When Mine Forgot
Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, I was on a rollercoaster ride through the healthcare world. On the desperate side, I sought the answers to “why all this agony?” Every meal was an odyssey of pain. I felt like I was starving but afraid of every bite I took that the pain would be worse. And it was. I went from 170 to 114 lbs! I called my sister in California. In that moment, she prayed for answers and something happened inside me. No, I didn’t experience some instantaneous healing. It came with time and commitment. Something deeper happened. The fear and desperation became softer. I saw courage rise up to begin my journey toward wholeness.
My sister found a doctor who helped mystery patients like myself. That was amazing since it was 1981 and hospital visits didn’t have a clue. They said something was definitely wrong but didn’t know what to do with me. I sat in this doctor’s office as he declared he wasn’t going to add another diagnosis to the many already on the list. He also said the disciplines required may last a lifetime. He basically said I was almost a universal reactor to my environment, of what I ate, breathed, and touched. I had severe malabsorption and IBS. Other doctors over the years weren’t sure if it was IBS or IBS-D. They also threw in all kinds of possibles-Lupus, Crohn’s, prediabetic, jaundice, hypothyroid, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, you name it. Considering everything that was going wrong, this one doctor simply defined me as being in a degenerative metabolic spiral from unknown chemical cause/basically starving to death.
So, after I got on a plane to give this doctor a chance, I began my adventure navigating conventional and complementary medicine—today called integrative healthcare. I tell you all this to offer a glimpse into a recent article published June 10, 2026 by Aaron Hartman, MD. Dr. Hartman is one of those pioneers in integrative and functional medicine, building a bridge of care for patients like myself, along with many others today fighting the good fight for a transformed healthcare system.
From those early days to today, I am doing great as long as I hold fast to my faith and stay on my disciplined lifestyle. What I experienced with these pioneers left me with a passion to help others discover their own healing path. Everyday these pioneers share their own passion and skill for us patients. But we patients must be centerstage and proactive, taking the first step toward them. This article hopes to help readers become inspired warriors, ever learning and discovering healing for themselves and others.
Peptides & Biological Signaling: When the Body Forgets How to Heal
What Peptides Are Actually For.
by Aaron Hartman, MD
Article Review
Dr. Hartman explained that aging and chronic illness are not primarily problems of “wear and tear,” but of lost biological communication. The body still has the raw materials to heal, but the signaling molecules that coordinate repair — especially peptides — become quieter, less frequent, and less precise with age. He explains that:
- Healing slows because signaling pathways weaken, not because tissues lack building blocks.
- Growth hormone pulses decline with age, reducing the body’s ability to initiate repair.
- Peptides act as biological messengers that can “remind” the body how to heal by restoring communication between cells, immune pathways, and repair systems.
Hartman was quoted saying “Everything we’ve discussed across this series — the compounds, the clinical evidence, the decades of use in functional medicine — exists in a landscape where access has been narrowing while demand has been expanding. Compounds I’ve relied on for years are disappearing from compounding availability. Some are being restricted not because they’ve been shown to cause harm, but because of how they fit — or don’t fit — into the regulatory categories that govern pharmaceutical legitimacy in this country. What happens when the system restricts responsible clinical use while doing relatively little to prevent the gray-market sourcing that fills the gap? That’s the question the final piece examines — and it’s the one that determines whether any of what we’ve discussed in this series is actually accessible to the patients who need it.”
Dr. Hartman shared a personal example of a shoulder injury that resolved in 4–6 weeks using peptide combinations he describes in the article. There are other doctors who are using peptides to help heal their patients, along with multiple layers of nutrient/metabolic options. One patient I know has severe, lifelong IBS-D, which contributed to Osteoporosis, for which she tried literally EVERYTHING, including keto eating pattern. She then started the peptides prescribed by her doctor. The prescription helped her with osteoarthritis and inflammation that often accompanied Hashimoto’s. Her doctor combined a subcutaneous injection of BPC-157, TB500, CHK-Cu, and KPV.
You are now probably feeling a little overwhelmed with all these acronyms and their meaning. I was too. So, I decided to create a summary chart that says healing may involve not only having the right building blocks available through the foods we eat and supplements we take but also having the biological signals that tell the body what to do with them. The summary chart offers a glimpse into:
- What each peptide is supposed to help
- How Dr. Hartman/Richmond Integrative uses it (healing signaling model)
- How Hans/NoMi evaluates the evidence (more cautious)
- Where the peptide comes from naturally
- What foods support the same biological pathways
I wanted to connect the foods we eat and supplements we take with this article series. Certain nutrient-dense foods support nutrient‑based building blocks that may also activate some of the same repair signaling pathways Dr. Hartman talks about. With food support, it points out that nutrients and peptides potentially play different but complementary roles. While nutrients such as protein, collagen, calcium, magnesium, and other bone-supportive nutrients provide the raw materials the body needs, peptides are often discussed as signaling molecules that help direct various repair and communication processes within the body. What combination of help depends on each patient’s overall history and conditions.
The summary chart I created hopes to show that many of the same pathways can be supported through nutrition, lifestyle, and metabolic balance. For those with multiple layers of metabolic dysfunction, peptides may also play a role in healing. Yet, the importance of targeted nutrient-dense foods and clinical supplementation is crucial for healing and overall wellness.
The article series deals with a complex integration between what is available to patients and what is disappearing. That is why I believe article like this one can be a bridge to us patients who need nutrient help that really works to heal, along with the medicines functional providers and compounding pharmacies continually fight to offer in our healthcare system.
Access to these signaling therapies together with nutrient-dense foods and clinical supplementation continue to evolve. That is why many of us patients and integrative/functional providers value foundational approaches such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, and targeted supplementation. These are areas where healthcare providers can take action regardless of what is happening in the broader and more challenging healthcare landscape. I hope this article encourages you to be that warrior of wellness for you and your family.
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