A Trajectory of Declining Health
I grew up in a family of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. My childhood diet was primarily the standard American fare, loaded with sugar, soft drinks, and salt, along with some ethnic food. As a result, I was a very sick child, constantly plagued by respiratory infections and sinusitis. At the age of 11, I developed a heart arrhythmia. Although puberty offered me a temporary boost in strength and wellness into my late teens and early twenties, things started turning south again soon after.
My journey with health challenges began at the age of 20 when, after being overworked, sleep-deprived, and leading an unhealthy lifestyle fueled by partying, drinking, coffee, sugar, and fast food, I succumbed to two respiratory infections and was prescribed a course of antibiotics. This perfect storm of factors led to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), panic attacks, and a laundry list of debilitating symptoms.
Over the course of a year, I sought help from an alternative doctor who suggested avoiding carbohydrates and taking supplements like CoQ10 and chromium GTF. Following his advice and incorporating exercise, my CFS gradually went into remission. However, a few years later, when I fell back into an unhealthy lifestyle, overworking myself under immense psychological stress, everything came crashing down once more. I became constantly nauseous, fatigued, and malaised, rapidly losing weight to the point of appearing gravely ill. Despite seeing several doctors, no one could diagnose my issues, and I could barely hold down food. This was around 2003-2004.
I soon developed severe social phobia, panic disorder, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which severely impacted my quality of life. The POTS would trigger panic attacks and vice versa. To manage my symptoms, I relied on courses of B vitamin injections, Cerebrolysin, and Piracetam, recommended by my father’s best friend, a Soviet neurologist.
Testicular Cancer and an Introduction to Nutrient Therapies
I suffered with these conditions until 2006 when I was diagnosed with stage 2 testicular cancer, which had already spread to my abdominal lymph nodes. Despite the cancer being considered curable by chemotherapy, I was determined to explore alternative treatment options. Although I initially fell prey to some ineffective approaches due to my limited knowledge of biomedical sciences at the time, a family friend’s recommendation led me to try intravenous Vitamin C therapy. Within the first week, the enormous, orange-sized metastases reduced in size, relieving the pressure inside my body. My pain subsided, appetite improved, and to my oncologist’s surprise, my serum tumor markers plummeted by 10,000 within just two weeks.
Although the IV Vitamin C provided temporary relief and kept me alive, I was still severely underweight at 5’10” and 113 lbs. Following a friend’s advice and personal experience, I gathered funds and donations from friends and family, depleted my savings, and even went into debt to travel to a renowned private clinic in Bavaria, Germany. This clinic was known for combining conventional and alternative cancer treatments with supportive therapies to minimize the damaging side effects of chemotherapy. After several months of treatment and a few complications, I achieved remission from cancer.
Upon returning to New York, I faced a long road to recovery, requiring several surgeries to remove the residual masses of dead cancer tissue. These masses eventually transformed into a mature teratomas, expanding like balloons and necessitating emergency excision. A top surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center suspected growing teratoma syndrome and warned that my left kidney, adrenal gland, and the entire sympathetic nerve chain on the left side might need to be removed. The grueling 11-hour surgery resulted in significant blood loss, and I woke up in the ICU with dozens of tubes and an elevated heart rate due to nerve damage. I would later realize that this surgery had triggered and exacerbated my POTS.
In the months that followed, I endured another surgery to remove residual masses in my left clavicular neck area. The aftermath left me needing a cane to walk. I immersed myself in research to figure out how to manage my POTS. Suffering from severe insomnia, I tried a device called Alpha-Stim, which reportedly helps relieve anxiety and insomnia. Coupled with licorice root extract and resveratrol, this combination helped normalize my POTS symptoms over time. The cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) therapy with Alpha-Stim modulated my hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and neurotransmitters, while resveratrol provided adaptogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, and licorice root acted to increase fluid volume and blood pressure.
Discovering Mitochondrial Peptides
As I slowly recovered over the next several years, I delved into investigating the origins of, and various approaches to cancer and ME/CFS, uncovering their links to mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular senescence. At this moment in my life, I decided to pursue a career in biomedical sciences and went back to school in an accelerated pharmacy program to become a PharmD. I did this not just to gain a better understanding of the biomedical sciences, but also to establish credibility among medical professionals and be taken seriously with the research I was conducting.
This exploration eventually led me to discover peptides. I connected with peptide groups on Facebook and met Boris Yakubov, who became a close friend and had also faced his own health challenges. I began experimenting with peptides and experienced remarkable success. GHK-CU and FOXO4-DRI significantly improved my fatigue, inflammation, and recovery, while TB4 enhanced healing and blood flow, and BPC-157 alleviated leaky gut symptoms, among other benefits.
Shortly after, several mitochondrial-specific peptides emerged, including MOTS-C, Humanin, HNG, and SS-31. These peptides hold tremendous promise for restoring and repairing mitochondrial function, addressing numerous metabolic pathways, and tackling conditions related to metabolic dysfunction. Here are some of the known benefits of these mitochondrial peptides, along with cited research studies:
- MOTS-C: Regulates insulin sensitivity, metabolic homeostasis, and longevity.
- Humanin: Provides neuroprotection, cardio-protection, and improves insulin sensitivity
- HNG (Humanin analog): Enhances cognitive function and protects against Alzheimer’s disease.
- SS-31: Protects against oxidative stress, improves mitochondrial function, and reduces age-related muscle decline.
Inspired by our personal experiences and the potential of these innovative therapies, Boris and I launched a Facebook group called Biohacking Central. Our group is dedicated to discussing biohacking methods and promoting open dialogue on topics related to functional medicine, chronic diseases (including cancer), and the use of peptides and other modalities. We stand out from the crowd due to our focus on targeting cellular senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction when approaching solutions to chronic diseases. We believe that you must first clean house before restoring the body to its healthy state.
We invite you to join us on our journey towards better health and healing. Together, we can explore the cutting-edge world of mitochondrial peptides and other innovative therapies, sharing knowledge and experiences to support one another in overcoming chronic conditions and achieving optimal well-being.
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Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay.
