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Lemongrass essential oil for cancer and anxiety: The Truth About Cancer livestream

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The Truth About Cancer live event which runs Oct 5-7 and the livestream broadcast starts on Thursday, October 5th at 9am Eastern. You can tune in and listen from home!

This event brings you the latest in natural cancer prevention, new therapies, cancer diets, toxins to avoid and much much more!

What’s so encouraging is that many of the natural treatments and approaches for cancer also help with reducing anxiety. One of these is the essential oil of lemongrass.

One of my favorite essential oil experts is Dr. Eric Zielinski and he is talking about Essential Oils, Aromatherapy, and Cancer. Dr. Z shares this about lemongrass essential oil and cancer:  

In 2009, an article was published that evaluated the essential oil of Cymbopogon flexuosus (a variety of lemongrass) for its in vitro cytotoxicity ability against 12 human cancer cell lines; as well as its anticancer effects on mice in vivo. The results were remarkable. Researchers discovered that the essential oil triggers a variety of mechanisms that kill cancer cells. “Our results indicate that the oil has a promising anticancer activity and causes loss in tumor cell viability by activating the apoptotic process as identified by electron microscopy.”

Research also shows that the GABAergic system contributes to the anxiety-reducing effect of essential oil from lemongrass (cymbopogon citratus).

A number of speakers are sharing the benefits of the ketogenic diet for cancer prevention and healing

  • Joseph Mercola – Ketogenic Diet and Cancer
  • Dr. Toni Bark – Ketogenic Diet and disease reversal and prevention
  • Cherie Calbom – Juice, Juice, and More Juice to Treat & Prevent Cancer: How Vegetable Juicing Complements a Ketogenic Diet

As you heard recently from Dr. David Jockers on the Mental Wellness Summit, the ketogenic diet helps with anxiety because it improves the ability of glutamate converting into GABA:

There is a relationship between glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Glutamate naturally converts into GABA when certain nutrients are present – like magnesium and vitamin B6 – along with a properly working GAD enzyme.

Now, when we have ketones present, they have been shown to improve the ability to convert glutamate into GABA.

Dr. David Jockers is also a speaker at The Truth About Cancer and is covering The Sugar-Cancer Connection

The list of speakers is truly a Who’s Who of natural cancer therapies … and includes superstars like:

  • Patrick Quillin – Beating Cancer with Nutrition
  • Robert Scott Bell – Gut Health, the Microbiome, and Cancer
  • Rashid Buttar -The Cancer Conflict: Resolving the 5th Toxicity
  • Tony Jimenez – Treating Cancer with Sound and Light
  • Mike Adams – The importance of “ORGANIC”
  • Del Bigtree – Freedom of Choice in Medicine
  • Chris Wark – How “Chris Beat Cancer”
  • Sayer Ji – Epigenetics and Cancer
  • Dr. Darrell Wolfe – DETOX and the Lymphatic system
  • Jeffrey Smith – How GMOs have been linked to cancer
  • Doug Kaufman – The Fungal Link to Cancer
  • Pharmacist Ben Fuchs – Skin Health & Skin Cancer
  • Barbara Loe Fisher – Freedom of Choice in Medical Interventions
  • Dr. Stuart Nunnally – Biological Dentistry and Cancer Prevention
  • Dr. Ben Johnson – Stem Cells, Lasers, and Novel Approaches for Cancer
  • Dr. Marlene Siegel – Preventing and Treating Cancer in Pets

And many more!

It’s 3 days that could very well save your life or the life of someone you love.

You’re invited to watch it LIVE at no cost from the comfort of your own home.

Take a minute to get all the details right here. The broadcast starts Thursday, October 5th at 9am Eastern.

I don’t often share resources about cancer but I feel this is such an amazing opportunity to learn and feel empowered so you don’t have to feel anxious about cancer. These experts may just have the healing answers you’ve been looking for! Please share with your friends, family and anyone else you think could use this information!

Just like there is hope and solutions for anxiety, there is HOPE … and healing … and survival for cancer too.

To your health! See you on the livestream!

Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression?

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I see everyone raving about gelatin and collagen – and rightly so – they have amazing health benefits. However, no-one is addressing the fact that gelatin is actually used in tryptophan-depletion studies to lower serotonin (gelatin is derived from collagen: when collagen breaks down, it becomes gelatin). When I first discovered this fact it really concerned me that this very important aspect is ignored so I added it to my long list of topics to investigate.

I posted the above on Facebook last month as part of a fact-finding exercise and appreciate all the feedback and questions. Today I share some of the feedback and research and I’d love to hear from you what your experiences have been.

The health benefits of collagen

In case you’re new to collagen, Dr. Josh Axe provides an excellent overview of the health benefits of collagen

  1. Improves Health of Skin and Hair
  2. Reduces Joint Pains and Degeneration
  3. Helps Heal Leaky Gut
  4. Boosts Metabolism, Muscle Mass and Energy Output
  5. Strengthens Nails, Hair and Teeth
  6. Improves Liver Health
  7. Protects Cardiovascular Health

Gelatin is used in tryptophan depletion studies

Tryptophan-depletion studies have been done for years, as a way to study the relationship between low serotonin and depression.  Often a tryptophan-deficient amino acid mixture is used for this purpose.  More recently, collagen and gelatin are being used.

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 paper, Pharmacokinetics of acute tryptophan depletion using a gelatin-based protein in male and female Wistar rats summarizes what we find in a number of studies that use gelatin for the purpose of lowering serotonin levels, in order to study the relationship between serotonin and behavior:

The essential amino acid tryptophan is the precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. By depleting the body of tryptophan, brain tryptophan and serotonin levels are temporarily reduced. In this paper, several experiments are described in which dose and treatment effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) using a gelatin-based protein-carbohydrate mixture were studied in male and female Wistar rats.

My experience with collagen – flat and worried until I added tryptophan

When I recently injured my back and sprained my ankle, I decided to add collagen to speed up the healing and very quickly had to take a deeper dive into the topic because I noticed it affected my mood right away! I was using just one big scoop of collagen in a protein shake (pea protein) and yet I felt flat and slightly anxious within a day. It was the worried low-serotonin kind of anxiety in the early hours – something I haven’t felt in quite some time.

I wondered if it was due to the injury and inflammation my body was dealing with or if it was related to the effects of tryptophan depletion. I stopped the collagen and then added it back and had the same experience. I did this a few times and experienced similar feelings each time.

When I used tryptophan mid-afternoon and at bedtime I felt fine and was able to continue taking the collagen with no problems. I am prone to low serotonin – it was one of the root causes of my big anxiety issues in my late 30s – so I may be more affected than the average person.

Wondering if collagen causing mood issues and an increase in anxiety?

Here is feedback from someone who is wondering if collagen is causing her mood to dive:

I have wondered if it affects my mood so I haven’t been using it lately. Interested to see what other people say. I was using about a table spoon in a drink that I would sip on throughout the morning. My moods just take dives now and then. I have isolated gluten as a HUGE factor. I am forever wondering what else causes the dives and I began to wonder if collagen was causing problems so I haven’t used it in several months.

Stephanie feels moody when using collagen:

I have found that the days I take collagen that I’m moody. I’ve kept trying, but am always surprised by the reaction. I even mentioned it to my naturopath recently. Curious to see if there’s a connection.

Here is feedback from someone also reporting mood dives and feeling on edge (although as I pointed out to her the feeling on edge is very likely due to or partly due to the coffee):

I take collagen (grass-fed and grass-finished) in my coffee every morning. I’ve also had some mood dives consistently the last few months and feel more on edge. I’ve honestly never made the connection and actually thought it was hormones. Something to think about!

Melissa shared it affected her sleep:

As soon as I started taking gelatin daily I have had difficult falling asleep.

Katinka began having strange night time anxiety:

I did [Vital Proteins grass fed beef gelatin] for 2 weeks in bone broth. My nails grew like crazy, but at the same time I begun having strange night time anxiety: worry, obsessive, but not any of the other symptoms like depression and cravings. It is interesting to me because this was the only time I had anxiety at night since going gluten free.

Collagen caused a racing heart for Beverly:

Used to take Vital Proteins products. Was woken up several times in the night with racing heartbeat and out of breath. This went away when I stopped the collagen. I have symptoms of low serotonin but have not tried tryptophan

No noticeable problems

Many people shared that they didn’t notice any obvious mood issues so it’s clearly not a problem for everyone:

  • Jaime: Interesting, I use it almost daily for protein at breakfast. I will pay attention better. No obvious problems now (used for 9 months).
  • Angela: …I don’t think I have any side effects and I do have serotonin issues. I think I will have to do more research
  • Courtney: I just started using collagen peptides but not every day. Maybe once or twice a week. I haven’t noticed any difference in mood but I also just started taking it a few weeks ago.
  • Debra: I take 1bsp of Great Lakes Collagen Hydrosylate every day and take it to help heal my leaky gut….haven’t noticed any particular side-effects. I alternate it with the normal gelatin. I suffer from complex PTSD, anxiety and depression…I haven’t noticed any difference in that either

Jessica Drummond, nutritionist and physical therapist, and an expert on female pelvic pain and women’s health shared:

I use collagen regularly and I also eat quite a lot of meat and fish. For me both help me to feel very grounded and less anxious. I think of collagen as balancing for all of the muscle meat that we eat. I eat anywhere from 10-20 grams 4-5 days per week.

 

Feels anxious using gelatin, stop using it and anxiety is gone/less

Laura’s anxiety got worse within a few months of adding daily gelatin:  

Wow, I never heard that gelatin can lower serotonin. I started using [Puritan’s Pride brand], 650mg, daily about 6 months ago to strengthen my nails. It’s worked very well for that. About a couple months ago my anxiety started to get worse again. My anxiety shows up as fear and worry mostly and not being able to quiet my mind. I had gotten it under control for almost 2 years now. I wonder if there is a connection. I’m going to stop taking the gelatin and see if my anxiety improves. I have not tried tryptophan, but I have found GABA helped quiet my mind and let me sleep better.

She decided to stop taking it to see if her anxiety symptoms would reduce and when I checked back with her she shared this:

I was surprised to find after about 2 weeks of stopping the gelatin, I began to feel more calm again and it’s been a lasting change. I still take zinc, vitamin b6 and lysine in the morning and GABA in the evening. This combination works well for me. I’m so grateful for all the information you share! Thank you!

Toni experienced something similar:

I’ve been using Organic collagen for about 8 months now… love the hair and skin results. My tummy felt better at first but not currently. My anxiety and panic attacks are off the charts: panic attacks, heart racing, sweating, brain fog. I want to escape -like fight or flight. Definately obsessing and fears. Memory difficulty. I have an upcoming GI appointment to check for Candida /SIBO… but I had no idea this could add to my anxiety. I’ll be looking forward to more information, Seriously.

And a few weeks after stopping the collagen she shared this:

I stopped using the collagen. Since then, my anxiety and panic are decreased by less than half. Mild in comparison. I’m definately taking a long break.

Keep in mind I’m not suggesting we should not be using collagen – just that if it seems to lower serotonin and increase anxiety/depression doing a trial with tryptophan may be the solution (more on that and some other possible causes of anxiety below).

When used with tryptophan – no mood issues

Karen uses collagen and tryptophan at night:

I use collagen every day. But hey, I also take L-tryptophan every night for anxiety. It runs in the family and a small amount of Tyrptophan at night helps resolve mine. No clue there was a connection

Maxine uses it every morning and takes 1 tryptophan before bed and reports no mood issues

I take it [Great Lakes gelatin and Vital Choice collagen] every morning in my tea and at night in my bone broth for my skin and joints and I take one tryptophan before bed. The tryptophan with GABA before bed is for better sleep. No mood issues.

 

Used ‘therapeutically’ to lower serotonin

Misty reports using it ‘therapeutically’ to lower her high serotonin levels. This application is new to me and I find it quite fascinating:

I use it to reduce tryptophan because I have a tendency toward high serotonin. I have suffered my entire life with ADD, tics as a child, grinding teeth, general anxiety, lack of motivation and later, IBS. In my quest to maximize my health, I finally came to these web pages for help. In my 53 years I’ve never been as calm as I am now. If I’m not careful, I can get a bout of IBS (not food related and trust me, from GAPS to AIP, nothing really affects me). I reduce tryptophan and I’m balanced. It seems contrary but it works for me and so many others

She links to these articles Tryptophan, Sleep, and Depression and The Sadder Side of Serotonin which both refer to the work of Ray Peat who I recently discovered is very much against the use of tryptophan.

I agree with the premise of too much serotonin causing issues (often the same symptoms we see with serotonin that is too low) but not the general message that tryptophan supplements and foods high in tryptophan are harmful and should be avoided by everyone. Based on the clinical results myself and other practitioners see boosting low serotonin with tryptophan and/or 5-HTP -and the wonderful results they experience – in my opinion, this is really all about biochemical individuality.

I decided to share this story here, even with the controversial tryptophan articles, because it illustrates that it is highly likely that the collagen is lowering her serotonin levels and making her feel better. I’ll tackle the above negative articles about serotonin and tryptophan in a separate blog post.

More questions and looking for your feedback

As you can see we have very different experiences but there are enough unanswered questions we need to be asking:

  • Are the negative effects because of low serotonin? If yes, are some of us more susceptible to the serotonin-lowering effects than others and should we stop using collagen despite all the health benefits?
  • And should we be assessing for low serotonin levels before using collagen or gelatin, and supplementing with tryptophan when it is low (more on this below)? There is one company that has added tryptophan to their collagen – is this a good idea?
  • Or are the negative effects some people experience due to glutamates, arginine, histamine, because of quality issues and glyphosate levels, an increase in oxalates or something else such as not eating enough animal protein?

I’ll address the above questions and share some additional research and feedback from collagen experts in part 2 of this article.

Until then, if you have observed a mood dip or increase in anxiety since using collagen or gelatin, I would suggest you stop using collagen/gelatin and see how you feel, then add it back and see how you feel. If you do see a correlation, do the low serotonin questionnaire and a trial of tryptophan (after checking the precautions) to see if this improves your mood when using collagen/gelatin. I recently blogged about tryptophan here (brand is important).

I would love your feedback. Do you use gelatin or collagen regularly i.e. daily or weekly? And why do you use it? How do you use it and what benefits do you notice?

Have you noticed any worsening of mood or an increase in anxiety or any of the other low serotonin symptoms? Do you take tryptophan to offset the fact that gelatin or collagen doesn’t contain any tryptophan?

Have you done the off/on test with collagen/gelatin and what was the outcome?

I’d love your feedback in the comments. Be sure to share what you’re using (collagen or gelatin and the brand), how much, how often you consume it, what you take it with, how much caffeine you consume, how much protein you consume on a daily basis and what kind of protein, and how you react to home made bone broth. If you’re comfortable with sharing how you score on the low serotonin questionnaire (now or in the past i.e. are you prone to low serotonin) and if you’re using a SSRI (or have in the recent past), this may help us piece the puzzle together.

Tyrosine for focus, motivation, energy, a good mood and possibly even anxiety

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Today I’m reviewing tyrosine, the amino acid that boosts catecholamines and helps with focus, motivation, energy (especially when you crave carbs for energy) and the blah kind of depression. It’s wonderful for helping you easily quit coffee/caffeine (when you are using it to “self-medicate” due to low catecholamines). It also provides support for the thyroid and surprising as it sounds, it may even ease some types of anxiety.

I’m also sharing some additional resources for you on tyrosine (including details of how to set up an account in my new online store with Fullscript, plus a special offer – all that at the end of the blog post).

Tyrosine helps with energy, gives someone else migraines – look at precautions

Here is some feedback from my recent facebook post about tyrosine

  • Lorraine shared:

It really helped me have energy and endurance to be able to work out again! I went from not being able to even handle 20 minutes of weight lifting to doing regular 30 minute sessions and feeling energised and strong instead of depleted and exhausted.

  • Fay shared that it gives her a migraine. Migraines are one of contraindications with tyrosine if you are prone to them or have a history of migraines (and Fay does a history). This doesn’t mean you can’t ever benefit from tyrosine. With clients with migraine history we just start low, having them open a 500mg capsule and use just 50-100mg to start and then increase if they can.
  • Aaron Mello, Master Nutrition Therapist and founder of MoodFood Clinic, a practice that focuses on men’s mental health, loves using tyrosine with his clients and prefers it over phenylalanine because of the PKU contraindication. I agree and prefer tyrosine although I’ve only ever had one client with PKU. Aaron also mentioned that he also likes a combination product like Designs for Health DopaBoost: “I like that it has P5P and the mucuna is a natural source of L-dopa in addition to the tyrosine.” I do prefer standalone amino acids to start with (so just using tyrosine alone) but do also like the combinations in DopaBoost.

With all the amino acids, it’s important to be aware of the precautions. I mentioned PKU above. Here are other situations when tyrosine cannot be used: melanoma and Grave’s disease/overactive thyroid.

As with migraines, tyrosine does need to be watched with high blood pressure and bipolar disorder i.e. it may be tolerated and may not be tolerated. A trial will help you figure this out.

I personally can’t use either mucuna or tyrosine in large quantities but can tolerate the small amount in the Source Naturals GABA Calm product. The same tyrosine precautions do need to be considered when using GABA Calm for the low GABA type of anxiety.

Focus issues and ADHD – tyrosine or GABA?

Anxiety can often show up as focus issues or ADHD, especially in children who may not be able to articulate that they are anxious. Jenny is a mom in my facebook community and a friend of hers recommended GABA for her daughter after reading some of my posts. She shared this wonderful feedback:

My daughter hasn’t been diagnosed with ADHD but has a lot of ADHD qualities. We were having a huge amount of behavior problems as she is getting older (she’s 11). I did some research and went to the health food store and bought a bottle [of GABA Calm]. At this point I was mentally exhausted from all the fighting and drama at home and at school. I was desperate and didn’t want to put her on any hard medication.

She has had amazing behavior at school and at home since giving it to her. She’s almost like different child. GABA has truly changed our life. She’s been taking it for almost 2 months.

Anxiety and ADHD – where to start?

I recently received a great question from someone who heard my interview on the migraine summit:

I have a whole lot of overlap here. I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD with have anxiety issues. I also have a gluten sensitivity and migraines. Luckily, since I meditate daily, my migraines only occur every other month or so but usually involve weather changes.

It’s not uncommon to have overlaps and often addressing a few factors helps all issues. It sounds like she is gluten-free which is one common underlying factor in ADHD, migraines and anxiety. If someone is coming to see me for their anxiety we’ll work on that first – using GABA or tryptophan first – because tyrosine can help with ADHD but can make someone more anxious. We calm them first and then look at improving focus issues. With ADHD and anxiety, I also consider low blood sugar and making sure animal protein is being consumed at breakfast, and also check for low zinc and low iron (for starters).

GABA didn’t help her anxiety but tyrosine did

Everyone is different so using the trial method is the best way to figure out what you need. One of my past clients who had terrible anxiety, trialed both GABA and tryptophan and while she did get some benefits with both it just wasn’t enough.

She was sleeping better but still felt so stressed and anxious when preparing for an important meeting at work. The anxiety also seemed to get worse during the meeting which she was in charge of running. She did score high on the low catecholamines section on the amino acid questionnaire but were working on the anxiety before addressing poor focus and low motivation. It turned out that her anxiety escalated around her work meetings because of her lack of focus and low motivation – she was pushing herself to get through them. Once she added tyrosine her anxiety was under control. In this instance tyrosine actually helped ease the anxiety because he ADHD and motivation and drive improved!

Using tyrosine

Here is one tyrosine product I use (there are many others on the market)

Progressive Labs tyrosine 500mg: 500mg l-tyrosine.  As I mentioned this is the last amino acid I trial with my anxious clients because it can make you more anxious (although as I mentioned above, with one client, it reduced her anxiety because she was able to focus better at work).

As with all the amino acids, when using tyrosine:

  • Start low (500mg is a typical starting dose) and increase as needed.
  • Do a trial to determine if the ADHD, fatigue, depression, low motivation is due to low catecholamines. I always do this with clients before starting any amino acid. Be sure to read how to do an amino acid trial. It has the amino acid questionnaire, the precautions and information on how to use targeted individual amino acids.
  • Take between meals and away from protein for the best effects

Tyrosine should never be used after 3pm as it’s too stimulating when used after this time. For my clients with sleep issues we go slow and stop after the mid-morning dose until we determine if sleep is being affected.

This blog post is part of the series of amino acid product reviews:

The resources in this blog and my other articles are intended to be used in conjunction with my book: The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings. If you do not have my book I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and taking the amino acid supplements.

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.

You can find the tyrosine product I recommend on this blog: The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements

I’ve recently switched to using Fullscript for the fulfillment of the professional grade supplements I use with my one on one clients and with those in my group programs. You order through Fullscript and they ship directly to you.

We’re offering a one-time discount of 20% off all purchases until the end of September. You will need to set up an account with Fullscript. Details are at the end of the supplements blog. If you already have an account with Fullscript and have already made a purchase I hope you simply enjoy this content about tyrosine.

If you had an account with Emerson/Wellevate, apologies for any confusion but we’re recommending everyone transitions over to Fullscript. Look out for a separate email from me on this.

I was planning for this to be the final weekly product review for the month of September but a number of you have expressed how much you’re enjoying these reviews and would like me to continue. Let me know if you agree and which products you’d like to see reviewed.

For today’s tyrosine review:

  • What about your success stories with tyrosine? how has it helped you?
  • Or has it been an issue for you?
  • As I mentioned above it’s the last amino acid I used with my anxious clients because it can make you more anxious but it may just help your anxiety

If you have questions or feedback please post them below or on the supplements blog

Never Fear a Cancer Diagnosis – Livestream of The Truth About Cancer event

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Hearing the words “you’ve got cancer” is not something anyone wants to hear but statistically, one in two people WILL hear these words.

That’s right. The odds are 50/50 that it could be you or someone you love.

Anxiety and cancer feed off each other

  • you’re anxious and fearful about your cancer diagnosis (or the diagnosis of a loved one) and
  • the cancer itself can make you anxious and depressed because of the inflammation, the effects on the immune system and the cancer treatments themselves

But just like there is hope and solutions for anxiety, there is HOPE … and healing … and survival for cancer too.

There’s a growing body of evidence and data from a group of forward-thinking scientists and researchers around the world suggesting there are real solutions out there to prevent, treat, and beat cancer naturally.

Ty and Charlene Bollinger and their wonderful team at The Truth About Cancer are working hard to bring you the latest in natural cancer prevention, new therapies, cancer diets, toxins to avoid and much much more. It is being shared live on stage at their upcoming event (and you can watch it all via livestreaming from your home)

Dr. Joseph Mercola is speaking on the Ketogenic Diet and Cancer. He shares:

many cancer patients have reportedly overcome cancer by adopting a ketogenic diet, which calls for eliminating carbohydrates, replacing them with healthy fats and protein”

Dr. Veronique Desaulniers addresses Breast Cancer and Early Warning Signs. She faced the diagnosis of breast cancer and shares this about her journey

I came to appreciate that cancer was a message of love – that my body was trying to communicate with me and get my attention. If you keep doing things you have always done, you are going to get the same results. So for me, it was time to change emotional patterns, manage my stress, set boundaries and learn to love myself with all my perfect imperfections.

One of my favorite essential oil experts is Dr. Eric Zielinski and he covers Essential Oils, Aromatherapy, and Cancer. Dr. Z shares this about essential oils and cancer:

First – the research suggests that oils can help prevent and treat cancer at the cellular level. Additionally, and oftentimes overlooked, essential oils have been shown to be exceptionally effective at managing the side effects related to cancer itself and the side effects people suffer at the hands of medical interventions.

Second – it is critical to recognize that this is not an all-or-nothing approach. Just because you’re taking chemo doesn’t mean that you can’t use oils. The same is true on the flip side of that coin. Far too many patients and healthcare practitioners dichotomize natural from allopathic therapies, and do not give enough emphasis on the practicality of using both together.

The list of speakers is truly a Who’s Who of natural cancer therapies … and includes superstars like:

  • Patrick Quillin – Beating Cancer with Nutrition
  • Robert Scott Bell – Gut Health, the Microbiome, and Cancer
  • Rashid Buttar -The Cancer Conflict: Resolving the 5th Toxicity
  • Tony Jimenez – Treating Cancer with Sound and Light
  • Mike Adams – The importance of “ORGANIC”
  • Del Bigtree – Freedom of Choice in Medicine
  • Chris Wark – How “Chris Beat Cancer”
  • Sayer Ji – Epigenetics and Cancer
  • Dr. Darrell Wolfe – DETOX and the Lymphatic system
  • Dr. Toni Bark – Ketogenic Diet and disease reversal and prevention
  • Jeffrey Smith – How GMOs have been linked to cancer
  • Doug Kaufman – The Fungal Link to Cancer
  • Pharmacist Ben Fuchs – Skin Health & Skin Cancer
  • Barbara Loe Fisher – Freedom of Choice in Medical Interventions
  • Dr. Stuart Nunnally – Biological Dentistry and Cancer Prevention
  • Cherie Calbom – Juice, Juice, and More Juice to Treat & Prevent Cancer: How Vegetable Juicing Complements a Ketogenic Diet
  • Dr. Ben Johnson – Stem Cells, Lasers, and Novel Approaches for Cancer
  • Dr. Marlene Siegel – Preventing and Treating Cancer in Pets
  • Dr. David Jockers – The Sugar-Cancer Connection

And many more!

It’s 3 days that could very well save your life or the life of someone you love

You’re invited to watch it LIVE at no cost from the comfort of your own home.

Take a minute to get all the details right here. The broadcast starts Thursday, October 5th at 9am Eastern.

I don’t often share resources about cancer but I feel this is such an amazing opportunity to learn and feel empowered so you don’t have to feel anxious about cancer. These experts may just have the healing answers you’ve been looking for! Please share with your friends, family and anyone else you think could use this information!

To your health! See you on the livestream!

Does GABA offer gut protection after drinking alcohol?

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A paper published earlier this year has us asking the question: will oral GABA supplementation offer gut protection in humans who drink too much alcohol? It’s too soon to know but the results from the animal study leave me spell-bound by this calming amino acid yet again!

The paper, Gastroprotective effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury

aimed to investigate the gastroprotective effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and gastric epithelial cells injury [in rats].

Ethanol or alcohol is known to damage the gut and the study was carried out on rats given GABA and then ethanol.

It was also tested using the human gastric epithelial cell line GES-1 (more here on how human cell lines are commonly used in research) which was incubated with GABA and then treated with ethanol to induce cell injury.

The use of GABA prior to treatment with ethanol

showed that GABA pretreatment significantly reduced gastric ulcer index in a dose-dependent manner.

Administration with GABA could not only remarkably restrain oxidative stress by increase of superoxide dismutase, catalase activities and decrease of malondialdehyde content in gastric tissue and cells, but also significantly reduced pro-inflammatory factors activities (interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α) in gastric tissue.

These studies clearly provided evidence that GABA had a considerable gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and gastric epithelial cells injury. The underlying mechanism of mitigating lesions may be ascribed to the improvement of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant status as well as the increases of PGE2 [prostaglandin E2] and NO [nitric oxide] levels.

In summary, the use of GABA shows the potential for less ulcers, less oxidative damage, less inflammation in the gut, and gastroprotective properties after alcohol consumption. Human studies will show if oral GABA supplementation offers gut protection in those who drink too much alcohol.

Many social drinkers are not connecting their drinking to stress

We are a stressed society and this leads a great deal of “social” drinking. Many social drinkers are not connecting their drinking to stress and their need to self-medicate and de-stress.

As I found when I posted new study this on facebook – Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline – many social drinkers also get upset when you point out research like this because they don’t want to have to give it up. This CNN article, Moderate drinking may alter brain, summarizes the study and reports that the

moderate group was drinking about 14 to 21 units of alcohol per week, or about a medium glass of wine each night, plus a little extra on the weekends.

What is so interesting is that this very same calming amino acid, GABA, when used to address low GABA levels can help reduce your need to self-medicate or self-soothe with alcohol (or sugar/carbs). Don’t forget, with low GABA levels, you’ll also experience physical anxiety, stiff and tense muscles, overwhelm and panic attacks. I recently blogged about GABA here: GABA for the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety

Of course, I’d recommend using GABA supplements to address the low GABA and prevent so much “social” drinking that may damage to the gut (i.e. addressing the root cause as always), rather than using GABA so you can prevent gut damage when you do drink.

If you are a big “social” drinker and choose the latter (use GABA to prevent gut damage when you do drink) be warned, you’ll feel calmer and less stressed and very likely reduce your desire and need for a drink!

My blog mentions “social” drinking because of the paper about moderate alcohol consumption above but all this could be equally applicable to heavy drinkers and alcoholics too.

In summary, oral GABA can achieve the following:

  • help you quit alcohol and not feel deprived and having to use willpower
  • leave you feeling calm and stress-free with no need to self-medicate with alcohol
  • heal damage caused to your gut if you do indulge once in awhile (based on projections from the above research)

Have you noticed that GABA reduces your need to drink alcohol?

Have you noticed any improvements in gut health since using GABA?

A ketogenic diet for energy, mood stability and an end to anxiety

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Dr. David Jockers, is interviewed on the topic of the ketogenic diet on the Mental Wellness Summit 2, which airs online September 25 – October 2, 2017. The title of his interview is “Ketogenesis for Energy Stability” but I feel it could be called “Ketogenesis for Energy, Mood Stability and an end to Anxiety.” It’s a brilliant interview and he starts by sharing how the brain can use ketones and not only sugar: 

We know that about 2/3 of the brain energy can be produced by ketones. We used to think that basically the brain depended upon sugar as its only energy source. And it does need a small amount of sugar, and that’s why it’s so important we have to have a certain level of blood glucose. However, as we get keto-adapted, when we start to utilize ketones as an energy source, the brain gets much more effective and efficient, and it needs less of the sugar. 

And that’s important because sugar produces a lot more metabolic waste. And so when the brain is using ketones, there is going to be less free radical damage and what we call oxidative stress in the brain, so less damage being associated with the various neurons in the brain therefore better connection, better communication.

He shares that ketones are epigenetic influencers and improve neuron sensitivity thereby improving neurotransmitter production:

Ketones act to induce healthy genetic expression. They’re epigenetic influencers where they actually influence the brain to promote more BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic growth factor), which helps grow more neurons and more synapses (little gaps between the neurons). They help produce more neurotransmitters and really optimize the expression of these neurotransmitters to where we get good sensitivity between the neurons.

So when the neurons secrete serotonin, the next neuron is able to actually connect with that very easily and realize “hey, this is the message that we need to get across.”

Dr. Jockers then goes into the relationship between GABA and glutamate and how the ketogenic diet improves the ability of glutamate converting into GABA:

There is a relationship between glutamate, which is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Glutamate naturally converts into GABA when certain nutrients are present – like magnesium and vitamin B6 – along with a properly working GAD enzyme.

Now, when we have ketones present, they have been shown to improve the ability to convert glutamate into GABA.

Individuals with anxiety or obsessive compulsive [disorder] often have excessive amounts of glutamate, which can cause too much excitation in the brain and something called excitotoxicity that damages a whole bunch of different neurons, and causes massive neuronal death in parts of the brain. It can lead to symptoms like anxiety, headaches, migraines and seizures. The ketogenic diet has been shown in many studies to be a very powerful remedy for seizure disorders like epilepsy. That’s where this neuropharmacology of the ketogenic diet was analyzed in detail where they came up with the understanding that it impacts this glutamate to GABA conversion.

When we have adequate amounts of GABA and this proper relationship of glutamate to GABA, we feel very emotionally balanced and calm. We are able to fall asleep well. We have less pain in our body, and less susceptibility to headaches. In general, we just feel very emotionally balanced, and that’s what we’re going for.

Ketones are a huge help when it comes to that. When you’re in a state of ketosis, your natural feeling should be that you just feel awesome. You feel like a high performer. You feel at peace and you feel calm. That’s a sign that you’re in ketosis. If you are on a low carb ketogenic diet but you’re noticing irritability, anxiety and headaches, you’re actually not using the ketones. Your body is not actually keto-adapted. Instead, you’re in a hypoglycemic mode where your blood sugar is too low. You’re not using the ketones, and you’re getting exitotoxicity in your brain.

He goes on to share what a ketogenic diet should look like:

Avocados, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flakes, coconut milk, grass-fed butter, so butter or ghee (which is clarified butter from grass-fed cows) olives, olive oil. You want at least one of those in every single meal and you want a lot of it in every single meal.

Dr. Jockers shares about how much protein to eat, what proteins to eat, what fruits and vegetables and how much to eat, how he cycles in and out of ketosis, how he uses intermittent fasting, his favorite supplements to support ketosis (magnesium threonate is one of them), his favorite adrenal adaptogens and much more.

I hope you can us join on The Mental Wellness Summit 2 summit  to hear Dr. Jockers and other excellent speakers.

I know they are referring to medications but I find it quite funny that the hosts say the “magic pill” solution is not the answer. As you’ll hear in my interview, the dangers of benzodiazepines and why GABA is a more effective option for anxiety, I believe that GABA (and tryptophan and the other amino acids) are truly “magic pill” solutions that help so many seeking relief while they dig deeper for other contributing root causes and start to make dietary changes, whether it’s switching to real whole foods, quitting gluten, removing all grains or implementing a ketogenic diet.

Registration details are here

And let us know if you’d like to learn more about the ketogenic diet.

Also let us know how the ketogenic diet has helped you.