The recent surge in peptide injections is a textbook example of a modern health craze. Crazes differ from fads in that the latter involve an intense but short-term interest in a trivial object or idea. Famous examples include the brief obsession with swallowing live goldfish, which swept college campuses in 1939, the hula-hoop in the late 1950s, and "pet rocks" in the mid-70s. Crazes are more serious and tend to persist longer – often for months and even years. Health crazes are especially common and usually fleeting, like the recent "Apple Diet," which entails eating mostly apples for several days in a row. It "works" because severe caloric restriction induces rapid weight loss, but there are safer and more sustainable ways of achieving this.

While some peptides have been approved for specific conditions, others have not; regardless, all should be taken only under a physician’s supervision. Unfortunately, many people are ordering them online and........

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