The Function Journal
Evidence-informed writing on pain, spine, and the science of function.
A physician-led editorial library covering advanced spine care, regenerative and cell-based medicine, peptide and recovery science, and the long arc of performance health. Conservative in claims. Serious in intent.
Featured
Evidence That
Supports Function.
Curated summaries from peer-reviewed journals and major medical reviews, translated into plain English for the patients we serve.
Library
All Entries.
NAD+, explained.
NAD+ is a coenzyme every cell uses for energy and repair. Here is what it does, what human studies show so far and where it stands with FDA in 2026.
BPC-157 and TB-500: How Two Peptides Talk to Healing Tissue
BPC-157 and TB-500 work on different halves of tissue repair. One supports blood supply and repair signaling; the other helps repair cells move into an injury. Here is how each works at the cellular level, what the research shows so far, and where they would fit in a physician-led recovery plan.
Retatrutide Explained: How a Triple-Hormone Medicine Targets Fat
Retatrutide works on three hormone receptors at once: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. It lowers how much you eat and raises how much you burn, and its phase 3 results are among the strongest seen for any weight-loss medicine. Here is how it works, what the trials found, and why keeping muscle matters as much as losing fat.
What Does It Mean to Restore Function?
Function is the ability to move, work, recover, and live without compromise. Restoring it requires more than treating a symptom. It requires understanding the source of dysfunction and rebuilding capacity over time.
Regenerative Medicine and Pain: What the Evidence Actually Shows
Regenerative therapies have been studied across a range of musculoskeletal conditions. Evidence is strongest for selected indications and weaker for others. Honest interpretation matters more than enthusiasm.
PRP, Cell-Based Therapies, and Joint Pain: Understanding the Research
PRP and cell-based approaches have been studied in osteoarthritis and tendon disorders. Image-guided delivery and rigorous diagnosis appear to influence outcomes.
Peptides and Recovery Science: Promise, Limitations, and Medical Oversight
Peptide therapies are an emerging field in orthopedics and recovery. Evidence varies dramatically by compound. Medical oversight, screening, and conservative interpretation are essential.
Advanced Spine Care: Why Diagnosis Comes Before Treatment
Spine pain has many possible sources. Image-guided diagnosis defines what is actually driving symptoms and is the prerequisite for any precise, durable intervention.
From Pain Relief to Performance: A Function-First Approach
Resolving pain is a beginning, not an endpoint. Sustained function requires recovery, mobility, and capacity planning coordinated by a physician.
Why Physician Supervision Matters in Regenerative and Peptide-Based Care
Advanced therapies require diagnosis, screening, informed consent, and ongoing oversight. Physician supervision is what separates considered medicine from consumer wellness.
PRP vs. Steroid Injections: What's the Difference?
Steroid injections and platelet-rich plasma work in fundamentally different ways. Steroids calm inflammation quickly but briefly. PRP works more slowly, with the aim of improving the tissue environment over months. Each has a place, and the right choice depends on the condition, the tissue, and the patient.
Do You Need Surgery for a Herniated Disc?
Most herniated discs do not require surgery. Many shrink on their own over time, and a structured plan of rehabilitation, activity modification, and, when indicated, image-guided procedures resolves symptoms for the majority of patients. Surgery is the right call in specific situations, not by default.
How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle
Weight lost too quickly is rarely just fat. Preserving muscle during fat loss depends on strength training, adequate protein, a moderate rate of loss, sleep, and honest measurement of body composition, with physician-supervised metabolic care when it is clinically appropriate.
Research We Follow
Sources
we read carefully.
A short list of peer-reviewed bodies of literature that inform how we think about regenerative care, peptides, spine medicine, and recovery. Summaries are written in plain English, not jargon.
- PubMed: PRP and knee osteoarthritis
PRP has been studied in knee osteoarthritis, with multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating pain and functional outcomes.
- PubMed Central: Regenerative medicine in pain care
Regenerative medicine in pain care has evidence for selected musculoskeletal conditions but requires careful patient selection, informed consent, and conservative claims.
- PubMed: Prolotherapy and chronic musculoskeletal pain
Prolotherapy has moderate evidence for reducing pain and improving function in some chronic musculoskeletal conditions, especially tendinopathy and osteoarthritis.
- PubMed: Peptide therapies in orthopedic and soft tissue care
Peptide therapies are an emerging field in orthopedics and soft tissue recovery, but many compounds have limited human clinical data and require careful medical oversight.
- PubMed: BPC-157 preclinical and mechanistic literature
BPC-157 has preclinical and mechanistic evidence related to tissue repair, but clinical translation remains uncertain and should not be marketed as a proven treatment.
- PubMed: Image-guided musculoskeletal procedures
Image-guided injection accuracy and outcomes have been studied across joint and tendon conditions, supporting precision-guided procedural care.
Educational content only. Treatment decisions require physician evaluation. External links are provided for reference and do not constitute endorsement.
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