass. I proved this by measuring muscle mass and fat loss in my office while patients were on Ozempic. I did not just weigh patients.
A new triple-antagonist called Retatrutide is expected to be introduced next year. This would make it possible to target three hormones to not only reduce hunger, but also maximize energy and fat burning while stabilizing blood sugar.
Retatrutide could be a game changer for many because muscle loss in minimized. But you still need to learn about functional medicine, including proper nutrition, lifestyle change, behavioral change, environmental change, and other factors involved with building a wellness lifestyle for longevity.
The point here is that I do not prescribe to taking GLP-1 peptides without first establishing a personalized functional medicine nutritional plan.
There are peptides that are very effective at reducing pain and inflammation, treating spectrum disorders, creating energy through the mitochondrial pathway, restoring sex drive, and more.
What I’ve observed in clinical practice for the past two to three years, however, is that Ozempic and other GLP-1s have been horribly mismanaged. Weight loss was equated with success. But people were losing the wrong type of weight – muscle mass, not fat – because they weren’t being educated about proper nutrition.
When it comes to weight loss, we don’t use a $20 bathroom scale at Natural Healthcare Center. We use a $10,000 biometric scale to measure muscle, fat, water, bone, metabolic rate, and more.
We support our patients who have been prescribed GLP-1s with proper nutritional counseling. Natural Healthcare Center may establish a working relationship for peptide prescriptions within the center shortly.
Our goal isn’t to help people lose weight. Our longevity model focuses on helping people reduce inflammation, overcome metabolic dysfunction, create more energy, and reduce the risk of chronic illness.
People who commit to the protocols we recommend typically lose fat, not muscle. They maintain and build muscle mass, which enables them to feel better, function better, and live longer.
Peptides will be a significant part of my speaking engagements through the Natural Healthcare Center Community Relations Program. Education about peptides, nutrition, exercise science, and healthy weight loss should be mandatory for people who take GLP-1 medication.
If you’re prescribed a GLP-1, progress should be measured on a biometric scale, and you should call your doctor if you experience constipation, diarrhea, or other side effects of GLP-1 medication.
The bottom line is you shouldn’t take a peptide without changing your lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise habits. Health literacy is the key to longevity, and it has never been more important.
Dr. James Proodian is an accomplished chiropractic physician, health educator, and professional public speaker who founded Proodian Healthcare Family of Companies to help people feel better, function better, and live longer. His expertise is in identifying clinical imbalances and restoring the body to health and functionality. Contact: jproodian@naturalhc.com or (732) 222‑2219.