EPISODE 63: How GLP-1s Changed Her Life After Early Menopause & Breast Cancer with Lois Essenfeld

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Welcome back to the Peptides for Women podcast!

Welcome back to Peptides for Women podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by my good friend Tina Haupert, the woman behind Carrots ’N Cake, an FDN practitioner, longtime health and fitness blogger, and experienced peptide self-experimenter. Tina has been on a long health journey with ulcerative colitis, and her search for better health has led her to explore a wide range of peptides for healing, inflammation, pain, metabolism, body composition, and overall health. Tina and I talk about the good, the bad, and the unexpected parts of using peptides. She shares some of her biggest peptide wins, as well as the experiences that did not go as planned, including some pretty intense reactions to MOTS-c, Thymosin Alpha-1, and FOXO4-DRI. We also talk about the peptides that have worked really well for her, including ARA 290 for nerve pain, GLP-1s for appetite control and food noise, and Tesamorelin + KPV for body composition and inflammation. Tina shares why she prefers a low-and-slow approach, how her experience with peptides has changed over time, and why the same peptide can affect two people very differently. Most importantly, this episode is about looking at peptides as another tool in the toolbox rather than a magic solution. Your experience may be completely different from someone else’s, which is why bio-individuality, proper guidance, and understanding the bigger picture all matter. In this episode, we cover: Tina’s health journey with ulcerative colitis and what led her to functional nutrition and peptides Why BPC-157 + TB-500 was Tina’s “gateway peptide” Her experience with MOTS-c and intense injection site reactions Why MOTS-c may not be a good fit for everyone Tina’s experience with a high dose of Thymosin Alpha-1 and the importance of starting low and slow FOXO4-DRI and the theory behind targeting senescent “zombie” cells Why the dose can make a big difference with peptides Tina’s experience using ARA 290 for severe nerve pain Tina’s experience with Tirzepatide and Retatrutide Why Retatrutide caused increased heart rate and anxiety for Tina at higher doses Why individual responses to GLP-1s can be so different Tina’s experience with Tesamorelin + KPV Her less positive experience with Tesamorelin + Ipamorelin KPV for inflammation and why Tina likes combining it with growth hormone peptides Tina’s experience with 5-Amino and increased energy Her first impressions of topical GHK-Cu for skin How practitioners can troubleshoot when a peptide isn’t producing the expected results Peptides for Practitioners and the importance of learning how to use peptides responsibly with clients How practitioners can integrate peptide education into their businesses Why getting different perspectives from other practitioners can be valuable Connect with Tina Haupert: Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/carrotsncake/

Welcome back to Peptides for Women podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by Dustin Robinson, founding partner of LumaLex Law, an attorney, CPA, and entrepreneur who works with companies in emerging and highly regulated industries. We’re talking about the legal and regulatory side of the peptide industry, including research-use peptides, compounding pharmacies, telehealth, social media, and what doctors and consumers should understand as the industry continues to evolve. Dustin shares why peptides, psychedelics, cannabis, healthcare, and other industries can be so complicated from a legal perspective. We also talk about the differences between research-use-only (RUO) products and regulated compounding pharmacies, how state and federal regulations can overlap, and why the laws surrounding peptides can change so quickly. We also get into the recent discussions around peptides being considered for the 503A bulk drug list, what that could mean for access, the future of peptide supply chains, and why the demand for peptides could create new challenges for pharmacies and API manufacturers. Finally, Dustin explains some of the legal risks around affiliate marketing and social media, including why peptide companies and influencers need to be careful about what they say online and how Meta handles content related to regulated industries. In this episode, we cover: Why emerging industries like peptides, psychedelics, cannabis, and healthcare have complicated legal frameworks

Welcome back to Peptides for Women podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Aleksandra Gajer, a medical doctor specializing in functional and metabolic health, to talk about her journey from emergency medicine to functional medicine and how peptides have become an important part of her own health journey and her work with women. Dr. Gajer shares how her experience with Lyme disease and the limitations she saw in conventional medicine led her to explore a deeper approach to health. We talk about mitochondrial health, healing peptides, growth hormone secretagogues, hormones, and how she approaches peptide protocols based on each woman’s individual symptoms, labs, and goals. She also explains how she uses peptides like MOTC, SS31, NAD+, BPC-157, KPV, thymus, sermorelin, tesamorelin, and more, including how she thinks about supporting mitochondrial function and muscle mass in midlife women. In this episode, we cover: Dr. Gajer’s journey from emergency medicine to functional medicine Her experience with Lyme disease and chronic health struggles Why she felt conventional medicine was missing something How hormones became an important part of her practice How peptides became the “icing on the cake” for her and her patients Her personal experience using healing peptides after Lyme disease BPC-157, KPV, thymus, and Alpha-1 for immune and healing support Why mitochondrial health is especially important for women in midlife How MOTC, SS31, and NAD+ work differently to support mitochondria How she approaches peptide protocols based on a woman’s symptoms and labs Growth hormone secretagogues and supporting muscle mass and sleep Sermorelin, tesamorelin, CJC-1295, and ipamorelin Why some women may experience anxiety with ghrelin-related peptides Tesamorelin and visceral fat How hormones and peptides can work together for midlife women A patient story involving hormones, a GLP-1, sermorelin, and MOTC Pinealon and the future of brain health and longevity Why prioritizing your health can change how you experience midlife Connect with Dr. Aleksandra Gajer! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegajerpractice/ Website: https://thegajerpractice.com/ Links & Resources: 🔗 Learn more at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠elliemd.com/JenniferWoodwardNutrition⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎯 Take my free peptide quiz and get a personalized, midlife-smart roadmap for the peptides that actually match your symptoms and goals: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://quiz.jenniferwoodwardnutrition.com/peptide-quiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎓 Enroll in the Peptides for Practitioners Certification Course and get $100 off for podcast subscribers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.carrotsncake.com/offers/TrVo7mCz?coupon_code=PFPJENNIFER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🧬 Want to pair GLP-1s with functional lab testing? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://learn.jenniferwoodwardnutrition.com/invitation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📩 Grab The Body Edit Guide here for full protocols, labs, and more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://stan.store/jenniferwoodwardnutrition/p/get-the-body-edit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ‼️Disclaimer‼️ This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. Always speak with your licensed healthcare provider before starting or changing any medication or treatment plan.