Did BPC-157 work?

I have completed my 30-day cycle of daily 20 mL injections of BPC-157.

Since clinical trials are funded only for high ticket treatments, or for defending the medical-industrial narrative, determining the effectiveness of therapies like this one will always depend on an aggregation of anecdotes. I want to add my datapoint to the bro science record.

I can tell you unequivocally that my elbow tendinopathy is gone. I did not experience an immediate improvement from this peptide like some individuals report, but I noticed an absence of pain around week three and the healing has continued.

I also want to be completely honest and transparent.

• Might the cure be due to a placebo effect? Yes.
• Might my elbow have simply healed naturally along this same timeline? Yes.

Have I been doing anything else differently over the last couple months? Well …

• I was a first-time blood donor. Is it possible that lowering my ferritin levels and circulating young red blood cells could impact joint pain? It might.
• I’ve started mixing Black Seed Oil into my guacamole. Is nigella sativa reported to have anti-inflammatory properties? You bet.
• I’ve been doing a heavy metal detox for about a month. Could a reduction in levels of mercury, lead, and arsenic aid healing? I’m sure.

It’s worth keeping in mind that these kinds of factors confound all clinical/drug trials.

For example, look at trials attempting to connect red meat to various harms. You’ve got your mammal meat … + French fries + a starchy bun + industrial seed oils spread on the grill/soaked into the fries/used as the base in the sauces dripping down the side of the burger. And a large Coke. Who is to blame here?

But the situation is even more complex.

A few days ago, I came across an article from Discover magazine about how the placebo effect exists even when patients know they are receiving the placebos. I had a similar personal experience I want to share.

Last week I tweaked my low back doing deadlifts. It was my fault – I lost my concentration setting my low back properly at the start of the lift. All week since I had been thinking about some minor creaking and cracking and whether I should take a week off from deadlifting. Then yesterday, my wife lost her wallet at a bowling alley, and I was totally distracted by the mad scramble to cancel credit cards and the like. The next time I thought about my low back, I had no pain at all, and today I lifted brilliantly at the gym.

There’s a lot we don’t know about how the human body functions. This stuff is hard. And when it comes to asserting what works and trumpeting trial results, I urge humility, please.