Insights
Clinical writing on peptide therapy.
Educational pieces on peptide therapy, the regulatory landscape, and how Dr. Luria practices medicine at Helix. Reviewed for clinical accuracy.
Foundations
Why Peptides Are Prescription-Only: Understanding Telehealth Peptide Therapy
Peptides are prescription-only because they have meaningful physiological effects, narrow therapeutic windows, real drug interactions, and require ongoing monitoring. The prescription requirement isn't bureaucratic. It ensures a clinical relationship between patient and physician, which is what makes peptide therapy work safely.
Compounded vs. Brand-Name Medications: What's the Difference?
A compounded medication is prepared by a licensed pharmacist for a specific patient based on a specific prescription. A brand-name medication is mass-manufactured under FDA approval. Both are legal and regulated. They're different pathways within American pharmacy practice, suited to different clinical situations.
What Are Peptides? A Plain-English Guide
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids, the same building blocks that form every protein in your body. The body produces thousands naturally to coordinate biological functions. In medicine, 'peptide therapy' means prescribing specific peptide molecules to support physiological outcomes: sleep, recovery, body composition, metabolic health, sexual response.
Peptide deep dives: Sleep, Recovery & Performance
Sermorelin vs. Tesamorelin: How Dr. Luria Decides
Sermorelin and tesamorelin are both GHRH analogs that prompt your body to release its own growth hormone. Sermorelin is the conservative, first-line general option; tesamorelin is stronger and more sustained, chosen when body composition (especially visceral fat) is the primary goal. The right choice is individualized in consultation with Dr. Luria after reviewing your history and goals.
Tesamorelin: A Closer Look at GHRH-Analog Therapy
Tesamorelin is a stabilized synthetic GHRH analog that signals the pituitary to release growth hormone in a stronger, more sustained pattern than sermorelin. It's the active ingredient in FDA-approved Egrifta and is typically prescribed for adults whose primary clinical goal involves body composition: particularly visceral abdominal fat reduction.
Sermorelin: Mechanism, Use Cases, and What Patients Report
Sermorelin is a synthetic peptide that stimulates the pituitary gland to release the body's own growth hormone in its natural pulsatile pattern. It's commonly prescribed for adults pursuing improvements in sleep depth, recovery from training, body composition, and overall vitality, typically as a first-line option in this class.
Weight Management (GLP-1)
GLP-1 Therapy: What to Expect in the First 90 Days
The first 90 days of a GLP-1 protocol follow a general arc: low starting doses that titrate upward, appetite changes many people notice within the first few weeks, a common early period of gastrointestinal adjustment, and regular physician check-ins that guide the pace. Individual variation is the rule, not the exception.
Tirzepatide: Dual GIP/GLP-1 Therapy Explained
Tirzepatide acts on two gut-hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1, rather than one. Engaging both pathways changes how the body coordinates appetite, digestion, and blood sugar at a physiology level. At Helix it is prescribed as a compounded, physician-supervised weight-management protocol with careful titration. It is compounded and not FDA-approved.
Semaglutide for Weight Management: How Compounded Semaglutide Works
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist: it mimics a naturally occurring gut hormone that regulates appetite signaling, slows how quickly the stomach empties, and influences blood sugar. At Helix it is prescribed as a compounded, physician-supervised weight-management protocol with careful dose titration. It is compounded and not FDA-approved.
Sexual Health
The Helix practice
Regulatory landscape
How the Helix Formulary Changes: What We Just Added, and What We Still Don't Offer
The Helix formulary is a living list, not a fixed menu. It recently expanded (adding BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c, Epitalon, and Semax after they advanced through the FDA's 503A review), while other peptides patients ask about remain off the list, for reasons of regulatory standing and evidence.
The State of Peptide Compounding: FDA, 503A, and What's Available
A plain-English overview of how peptide compounding is regulated: 503A versus 503B pharmacies, what 'not FDA-approved' means for compounded preparations, and why the available formulary shifts over time as FDA guidance changes.