growth hormone, peptides, and our clinic
From the desk of our founder, Dr. Ron Brown:
”There has been growing interest and inquiries regarding the prescription and use of peptides through True Balance. The situation is complicated and I will try to lay it out in simple terms.
Peptides are short sequences of amino acids that the body uses as very powerful messengers. Examples of these include:
Insulin: produced by the pancreas and responsible for the uptake of glucose into muscle and fat cells.
Growth Hormone: produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and responsible for muscular strength and growth of long bones.
Ozempic: produced by the gut and involved in energy uptake, gastric emptying and feeling of fullness after a meal.
BPC-157: a synthetic compound found to have powerful effects in the promotion of tissue healing after injury.
These are just a few of the very peptides that are available for use. Peptides can be produced to mimic ones that naturally occur in the body. Peptides can also be synthesized to have desirable effects in the body. There has been considerable research over the last 40 years into the area of peptides. Obviously, these peptides can have very powerful actions in the body. Peptides can be purchased through the internet, although issues of sterility, potency and safety go with these internet purchases.
In the United States, peptides are widely available through commercial sources and compounding pharmacies. In the USA, peptides are legal and can be prescribed by physicians under FDA supervision. Many of the Compounders have become very aggressive in this area, as it has become a huge growth opportunity for them. This has led to lots of advertising which makes peptides seem readily available. FDA supervision of the peptide market in the USA is very different than what occurs in Canada.
In Canada, Health Canada has taken a very different approach. At this time, physicians are not allowed to prescribe peptides. Physicians who do so can potentially suffer discipline by their respective provincial College and even lose their license. Peptides are available through Canada Peptides and can be purchased directly. To purchase the peptides through this source, the purchaser must attest that the peptides being purchased will not be used for human treatment and only for ‘research’ purposes. A good example of the difference in country’s approaches can be seen with DHEA. DHEA is a compound with very mild steroid activity that can promote memory preservation, building of muscle and improved immune system function. In the USA, DHEA can be purchased in grocery stores. In Canada, DHEA requires a prescription written by a physician.
True Balance does not agree with the position of Health Canada at this time. However, the prescribers in True Balance are subject to the prescribing rules of this country. The prescribers in True Balance are not willing to put their license’s at risk and are unable to prescribe these compounds at this time. I would encourage all interested and motivated parties to contact their MP and express their frustration over this situation.”
