Archives for October 2019

PQQ for Stress, Sleep, Mitochondria and Gut Health with Dr. Michael Murray: The Anxiety Summit 5

October 28, 2019 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

Michael Murray, ND is one my guest experts on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis and our topic is: PQQ for Stress, Sleep, Mitochondria and Gut Health. What You’ll Learn –

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) for calm energy – what it is and how to use it
How it is protective against every known toxin
A study where participants report “improved happiness and fullness of social life”

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a fascinating nutrient that provides calm energy, helps with sleep, is protective against every known toxin and support mitochondrial health. PQQ also supports digestive health because the liver and gut is mitochondria-dense (Tara Hunkin shares more about this in her mitochondria/anxiety interview).

When I discovered that Dr. Michael Murray, ND is an expert on PQQ I reached out to invite him to speak on the summit. I was not disappointed – our interview is fabulous, meaty and exciting.

(We actually ended up doing it twice because of technical issues with the first one. There are always plenty of “fun and games” when hosting a summit!)

Dr. Murray shares some of the many benefits of this vitamin-like compound that is found in kiwi fruit, leafy green vegetables, papaya and other fruits and vegetables:

It’s been shown to be neuroprotective, protecting brain cells, it promotes nerve growth factors, it’s been shown to be memory restorative in animal and human studies. It has some interesting effects on anxiety and improving sleep quality. And it exerts many synergistic effects with Coenzyme Q10 and some of the other nutritional compounds that influence the mitochondria.

He feels that “eventually, PQQ is going to be recognized as essential for human nutrition.” And in case you’re curious about the pronunciation, this is how you say it: pyrro-lo-quin-o-line quinone.

We discuss this paper: “Effects of Oral Supplementation with Pyrroloquinoline Quinone on Stress, Fatigue, and Sleep” and Dr. Murray shares how PQQ is

really quite interesting because normally when we think of substances exerting an anti-stress or an anti-anxiety effect, we think about things that maybe calm us down and maybe even make us a little tired.

PQQ is able to promote a calming effect, an anti-stress effect, an anti-anxiety effect, but it actually enhances mental energy and physical energy.

The results in the study were pretty profound and I quote some of the findings the study authors report participants experienced (this, of course, was subjective feedback):

Fullness of social life improved
Happiness and fullness in the family life improved
Fullness and satisfaction in overall daily improved

They also found improved quality of life on measures of appetite, and pain, and obsession, as well.

The authors have this conclusion about a possible mechanism: “The anti-oxidative capacity or mitochondrial biogenesis function of PQQ might be responsible for the outcomes in this study.”

Some of the other topics we discuss around PQQ:

why taking PQQ is likely a better approach than using resveratrol
how it compares with vitamin C in terms of being an antioxidant (this really amazes me)
how it “been shown to protect against every known toxin on the brain”
possible benefits for Parkinson’s disease (by preventing the formation of alpha-synuclein) and also for Alzheimer’s disease
how “PQQ influences the microbiome in a very favorable way”
how a single dose, used one time, dramatically reduced C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) in one study
possible concerns about oxalates
optimal dosages and when to use it with coenzyme Q10
best products and much more

Be sure to listen to Tara Hunkin’s interview to get a solid understanding of the bidirectional connection between mitochondria and anxiety: Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Anxiety

Please join us and listen to this interview and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

Online only or flash drive or both
A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
Easing Anxiety Program (GABA Quickstart) (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)

Purchase options

Have you already used PQQ and found good results? Please share so we can all learn.

I’ll be reporting back more in the coming weeks and months based on my own personal findings and based on feedback from my clients and my community. I’ve already had this feedback from someone who has seen the speaker line-up:

Registered for the summit today. So excited about it. And excited to see PQQ, one of my favourite, must-have supplements, getting its own piece.

If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments section at the bottom.

I’d also love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to Dr. Murray’s interview and the others.

Collagen Can Cause Anxiety and Insomnia with Trudy Scott: The Anxiety Summit 5

October 25, 2019 By Trudy Scott 57 Comments

One of my three interviews on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis is: Collagen Can Cause Anxiety and Insomnia. In this interview, I’m interviewed by my colleague and friend Dr. Nicole Beurkens, PhD, and you’ll learn:

How acute tryptophan depletion lowers serotonin
How to figure out if you may be susceptible to serotonin-lowering effects of collagen or gelatin
About other factors to consider: Oxalates, glutamates, arginine, glyphosate and histamine

Collagen and gelatin are an excellent source of these amino acids: proline, glycine, glutamine and arginine BUT they do not contain the amino acid tryptophan. This can cause increased anxiety, worsening insomnia and even a low mood in individuals who are susceptible to the fact that both collagen and gelatin can lower serotonin levels.

We talk about some of this in a short in-person interview I recently did in San Diego, with my friend and colleague Tara Hunkin (who also happens to be speaking on the summit – on the topic of mitochondrial dysfunction and anxiety).

(Note: The dates for the 2021 Anxiety Summit 5 is November 8-14, 2021)

I actually blogged about this topic in Sept 2017 and updated the blog with a number of studies in Dec 2017. You can read about this and all the feedback from folks who have observed similar issues when consuming collagen and/or gelatin – Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression? (there are also quite a few naysayers)

This will get you up to speed for the summit interview if you’re hearing this for the first time or if you read this back in 2017.

In the summit interview (Dr. Nicole Beurkens is my interviewer for this one) I review the theory and serotonin-depleting mechanisms, the 3 different effects folks are noticing and share some feedback from real people, as well as my story and what I experienced.

I also discuss a new paper that further supports this very probable connection: Use of tryptophan fortified hydrolyzed collagen for nutritional support. I share this about the study: “they were using hydrolyzed collagen – because the collagen is very well digested,- for people that were very severely nutritionally depleted. But they added in tryptophan to make it more of a complete protein” and presumably also prevent these mood and sleep issues.

The authors share this about hydrolyzed collagen and the addition of tryptophan for this population:

Standard hydrolyzed collagen is not a perfect amino acid according to the established standards because it does not contain the amino acid tryptophan. A tryptophan-fortified liquid hydrolyzed collagen supplement is, in fact, considered a complete protein. Forms of hydrolyzed collagen have been utilized for several decades as a dietary supplement. Collagen hydrolysate has been of interest as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis

Closer investigation of this product will reveal that it may indeed meet the protein requirements of a malnourished individual, containing an optimal amino acid composition, high bioavailability, and high digestibility.

In the summit interview we also talk about bone broths and a step-by-step approach to figure out if your issue with collagen is one of the following and what to do about it:

low serotonin
oxalates
a histamine reaction
a reaction to glutamates or glycine
arginine

This is one of 4 interviews I do on the summit. My other 3 interviews are:

GABA & Tryptophan: The Gut-Anxiety Connections (here is the blog for this one)
Simple Solutions for Anxiety and Gut Health (I’ll share highlights from this ones in another email/blog)
Glutamine, DPA and Tyrosine for Anxiety and Sugar Cravings

Please join us and listen to this interview and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

Online only or flash drive or both
A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
Easing Anxiety Program (GABA Quickstart) (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)

Purchase options

If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments below.

I’d love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to my interview.

Until then let us know how you do use collagen or gelatin and if you’ve noticed any mood issues, increased anxiety or insomnia? And if it was due to low serotonin or something else?

Food: What the Heck Should I Cook by Dr. Mark Hyman

October 23, 2019 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

Dr. Mark Hyman proudly shares this about his new recipe book – Food: What the Heck Should I Cook

This cookbook is a beautiful work of art—full color, lots of recipe pictures, and over 100 delicious and healthy pegan recipes. The book features tasty recipes with delicious whole food ingredients.

Everything in the cookbook meets my Pegan Diet guidelines, which means all the recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and nutrient-dense. Whether you or someone in your household is Paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto, pescatarian—it’s got super satisfying meals you’ll all love and can enjoy together.

Plus, I talk about how to create a conscious kitchen – which includes how I choose the ingredients I cook with as well as the safest cooking tools.

And he shares more about why he wrote this new cookbook – a companion book to Food: What the Heck Should I Eat – in the book trailer video.

Here are few recipes from the book to get you inspired and cooking: Blushing Beet Soup, Feel-Good Pesto Steak Salad, Almond Chicken Skewers with Green Beans and Flourless Protein Power Bread.

Here are a few of the many other recipes: Superfood Smoothie Bowl, Green Shakshuka, Crispy Carrot Fries with Pesto, Coriander Salmon with Coconut-Tomato Salsa, Toasted Sage Butternut Pizza, Lemon-Berry Rose Cream Cake, and Chocolate-Almond Sandwich Cookies.

He calls this recipe book “one of my most exciting personal projects to date, one that I hope will be something you can use to create better health while sharing great times with the people you love.”

Learn more about the book here

Buy your copy on Amazon here (my Amazon link).

I hope it inspires you to create delicious healthy real food meals to eat and enjoy with your loved ones! And let us know which recipes you decide to make.

Anxiety & the Gut-Brain Axis in Autism with Julie Matthews: The Anxiety Summit 5

October 21, 2019 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

Julie Matthews, CNC, is one my guest experts on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis and our topic is: Anxiety & the Gut-Brain Axis in Autism. In this interview you’ll learn:

Nutritional and dietary intervention in autism (and the new study Julie contributed to)
Gut-immune-brain axis, mTOR and amino acids (we talk about tryptophan at length)
Significance of fecal microbiota transplants (and significance and future of this approach)

We start with a discussion about how common anxiety disorders are in autism, and how psychiatric medications are frequently prescribed.

This is why I’m so thrilled about the study Julie was part of: Comprehensive Nutritional and Dietary Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder-A Randomized, Controlled 12-Month Trial.

study participants had a significant improvement in anxiety from a special diet and various nutritional supplements
study participants saw improved communication skills as well as improved daily living skills and social skills – all of which can lead to reduced anxiety and social anxiety, and improved overall happiness
there were also improvements in happiness, focus, IQ and language, as well as symptoms of autism

We talk about some of this in the in-person interview we did recently in San Diego.

(Note: The dates for the 2021 Anxiety Summit 5 is November 8-14, 2021)

(I also blogged about this study last year, shortly after the paper was published. You can read about it here so you’re familiar with all the details when you listen to our summit interview.)

Julie and I are both research geeks and in our full interview on the summit we get geeky and talk about new research on:

The Gut-Immune-Brain Axis in Autism Spectrum Disorders A Focus on Amino Acids (we discuss mTOR and have a good discussion on the use of tryptophan vs 5-HTP)
Fecal transplants in autism (the outcomes are incredibly promising! I’ve since heard that another bigger study is being planned by the same researchers)

You’re likely familiar with Julie’s autism nutrition work and practitioner training on special diets which I wholeheartedly endorse. In case you’re new to her work, Julie is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and published researcher specializing in complex neurological, digestive, and immune conditions, most notably autism. She is the author of the award-winning book, Nourishing Hope for Autism, and co-author of a study proving the efficacy of nutrition and dietary intervention for autism published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nutrients (the study I mention above).

If you’re looking for autism/anxiety and autism/gut solutions you won’t want to miss this interview.

If you are looking for anxiety nutritional and gut solutions but don’t have an autism spectrum disorder/ASD or family member with ASD I encourage you to listen in anyway. Julie’s approach is based on the BioIndividual Nutrition® needs of each person and stems from her 18 years of work with autism. Using autism as a model for complex chronic disease, her approach and methodology helps practitioners specializing in varied disorders improve the health and healing of their clients through her BioIndividual Nutrition Training for practitioners.

The above statement – using autism as a model for complex chronic disease – is an important one. In the short video clip above I mention how those with ASD are like the canaries in the coal mine. And we talk about many of the overlapping root causes we see in both anxiety disorders and ASD – such as methylation, nutritional deficiencies, gut issues and food sensitivities, heavy metals and so much more. Julie and I have been highlighting these overlaps for years. Much of what we cover in the interview has wide-reaching implications for anxiety and other chronic health conditions.

I am so appreciative to Julie for helping me figure out my own dietary oxalate issues which were causing excruciating hot-coals/shards-of-glass type foot pain. I’ve learned so much from Julie on this topic and you’ll hear me bring up oxalates in a number of interviews.

We also happen to be really good friends and love to laugh together (as you can tell!). These two pictures were taken in San Diego at the Mindshare conference (left) and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health conference (right), where we both presented.

Please join us and listen to this interview and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

Online only or flash drive or both
A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
Easing Anxiety Program (GABA Quickstart) (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)

Purchase options

If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments section at the bottom.

I’d love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to this interview and the others.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Anxiety with Tara Hunkin on The Anxiety Summit 5

October 18, 2019 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

Tara Hunkin, NTP, CGP, RWP is one my guest experts on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis and our topic is: Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Anxiety. In this interview you’ll learn:

The role of mitochondria in the gut, brain and anxiety
Causes (such as medications and environmental toxins), testing, and signs and symptoms of mitochondrial dysfunction
Healing nutrients: Carnitine, COQ10, folinic acid, meal timing (as well as antioxidants and many other nutrients such as PQQ)

Tara starts with an overview of mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of our bodies and why they are so important in both physical and mental health.

You can hear some of this background information in this short in-person interview we did in San Diego recently.

(Note: The dates for the 2021 Anxiety Summit 5 is November 8-14, 2021)

You’ll also hear Tara share about this new bidirectional relationship that has been identified between anxiety and mitochondrial dysfunction. One of the papers she is referring to is this 2019 review paper: Anxiety and Brain Mitochondria: A Bidirectional Crosstalk. Here are the highlights:

Despite the established link between mitochondrial dysfunction and various psychiatric disorders, the contribution of mitochondria in anxiety disorders has not been extensively addressed.
Mitochondria are emerging as modulators of anxiety-related behavior, as evidenced both in animal and human studies.
There is a bidirectional link between mitochondria and anxiety. Mitochondrial, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress alterations are observed in high anxiety; conversely, changes in mitochondrial function can lead to heightened anxiety.

Tara shares how important the mitochondria are when it comes to digestion and gut health too:

the liver is heavily mitochondrial-dense and is needed to help eliminate toxins we are exposed to (toxins that affect our mitochondria and increase anxiety)
the mitochondria are also important when it comes to digestion – the lining of digestive tract (the epithelial cells of the microvilli) contain large numbers of mitochondria

The authors also highlight that “Pharmacological manipulation of mitochondria may be a potential therapeutic approach to relieve high anxiety symptoms.” One of the objectives of this summit is to highlight non-pharmacological approaches and Tara does exactly this in our interview.

She covers both lifestyle and nutritional approaches for addressing mitochondrial dysfunction (acetyl-l-carnitine, glutathione, antioxidants, coenzyme Q10, folinic acid and many more).

I also mention two other interviews on the summit where we talk about nutrients that also support mitochondrial function: PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) and TUDCA (tauroursodeoxycholic acid).

Be sure to listen to these interviews for more about these two nutrients:

Jay Davidson, DC, PScD: Parasites, Anxiety and TUDCA for Your Liver
Michael Murray, ND: PQQ for Stress, Sleep, Mitochondria and Gut Health

We also discuss testing and all the environmental factors that impact the mitochondria including medications such as risperidone/risperdal (and antipsychotic medication), valproic acid (used for seizures), fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Cipro (and others) and also benzodiazepines (the commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications).

Please join us and listen to this interview and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

Online only or flash drive or both
A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
Easing Anxiety Program (GABA Quickstart) (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)

Purchase options

If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments section at the bottom.

I’d love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to this interview and the others.

GABA & Tryptophan: The Gut-Anxiety Connections with Trudy Scott on The Anxiety Summit 5

October 14, 2019 By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

One of my three interviews on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis airs on day 1 of the summit. The topic is: GABA & Tryptophan: The Gut-Anxiety Connections. In this interview, I’m interviewed by my colleague and friend Dr. Nicole Beurkens, PhD, and you’ll learn about:

Low serotonin: fear, overwhelm, gut motility & anorexia
Low GABA: physical tension, gut & rectal pain, burning mouth
Blood brain barrier, phenibut, candida & CBD

I start with some background on why a summit on the gut-brain axis, what we don’t know about the incidence of anxiety and the huge increase we are seeing. The big message is that we have growing awareness but no real solutions. This goal of this summit is to create awareness around gut issues as a possible root cause and the growing research in nutritional psychiatry – AND to provide solutions!

We cover some of the basics in case you don’t know anything about GABA and tryptophan. If you’ve been following my work you’re likely going to be familiar with this section.

I cover plenty of new research throughout the interview and we start with 5-HTP as it relates to both gut health and anxiety. We discuss this 2019 paper: Effects of Serotonin and Slow-Release 5-Hydroxytryptophan on Gastrointestinal Motility in a Mouse Model of Depression:

Administration of 5-HTP SR [slow release] to mice restored [serotonin] to the ENS [enteric nervous system] and normalized GI motility and growth of the enteric epithelium.
5-HTP SR [slow release] might be used to treat patients with intestinal dysfunction associated with low levels of 5-HT [serotonin].

This paper doesn’t mention anxiety or depression but we know that serotonin support with 5-HTP or tryptophan addressed this aspect too. And given this, it’s very possible that we could extrapolate some of this research to tryptophan.

We cover motility issues at length in the SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) interviews with Dr. Alison Siebecker and Shivan Sarna – SIBO: Anxiety, Testing, Probiotics and Fecal Transplants (Part 1 and 2). We also talk about the fear and overwhelm factor when starting a new protocol in that interview and in this interview of mine – and how addressing low serotonin helps so much.

We also talk about one of my favorite topics: GABA and the controversial blood-brain-barrier question and point you back to the discussion I have with Dr. Datis Kharrazian in his interview: Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut. Be sure to tune in to that one.

I also share some research on low serotonin and gut health in anorexia; interesting anti-candida properties of serotonin; how CBD can make tryptophan more effective (be sure to tune in to Dr. Hyla Cass’ interview for more on this: Endocannabinoid System and Your Gut); new GABA studies; the phenibut FDA ban; and updates on some possible reasons why one or more of the amino acids don’t work as well as expected when you do the questionnaire, you have all the symptoms, you review the precautions and a do a trial.

I mentioned this is one of 4 interviews I do on the summit. My other 3 interviews cover:

How Collagen Can Cause Anxiety and Insomnia
Simple Solutions for Anxiety and Gut Health
Glutamine, DPA and Tyrosine for Anxiety and Sugar Cravings

I’ll share highlights from these ones in another email/blog.

Please join us and listen to my interviews and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

Online only or flash drive or both
A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
Easing Anxiety Program (GABA Quickstart) (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)

Purchase options

If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments section at the bottom.

I’d love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to this interview and the others.