The Morning Dose #17: Immune Support, Hair Loss Peptides, and Berberine for Weight Loss

In this week’s edition of The Morning Dose:

 Featured Peptide: Zn Thymulin

 Fountain Update: Semaglutide Delivered to Your Door

Winter Health Stack: How to Support Your Immune System

Is Berberine A Useful Alternative to Semaglutide?

Let’s inject this.

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 Featured Peptide: Zn Thymulin

We’re back with another peptide feature, and this time we’re focusing on hair loss.

Traditionally, hair loss treatments have come in the form of various DHT blockers, but oral treatments can cause post-finasteride syndrome (PFS), a syndrome so bad it has its own foundation to raise awareness.

Symptoms of PFS have been shown to last up to 40 months after discontinuing use… but that’s because that’s the longest study, so far.

Some users report the symptoms seem to be permanent. 

The symptoms include a decrease or complete loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, loss of pleasure or absence of sensation in orgasm, loss of genital sensitivity, and many other side effects related to abnormal sexual function.

Put simply, you don’t want to mess with oral DHT blockers to treat thinning hair.

Enter Zn Thymulin, a natural peptide that may reduce male pattern baldness and reduce the greying of hair, without interfering with sexual function.

Zn Thymulin is a combination of zinc, and thymulin, which is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the thymus.

This combination supports healthy hair follicles, reduces naturally occurring hair loss, and can stimulate melanogenesis, which reduces grey hair.

The best part? It’s a topical peptide that you spray onto your scalp, meaning no injections are needed.

Unfortunately, we don’t have many human trials yet, so this isn’t an FDA-approved treatment. But considering the ingredients are generally safe, and it’s a topical treatment, the odds of side effects are incredibly low.

It can be difficult to find, and it’s not FDA-approved, but we’re hopeful that this peptide will be approved in the coming years.

For more information, check out our complete guide to Zn Thymulin. 

  Fountain Update: Semaglutide Delivered to Your Door

We’ve got an exciting announcement this week – the fine folks over at Fountain TRT have recently launched a new program to help men and women manage their weight with semaglutide.

Fountain TRT has been our most trusted provider for years, and now they offer weight loss management with their new service, FountainGLP.

Just like their TRT services, FountainGLP connects you with an expert medical provider from the comfort of your home.

All you have to do is take an online evaluation, have a virtual meeting with one of Fountain’s healthcare providers, and if appropriate, they’ll have semaglutide shipped directly to your doorstep.

We all know how challenging it can be to get help from your regular physician; now you can work with a team who specializes in weight management.

The best part?

Muscle + Brawn readers can save 84% on their initial evaluation through FountainGLP.

If you’re interested in trying semaglutide to help you manage your weight, this is the best option on the market.

→ Click here to access 84% off your online evaluation with FountainGLP.

Winter Health Stack: How to Support Your Immune System

Cold and flu season is here, and even though Covid cases seem to be stabilizing, experts think we may see cases spike again once the winter season hits.

This is the most important time of the year to take care of your immune system and avoid seasonal illnesses, so we wanted to share our best tips for staying healthy.

#1. Get Plenty of Sleep

Adequate sleep is essential to maintain a healthy immune system, and as the days grow shorter, many of us find our sleep schedules may disrupted.

Do whatever you can to make sure you’re still getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep each night if possible.

#2. Don’t Stop Exercising

Staying active is another way to keep your body healthy, especially in the wintertime.

If you’re a regular gym-goer, you may not be affected. But for those who get most of their activity outdoors, the cold months make it easy to replace your evening jog with an evening Netflix session.

Find ways to stay active throughout the week; your body will thank you.

#3. Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

This one seems simple, but it works. Be sure to consume several servings of fruits and vegetables every single day.

You’ll load your body with the essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants needed to fight off illnesses and bacteria, and while supplements can help, nothing replaces real, healthy food.

#4. Wash Your Hands

One of the easiest ways to get sick is by touching something in public, transferring the germs to your hands, and then rubbing those germs into your face.

Yikes.

Most of us touch our face many times throughout the day without realizing it, so be sure to wash your hands regularly, or use some hand sanitizer after leaving public areas like the gym or grocery store.

#5. Take the Right Supplements

Once you’ve got everything else covered, taking some wellness supplements isn’t a bad idea.

Vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and garlic can all help to fight off common illnesses. You may also see benefits from herbal supplements, like elderberry, mushrooms, or echinacea.

But remember, you can’t out-supplement a poor diet, so your first step should always be to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables every day.

Is Berberine A Useful Alternative to Semaglutide?

As manufacturers struggle to produce enough semaglutide to keep up with the rising demand, and compounding pharmacies are under fire from the FDA, many are looking for an alternative weight loss solution.

Berberine, a natural plant alkaloid, has long been used to manage blood sugar levels, with some research indicating it may be nearly as effective as metformin.

With the ongoing semaglutide shortage, which is so bad that Belgium is considering a temporary ban on the peptide, many are looking for other weight loss aids.

Berberine is back in the public spotlight, with social media influencers calling it “nature’s Ozempic.”

At the time of writing, the hashtag #berberine has 96.2 million views on TikTok, and Google searches for “berberine weight loss” have surged over the last few months.

So… is berberine really a good weight-loss supplement?

Not really.

Yes, berberine can reduce blood glucose levels quite effectively, but that doesn’t equate to weight loss, and it’s more similar to metformin than semaglutide.

Berberine usage might result in minor weight loss, but nowhere near as much as semaglutide.

Semaglutide can also lower blood glucose levels, but it has strong appetite suppression effects and can slow down the digestion of food.

In other words, the weight loss benefits from semaglutide come from reducing how much you eat, not from controlling your blood sugar.

So is berberine healthy? Sure, if you’re worried about blood sugar.

But it’s certainly not something that should be used for weight loss, and it’s not “nature’s ozempic.”