The Rise of Peptide ‘Drugs’: Some much needed information

If you are stepping into peptide therapy without a solid foundation, this is for you. We understand the growing enthusiasm around these so-called ‘miracle medicines,’ and our mission is to empower you with the knowledge needed to make informed, responsible choices. We believe the best choice is an informed choice.

Ready? …grab a cuppa and enjoy the education…

Before these peptides became headline news for weight loss, they were first and foremost, part of your body’s own intelligent design.

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide ) are gut-derived peptide hormones. They are part of your body’s natural incretin system signalling messengers that rise after a meal.

GLP-1 is released from L-cells in the colon and distal small intestine after eating. It promotes satiety, insulin secretion, slows gastric emptying.

GIP is released from K-cells in the upper small intestine. It enhances insulin response and fat metabolismMetabolism is not a calorie-burning furnace that sits somewhere near your belly button, deciding whether you can fit into last year's jeans. Metabolism is the set of chemical processes taking place inside your body every second of every day, keeping you alive.Referenced in 31 articlesClick to read more →, especially after meals.

In essence they slow digestion, make you feel fuller for longer, reduce appetite and enhance better blood sugar control.

This led to the creation of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, the first being Byetta, based on a compound found in the Gila monster’s saliva (yes, really!), that evolved into longer-acting,

better-tolerated versions such as Victoza, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which combines GLP-1 and GIP activity.

The research on these peptides is fast and furious, with new ones emerging, such as the new triple agonist peptides, which aim to provide even greater metabolic benefits than GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP combinations like Mounjaro.

These next-generation drugs target three key receptors: GLP-1, GIP and Glucagon.

Receptors are like docking stations on your cells, places where specific molecules (like hormones) can ‘dock’ and send a message. Agonists are compounds that activate those receptors, mimicking the body’s natural messengers to trigger a biological response. In this case, GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors are being activated.

Glucagon is the same hormone that raises blood sugar but in this context, it is being leveraged for increased energy expenditure, fat burning, and appetite control. An example of a new three peptide medication is Retatrutide (currently in trials by Eli Lilly) and it is one of the most well-known triple agonist candidates. These next-generation drugs are being explored not only for obesity and type 2 diabetes, but also for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and possibly neurodegenerative conditions, yes, you read that right, neurodegenerative disorders.

Want to learn how to use this research in practice? Our Diploma teaches you how….

But what often gets missed or unknown to some folk is that your body naturally produces GLP-1 and GIP and glucagon in response to food, movement, and microbial byproducts like short-chain fatty acids.

Healthy bile flow, gut lining, and microbiomeWhen you hear the word microbiome, you probably think of the gut. Fair enough, it gets most of the attention. But what if we told you that microbes are not just hanging out 'down under'? They are everywhere. There is the oral microbiome living in your mouth, the skin microbiome covering every inch of your body, the urogenital microbiome, the lung microbiome, and, of course, the celebrity of the microbial world, the gut microbiome. These tiny organisms are not unwanted guests infact, truth be known, we are their guests. They are part of you, which helps keep you alive.Referenced in 31 articlesClick to read more → balance all affect your peptide production.

Over time, inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, stress, poor sleep, and age can reduce your GLP-1/GIP response, which is why medications may seem helpful, but also why we want to support the systems underneath.

We can also naturally enhance sensitivity to these peptides with real food, smart movement, targeted supplementation, and functional gut/liver support, and use peptides only when/if needed.

Some more serious concerns:

Although these peptides reduce appetite, help with blood sugar balance, help with weight loss, they do not:

• build or protect your muscle
• fix your sleep
• rebalance your minerals
• replace your gut
• reduce your stress load
• improve energy

Many side effects seen at standard doses can be significantly reduced, first by getting your ‘house in order,’ and second by considering micro-dosing if appropriate.

But before we share how to get your ‘house in order’, let’s talk about MICRO-DOSING (and we are not referring to the psychedelic kind). There has been a shift towards micro-dosing these peptides, which means starting with a lower dose than the standard clinical dose, anywhere from just 1/10th or 1/20th of what’s typically prescribed, and increasing it slowly.

For example:

• Instead of starting Ozempic at 0.25 mg weekly, a micro-dose might be 0.05–0.1 mg
• For Mounjaro, some begin as low as 2.5 mg every 10–14 days, or even less

NOTE: This blog is written for educational purposes, to fill the gap where misinformation, confusion, or lack of guidance often leads to unnecessary side effects. We aim to empower you with clarity, not fear, so you can make informed choices.

Micro-dosing has been shown to:

• reduces nausea, constipation, and extreme appetite suppression
• preserves muscle mass by keeping hunger and proteinProtein is one of the three main macronutrients, alongside fats and carbohydrates, yet for many years it was often the forgotten member of the trio. More recently, protein has become something of a celebrity in the nutrition world, appearing in everything from snack bars and cereals to coffee and desserts. Whilst the marketing can sometimes get a little carried away, the truth is that protein is essential for human health. Every cell in the body relies on it. Protein helps build and repair tissues, supports immune function, forms enzymes and hormones, transports nutrients, and helps maintain muscle mass, particularly as we age.Referenced in 32 articlesClick to read more → intake stable
• allows the metabolism to adapt gradually
• reduces inflammation without other unwanted side effects

Micro-dosing is about using the lowest effective dose to nudge your system, while respecting your body’s pace and needs.

So, this seems a better option, but it is of vital importance to first get your ‘house in order’.

Getting your house in order,  your peptide ‘readiness’ checklist.

1. Minerals, the metabolic spark plugs: minerals help with stomach acid, bile flow, energy, hydration, nerve signalling, and blood sugar regulation.
   • Are you getting enough magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc?
   • Use electrolyte powders, sea salt, or mineral-rich foods daily

1. Protein is effectively muscle retention power: Protein protects muscle, balances blood sugar, and reduces hair loss (which can be a side effect of rapid weight loss).
   • Eating at least 1g of protein per pound of ideal body weight
   • Getting 30–40g per meal to support muscle protein synthesis

1. Strength training is your metabolic insurance: Muscle is your metabolic gold. It increases insulin sensitivity, raises basal metabolic rate, and supports hormonal balance. More muscle means more calories burned at rest, therefore easier fat loss and better maintenance.
   • Lifting weights or doing resistance workouts 2–4x/week?
   • Prioritising compound movements and daily walking?
2. Gut health: GLP-1 and GIP are both produced in the gut. A healthy gut, characterised by a diverse microbiome and high production of short-chain fatty acids, stimulates these incretins. Constipation or ‘sluggish’ bile can create nausea and reduce effectiveness.
   • Are you digesting and absorbing your food?
   • Having regular, complete bowel movements?
   • Supporting bile flow with bitters, fats, lemon water, or choline?

1. Sleep: it’s like the metabolic reset button. Sleep isn’t optional, it is where blood sugar regulation, hormone balance, and muscle repair are ‘prepared’. Without sleep, you can be more hungry, more insulin resistant, more anxious, and more inflamed.Aim for…Aim for:
   • 7–9 hours/night in a cool (16–19°C), dark room
   • No screens 1 hour before bed
   • Morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking
2. Stress: it is not just about feeling overwhelmed. Cortisol is your body’s survival hormone. It is meant to help you handle stress. But chronic elevation can: increase blood sugar, break down muscle, add to belly fat and disrupt sleep patterns. Over time, this leads to insulin resistance, even if your diet is ‘clean’. Nutritional stress also counts:such as skipping meals, ‘over-fasting’ low-protein, low-calorie diets, poor food choices. Support your stress system with: Aim for:
   • Protein and fibre-rich meals with fat
   • Various nutrients such as vitamin C
   • Salt and potassium to support and regulate the adrenals

In their first year at the New School, students are deeply grounded in nervous system physiology and the adrenal stress response… two core pillars of our curriculum. We believe that every 21st-century practitioner must move beyond intellectual knowledge and fully embody these insights in both their clinical work and their lived experience. The functional testsIf you have ever been told, ‘your blood tests are normal’, not ‘normal’ or not yourself, then you have already discovered one of the reasons functional testing has become so popular. Functional tests are designed to provide additional information about how the body is functioning. They may explore areas such as hormones, digestion, nutrient status, fatty acids, the microbiome, genetics, metabolism, or stress physiology. Think of them as gathering more pieces of the health puzzle, ideally before a dis-ease ‘shows up’.  Sadly, most people turn to functional tests, once they have a dis-ease. Referenced in 34 articlesClick to read more → we teach are not only powerful tools for uncovering biochemical individuality, they are also profoundly relevant to the complex, dys-regulated world we’re living in today.

A message from Humma, 2023-2025 cohort:

“The last two years have been some of the best of my life – not because they were easy, but because they helped me come out of my shell! You see, being a mum to four young children, a women of colour and with little science background was enough to make me avoid taking this step. But I took it! And I showed up, I learned. I pushed through and I grew! And if I can do it, so can you! Applications for this years intake are closing soon so if you are thinking about studying at the New School, apply now…”

Side effects are usually the body’s way of saying the house is not in order

A comprehensive stool analysis, a functional test taught at the New School

Here is a quick, short summary with a few specific recommendations on ‘building the house’ with or without peptide dosing. Note these ‘should’ not be optional if you are on these peptide medications.

Whether or not you are using medications, enhancing your body’s own peptide response creates better outcomes and fewer side effects.

Here’s how:

1. Feed the microbiome that feeds your peptides

• Prioritise fibre-rich, prebiotic foods: garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, oats, legumes
• Add resistant starch from cooled potatoes, green bananas, or cooked/cooled rice
• Include fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and yoghurt to increase microbial diversity
• These help increase short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, especially butyrate, which stimulates L- and K-cells to release GLP-1 and GIP

2. Support bile and fat digestion

• GLP-1 and GIP are triggered by nutrients in the gut, especially fats and SCFA-derived lipids like 2-oleoylglycerol (2-OG)
• Improve bile flow with lemon water, bitter greens, apple cider vinegar, ox bile, or choline-rich foods (eggs, liver)
• Magnesium citrate or triphala for short-term relief for slow bowels (see Rapid Relief Homeopathy later)
• Consider the liver gall bladder cleanse (more HERE)

3. Do NOT under-eat

• Starving the system means less signal to produce peptides
• Muscle loss, hormonal imbalance, foggy brain to name a few
• Eat 3 balanced meals/day, with 30–40g protein, healthy fat, and fibre in each meal

4. Supplements that may help:

• Berberine: improves GLP-1 sensitivity and insulin regulation
• Psyllium or acacia fibre: feed SCFA-producing bacteria (remember butyrate?)
• Curcumin, ginseng, yerba mate, bitter melon: shown in early research to support GLP-1 pathways

Always best to check with a qualified nutritional therapist and obtain a personalised programme.

5. Move your body

• Walking, especially post-meal, helps stimulate peptide secretion and insulin sensitivity
• Resistance training improves incretin responsiveness long term. Resistance is not an option when dosing peptides, as the muscle loss with standard dosing can be severe. However, we believe resistance training should be part of every person’s life!

Rapid Relief Homeopathy for peptide side effects

Constipation? Peptides slow gastric emptying. Here’s what helps:

• Nux vomica 30c: bloating, straining, sluggish bowel with irritability
• Lycopodium 30c: early fullness, burping, gassy with right-sided symptoms
• Chelidonium 6C or 30c: sluggish bile, right-sided pain, pale stools

Nausea? Especially in the morning or after small meals:

• Ipecac 30c: constant nausea, not better from vomiting
• Colchicum 30c:  intense sensitivity to food smells, worse around cooking
• Carduus marianus 6c or 30c: liver-based nausea with bitterness or foggy head

Dose 30C remedies every 15–30 mins during acute symptoms but not long term.

When peptides do make sense

If you have done the work, minerals, sleep, gut health, movement, resistance training and real food, then peptides can:

• Boost satiety
• Reduce inflammation
• Improve insulin sensitivity
• Help shift long-stuck weight patterns

Peptides may be the nudge. But your physiology is the ‘smooth operator’.

From the team at the New School of Nutritional Medicine

APPLY HERE

Learn about the Founder & Principal of the New School of Nutritional Medicine, Dr Khush Mark PhD HERE.