Trudy Scott Anxiety Nutrition Solutions & Every Woman Over 29

The Anxiety Summit – How Methylfolate can make you Feel Worse and even Cause Anxiety, and What to do about it

May 12, 2015 By Trudy Scott 176 Comments

Dr. Benjamin Lynch ND, MTHFR and methylation expert, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

How Methylfolate can make you Feel Worse and even Cause Anxiety, and What to do about it

Methylfolate and the MTHFR polymorphism
Anxiety and other side effects of too much methylfolate
How to prevent methylfolate side-effects
How to determine how much methylfolate to take

Here are some snippets from our interview (Dr Lynch actually closed with these wise words) :

Just because you have MTHFR doesn’t mean you’re screwed!

Don’t look at MTHFR as a bad thing

It just means you have to do things differently

Be proactive and don’t be scared about it

At the start of our interview he said this:

Anxiety can be relieved by methylfolate but it can also be made worse

Here are some snippets from Dr. Lynch’s excellent article: Methylfolate Side Effects

Methylfolate is a remarkable nutrient yet it can create significant side effects.

Those who have MTHFR mutations (especially the C677T MTHFR mutation) learn that methylfolate is critical to take. The issue is methylfolate can cause more harm than good if not started at the right time or tapered up slowly in amount.

There appear to be three types of responses to methylfolate:

FIRST: A person who can jump on methylfolate and feel absolutely wonderful. The only down side they experience is why didn’t they know about methylfolate before?!

SECOND: A person starts methylfolate has an amazingly incredible week where they are happy, interacting and alert. Then the second week comes and they switch to wanting to hide in a room by themselves or literally throw dishes across the room out of anger. Or they may become bed ridden from muscle aches, intense headaches or joint pain.

THIRD: A person takes a small amount of methylfolate and feels all the methylfolate side effects right out the gate.

The above blog also lists the Methylfolate Side Effects:

irritability
insomnia
sore muscles
achy joints
acne
rash
severe anxiety
palpitations
nausea
headaches
migraines

I encourage you to read the whole blog that Dr Lynch has written (Methylfolate Side Effects)

And here is the related blog on Preventing Methylfolate Side Effects. I’ve included some snippets here but please read the whole article too

ALREADY TAKING METHYLFOLATE AND FEEL GREAT?

Excellent! However, it may be a ‘honeymoon’ period and in a few days or weeks, side effects may appear.

Discuss this article with your doctor and make appropriate changes to your protocol.

Just think of a bell-shaped curve.

Before you started taking methylfolate, you felt terrible. You began taking it and started to feel good. Day after day goes by and you continue to improve. In time if the above things are not corrected, you will begin to slide down the other side of the bell-shaped curve.

My whole point of this article is to prevent this from happening!

My goal is to keep you feel amazing!

I’ve seen it happen way too much – caused by me, caused by other doctors and caused by over-excited people feeling amazing and pushing their system too hard with methylfolate. Methylfolate is powerful.

This last statement by Dr. Lynch is why I invited him to speak on this summit on this topic!

This is the Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and Dr Bill Walsh histapenia/histadelia blog post that I referred to in our discussion. You can either read the discussion in the comments or read this new blog post I created: Methylation and anxiety: histadelia and histapenia.

Here is information about the first annual Seeking Health Educational Institute Conference, SHEI Con 15 (an event for health professionals).

Dr Lynch and a team of world-renowned physicians will be presenting absolutely new clinically-relevant information that has never been seen before ANYWHERE.

The main topics of SHEI Con 15 are centered around where physicians must look to recover their patient’s heath at the core.

Mitochondria: Function, Dysfunction, Connections to Pathologies, Identification and Restoration

Cell Membranes: Function, Dysfunction, Connections to Pathologies, Identification and Restoration

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety

May 11, 2015 By Trudy Scott 77 Comments

Magdalena Wszelaki, founder of Hormones Balance, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety (part 1)

Magdalena’s own journey with Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s disease, adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance and anxiety
How hormonal imbalances can cause anxiety: low progesterone, low/high estrogen
How over and underactive thyroid can cause anxiety
The adrenals and anxiety and depression

Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety (part 2)

How to test for hormonal imbalances
The foundation to all hormonal health being: healthy gut, healthy blood sugar levels and optimal liver health
Foods that support the production of the different hormones
Seed rotation for balancing estrogen and progesterone
The role of coffee in liver health, hormone metabolism and anxiety

In part 1 we discussed this 2015 paper: Sex hormones affect neurotransmitters and shape the adult female brain during hormonal transition periods.

Here we review the evidence from animal experiments and human studies reporting interactions between sex hormones and the dominant neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA and glutamate

The brain represents an important target for estrogen and progesterone effects.

major shifts in sex hormone levels seem to be paralleled by the incidence rates of mood disorders such as unipolar depression

A subgroup of women suffers from clinical level of premenstrual mood changes called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)… core symptoms include anxiety, irritability and depressed mood

Estrogen has been reported to have potent serotonin-modulating properties

progesterone and its neuroactive metabolites (allopregnanolone, pregnanolone) seem to facilitate GABAergic transmission

To summarize, neurotransmitter systems do not work in isolation and sex hormones act on multiple sites, highly intertwined with serotonin, dopamine, GABA and glutamate.

Magdalena shared these low estrogen symptoms:

Forgetfulness
Incontinence
Skin elasticity problems
Loss of muscle strength
Feeling really blah
Osteoporosis/osteopenia
Warm flashes and/or night sweats

Magdalena shared these low progesterone symptoms:

Tender breasts
PMS
Irregular periods
Puffiness and water retention
Mood swings and anger
Anxiety and sleep issues
Problems falling pregnant

In part 2:

Magdalena shared how the foundation of hormone balance is a healthy gut and talked about food intolerances, the microbiome, bone broths and quality animal protein.

I loved the discussion on using seed rotation for hormonal balancing: flax seeds and pumpkin seeds for the first half of your cycle and sesame and sunflower seeds for the second half of your cycle/luteal phase (the cracker recipes are in the gift download – see below).

Coffee does affect our hormones and here is a great guest blog post by Magdalena: 12 Ways Coffee Impacts Your Hormones

If you had to give up either coffee or the internet for 2 weeks, which one would you choose? How about either coffee or sex for 2 weeks? If you’d rather relinquish anything to keep your coffee, you’d be on par with the majority of the people around you.

Be sure to check it out and try out her delicious Roasted Chicory Root Latte recipe.

I shared my recipe: Carob Cinnamon Delight instead of coffee – a calming hot beverage and mentioned rooibos tea how it’s A Functional Food in the Management of Stress (an interview from a prior anxiety summit)

Magdalena mentioned the EWG/Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep site for checking your cosmetics – simply enter the name of the product in the search area.

We also mentioned Annmarie Gianni Skin Care, which is a natural skin care line made with organic ingredients that you can trust – and that actually work. This is the best and most natural skin-care line I have come across – anywhere! It’s organic, uses absolutely zero toxic ingredients and features gorgeous essential oils! You can try your Annmarie Gianni Skin Care sample kit here.

Magdalena’s gift: How to Rebalance Your Hormones with Food and Recipes

magdalena gift image

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Nutritional Influences on Anxiety and Musculoskeletal Pain

May 11, 2015 By Trudy Scott 20 Comments

Joe Tatta DPT, CCN, Musculoskeletal Pain Expert, was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Nutritional Influences on Anxiety and Musculoskeletal Pain

Link between anxiety and chronic musculoskeletal problems
Fear avoidance behaviors and pain
Headaches, back pain, joint pain and nutritional influences
An exercise prescription for anxiety

Here are some snippets from our interview:

People used to think depression was more linked to chronic pain but we are learning its more anxiety driven

The chronic anxiety that people have on a daily basis kicks off the pain process

Negative thoughts, worry, doom-and-gloom about the future all come in to play, with fear being the most common emotion leading to pain

Here is the very recent 2015 paper that discusses this – Psychological functioning of people living with chronic pain: A meta-analytic review.

Joe tied fear and anxiety to adrenalin release and the effects on the muscles, specifically how the smaller muscles around the spine and in the neck are turned off. You then have less blood flow, less oxygen and less nutrients going to those muscles and that’s when the pain starts.

Joe shared the staggering number of people who suffer from chronic pain:

more than those who suffer from heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined!

We also discussed migraines and magnesium, and this paper: Why all migraine patients should be treated with magnesium

Magnesium, the second most abundant intracellular cation, is essential in many intracellular processes and appears to play an important role in migraine pathogenesis. Routine blood tests do not reflect true body magnesium stores since <2% is in the measurable, extracellular space, 67% is in the bone and 31% is located intracellularly. Lack of magnesium may promote cortical spreading depression, hyperaggregation of platelets, affect serotonin receptor function, and influence synthesis and release of a variety of neurotransmitters.

There is strong evidence that magnesium deficiency is much more prevalent in migraine sufferers than in healthy controls.

Considering these features of magnesium, the fact that magnesium deficiency may be present in up to half of migraine patients, and that routine blood tests are not indicative of magnesium status, empiric treatment with at least oral magnesium is warranted in all migraine sufferers.

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Is Toxic Mold the Hidden Cause of Your Anxiety?

May 10, 2015 By Trudy Scott 54 Comments

Dr. Jill Carnahan MD, Functional Medicine Practitioner, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Is Toxic Mold the Hidden Cause of Your Anxiety?

An overview of functional medicine
How common is it for mold and mycotoxins to contribute to illness and anxiety
Where are we exposed to mold
Top symptoms associated with mycotoxin-associated illness
How to treat mold/mycotoxin exposure in someone who has anxiety (or depression)
The role of methylation and MTHFR polymorphisms in our detox abilities

We talked about the upcoming IFM conference: The Omics Revolution – Nature and Nurture, May 28-30, Austin TX

IFM’s 2015 Annual International Conference (AIC) will explore the wild and wonderful world of “omics,” including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other terms that describe the cascade of responses in human biology initiated by signals from the outside world washing over our genes.

It’s not nature or nurture but nature (genetic heritage) and nurture (lifestyle and environment).

I’m excited to be attending for the first time and can’t wait. I know this conference does fill up each year so if you’re interested don’t wait to sign up.

Dr. Jill talked about functional medicine so I pulled this functional medicine definition off the IFM site:

Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.

The topics we cover on this summit and the approaches the Anxiety Summit speakers take all fall under the definition of functional medicine.

Dr. Jill shared her story and amazing healing journey with cancer. You can read about this here

Top Symptoms Associated with Mycotoxin-Associated Illness per the blog on Dr. Jill’s site: Is Toxic Mold Exposure the Cause of Your Symptoms?

Fatigue and weakness
Headache, light sensitivity
Poor memory, difficult word finding
Difficulty concentration
Morning stiffness, joint pain
Unusual skin sensations, tingling and numbness
Shortness of breath, sinus congestion or chronic cough
Appetite swings, body temperature regulation
Increased urinary frequency or increased thirst
Red eyes, blurred vision, sweats, mood swings, sharp pains
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating
Tearing, disorientation, metallic taste in mouth
Static shocks
Vertigo, feeling lightheaded

(do check out the above link for more in depth information on Dr Jill’s site)

We didn’t discuss this paper but I’m including it anyway because anxiety isn’t in the above list of symptoms: Psychological, neuropsychological, and electrocortical effects of mixed mold exposure

The authors assessed the psychological, neuropsychological, and electrocortical effects of human exposure to mixed colonies of toxigenic molds

Patients reported high levels of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms.

Most of the patients were found to suffer from acute stress, adjustment disorder, or post-traumatic stress

These findings indicated a hypoactivation of the frontal cortex, possibly due to brainstem involvement and insufficient excitatory input from the reticular activating system. Neuropsychological testing revealed impairments similar to mild traumatic brain injury.

This is the book that Dr. Jill mentioned – Mold Warriors: Fighting America’s Hidden Health Threat by Ritchie C. Shoemaker

Dr Jill has these Paleolicious Snack Ideas for download

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Anxiety

May 9, 2015 By Trudy Scott 56 Comments

Dr. Allison Siebecker ND, LAc, SIBO specialist, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Anxiety

An overview of SIBO/small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and recent research
The SIBO connection to IBS and anxiety/depression
Using a SIBO questionnaire and SIBO testing
SIBO treatment: medications, a herbal approach and diet
Gut motility and low serotonin

Here is the information on the 2015 SIBO Symposium, June 6–7, 2015.

Designed for the medical doctor, alternative medicine practitioner, and the public, the 2nd Annual SIBO Symposium features the nation’s leading experts on the topic to present an evidence-based educational program on managing small intestine bacterial overgrowth.

Here is the definition of SIBO from the SIBO Symposium site:

Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a chronic bacterial colonization of the small intestine. These bacteria normally live in the gastrointestinal tract, however, in SIBO they have overgrown in a location not meant for so many bacteria. The bacteria interfere with our normal digestion and absorption of food and are associated with damage to the lining or membrane of the small intestine. These mechanisms in turn lead to myriad other disorders—gastrointestinal, systemic, and neurological.

Dr Siebecker has this quote on her site www.siboinfo.com (which has a wealth of information)

According to Bures et al,

It is mandatory to consider SIBO in all cases of complex non-specific dyspeptic complaints (bloating, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, abdominal pain), in motility disorders, anatomical abnormalities of the small bowel and in all malassimilation syndromes (malabsorption, maldigestion).

I said there were no studies linking SIBO and anxiety but there are many studies connecting SIBO and IBS, and there are many studies connecting IBS and anxiety/depression

However I wrote this in my book the The Antianxiety Food Solution. (published in 2011)

Studies have found that people with digestive complaints such IBS, food allergies and sensitivities, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and ulcerative colitis frequently suffer from anxiety and, to a lesser extent, depression (Addolorato, Mirijello, D’Angelo, Leggio, Ferrulli, Abenavoli, et al. 2008).

One study (Lydiard 2001) found that 50 to 90 percent of people with IBS who visited a doctor for treatment also suffered from various anxiety disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder) and major depression.

Here is a list of the symptoms of SIBO

Here are some of the papers we mentioned:

Serotonin and Its Role in Colonic Function and in Gastrointestinal Disorders

Herbal therapy is equivalent to rifaximin for the treatment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

You’ll find many more papers on Dr. Siebecker’s siboinfo.com research section

This is the book Dr Siebecker mentioned: A New IBS Solution: Bacteria-The Missing Link in Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome, written by Dr Mark Pimentel

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – The Parasite/Anxiety Connection

May 9, 2015 By Trudy Scott 46 Comments

Ann Louise Gittleman PhD, CNS, author of The Fat Flush Plan and Guess What Came to Dinner, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

The Parasite/Anxiety Connection

How common are parasites and how do we become infected (even if we live in a first world country)
How do parasites contribute to anxiety and depression and even schizophrenia
Other symptoms of a parasitic infection
How to avoid being exposed to parasites
How to test for parasites and how do we get rid of the parasite/s

Here are some gems from our interview:

Parasitic infections in the USA are far more common than you would expect – in fact the estimates are that 1 in every 3 people have a parasite or more than one

Parasites can contribute to or cause anxiety and fear by altering “hormonal and neurotransmitter communication and/or direct interference with the neurons and brain regions that mediate behavioural expression”

According to folklore, parasites are more active around the full moon, so testing and treating around this time may yield better results

Toxoplasma gondii is one parasite that has been researched a great deal and is one that has big implications for anxiety and other mood conditions, especially schizophrenia.

Ann Louise shared this interesting article from Scientific American called Toxoplasma’s Dark Side: The Link Between Parasite and Suicide

In 2003, E. Fuller Torrey of the Stanley Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland his colleagues noted a link between Toxoplasma and schizophrenia – specifically, that women with high levels of the parasite were more likely to give birth to schizophrenics-to-be

scientists have discovered a link between suicide and parasite infection

In 2006, researchers linked Toxoplasma infection to neuroticism in both men and women.

When we are infected with a parasite like Toxoplasma gondii, our immune system goes on the offensive, producing a group of molecules called cytokines that activate various immune cell types. The exact mechanism by which cytokines cause depression and other mental illnesses is poorly understood, but we do know they are able to pass the blood-brain barrier and alter neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

Here is the parasite testing and products we discussed:

The Expanded GI panel (for testing)

Colon Cleaning kit with Verma-Plus and Para- Key (together with a probiotic)

Verma-Plus contains the Native American herb called Centaury (aerial portion) (Centaurium erythraea)

It seems to have antimicrobial properties too: Volatile organic compounds from Centaurium erythraea Rafn (Croatia) and the antimicrobial potential of its essential oil.

And gastroprotective effects: Gastroprotective effect of small centaury (Centaurium erythraea L) on aspirin-induced gastric damage in rats.

We also talked about using filtered water for washing fruits and vegetables and this is the water filter Ann Louise recommends: Countertop Ultra-Ceramic Water Filter. “It purifies your tap water for the removal of incoming contaminants including parasites, chlorine, chloramines, heavy metals, cloudiness and sediment. The ceramic filter also inhibits the growth of bacteria”

Ann Louise has written many wonderful books. Here are three of them that were mentioned in this interview:

Guess What Came to Dinner? Parasites and Your Health (this is the book about parasites)

Ann Louise Gittleman_guess what came to dinner

Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause (this is the one that helped me so much when I was in my late thirties and having perimenopausal symptoms – with the zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil )

The Fat Flush Plan (this is one of many her classic weight loss books)

Here is her gift: a 50-Page Report on Parasites – Still the Greatest Masqueraders of All Time

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.