Speaking of Women's Health
The Speaking of Women's Health Podcast is excited to bring you credible women's health information from host and Executive Director, Dr. Holly L. Thacker. Dr. Thacker will interview guest clinicians discussing relevant women's health topics and the latest news and tips.
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Speaking of Women's Health
The truth about peptides for weight loss and recovery
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Peptides are suddenly the hottest word in weight loss clinics, gyms, and wellness circles, but most people are hearing the hype without the definitions, the evidence, or the safety guardrails. Speaking of Women's Health Podcast host Holly Thacker, MD sits down with Layth Tumah, MD, a Cleveland Clinic physician board certified in family medicine, obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine, and trained in functional medicine, to explain what peptides actually are: short chains of amino acids that act as powerful signals in the body, sometimes in ways that look a lot like hormones.
They get practical about the peptides people are most likely to encounter through their doctor: GLP-1 and GIP based medications used for diabetes and medical weight management. They clarify how the same underlying drug can be sold under different brand names depending on the indication, why shortages fueled interest in compounding pharmacies, and when compounding is a reasonable tool versus a risky shortcut. They also talk about the deeper “why” behind today’s metabolic disease surge and why these therapies can matter for health span, not just the number on the scale.
They end where real prevention always starts: food, movement, sleep, stress coping, and connection, plus the reminder that there is no "free lunch" when it comes to powerful supplements.
Welcome And Guest Introduction
Dr. \Welcome to the Speaking of Women's Health Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Holly Thacker, and I'm back in the Sunflower House for a new edition of a very interesting topic. I've been waiting a long time for to interview this excellent physician. I'm speaking with Dr. Laithuma. He completed his family medicine residency at Western Michigan University of Homer Stryker School of Medicine, a leader. He served as chief resident. And he's a board certified in family medicine, obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine, and he's got additional certification in functional medicine. Dr. Tumas serves as a staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine in the Wellness and Preventive Medicine Department. And he's academic and has an assistant clinical professorship in family medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerder College of Medicine of Casey Western Reserve University, where I am a professor in both medicine and OBGYN. And he's certainly a kindred spirit because physicians like Dr. Tuma, who are interested in lots of different areas to try to bring everything together for the patient is exactly what my passion has been. He was recently appointed as the wellness department lead for safety, quality, and patient experience at Cleveland Clinic. And he plays key roles in several areas of advancing patient-centered care, clinical quality, as well as operational excellence. And so his practice focus is specializing in areas that a lot of physicians in allopathic medicine haven't always been so strong in. And that's evidence-based lifestyle interventions, including nutrition, physical activity, sleep optimization, behavioral health, appropriate use of pharmacologic therapies to manage and prevent chronic disease. And his clinical focus is on something that should be near and dear to everybody's heart. And that's health optimization, weight management, gut health, and expanding not the lifespan per se, but we've talked a lot on this podcast about extending the health span. Welcome, Dr. Tuma.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Thacker, for having me in your podcast and for the great introduction.
What Peptides Are And Why They Matter
Dr. \Well, it's just so exciting to have you because this hot topic about peptides is everywhere. I just came from downtown where I met my husband. He's really a clothes horse. And we went to this immense clothes store. And I'm like, well, we have to be able to get his birthday gift and get the suit and everything ready because I've got to get home because I can't wait to do this podcast on peptides. And the owner is like, Well, I'm on peptides. And the assistant's like, Well, I want to know about peptides. Everybody wants to know about peptides. So tell our listeners, and we're in like a hundred countries, just what's the basic definition of a peptide?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Peptide is basically uh a strain of amino acids. It's from two to fifty uh amino acids gets together in a peptide bond, and it works in the body as a signal to sp for specific function. Um, very similar to the hormone type of work in the body. Peptides has been in medicine for a while now. It's just getting more popular recently with some different type of uses.
Dr. \Now, insulin is a peptide, right?
SPEAKER_00Correct. It's technically it can be considered as a peptide. It's a little bit I I think it's a 51 peptide amino acid, sorry. So it's closer to the to a peptide, so it can be considered as one. And it's one of the first peptides that we've used in medicine as early as the early 1900s. So um we've been using peptides for a while now. We have different types of peptides for different usages, but recently I think there was more interest in the different forms of peptides, especially the non-FD approved ones. I think that's what most people refer to peptides for.
GLP-1 And GIP Drugs For Weight
Dr. \Okay. And how about like all the buzz about, you know, the GLP and GIP inhibitors in terms of weight loss? Those are peptides as well, too, correct?
SPEAKER_00Correct. Yes. So GLP ones, GIP ones, GIP are peptides. Those are the most recent, very famous peptides that we use now regularly. They are FDA approved for multiple abuses. So weight loss, they were initially invented for blood sugar or diabetes management, but they were found to offer weight loss benefits, and now we have two versions from very similar uh medications like Trazapitide, uh, which is the zip bound for weight loss or Monjara for diabetes, and we have the Zempic, uh, which is the GLP1 agonist for um diabetes, and uh which is semaglutide. The Wagovi version is the one that we use for for weight management.
Dr. \So they're the exact same substances, just two different brand names depending on what the physician is prescribing.
SPEAKER_00So the GLP1 agonist is basically this is the semaglutide, which is uh Zempic or Wigovi, based on the use the indication, and the trisapotide, which is combination G GLP1 and GIP, that's for uh also diabetes and weight management. And the brand name is different. It's technically the same thing, trzezepatide. Mm-hmm.
Compounding Pharmacies And Medication Shortages
Dr. \Yeah, there was like a big shortage of those uh medicines, and I found so many of my patients turning to compounding pharmacies. And as a menopausal hormone expert, I certainly use compounding pharmacies for hormones when what I need to prescribe is not commercially available, which most of the time it is, but like testosterone for women, the doses are all for men, they're not for females. So you either have to use one-tenth the male dose or have it compounded. We use a lot of compounded vaginal DHEA. Um but compounding's not better. It's just if someone's allergic to it or you need a different dose. But the FDA allowed some of this compounding, is that right? And then have pulled back on it because there was like shortages of these peptides.
SPEAKER_00Correct. Yeah. Initially, especially when they got approved for weight management uh purposes, the demand was super high. Uh, and this is where compounding pharmacies started to support this sort shortage by compounding those, either semaglutide or trizapitide. And with yeah, we use compounding pharmacies for multiple reasons, but I think also compounding pharmacies have become become very popular for that reason, whether to fix the shortage problem or um to find a formulation that might be better with less side effects based on the dose. So the lowest dose of those medications could be causing some side effects for certain patients where we might need to compound in lower dosages. I think this is one of the most important usages for compounding uh medications. Um but also again, even when in the situations we're shortage in certain medications, this is where compounding pharmacies could be helpful to uh support this demand.
Dr. \And so the peptides are just amino acids that aren't pro are aren't really patented, so that's the why they can put them together and make make the same thing at a cheaper price? Is that what they're doing?
SPEAKER_00So this the situation with the peptides is basically as I said, peptides are amino acids, those are the building blocks for protein. So anything above 50 is considered proteins. Peptides are something that we have in our body, they're produced uh naturally. We break down proteins into an amino acid form, then our body makes this peptide in the body for certain like purposes. So initially, some of those peptides, and this is the major problem was with peptides previously, that we cannot diet absorb them or they get destructed in the GI system, so they we don't get the benefit of the peptide directly. Those those companies they created a way where we can we're able to use this peptides in a way where our body does not destruct them in the GI system, and now we can we're able to use them in a for a systemic benefit.
Dr. \Now, is that how one of my patients came in and said, Oh, I'm not on injectable trisepatite anymore, I'm on the oral version, which I think must have just recently come out. Is it somehow put in a substance that protects it from the gut?
SPEAKER_00Correct. And and those companies also basically patent this way of digesting or using this uh peptides in an oral version, which is a great also use because before we were not u able to use those pep peptides in an oral version. Um I don't know if we're okay to mention companies, but Illylilly made a new GLP1 that is not peptide. This is a smaller version of that, smaller than a peptide in a Fondayo version, which is a this this is the most recent oral GLP1 form.
Dr. \So is that what the person's responding to? It's like exactly not a peptide, but it's oral, so it's similar, but it's not exactly trzezepatite.
SPEAKER_00It's it's a GLP1 agonist. Yeah, and it's it's it's a very similar, but it's a smaller in terms of the of the size. So they're now working on the how can we administer administration of these medications in an oral version to make it more accessible for patients. And there were some limitations with the previous versions of the CMA that we go the oral we govy because you have to um you don't you should not eat after four hours of taking the medication and and this no new version from fun deo basically um you should be okay with with eating because the changes they did in the a new medication.
Dr. \Interesting, fun deo. So it's like a fun day you have, not eating.
SPEAKER_00I think that was the reason for calling it this way, correct?
Dr. \Oh my goodness. You know, like when I go get my nails done, like some of the names they come up for the colors of the nails are so creative. I think nail polish is still more creative than whoever comes up with these uh medication names. Some of them can be real doozies. Correct. But I have spent so much of my career advocating for fair and lower drug costs. Like, you know, we talked about insulin, and I talk about insulin in my practice a lot, even though I don't treat my type 1 diabetes. I have patients who have type one and type two, of course, in my practice, like pretty much all physicians do. But when I'm describing hormones and the differences of when you lose hormones, like when you lose estrogen, you don't die in two weeks. Like if you have no insulin, you're dead in two weeks, right? Doesn't matter what anybody did until they started giving animal insulin, then human insulin. Now we give pancreas transplants. So there's like a different hierarchy of hormones, like some that you need for yourself to stay alive, some that are needed to reproduce for society that have maybe other peripheral benefits that are beneficial, like with metabosal hormones. Is it the same thing with peptides? Or some that are really critical and some that are just kind of extra?
SPEAKER_00I don't think that peptides in the form that we're using them now are essential to live, but they definitely serve a very important role in actually you can argue that they're saving the medical the healthcare system, especially in America, with the obesity pandemic. So they do serve a very good role in that. They do help with managing the cholesterol, the insulin sensitivity, the mil metabolic syndrome, which is m including the cardiovascular part of it, which is the leading cause of death in in the world. So uh they are helpful for the long-term goal versus I I agree with you. Insulin is something that you probably need um for the short term as well. Yeah.
Dr. \So when I started my practice and was in the menopause clinic seeing women, I would see some complicated patients. But the degree of illness and the burden of chronic disease now is so exponentially greater. Like I hardly had anyone in my practice that had insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, uh metabolic associated fatty liver disease. I mean, I I saw a couple of women who had had liver transplants from cirrhosis because of this metabolic issue. Why do you think that it has skyrocketed so much in America?
FDA Approved Versus Gray Market Peptides
Dr. \Sick people being so chronically ill with so much burden of disease.
SPEAKER_00I think there are multiple reasons for this. A lot of it stems from the behavior aspects, as starting from the diet, from the lack of exercise, from the chronic stress that we deal with, and poor sleep, and all these things accumulate and driving this chronic conditions and metabolic syndromes.
Dr. \And you are listening to the Speaking of Women's Health podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Holly Thacker, in the Sunflower House with Dr. Tuma, who is a family medicine doctor, expert in obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine and functional medicine. And we are talking all things peptides, which is just such a hot topic. And kind of going back to some of the basics, what's the difference between FDA approved and non-FDA approved peptides? And does that matter to people listening?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think this is one of the major things that we need to differentiate in terms of the topic of peptides. Um, the FDA approved peptides, those are um medications, uh compounds that they have been studied extensively on thousands of patients. We're able to establish dosing, safety profile, complications, and contraindications. Versus the non-FD approved peptides, those are peptides that they have been used in the past, however, they did not go through the same uh rigorous studies and especially in humans, and they're not they're not basically prescribed in a regular pharmacy. And and and I think this is an important point to um highlight, just because when we talk about peptides in general, I think uh most people refer to those non-fda approved peptides, which we need to understand more.
Dr. \So probably that person who who made that off-handed comment, oh, I just started peptides, probably it's most likely non-FDA approved, and it's just kind of you get that information at the gym.
SPEAKER_00I would assume so.
Dr. \Or the gym or your friend, or your I don't know. Where do people like obtain these non-FDA approved substances?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so originally um clinicians used to recommend the certain peptides before I do believe late 2023 is when we stopped. We were not able to prescribe those or recommend those anymore. Not we, I I I don't I haven't prescribed those in my uh professional career, but physicians used to be able to prescribe those and using them from compounding pharmacies. However, the regulations have been changed and they were banned late 2023 till now. So a lot of those peptides or non-FDA approved peptides are not being prescribed in the US from a compounding pharmacy. So if you hear anybody who's talking about peptides, especially for research purposes, they're getting those peptides from online uh websites. Usually they are manufactured outside the United States, like places like China.
Dr. \Oh, great.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah.
Dr. \So, you know, because when I look at the chronic health burdens, and I think yes, some of it is a personal responsibility and people being on screens and fast food and you know, lifestyle, but it's so exponential that it really makes me think that it's something in the food supply. Like it just seems like we have so many more inflammatory fats, omega-6s. There I've I've done a podcast on the food substances that are banned in other countries, the fact that uh Americans just can have as much of it as they want, right? And it just seems like this chronic disease like reinforcement with food, lifestyle, maybe other things in the environment that really make it difficult for people. I've always been leery of online things and not interacting with your physician and getting shared decision-making, informed consent and the best available, you know, knowledge and options. I've unfortunately had to live a lot of my career with women returning to compounding pharmacies because they thought prescription hormone therapy was not safe and it was going to kill them, which of course I don't know. But the research showed it actually prolonged their health span and lifespan and reduced chronic disease, which of course I could see from the research. And I kept saying that, but it's like what you're saying it's into the abyss because what the culture and what the TV tells them and the media tells them or what they hear at the gym or in their neighbor neighborhood coffee clatches seems to have more import than someone who's really delving sometimes into the literature. And the concern is if there's not regulation, you don't know what else they're putting in it, you know, and there's a risk with not having oversight with compounding. Ha ha have you seen disaster cases with people getting stuff online from China and other other places that are promising improved health?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, I get almost every day into the question about peptides. Should I do that? Should I try to look for one? And you're right. I think the quality of the product that you get, what whether it's a supplement or a medication, is super important. That's why we try to uh stick with the FDA approved uh medications because of that, the regulation, the oversight, and all these things. And I do get concerned when patients try to reach to uh resources like online, and we don't have really good way of regulating that market, which it's being called gray market, and basically there is a risk that can be associated with this. Whether we're first of all, we don't tr we we're we don't know if this is actually the product that they're c claiming they are it is. Of course. So uh there's a risk of contamination, heavy metals, or something called lipopolysaccharides, or toxicity that could be associated with with the use of certain products if if it is if there's no oversight on them. And I would say this is one of the major concerns. Obviously, other than just we still need significant like review for these peptides. We need to study them on humans, we need to have good studies to show safety long term and short term, to establish protocols and dosing. And we don't the truth is we don't have we don't have this information for now to recommend it in a safely way. Most of the people that that have been using them, uh or clinicians that have been recommending or using them, it's more like a personal experience based on other people's experience, which this is how this is not how we practice medicine for for everybody, basically. We we make sure if we have I'm not saying they the peptides they don't work. Uh what I'm saying is we in order to prove that they work, we need to study them in randomized controlled studies or research. Uh this is where there's another challenge comes with that too, because as we said, peptides are something that is naturally present in our body, and this is something that you cannot have a patent on. So Right.
Dr. \So there's not gonna be big pharma putting big money into doing randomized controlled trials to get that FDA label, right?
SPEAKER_00Correct. Like the the the studies for the for the the FDA approval and the studies for these things cost a lot of money. We're talking millions, and uh if you cannot patent this to make profit, they're not gonna be a good interest from the pharmaceutical for for obvious reasons. So this is where the challenge comes in here, and I that that doesn't mean that we should not look into it, and I think we should study it because uh there is an interest and there is some you know promising potentials for these peptides. Uh, I'm personally interested to see the actual results of these peptides because they're basically promising a lot of benefits for this peptide.
Trending Peptides For Healing And Recovery
Dr. \So let's talk about some of the trending ones that I've read about and heard people talk about. Uh so tell me about BPC 157.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so actually it's one of the most exciting uh peptides that they're talking about. It's it's uh the body protective compound 157, it's uh derived from the gastric juices, uh basically, and it's it's been studied on animals, not on humans yet. Basically, the claims in terms of benefits fighting inflammation, healing, wound healing, gastrointestinal benefits, vascular benefits. It's it's been or at least that's what we hear about the benefits on recovery in after injuries, like tendon injuries and MSK, mescoskeletal injuries, basically, uh in addition to the GI benefits. But again, those are based on animal studies. We don't have enough data, very, very rare studies, uh special on the BPC 157. So when we say there's anything for there's still people using it.
Dr. \There's still people using it, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. And and again, I I think because of all the promises that comes with the use of this medication uh this peptide, basically, uh a lot of people people will be curious on the benefit of of of using it. But again, would would you try something that does not have enough data? Something that we don't really understand the side effects. It appears to be safe so far on the animal studies, but again, that does not translate necessarily on human and humans as we know from our experience with other medications. So yeah.
Dr. \Well, I I see so many midlife women who have tendinosis, tendon injuries, delayed musculoskeletal healing, you know, looking into PRP and high frequency, you know, sound wave, sh you know, therapy, really looking for options. So we certainly do need that because the aging body uh does not recover. And I just see a lot of patients who have a lot of excessive musculoskeletal degeneration, and you know, they follow all the usual lifestyle standard vitamin supplementation, etc., and really have terrible tr trouble with their tendons. Tell me about TB500.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, TB500 is um also a naturally occurring amino acids in the body, in the mammals, basically. The sum of the like mechanism of actions or the claimed benefits, same thing in terms of uh blood vessel formation, cell migration, which can enhance also recovery and healing. Uh, those are the major findings in in animal studies, but that's another thing that was not studied in in humans either.
Dr. \Wow, fascinating. And what about um ipomoralin?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, epomorlin is also um a peptide that seems to signal for a growth hormone. Yeah, and basically helps with increasing the production of endogenous growth hormone. But this is again not enough human studies. All of these things are animal studies, basically.
Dr. \And then finally, what about GHK-I guess that's copper?
SPEAKER_00C Yeah. So this is another peptides. Interestingly, this one has been studied for topical use, uh, for wound healing, uh, and wound repair. But when we say in terms of peptide use in the non-FDA approved form, it's more mostly injectable. And for the injectable form, it's it's also we don't have enough evidence in a human in human studies too, and basically works very similar. It seems like most of the peptides have similar form of uh the way how they work in terms of NG genesis, which is uh making new blood vessels that could help with recovery and healing and anti-inflammatory benefits too.
Dr. \Because uh, as I mentioned, I have so many women with musculoskeletal problems, joint pain, you know, they they don't want to have joint replacement, they're doing their physical therapy, they're keeping their weight down as best they can, but they have a lot of joint pain. And so I was wondering if some of these skin penetrating ones that don't have to be gotten from a gray lab or black market, you know, online that just penetrate through the stratium or uh corneum and go directly through the skin, if those might be you know, I see them first crawl, I see them over the counter that people can purchase those. Do you think that there's some benefit in it? And do you think it should be mixed with other other things like turmeric or MSM or menthol or you know, I see also methylene blue. I didn't know if you wanted to comment on that.
SPEAKER_00I I yeah are you are you recommending any of those for people recommending supplementation or or or the topical?
Topicals Supplements And What To Trust
Dr. \Topical, you know, over the yeah. That seems safer, but if it's still absorbing into your body and you don't know what it's doing, it still, you know, could be a problem.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. Um I mean, just for clarification, uh the GHK uh uh copper, it's an FDA approved, so it's an actual medication that's used topically. We I don't do a lot of topical supplementation necessarily. I do definitely I do for sure like some pharmaceutical topical interventions, it's still absorbed by the body. I'm um as as you know, like we use a lot of like hormones that's uh in a gel form that it's absorbed to. In terms of supplementation, that has similar risk, so that's why we try to be also careful with the sourcing of the supplement. Uh, there are some supplements that have been studied on in humans. Usually those studies are smaller as well, and uh we we try to focus on the quality of the product, more from a nutraceutical grade, and not to do it for a long time. So there's again medications, the pharmaceutical FD approved process tend to be very extensive, a lot of oversight, you can guarantee uh the quality of the product, the consistency of the product, making sure that uh the the one the medication that you have actually contains the uh what it's supposed to. Um and and at least we understand the side effects and safety uh way uh and and possible complications for counseling.
Dr. \Now, this isn't a peptide, it's a solvent, and it was really popular in the 1970s for musculoskeletal problems, DMSO, and I know it's sold over the the counter. Is is any of that used with topicals to improve the penetration, or do you have any comments on using topical DMSO for musculoskeletal injuries?
SPEAKER_00I'm not familiar with this one.
Dr. \Yeah, it's really dirt cheap. I mean, I remember they used to then the FDA clamped down on it, and people thought, oh, it's because nobody can make money off of it, and it helps so much with injury. And I I remember as a child just driving by gas stations, we sell DMSO. So I just wondered if any of those other things were, you know, mixed in some of this stuff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I th I think it's the same concept with peptides. It's probably one of the things that made it popular, is when they became banned.
Dr. \Uh now everybody wants it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, everybody wants wants it now, and we want to try it, and there is a probably a reason why they were banned. So it it's funny that the same stories keep happening uh over time.
Dr. \Yeah, although there is a concern about regulatory capture with the FDA. Um and so, you know, every decision they made ha has not been well. I mean, I've worked for over 20 years to get the FDA to lift these ridiculous, scary, boxed warnings off of local vaginal estrogen and systemic hormones as well, which show longevity. And I mean, that was just Herculean. It took a new administration to get that done. So while I like oversight and I think that some of our governmental agencies uh do a good job, I mean, just like with anything else, sometimes they don't. So it does seem like there's some movement, but there's a lot of controversy about people thinking that they want access to the gray market and they're not getting it. Some other substances is uh what what do you have to say about methylene
Methylene Blue NAD And Health Foundations
Dr. \blue?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, methanine blue is actually um and it I do believe it's been there even before the FDA. And there is a pharmaceutical use for it in a very, very specific medical conditions. Uh, however, it's been used for anti-inflammatory and as as a supplement over-the-counter one. I don't use it as much, but I I am aware that it's one of the substances that have been studied previously for uh the its anti-inflammatory benefits or mitochondrial support. Again, I would be very caution, cautious with its use because there might be some inter interaction with certain medications. So it might be helpful for certain conditions, but under medical supervision.
Dr. \Speaking about things that were around before the FDA, there's an estrogen esterified plant-based estrogen with oral methyl testosterone that I prescribe for women, especially women who've lost their ovaries and do need testosterone. Most women don't. I did a podcast on that, but some women, of course, do. And it's so old that it was around before the FDA was. So of course they never went for FDA approval. And so a lot of insurance companies won't cover it because it's not FDA approved. And you know, so and we do use a lot of agents off label, of course, um, even though they have been studied. So you have an idea about the side effect profile in a certain group of patients, but that we as physicians should be able to use non-FDA, I mean FDA approved medicines for different options that they weren't initially studied for, because through our clinical just adult experience and et cetera, you know, we have to sometimes come up with that as well as like repurposed cheaper drugs that isn't going to make somebody a lot of money, but might help patients. But just because something's cheap or something's somewhat banned, it doesn't mean it's gonna help you either. And it just makes this whole thing so complex because people want to feel better and they want to live longer. And, you know, when someone promises you that you're going to be thinner or look better or have bigger muscles or recover faster from the gym, uh you know, people are just so into this whole anti-aging. The other topic that people ask me about is NA NAD. And I and from my understanding from talking to other functional medicine people, the oral just doesn't work very well. It has to be intravenous.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I I am aware of the this conversation uh with the NAD and all and it's used. I don't use it for my patients, and it appears that the probably uh the injectable one is more beneficial, but I I did not do a lot of reading on it. I and I I think the focus should be a little bit different than looking into those type of interventions because from what I see that a lot of people have issues with the basic foundational aspects of health.
Dr. \Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00So we the the four aspects that I discuss on on all of my visits are the are we eating well? Are we moving on a daily basis? Are we sleeping enough and high quality? And are we do we have good coping mechanism for stress levels and so forth? And the the truth is if we don't optimize these areas first, the other conversation about any form of supplements is really um not super helpful. It does not really move the needle, especially from what I see in my experience with chronic uh conditions and and the complex patients that we see on a regular basis. So yeah, if you if you master everything in terms of your your diet and your exercise and sleep and uh um stress management and social connections, then sure, yeah, we can look into some supplementation, some other ways to add this extra level, but it just we cannot skip the basic things. And we need to be aware of something that, in my opinion, there's no free lunch.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_00So if you're using if you're using a substance that's effective or a supplement that is effective enough to give you benefits, it is effective enough to cause harm or side effects sometimes. So this is where it's important to have this conversation with your clinician, understanding its use, having regular labs and oversight, just to make sure if you decided to do that on your own or with the after talking to your physician, uh, we need to make sure that things are stable and and safe and it doesn't cause a lot of complications or interactions with other medications too.
Dr. \Wow, that's really well said. There's no free lunch, and I do see people bringing in a big bag of all the supplements which I ask them to bring in. But I do think sometimes people just want to take a pill. So thank you for joining us in the Sunflower House.
No Free Lunch Takeaways And Closing
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