Peptide Therapy in Functional Medicine

When I first heard about peptide therapy, it was mainly in chronic disease treatment as it can help with appetite and muscle wasting in people undergoing cancer treatment or suffering from an immune deficiency like AIDS. 

The use of peptide therapy to promote optimal wellness instead of disease management, is relatively new in functional medicine. I must admit I had some skepticism at first, especially since my patients benefit significantly from other modalities I offer, including nutrition, herbal medicine, and bioidentical hormone therapy. But, when I learned more about peptide therapy in clinical practice and tried it myself with nothing short of life-changing results, I felt confident in offering it to my patients as well. Peptide therapy offers incredible benefits and the ability to customize the treatment for individual needs. It truly is a perfect fit for my functional medicine practice! 

To learn more about what peptides are and the science behind peptide therapy benefits, please read Part 1 of this series.

Today, I will cover the difference between peptide therapy and hormone therapy, plus walk you through some of the more common peptides used in practice. 

Let’s dive in! 

‍Peptide Therapy Vs. Hormone Therapy

Before we dive too deep, it’s important to note that there isn’t a quick fix or magic pill when it comes to healing, like any supplement, medication, or intervention. Peptide therapy is incredible, but it will work best in conjunction with diet change and other lifestyle interventions. In functional medicine, we take a root cause approach and address the imbalance from multiple angles. 

"Peptide therapy is incredible, but it will work best in conjunction with diet change and other lifestyle interventions."

So, from that perspective, peptide therapy vs. hormone therapy doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. It’s possible to use both, when used appropriately. 

It might be interesting to learn that peptides stimulate the body’s hormone production without providing hormones themselves. A great example here is growth hormone peptide therapy, which I’ll discuss more below. 

So, depending on an individual’s situation and health goals, peptide therapy might be a gentle solution to improving hormonal balance. 

Peptides Used in Functional Medicine

Now, let’s walk through some of the specific peptide therapies used in functional medicine practice, (please note there are certainly more options and combinations than listed here). Working with a peptide-knowledgeable functional medicine doctor or practitioner will be a truly personalized experience. 

‍CJC 1295 Ipamorelin and Sermorelin

Ipamorelin is a growth hormone releasing peptide, which stimulates the brain to release growth hormone. This HGH peptide therapy is one of the simplest ways to trigger growth hormone that declines with age. Ipamorelin also increases IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1). Both growth hormone and IGF-1 are supportive for metabolic health, fat loss, sleep, bone density, and anti-aging effects. 

CJC 1295 and sermorelin are similar in that they stimulate growth hormone, but the mechanism is different. These peptides are known as growth hormone releasing hormones instead of growth hormone releasing peptides. 

Thymosin Alpha 1

In the body, thymosin alpha 1 is made in the thymus gland and is a crucial component of immune system function and balance. 

As a peptide therapy, thymosin alpha 1 is one of the most common options because it boosts the immune system. This peptide may be helpful in autoimmunity, aging, and infectious disease, including HIV, sepsis, mold toxicity, and Covid. It is also an adjunct therapy used during chemotherapy. 

GHRP 2 & 6

GHRP 2 and GHRP 6 are growth hormone releasing peptides, like ipamorelin. They stimulate the release of human growth hormone, and also act like the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin, known as the “hunger hormone,” increases hunger when the body needs food and nutrients. 

Clinically both GHRP 2 and GHRP 6 may be used in illness and muscle wasting to help limit or reverse tissue breakdown. It is also improves appetite in many cases of illness. 

MGF Peptide

MGF peptide, or mechano growth factor peptide, is made from insulin-like growth factor-1 and is vital during childhood to promote growth and development as it activates stem cells. As a peptide therapy, MGF peptide has been shown to help repair tissues and stimulate new cell growth. It can be used for aging, injury recovery, and in chronic disease. 

Peptide therapy is an exciting new frontier in anti-aging and functional medicine. It is one of many tools I use at The Fork Functional Medicine to help my patients not only recover from disease, but to truly promote optimal wellness and longevity. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out!

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References

1. Sackmann-Sala, L., Ding, J., Frohman, L. A., & Kopchick, J. J. (2009). Activation of the GH/IGF-1 axis by CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, results in serum protein profile changes in normal adult subjects. Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society, 19(6), 471–477. 
2. Dominari, A., Hathaway Iii, D., Pandav, K., Matos, W., Biswas, S., Reddy, G., Thevuthasan, S., Khan, M. A., Mathew, A., Makkar, S. S., Zaidi, M., Fahem, M., Beas, R., Castaneda, V., Paul, T., Halpern, J., & Baralt, D. (2020). Thymosin alpha 1: A comprehensive review of the literature. World journal of virology, 9(5), 67–78. 
3. Chao, Y. N., Sun, D., Peng, Y. C., & Wu, Y. L. (2016). Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 Attenuation of Protein Kinase C-Induced Inflammation in Human Ovarian Granulosa Cells. International journal of molecular sciences, 17(8), 1359. 
4. Janssen, J. A., Hofland, L. J., Strasburger, C. J., van den Dungen, E. S., & Thevis, M. (2016). Potency of Full-Length MGF to Induce Maximal Activation of the IGF-I R Is Similar to Recombinant Human IGF-I at High Equimolar Concentrations. PloS one, 11(3), e0150453. 
5. Tang, J. J., Podratz, J. L., Lange, M., Scrable, H. J., Jang, M. H., & Windebank, A. J. (2017). Mechano growth factor, a splice variant of IGF-1, promotes neurogenesis in the aging mouse brain. Molecular brain, 10(1), 23. 
6. Doroudian, G., Pinney, J., Ayala, P., Los, T., Desai, T. A., & Russell, B. (2014). Sustained delivery of MGF peptide from microrods attracts stem cells and reduces apoptosis of myocytes. Biomedical microdevices, 16(5), 705–715.

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