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Food, Mood and Women's Health – Be your healthiest, look and feel great!

Pain

Tryptophan ends TMJ pain, headaches and worry, and improves mood and sleep: a success story

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tryptophan success story

Today I’m sharing a success story on how the amino acid tryptophan, taken as a supplement, ends  TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain and headaches in a woman in my community. She had the added benefits of an improved mood and less worrying and her sleep improved too.

There is evidence to support the low serotonin connection to TMJ and pain like fibromyalgia and I share that research below.

Before I share the success story, in case you’re new to neurotransmitter imbalances, the other symptoms we see with low serotonin are the worrying-type of anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, lack of confidence, depression, negativity, imposter syndrome, PMS, irritability, anger issues, insomnia and afternoon/evening cravings. Tryptophan can be used to boost serotonin levels and improve these symptoms as you’ll see below.

Right after speaking on the recent Trauma and Mind-Body Super Conference, Renee shared her wonderful success story on Facebook:

Out of all the interviews I felt yours gave the most actionable steps. I was taking amitriptyline for TMJ and didn’t like the side effects, however what other options did I have? Not many according to my GP [general practitioner]. Luckily I found your suggestion of tryptophan. And I can’t explain how much of a change it made! I weaned off the medicine and took tryptophan instead and not only did it help the TMJ but also helped me feel more even emotionally.

I am being referred for trauma therapy and I am optimistic that I will be discomfort free soon.

So huge thanks for sharing your knowledge. It helped me at a time when I was really starting to think there were no ‘natural’ options and conventional meds were all I could take.

I checked in with her, thanking her and acknowledging her wonderful feedback. I also asked how much tryptophan made this difference and how quickly she saw an improvement. And what side-effects she was seeing with the medication. She shared this:

I am a week into taking tryptophan, and I’m taking 500mg. I saw improvements with the TMJ within an hour of taking it. My jaw felt loose and I had no headaches, I also felt more ‘even’ mood wise. Like an underlying worry had gone. [worry is a classic symptom of low serotonin – more on that here]

I also had some stress yesterday that usually would have made me crumble, but instead I was able to stand up for myself and see subjectively the extent of the issue and resolve it. I am amazed!

My original medication (amitriptyline) had given me extreme dry mouth, which I found hard to manage, the headaches were also not relieved as much as I had hoped, plus I was having sessions of palpitations.

I haven’t had any palpitations from the day I started tryptophan whereas the dry mouth took some time to subside.

These really are wonderful results and typical that we’d see results this quickly with tryptophan if the root cause of the TMJ and headaches is low serotonin. It can sometimes take a few weeks to find the ideal dose but Renee found it with the initial trial amount of 500mg.

The tryptophan also improved her sleep (and the palpitations and dry mouth side-effects from the medication stopped):

I was struggling to get to sleep and stay asleep, suffering bouts of insomnia, prior to any medication. I still am sleeping well taking tryptophan which I am pleased about.

She did however share that the timing of the tryptophan was making her too sleepy too early in the evening and she was planning to shift the timing:

I am finding tryptophan is making me feel drowsy in the evening, so I am trying different times during the day to take it. Hopefully I can push back the tiredness to perhaps 8/9 at night to coincide with bedtime.

My advice to her was that I have my clients use tryptophan MA (mid-afternoon) and evening and if MA makes them too sleepy they just do an evening dose. That can be enough for TMJ the next day. Sometimes more than 1 x 500mg in the evening is needed for easing TMJ and headache pain that night and the next day too.

I did check with her about weaning off the medication as cold-turkey quitting of psychiatric medications are dangerous and not advised. She shared this:

I weaned off over 1 week, but I was only in it for 8 weeks in total before I found tryptophan.

A slow taper under the guidance of the prescribing doctor is always recommended (more on this for amitriptyline/Elavil withdrawal here).

Here is some research supporting this serotonin/TMJ connection:

…both temporomandibular disorders myalgia (TMDM) and fibromyalgia (FM) have been linked to central and peripheral changes in serotonin availability.” (tryptophan is not used in this study which also makes the serotonin/anxiety connection)

Over the 4 weeks of the study, there was a greater reduction in reported clinical pain and a greater increase in pain tolerance threshold in the tryptophan group than in the placebo group. The tryptophan group was given “three grams of tryptophan in conjunction with a high carbohydrate, low fat, low protein diet.”

If you suspect low serotonin symptoms and are new to using the amino acids and do not have my book I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in to taking supplements: The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings.

There is a complete chapter on the amino acids and one for pyroluria, plus information on real whole food, sugar and blood sugar, gluten, digestion and much more.  If you’re not a reader there is now also an audible version.

Here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and additional information on Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary

Please also read and follow these Amino Acid Precautions.

This lists The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

We appreciate Renee sharing her success story. Please share your TMJ/headache tryptophan success story if you have one. And feel free to post your questions here too.

RICE, arnica, GABA and DPA for my sprained ankle

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sprained ankle

I’m in the USA for 2 conferences and I just spent 3 super days visiting my brother and his family in Las Vegas. We had a super hike in Red Rocks National Park.

We went early to avoid the heat and it was fabulous until I slipped on some sand when going down a steep section in the way out.

I twisted my ankle and at the time I thought this is bad! This is very bad!

It was a big relief that I was able to walk out. I walked very slowly and used my sister-in-law’s shoulder in the steep sections, always keeping my foot flat.

However when we got home I found I could not put any weight on it at all. The pain was really bad if I tried! How was I going to be able to navigate airports, hotels, conferences, speaking on stages and standing at my booth over the next 10 days?

At Mindshare I’m thrilled to have been selected to present on The Future of Health, a 5 min TEDx type talk. My topic is: Why Social Anxiety, Introversion and Loneliness can be Lethal and a Simple Nutritional Solution. It will be videotaped and I’ll be sure to share with you.

I’ve also be nominated for a Rising Tide award at Mindshare.

And I’m presenting “GABA for Anxiety, ADHD, Autism, Insomnia, and Addictions: Research and Practical Applications.”

I had to get it healed as quickly as possible!

iced foot

I pampered my foot for the next 12 hours, keeping it elevated and alternating between ice and using a compression bandage.

The RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevate – technique really does work.

I was taken care of my my darling nieces and little Rascal, the taco-terrier came to check on me from time to time.

I could not stand on my foot at all that first day. When I did need to get up, I used the crutches. I was keeping well- hydrated so there were frequent bathroom breaks.

I also used arnica cream topically and arnica orally 3 times a day.

It was pretty painful that first day so I also used DPA which is great for physical pain. I decided to use GABA too and I suspect it helped with the muscle stiffness and the pain.

By the next day I was able to walk – carefully and 2 days later I was almost walking with no limp. I did continue with all of the above too.

bruised foot

This is how my foot looks 4 days later. There is slight bruising and very little swelling. I can walk without a limp and can now wriggle my toes with no pain.

What tips do you have for a sprained ankle? And have you used a similar approach? Have you found GABA or DPA to help?

GABA oral rinse reduces burning mouth pain

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Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain condition characterized by persistent burning in the mouth. It affects mostly females, especially postmenopausal women, and conventional approaches are often not very successful. You’ll often see articles and papers with the terms ‘refractory’ and ‘unknown etiology’/unknown causes.

Medications like SRNIs and benzodiazepines

Some studies report limited success with medications like venlafaxine/Effexor, an SRNI and topical and oral use of benzodiazepines such as clonazepam/Klonopin. In this paper, Refractory burning mouth syndrome: clinical and paraclinical evaluation, comorbidities, treatment and outcome, 8 participants saw their pain diminish by half within 3 months.

Another paper, The Effect of Clonazepam Mouthwash on the Symptomatology of Burning Mouth Syndrome: An Open Pilot Study, reports success with a benzodiazepine mouthwash in half the participants.

Other than the poor quality of life and having to continue to live with pain, the bigger concern is the side-effects of medications like these, plus concerns with tolerance and then issues with withdrawal.

New oral GABA research for burning mouth

It’s for this reason that I’m excited about the recent research, γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) oral rinse reduces capsaicin-induced burning mouth pain sensation: An experimental quantitative sensory testing study in healthy subjects, that finds that both and men and women experienced immediate benefits when using GABA for burning mouth pain.

The burning mouth pain was caused by the application of capsaicin to the tongues of thirty healthy males and females. Capsaicin is the compound that makes chili peppers hot. (I find it interesting that capsaicin was the compound used to cause the burning mouth sensation because this same compound is used in topical creams and patches to ease pain.)

The study concludes as follows:

Capsaicin-induced burning tongue pain and decreases in WDT (warm detection) and HPT (heat pain) can be ameliorated by rinsing the mouth with lidocaine and GABA solutions.

Rinsing the mouth with an oral GABA containing solution ameliorated burning pain and increased heat sensitivity produced by application of capsaicin to the tongue. This finding suggests that GABA can act as a local analgesic agent in the oral cavity.

Lidocaine, a numbing medication, was part of the GABA solution in this study, but because it has side-effects that may include anxiety, I recommend a trial of a GABA-only solution to ease the burning mouth pain.

Using a GABA-only oral solution

Using a GABA-only oral solution makes sense given that the likely mechanism of action of topical benzodiazepines in burning mouth pain is via local action on peripheral GABAA receptors found in the nerve fibers of the tongue.

This is also very feasible based on how effective GABA is for other pain such as proctalgia fugax/rectal spasms, and the visceral pain and muscle tension in your gut caused by the bloating symptoms of SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and muscular back pain after a fall.

How much GABA will help?

As with any use of GABA and the other amino acids, how much will help depends on each person’s unique biochemistry and needs at the time. In the same way I do a trial of GABA with my anxiety clients to determine how much would help, I do the same with burning mouth pain (and other pain situations).

I recommend a trial of a GABA-only product and starting low with 100 to 200mg of GABA swished held in the mouth with some water for a few minutes. This can be used three or four times a day in between meals and with the mg increased slowly based on results.  You can find the GABA supplements I recommend here.

GABA is an amino acid that is recognized for calming physical anxiety and tension and since anxiety (and depression) is very common in those with burning mouth pain, the GABA is going to provide calming benefits too.

As with any health condition, finding the underlying root causes using a comprehensive functional medicine approach is key. One such root cause may be low GABA and using oral GABA is going to address this one and provide some relief while other root causes are identified and addressed.

These other root causes can be very varied as explained in the paper Burning Mouth Syndrome. They can include: age-related reduction in estrogen and progesterone levels, lower cortisol, diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism, allergic reactions to foods, additives and even metals in the mouth, autoimmune connective tissue disorders, nutritional deficiencies (B1, B2, B6, B12. folate, and/or zinc), smoking and candida, and medication side-effects as mentioned above.

Have you experienced burning mouth pain and seen relief with GABA or other nutritional approaches?

If you’re a practitioner, is burning mouth pain common in your postmenopausal clients or patients and what approaches have you found most successful? Have you found GABA to be helpful?

If you are still suffering with burning mouth please share the following when you comment:

  • Your age (it seems to be more prevalent in women 59 and older)
  • If you have anxiety and/or depression now and have been prone to either in the past
  • How you score on the low GABA questionnaire and which symptoms you relate to? This will provide a clue that low GABA may be an issue and the oral GABA rinse is more likely to help
  • How you score on the low serotonin questionnaire (same link as GABA questionnaire above) and which symptoms you relate to? SSRIs have been shown to help in some cases and we know tryptophan/5-HTP help with pain so serotonin support may help too. Perhaps a tryptophan or 5-HTP rinse is worth a trial too?
  • How long it’s been an issue, what approaches you’ve tried and which approaches have helped (even if they only helped a short while or helped the pain a little)
  • Current and past medications (burning mouth is caused by certain medications)

I’d love to gather a list of all this so we can help you and more women who suffer with these awful symptoms.

How much GABA should I use and which GABA product is best?

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The most common question I get about GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) is the one about the blood-brain barrier and does it even work (it certainly does – read here for information on this one).

The next most common question I get about GABA is this one:

How much GABA should I use and which GABA product is best?

This exact question was actually asked of me a number of times last week after I published: Herbal therapy is equivalent to rifaximin for the treatment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). In this blog I share about my trials of using sublingual GABA for the visceral pain and muscle tension in my gut caused by the bloating symptoms of SIBO.

There is no simple answer! It requires a blog post to provide a good answer because we are all unique, have different needs and these needs can even differ at different times depending on the issue and what is going on in our lives at the moment.

Let’s first do a quick recap of GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid) in case this is new to you. GABA is a calming amino acid that can be used as a supplement to raise GABA levels (GABA is also a neurotransmitter. It’s one of the amino acids I use most frequently with my anxious clients (together with tryptophan). GABA helps with the physical anxiety and tension, as well as panic attacks. New research shows it also helps with inhibition of unwanted thoughts and may also offer gut protection after alcohol consumption. It also helps with stiff and tense muscles and muscle pain and spasms.

How I have benefited from GABA

Here is a quick summary of how I’ve benefited from GABA supplements. I use this information to inform my use of GABA to help with the visceral pain I now experience due to my SIBO (more on that below).

If you have never used GABA or if you’ve used it once or twice, reading this should give you a clue as to why there is no one answer and how we need to use a trial approach to figure out what is best for each situation.

This also illustrates that there is no one size fits all for everyone and even for the same person under different situations.

  1. The anxiety and panic attacks I experienced 15 years ago:
    1. I used 1-2 GABA Calm three times a day and a combination GABA product at night. GABA Calm contains 125mg GABA and the GABA product contains 200mg GABA. My anxiety eased and my panic attacks stopped in a few days, giving me immediate relief and hope while I started to address all the other root causes like gluten sensitivity, adrenal issues, low zinc, gut health, low vitamin B6 and more
    2. The doses of GABA I used for my anxiety and panic attacks are typical amounts my clients benefit from and I would not have someone start on 500mg.
    3. If someone is a “pixie-dust” person and very sensitive I’d have them start with a pinch/dab or ¼ of 125 mg GABA Calm.
  1. The “ice-pick” headaches on the top of the skull that I discovered were caused by neck spasms:
    1. Physical therapy, high doses of GABA and high doses of magnesium were essential.
    2. Because of the low doses of GABA I had used for my anxiety years before this, I started with low doses of GABA increasing slowly from 200mg up to 1000mg GABA. This higher amount worked for me at this time for this injury.
  1. Throat spasms and the loss of my voice due to vagus nerve issues caused by a terrifying plane ride:
    1. Based on my prior ice-pick headache experience I now knew I could tolerate higher doses and started with 500mg GABA and used more as needed.
    2. I must have been really low in GABA because I was actually able to use upwards of 5 (and sometime more) doses of 500mg a day and not feel too wiped out, even during the day.
    3. That’s a lot of GABA for me – as I mentioned above 125mg to 250mg used to be enough for the anxiety I experienced 15 years ago.
    4. I write more about all this here: Vagus nerve rehab with GABA, breathing, humming, gargling and key nutrients (with videos to demonstrate immediate effects when using GABA sublingually)
  1. Rectal spasms/proctalgia fugax. These seem to be related to SIBO/IBS and I still experience these from time to time.
    1. I have found that 250mg to 500mg GABA opened onto my tongue works best for me for this particular muscle spasm.
    2. Again, it eases the spasms and pain in a few minutes. I write more about this here: How GABA eases agonizing rectal pain and spasms in under 2 minutes
  1. A back injury in August causing severe muscle spasms and pain.
    1. Again, based on my previous experiences using GABA, right after my fall I started taking 1000mg of GABA powder every few hours (held in my mouth for 1-2 minutes) and then reduced it to 2 or 3 times a day as needed.
    2. I share more in this blog: Acupuncture boosts GABA to reduce back pain and oral GABA further reduces the pain
    3. In the above blog you can also read some research about the mechanism of how GABA supplements ease inflammation and tracheal spasms associated with asthma.
  1. Visceral pain caused by SIBO.
    1. My SIBO is really well-controlled with diet but I’ve been having pain, bloating and insomnia while doing this herbal SIBO protocol. I suspect the cellulose in one of the herbal products is causing this bloating and pain after dinner. It was getting so bad it was keeping me awake (this is typical when I am accidently exposed to problematic foods and get a flare-up).
    2. SIBO patients can have visceral hypersensitivity where their pain can be due to the pressure of the gas that is produced and the muscles in the digestive system actually contracting against this pressure.
    3. It got me thinking about how effective GABA is for relieving muscle tension and how much it’s helped me in the past. I also use GABA with my clients all the time for relief of their physical anxiety and stiff and tense muscles. There are GABA receptors all over the gut and I recently discovered that GABA is important for motility.
    4. Over the last 2 weeks I’ve trialed 300mg GABA (opened on to the tongue) a few times to ease the pain and pressure and it’s been amazing at how much it’s helped and how quickly it’s eased the pain. I’ve used it as soon as I notice the bloating starting and it GABA helps me sleep too (as does the tryptophan I’ve also added). I suspect I could safely double this dose in the evening and may do this if the lower dose isn’t enough some evenings. I’ve also used it some days the next morning when I wake with the bloated ache in my belly.

How much should I use and which GABA product is best?

I have a blog post listing the products I use with clients: The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements

Always read the precautions (there is a link on the above blog) and do the amino acid questionnaire (the link is also on the above blog) before starting a trial. I also recommend reading the amino acids chapter in my book The Antianxiety Food Solution so you are a well-informed savvy consumer.

If you’re doing a trial for anxiety and panic attacks:

  • If you can use tyrosine the Source Naturals GABA Calm product is the one I use with most of my anxious clients.
  • The other GABA products listed on the supplements blog need to be opened onto the tongue and started with a low dose (100-200mg is a good starting dose) and increase based on symptom relief. More can often be used at night, especially if sleep is also an issue – sometimes up to 500mg.

If you have SIBO/IBS and are doing a trial for visceral pain:

  • I’d suggest NOT starting with the Source Naturals GABA Calm because the sugar alcohols can be problematic for some individuals. Or if you do, be aware that it may not help and may make things worse in the short-term. Personally, I have not found this product to be an issue with my SIBO and I have very few clients report an issue.
  • The other GABA products listed on the supplements blog need to be opened onto the tongue and started with a low dose and increased based on symptom relief.
  • For a client totally new to GABA I’d start with 100-200mg in the evening and also increase slowly over a few weeks based on symptom relief, up to 500-1000mg.
  • For early morning belly pain I’d start a client on 100-200mg because too much in the day can make you feel tired.    

If you have other pain issues:

  • For a client totally new to GABA I’d start with 100-200mg in the evening and increase slowly over a few weeks based on symptom relief, up to 500-1000mg.  Depending on the pain more may often be needed and higher doses can often be tolerated during the day.
  • Keep in mind that pain can have any many root causes and it may be more than low just GABA or may not be due to low GABA at all. Other factors to consider include but are not limited to: low serotonin, low magnesium, low endorphins, inflammation, structural damage, low omega-3s, gluten issues, Lyme disease etc.  Physical therapy and acupuncture are wonderful approaches to include too.

As you can see from my experiences above it’s a matter of doing trials to find the ideal amount for you for your particular situation.  

If you’ve used GABA supplements for anxiety, visceral pain or other muscles spasms I’d love to hear from you.

This GABA-pain connection is not well recognized and I’d love to have more people know about this as a possible option. The more we share our experiences the more we all learn.

If you plan a trial similar to any of the above I’d also love to hear your questions and feedback.

Pain Treatments That Work: My experience with GABA for anxiety and pain

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My friend and colleague, occupational therapist Phaedra Antioco, is a pain expert, has been in pain herself, and she’s on a mission to help you heal. She is host of the Pain Treatments That Work 2.0 online summit that runs Sept 2 – 9, 2017.

She’s bringing together more than 25 experts, including me, to share unique and innovative approaches to pain healing—approaches that work when nothing else has. You’ll learn:

  • Healthy ways to move your body, without pain, so you can get the exercise your body needs, and enjoy the myriad benefits including decreased anxiety, better health, and more fun.
  • Tips for managing stress so you can find more joy in each day.
  • How to find deeper meaning and more fulfillment in your life.
  • How to let go of physical and emotional pain and get through your day happy and pain-free (Really! It is possible).
  • Effective treatments that work … including some you may not have heard of.

I share more about my recent back injury and how I used GABA – sometimes in pretty high doses – to ease this recent pain and how I’ve used it and other approaches for the pain I’ve experienced in the past. Wow I hadn’t realized how much pain I’ve experienced in my life until I prepared for this interview (climbing injuries, car accidents, neck injury from poor posture at the computer, shingles, a tick bite and more!)

We also talk about the anxiety connection to pain and how fear can make us clench up and make the pain worse. And the role of GABA and tryptophan in this instance. Phaedra shares how much GABA helps her and her clients too!

I also asked Phaedra to share her expertise on pelvic floor adjustments:

Pelvic floor dysfunction commonly occurs from scars from abdominal/pelvic surgeries, childbirth, traumatic falls and injuries, and even too much sitting. Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Disorder in both men and women can cause chronic pelvic pain, inability to sit for long periods of time, urinary or rectal incontinence, painful intercourse, painful menstrual cycles in women and erectile dysfunction in men, to name a few. 

Manual internal treatment of the pelvic floor, using a myofascial release and craniosacral therapy approach, makes an excellent treatment choice for pelvic floor dysfunction due to the gentle-nature of treatment techniques. 

Pelvic floor treatment begins externally with releases of the abdomen and pelvis. Once a therapeutic relationship is established, internal treatment may be recommended.  Results often include relief from pain, improved sitting, walking and sleeping, and better elimination!

I also share my concerns with using collagen and gelatin for healing and how they may actually be lowering serotonin levels and contributing to anxiety and depression in susceptible individuals

I see everyone raving about gelatin and collagen (and rightly so – they are amazing) and yet no-one is addressing that fact that gelatin is actually used in tryptophan-depletion studies to lower serotonin. And it really concerns me that this aspect is ignored

You can register here.

I do hope you can join us!

Acupuncture boosts GABA to reduce back pain and oral GABA further reduces the pain

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I fell and injured my back last week but I am doing much better already. I’m going to be sharing a series of articles on post what I’m doing to ease the pain and heal – acupuncture and cupping being two of the approaches. As well as heat (with a hot water bottle), I’m also using a long list of nutrients such as:

  • high-dose fish oil and curcumin (as anti-inflammatories)
  • relaxing magnesium
  • arnica for bruising
  • GABA for relaxing my muscles and helping with the acute pain, and for easing the fear and anxiety (initially I was very fearful I had a serious back injury) and
  • DPA (d-phenylalanine) for the endorphin-boosting pain-relief

Today I’m going to share some research on GABA and how it helps with pain reduction and muscle tension, and how the acupuncture actually boosts GABA (as well as endorphins) to reduce pain.

Based on the examination I have soft tissue bruising around the lumbar area (L3 to L5). Sitting had been impossible until 2 days ago and even now I have to alternate between sitting and standing. I also twisted my ankle in the fall so initially standing was even challenging!  

I had one acupuncture and cupping session last Saturday and will be having another one this coming Saturday. I felt some immediate relief after this session and my back has been getting better and better each day.

Oral sublingual GABA for the acute pain and muscle relaxation

In the interim, between acupuncture/cupping sessions I felt I needed relaxing support for my stiff and spasming back muscles so I immediately started using high doses of GABA for the acute pain. And it’s been working amazingly well.

Right after the fall I was taking 1g of GABA powder every few hours (held in my mouth for 1-2 minutes) and now I only need to take it 2 or 3 times a day as needed. This is the dose I started with only because I know this dose works for me for the rectal spasms I sometimes experience. I always have clients do a trial and start low and increase slowly based on need and response. The starting dose is typically 125mg as found in GABA Calm but I suspect this is likely too low if you are someone needing pain relief.

With the oral sublingual GABA I feel relief from the pain within 5 minutes and it lasts a few hours.

My pain level was 10/10 and is now down to 2/10 most of the time with a few times during the day when it is 4/10. I’m walking, standing, able to turn over in bed and sleep through the night, and able to get off the bed without assistance. I can now also put on my yoga pants, socks and shoes myself – these were impossible tasks in the first 5 days after my fall!

Acupuncture boosts GABA and downregulates substance P and CGRP

I have not been able to find research on oral GABA for easing pain but do have some research to share. In this first paper, Effect of electroacupuncture on thermal pain threshold and expression of calcitonin-gene related peptide, substance P and γ-aminobutyric acid in the cervical dorsal root ganglion of rats with incisional neck pain the authors state that it is known that acupuncture therapy effectively reduces post-surgical pain, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate:

whether expression of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the primary sensory neurons of cervical dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are involved in electroacupuncture (EA)-induced analgesia [pain reduction]in a rat model of incisional neck pain.

The conclusion is as follows: acupuncture increases the pain threshold i.e. it reduces pain and the mechanism is likely related to

downregulation of pronociceptive mediators SP/CGRP and upregulation of the inhibitory transmitter GABA in the primary sensory neurons of cervical DRGs

In case you’re not familiar with the terms substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) I’m going to explain what they are, how they are connected to pain and why downregulation helps with pain reduction.

What is substance P (SP)?

Founders and Directors of Neuroplastix, Marla Golden, DO and Michael Moskowitz, MD share this about substance-P (SP), the main pain neurotransmitter:

It has five basic functions in the body. They are pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression and nausea. Even though these seem like negative experiences, they are important for survival. Problems arise with excessive production and release of Substance-P.

They share a very descriptive video that:

depicts a nerve injury causing a massive release of Substance-P, up to 5 times greater than in acute pain. This diffuses out to three to five times more local area. This is a major way that the pain map expands in persistent pain and keeps the pain going.

Be sure to watch the video on this page.

What is calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)?

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is relatively new marker for pain as this recent review paper discusses – Calcitonin gene-related peptide and pain: a systematic review

The present review revealed the association between measured CGRP levels and somatic, visceral, neuropathic and inflammatory pain. These data suggest that CGRP may act as a neuromodulator in non-headache pain conditions. However, more studies are needed to fully understand the role of CGRP in nociceptive processing and therapy of chronic pain.

Oral GABA lowers substance P and CGRP in asthmatic children

As I mentioned there is no research on the effects of oral GABA on pain reduction so I’m going to extrapolate from this study on asthma – Effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid treatment on plasma substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide levels in children with asthma.

In this study of 75 children with asthma, 36 children were in the GABA treatment group and received oral GABA (25-30 mg/kg per day) in addition to standard asthma medications. For a 100 lb /45 kg child this would equate to 1125-1350mg of GABA per day.

The conclusion of the study is that oral GABA

can significantly decrease plasma levels of SP and CGRP in children suffering from acute asthma.

The authors propose that airway inflammation may be a factor in asthma and since GABA reduces SP and CGRP, eases neurogenic inflammation and tracheal spasms, it may offer a new approach for the prevention and treatment of asthma (this is my best translation from the Chinese paper).

In summary, oral GABA, used sublingually has helped me tremendously with the acute pain of my muscle injury, and it helped ease the anxiety and fear I felt right after the incident.

As you read above, I am using more than just the GABA, but because it works so quickly I saw benefits right away and had hope while all the other approaches are starting to slowly help too. I just love that I get to experience this first-hand and share it with you – although I would have preferred not falling and that initial severe pain!

I also have a good history of GABA helping me so this was a clue for me to try it now. It was my life-saver when I first experienced my terrible anxiety and panic attacks and helped me tremendously within a few days.  I also did very well with GABA when I used it for throat spasms during  my vagus nerve issue after that scary plane ride, and another incidence when I was getting terrible ice-pick type headaches that turned out to be a jammed neck issue.   I really am a GABA girl aren’t I!?

I have used high doses of GABA like this with one client who had a back and neck injury after a construction accident. It also helped him tremendously.

Have you used high doses of GABA for muscle injuries and seen improvements like this? Or do you use this approach with your clients/patients?