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Tyrosine erases severe performance anxiety in a female musician: no more shaking, sweating, panic attacks and passing out

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tyrosine and musician anxiety

Today I’m sharing the case of a female musician with severe performance anxiety. It was so severe that she would shake, sweat and actually pass out. She also had problems breathing which happens when you’re having a panic attack. Surprisingly, the amino acid supplement tyrosine eliminates – or as she says, erases – all these anxiety symptoms very quickly. It’s surprising because tyrosine is typically not used for easing anxiety symptoms and is instead used to support the low catecholamine symptoms: low motivation, low energy, poor focus, feeling flat and depressed (the curl-up-in-bed kind), cravings for sugary foods for better energy and the need for caffeine.

I share her story in her own words and explore some possible mechanisms around serotonin, cortisol, dopamine and GABA.

Pam initially shared on a Facebook thread how tyrosine erased her extreme performance anxiety and we dug deeper. This is the start of the conversation:

I’ve been performing (music) ever since I was seven, but I always hated it. For extreme performance anxiety, I found, way too late, that 1,500mg of l-tyrosine simply erased the shaking and fainting, and I was “just nervous like everybody else.”

I responded saying what a great result this was and shared that I found it so interesting that tyrosine erased the shaking and fainting that she experienced with her performance anxiety.

As I mentioned above, tyrosine is typically not used for anxiety. Instead, it’s used to improve the low catecholamine symptoms of poor focus, low energy and low motivation. (More on this here)

I also always want to understand the mechanism as to why an amino acid helps ease anxiety symptoms – or in this case erased them. I share more on that below.

When I asked what she meant by “just nervous like everybody else“, this was her response:

It means pretty much everyone gets performance nerves, but not to the point of fainting on stage. Knowing intellectually that that was ridiculous did not make any difference in the fact that it occurred.

I don’t even remember why I tried tyrosine, but I do remember the first time I took it 40 minutes before a performance. I waltzed out on stage ahead of time and sat in my chair warming up, showing off even, to a hall that was filling with people.

That was and is inconceivable without the tyrosine support, which I have to assume is putting my dopamine at a normal level. Yes, I get a little wired, which can be a good thing, but passing out, having my intestines demand to be emptied, not being able to breathe [is this a panic attack?], shaking, sweating….it fixes all of that.

It’s wonderful to hear such powerful results from 1,500mg tyrosine and how quickly it works.  The latter is not surprising as this is typical with all the amino acids. They work quickly if it’s what you need and you have the ideal dose for your needs.

What is surprising is that tyrosine erased her severe performance anxiety symptoms. I immediately started trying to understand possible mechanisms.

What is the mechanism – a serotonin boost to improve confidence?

When I read “I waltzed out on stage ahead of time and sat in my chair warming up, showing off even, to a hall that was filling with people” I immediately thought of how tryptophan or 5-HTP works to give you a serotonin boost that improves your confidence.

However, Pam doesn’t feel the mechanism is related to low serotonin:

You would think, if it were serotonin, that SSRIs would be effective. They are not and cause me to have terror attacks.

She also shared that she recently gave 5-HTP a trial and it did nothing so that further supports her theory/gut feeling that her extreme performance anxiety is not related to low serotonin:

I think there is a belief system associated with serotonin that is not cognizant of the fact that the other neurotransmitters can be the culprits. I read someone’s web site sometime not that long ago, that detailed how to test all the major neurotransmitters, find out which ones were to low OR too high, and what amino acids to take to fix the imbalances. To me, this is a more comprehensive view than being stuck on serotonin.

Anxiety is not always caused by low serotonin or low GABA (although these causes are very common). I’m with Pam on finding which neurotransmitter imbalance you have. There is no one-size fits all and results can happen without us fully understanding why. It does sound like this is very much dopamine related for her but I wanted to understand how it was helping her.

What is the mechanism – lowering cortisol under extremely stressful situations?

I started looking into the research and found that one possible mechanism could be that tyrosine lowers the high cortisol that occurs after an extremely stressful situation – like going on stage to perform – and eases anxiety this way.

An animal study supports this theory: Dietary tyrosine suppresses the rise in plasma corticosterone following acute stress in rats:

Acute, uncontrollable stress increases norepinephrine (NE) turnover in the rat’s brain (depleting NE) and diminishes the animal’s subsequent tendency to explore a novel environment. Pre-treatment with tyrosine can reverse these adverse effects of stress, presumably by preventing the depletion of NE in the hypothalamus.

In the present study, we found that pre-treatment with supplemental tyrosine not only prevented the behavioral depression and hypothalamic NE depletion observed after an acute stress, but also suppressed the rise in plasma corticosterone. These results support a role for brain NE in stress-induced corticosterone secretion and demonstrate that supplemental tyrosine can protect against several adverse consequences of such stress.

Keep in mind that cortisol is the primary endogenous adrenal steroid in humans, whereas corticosterone is the primary adrenal corticosteroid in laboratory rats.

What is the mechanism – dopaminergic system influence on anxiety-like behavior?

I dug deeper into the research and found that there is evidence that dopamine plays an important role in anxiety modulation in different parts of the brain and that both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor mechanisms are important in mediating anxiety.

This paper, The Modulatory Role of Dopamine in Anxiety-like Behavior describes some of this, together with the role of GABA and glutamate:

The activity of dopaminergic system is modulated by several neurotransmitters, including glutamatergic neurons from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), GABAergic fibers from the nucleus accumbens (NAc) as well as the ventral pallidum and cholinergic fibers from the pedunculopontine nucleus and the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus. Thus, changes in the glutamatergic, and GABAergic, as well as mediated transmission in the mesolimbic, mesocortical and nigrostriatal dopaminergic system may influence anxiety-like behavior.

In the past I’ve blogged about tyrosine for alleviating anxiety and panic attacks and creating a feeling of calm focus so this is not an isolated case but it is pretty unusual. As I share in the above blog, a man and a woman saw dramatic reductions in their anxiety when using tyrosine. GABA and tryptophan had not helped and both individuals were also under extreme stress. It was work stress in their cases and both of them felt that their ability to now focus in business situations eased their severe anxiety.

Regardless of the mechanism, Pam saw profound results and that is all that really matters.

My additional feedback on dosing and timing

Here is some additional feedback from me on dosing and timing. On one hand I recommend caution based on my experience with the amino acids. And on the other hand, what she did worked so I’m torn about her approach but am going to say it anyway:

  • A typical starting dose is 500mg tyrosine and I would never have anyone start with 1,500mg (even though it was the sweet spot for Pam). However, if she hadn’t used that dose, she would not have had the same results. I’m waiting to hear back if she started with 1,500mg tyrosine or worked up to this. (Pam also told a friend of hers about her results and the outcome was very different for her friend:“She tried 100mg of tyrosine and it caused her extreme nervousness, the opposite of me. I have to assume that 100mg put her at too *much* dopamine, and her genetic profile was significantly different from mine.” We are all unique and there is no one-size-fits-all.)
  • I would also be cautious about trying a new amino acid for the first time right before a major event like a musical performance. I have clients trial the amino acids at home before heading out. However, if she had done that she would likely have not experienced the desired results.

I feel it would be helpful to know if she had done a trial of GABA or tryptophan before using tyrosine but it seems she doesn’t recall this or why she decided to use 1,500mg tyrosine. If she hasn’t done I trial with both GABA and tryptophan, I would love her to consider this now in order to potentially take things up a notch further and ease her feelings of just being “nervous like everybody else”.

I appreciate Pam sharing her amazing results with tyrosine and I’m really happy for her! I’m waiting to hear back with details of what kind of musical performances she does. I’ll share this and the other information once I hear back.

I say it often and I’ll say it again – there is not a one-size-fits-all. This case illustrates this very well. Sometimes it’s methodical trial and error (my preference) and other times it’s hit and miss when nothing else seems to be helping.

Resources if you are new to using tyrosine as a supplement

If you are new to using the amino acid tyrosine as a supplement, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and a brief overview here, Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids so you are knowledgeable.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists tyrosine and other products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

As with all individual amino acids we use tyrosine for quick relief of symptoms, like Pam did. And we must also always focus on the foundations like diet, the gut, adrenals and stress levels.

Do you use or have you used tyrosine to help with performance anxiety – personally or with a patient/client?

And were you/are you surprised that this worked so well when tryptophan or 5-HTP or GABA had not worked as expected?

What other symptoms did/does the tyrosine help improve: focus, motivation, drive, low energy, low mood? And did/does it help reduce sugar cravings and the need for caffeine?

Feel free to post your questions here too.

 

[The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.]

Rage, anxiety, cravings & insomnia in 11-year old girl with RAD/reactive attachment disorder: chewable tryptophan turns things around

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rad and tryptophan

Today I’m sharing the case of an 11-year-old girl who had huge rage issues, was angry much of the time, suffered from terrible anxiety, had crazy sugar cravings (for bread and colored candies) and had dreadful insomnia. Because of the insomnia she was also very fatigued and this likely drove some of her cravings and irritability too. She was adopted and had been diagnosed with RAD (reactive attachment disorder). During our first session, chewable tryptophan turns things around quickly – she smiles and is willing to make changes and quit the sugar and gluten. We also address low iron levels and with these 4 nutritional interventions this child’s behavior improves dramatically.

This book chapter, Reactive Attachment Disorder, states how The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-5) classifies reactive attachment disorder as follows:

a trauma- and stressor-related condition of early childhood caused by social neglect or maltreatment. Affected children have difficulty forming emotional attachments to others, show a decreased ability to experience positive emotion, cannot seek or accept physical or emotional closeness, and may react violently when held, cuddled, or comforted. Behaviorally, affected children are unpredictable, difficult to console, and difficult to discipline. Moods fluctuate erratically, and children may seem to live in a “flight, fight, or freeze” mode. Most have a strong desire to control their environment and make their own decisions. Spontaneous changes in the child’s routine, attempts to discipline the child, or even unsolicited invitations of comfort may elicit rage, violence, or self-injurious behavior.

Reactive attachment disorder/RAD and low serotonin

There is no research on tryptophan helping to address RAD symptoms or trauma, but based on her low serotonin symptoms, a trial of tryptophan was the first thing I considered.

There is, however, evidence to indicate the role of low serotonin in RAD, as indicated by a study where antidepressants were successfully used. The authors mention how:

The absence of responsive and consistent caretaking can subject the developing brain to an inordinate amount of physiological stress, leading to increased cortisol production and consequential inefficiencies in the serotonin and the growth-hormone releasing systems.

Although not specific to RAD, another paper looking at trauma states that:

Serotonin and dopamine levels were found to be abnormal in the presence of PTSD.

As the field of nutritional psychiatry grows, I expect to see more and more research supporting the use of tryptophan and other amino acids for those suffering from symptoms like this. Symptoms that are caused by imbalances that are triggered by the trauma in their lives.

We know that therapy, EFT, EMDR and other approaches are crucial for trauma recovery (this family had already done some of this work) but we must start to incorporate nutritional support too.

The case study

Here are the details of this case study and the nutritional interventions. As I mentioned above, because of her severe rage episodes, a trial of tryptophan was the first thing I considered:

She was referred to me by a friend. The family didn’t have much money. And so, we had to really try and figure out a few simple interventions that we could use that were going to be effective.

This young girl had been adopted. She was diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder and her anger issues were just phenomenal. The mom had to physically put her body around her and hold her down when she was having one of her fits because she was worried that she was going to hurt herself and hurt other people.

She also had anxiety, huge cravings for colored candies and insomnia. She was so fatigued because she wasn’t sleeping well.

So sitting in my office with this young girl and her mom, we started to talk about the sweets and the candies and the need to give up the candies. She was fuming with me. She was sitting in a swivel chair. She turned her back on me and didn’t want to talk about having to give up candy at all.

I said, “Look, let’s not even talk about that, but would you take this chewable tryptophan here? And we’ll talk about it in a second.” I gave her 100 mg of the chewable tryptophan and continued discussing things with her mom.  She had no idea what it was going to do or how it would make her feel.

Within five minutes she turned her chair back, looked at me and she said, smilingly, “Yes, let’s do it. I can give up the candy.” She was smiling and she was happy.

So long story short, with this young girl, we started her on [chewable] tryptophan [and it turned things around quickly].

Chewable tryptophan – when I use it and when I don’t

I typically use 500mg Lidtke tryptophan for the adult clients I work with and prefer this company’s product because it is really high quality. It really does work better than many other tryptophan products on the market.

Lidtke also makes a chewable 100mg tryptophan which is also high quality, and the product I used with this young girl. Here are some benefits of this 100mg product:

  • It’s useful for doing the initial trial in order to figure out if tryptophan is going to help with low serotonin symptoms in children – because it’s a lower dose.
  • It’s especially useful for children for ongoing use (typically midafternoon and evening) because it’s a lower dose.
  • It’s also useful for adults who are “pixie dust” folks and do better with a lower dose of supplements in general or respond more severely to medications/alcohol/chemicals. We may start with a trial of the 100mg chewable and increase from there, also typically midafternoon and evening.

I don’t use the chewable 100mg tryptophan under these circumstances:

  • When the child (or adult) finds that 5 x100mg works for them at each time they need it. In this instance it’s best to switch to a 500mg tryptophan. Using it swallowed may work or it may need to be opened onto the tongue.
  • When the child (or adult) starts to consume the chewables like candy. They are sweet and do taste good and I’ve seen this happen. Because you are continually consuming something sweet you may end up over-consuming them if sugar addiction is one of your issues. You may also end up taking too much tryptophan.

If the chewable tryptophan is not available where you live, using a small amount of a powdered tryptophan or opening a capsule of the 500mg tryptophan is an option. Since it tastes bitter it can be mixed with mashed banana or inositol. (You can find all the Lidtke products in my online supplement store. The link is in the resources section below.)

Gluten and candies were also a huge issue, and she had low iron

There was more to her issues than only low serotonin:

Gluten was also a huge issue, so we got her off gluten and the candies. The tryptophan helped with this” (i.e. it made it easy to break the addiction and not feel deprived).

Tryptophan also helped her sleep. And it helped with the severe rage issues.

Obviously the gluten was contributing to the rage issues as well.

Her iron and ferritin levels were really low (possibly as a result of her gluten issues). So we added an iron supplement, and animal protein/red meat.

So with just four interventions – the gluten, the animal protein, getting her iron levels up and the tryptophan – this kid was just a new kid.

Here are some articles that are related to the above:

Keep in mind there is not a one-size-fits-all and these 4 simple nutritional interventions – tryptophan, gluten removal, adding red meat and addressing low iron – happened to be the combination that worked for this young girl.

Resources if you are new to using tryptophan as a supplement

If you are new to using the amino acid tryptophan as a supplement, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and a brief overview here, Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

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

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists Lidtke chewable tryptophan 100mg, Lidtke tryptophan 500mg and other products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

We use an amino acid like tryptophan for quick relief of symptoms, like I did in this instance. Then we focus on the foundations like diet – like no gluten and red meat in this instance – and address all other imbalances, like her low iron. If cortisol was high we would have addressed that.

This case deserves it’s own blog post

In case you’re wondering, I first shared this case study in my interview, “Calming Anxiety, Aggression and OCD with Amino Acids and Food”, on The Unlocking ADHD and Autism Summit (it starts next week and airs online May 31 – June 6, 2021.) Due to the interest in this case and the use of chewable tryptophan, I felt it deserved a deeper dive and its own blog post with links to some of the research and some practical information about the chewable tryptophan.

Have you used this chewable tryptophan product with success – personally, with your child or with a patient/client?

Have you found that addressing serotonin with tryptophan (or 5-HTP) helps resolve symptoms in a child diagnosed with RAD or a child with rage issues? What about helping with sleep problems, easing anxiety and stopping cravings too?

Have you addressed low iron levels and seen improvements with the removal of gluten too.

Feel free to post your questions here too.

 

[The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.]

Huge rise in anxiety in college students (and other mental health issues): amino acid supplements and nutritional psychiatry as a solution.

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anxiety in college students

Is your son or daughter finding college/university overwhelming? Is he or she battling with new or worsening anxiety, worrying about results, has fears about success or fitting in, lying awake imagining the worst outcomes or maybe feeling like a perfectionist and getting stuck? Perhaps they have poor self-confidence, feel like an imposter and may even have panic attacks.  These signs and symptoms are all common with the low serotonin-type of worry-in-the-head anxiety, which may also include PMS (premenstrual syndrome), obsessive tendencies and anger issues.

They may also be experiencing the low GABA type of tension-anxiety, where they lie awake at night stiff and tense and self-medicate with too much sugar, carbs, junk food and/or alcohol (and maybe even pot and other drugs). There may be intrusive thoughts too and panic attacks also triggered by low GABA.

What about focus issues/ADHD and low motivation, no ability to follow-through on tasks and projects, procrastination and missing deadlines? These are all classic signs of low catecholamine, which also includes low energy, and feeling depressed/sad/low/flat. Your son or daughter may just want to crawl up in their dorm bed and not do anything or may spend hours doing mindless activities like binge watching Netflix or scrolling mindlessly through social media.

All of these signs and symptoms point to low levels of neurotransmitters or brain chemicals: low serotonin, low GABA and low dopamine. We need the right raw materials to make these neurotransmitters and the majority of college cafeterias are not providing nutrient-dense foods and/or foods that are unique for each person’s biochemistry (more on this below).

The huge rise in anxiety and other mental health issues in college students

It’s no wonder that we are seeing a huge rise in anxiety and other mental health issues in college students. Way too many students are dropping out and so many are struggling unnecessarily.

This 2019 Harvard blog post shares some alarming stats:

Anxiety in college is very common. According to the American College Health Association Fall 2018 National College Health Assessment, 63% of college students in the US felt overwhelming anxiety in the past year. In the same survey, 23% reported being diagnosed or treated by a mental health professional for anxiety in the past year.

This article in Nature earlier this year, The problem is greater than it’s ever been’: US universities urged to invest in mental-health resources, highlights points from US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report:

  • 68% of university presidents listed student mental health as one of their most pressing issues
  • the dropout rate for students with diagnosed mental-health problems ranges from 43% to as high as 86%
  • The students who said that they had more trouble with anxiety or depression after the lockdown also reported greater alcohol use

It states that faculty members should “receive formal training to address and support student well-being” and “students should learn about mental-health issues as part of their introductory training.” They also say “Hiring more counsellors could be an important step, but counsellors alone can’t turn the tide.” I agree with all this but recommend adding nutritional psychiatry awareness, training and resources too.

Poor diet and nutritional deficiencies are a major contributing factor even though it’s seldom discussed. The good news is that there are relatively simple solutions – amino acids as supplements for quick relief and diet as the foundation – but it does take work.

Using amino acids as supplements for quick relief

Amino acids, used as supplements, are a quick way to offer immediate relief of symptoms:  tryptophan or 5-HTP (for the low serotonin worry-type anxiety), GABA (for the tension-type anxiety) and tyrosine (for the low dopamine poor-focus and low symptoms). Here are some examples:

  • A 23-year-old female college student, adopted and exposed to alcohol while in the womb, has some learning struggles. She doesn’t want to miss a day of taking 5-HTP, because she says that “it keeps her on her toes,” which she says means that it “keeps me focused,” when studying.
  • Tyrosine helped a young man who was learning new software: “Within an hour the stress just melted away!”, alleviating his anxiety and panic attacks and creating a feeling of calm focus.
  • A newly qualified nutritionist shared how she suffered badly from imposter syndrome at the end of her nutrition degree and she felt socially awkward in so many outings and situations. Her anxiety and stress were through the roof and her sleep was poor. She said these wonderful results: “What really tipped the balance was the supplementation of tyrosine, tryptophan & GABA.”

If you are new to the amino acids, 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

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 use the amino acids for quick relief of symptoms and then focus on the foundations like diet and address other imbalances.

Diet as the foundation for students i.e. nutritional psychiatry

I first blogged about nutritional psychiatry in 2015 when the ISNPR position statement was published in World Psychiatry, the official journal of the World Psychiatric Association. This 2019 paper, Nutritional psychiatry: Towards improving mental health by what you eat provides an overview of the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry:

Does it matter what we eat for our mental health? Accumulating data suggests that this may indeed be the case and that diet and nutrition are not only critical for human physiology and body composition, but also have significant effects on mood and mental wellbeing. While the determining factors of mental health are complex, increasing evidence indicates a strong association between a poor diet and the exacerbation of mood disorders, including anxiety and depression, as well as other neuropsychiatric conditions.

The 2017 SMILES Trial is the first randomized controlled diet depression study and ONE THIRD of the dietary intervention group saw improvements in their depression symptoms.  This was just diet alone and switching from processed/junk food to real food with no specific dietary restrictions. Participants also reported improvements in anxiety symptoms. And the authors even addressed the cost factor, stating it was more affordable to eat this way.

Research supports this connection in college students. This is one of a growing number of studies, Eating behavior and relationships with stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia in university students, that concludes that:

unhealthy eating patterns are common in university populations and are related to anxiety, stress, and depression. Educational interventions to reduce unhealthy food consumption in university students can also result in psychological health improvements and/or vice versa.

Unfortunately, as students get more anxious and depressed their food choices get worse (especially for male students) and it becomes a vicious cycle. This paper, Examining the Role of Anxiety and Depression in Dietary Choices among College Students, reports:

Overall, a decrease in total caloric intake and an increase in sugar consumption were found as self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression increased. In addition, there were sex differences in the relationship between depression and food choices. Men consumed more saturated fat as well as less fruits and vegetables as self-reported symptoms of depression increased. Results suggest symptoms of depression are a greater risk factor for poor nutrition in male college students than females.

It’s time for colleges/universities to recognize all this and teach about nutritional psychiatry. My book, The Antianxiety Food Solution is an excellent starting point for students, parents and educators (together with other blogs on this site).

Checking out cafeterias and cooking options

When looking at colleges are you also looking at what the cafeteria offers and if they cater for special diets (like gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo etc) and/or offer real whole food, organic vegetables and fruit, grass-fed meat, wild fish and fermented foods?

Can students use a slow cooker, blender, Instant Pot or electric frying pan in their dorms?

Is there a dorm kitchen and can they take their own pots and pans (so non-stick pans can be avoided) and any of the above appliances?

Are there nearby living options that include a kitchen and a store with quality food for purchase?

I feel colleges/universities should be rated on all of the above in addition to everything else.

It all starts at home before they leave for college

Having a good college cafeteria and dorm kitchens is one step in the right direction, but these young adults also need to understand the impact of a breakfast of bagels and coffee or not having breakfast or the fact that gluten may trigger a panic attack and make them sad. They need to know how to shop and cook if there is a shared dorm kitchen or apartment. And they need to make the right choices when they do eat in the cafeteria or nearby restaurants (assuming good options are available). This all starts at home with you before they leave for college.

Katie shares this about her daughter who plans to use the college cafeteria for some meals and also cook in the apartment kitchen on weekends:

My daughter was just saying today how glad she is that she doesn’t have to figure out [the connection between increased anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, sadness and what they are eating] while learning how to live on her own and go to college. I changed how I ate 8 years ago for my PCOS and about 3 years ago she decided to give it a try after feeling so horrible but seeing my change. I’m so proud of her for embracing a healthier lifestyle in her teen years when everyone around her is subsisting off energy drinks and vending machine food. It makes me think that if we offer them a little education, they’ll make good choices for themselves.

This mom can also feel proud that she led by example for her daughter (and I appreciate them for letting me share here).

But I believe the colleges need to play a role in this too. They are providing food and this is a perfect educational opportunity that will serve their students (and future generations), solve the mental health crisis they are struggling with and prevent drop-outs (which is having an impact on their bottom-line).

Do you believe colleges/universities should be rated on all of the above in addition to everything else? What have you done to check out cafeterias and cooking options for your daughter or son?

Has your son or daughter benefited from any of the amino acids or eating real whole food (and according to their own needs?

Do you work in a college and are you seeing this rise in anxiety and depression? If yes, how do we get these changes implemented?

How do we educate students once they are at college (other than making sure campus food is excellent):

  • a lifestyle/diet/anxiety app with resources and tracking?
  • online training with a nutritionist/coach and access to an online forum and live Q&As?
  • one-on-one campus nutrition coaches?
  • make nutritional psychiatry part of the curriculum?
  • produce a documentary following the lives of students on campus and showing the transformation they experience?

Feel free to post your questions and ideas here too.

[The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.]

GABA, Heartmath and EFT ease Micki’s mold-induced anxiety and panic attacks

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gaba heartmath eft

The amino acids can provide relief when you have mold-induced anxiety – anxiety and panic attacks that are triggered by physiological changes due to mold toxicity such as inflammation and effects on your immune system and neurotransmitters. There is also the anxiety and worry you’re feeling because of the frightening situation you find yourself in and this trauma has a psychological and physiological effect. The anxiety, worry, fears, insomnia and imagining the worst is often compounded by low levels of GABA and serotonin. Benzodiazepines and/or SSRIs are commonly prescribed and only add to the toxic burden. The amino acids GABA, tryptophan and/or DPA/Endorphigen, used as supplements, are better options that address the root causes of low GABA, low serotonin and/or low endorphins. And for some folks, Heartmath and EFT offer additional emotional and calming support (as you’ll read below).

Micki Contini, MS CNC, a board-certified holistic health and nutrition consultant, is a friend and colleague whose life was hugely impacted by mold toxicity. She has kindly given me permission to share her story in the hope it’s helpful for you if you’re in a similar situation. She shares her mold-induced anxiety symptoms and the other ways mold toxicity impacted her health:

My heart was pounding, my face was red, I was sweating, my thoughts were racing and I felt like I was going to die. I wondered if I was having a heart attack? My husband brought me to the emergency room several times with panic attacks and heart palpitations with me thinking this was the end only to find out that I was “fine.” But I knew that I was far from ok. I knew that something was wrong, I just didn’t know what.

I had found mold in my water damaged office. Shortly thereafter I realized it was also in my home. I had cross-contaminated my house, but it was a year before I knew my house had mold.  I had been getting better but not 100%.  It was a step I missed because I didn’t want to face the truth of what the consequences would bring – throwing out more stuff. I had already thrown out most of the stuff from my contaminated office BUT not all of the stuff.  And I paid dearly for not throwing out ALL the things from my office.

I was in denial and I had toxic mold poisoning. Toxic mold was causing my anxiety and panic attacks and other debilitating symptoms such brain fog, tinnitus, trouble focusing, numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes, crazy fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, diarrhea/constipation, excessive thirst, vertigo, night sweats and bloody nose.

Micki already knew about my work and had been using my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution, with anxious clients in her functional nutrition practice, so she immediately considered the amino acids for her mold-induced anxiety and panic attacks.

GABA for her physical anxiety and panic attacks

When Micki reached out to me, I encouraged her to explore GABA for her physical anxiety and panic attacks, tryptophan for her racing thoughts and DPA/Endorphigen for the crying and emotional symptoms she was experiencing.

The good news is that her anxiety and tension started to fade as soon as she added sublingual GABA Calm to her protocol. She shares this about how GABA helped her

As they started tearing my house apart for remediation, I started eating GABA Calm like candy. At the beginning I had to have a lot more than I do now. GABA Calm takes me down a notch and I feel my shoulder coming away from my ears and I get closer to relaxing.

GABA is well known for relieving the physical tension experienced when you have anxiety. We have GABA receptors in our muscles and many of my clients feel this obvious release of neck tension as the anxiety eases. This release of muscle tension also helps with the kind of insomnia where you lie in bed feeling stiff and tense and can’t switch off your busy mind going 100 miles an hour.

GABA for immune support and toxin protection

What is really interesting when it comes to mold toxicity and GABA is that research shows that GABA can support immunity. GABA also protects the thyroid against fluoride-induced toxicity and counters the toxic effects of phthalates, so I suspect research will eventually show that GABA also offers protection against other environmental toxins such as mold.

Biofeedback and tapping for additional emotional support

Micki also used Heartmath (a type of biofeedback) and EFT (emotional freedom technique or tapping) for additional support while she was in the midst of all this:

I added Heartmath Inner Balance app and Emwave because I had used them prior to this challenge and it helps because you go through a thought pattern where you’re concentrating on gratitude and what’s right vs what’s wrong. That was powerful for me. Still is.

I used EFT to break the pattern of doom and gloom. When I was really sick I felt like another bad terrible thing was going to happen at any moment like I was on guard or on watch. So anything I could do to break that mind set I did.

Micki found what worked for her and that’s key when you’re in this situation. I’ve had many clients not succeed with Heartmath or EFT so don’t feel bad if these approaches don’t work for you.

Tryptophan and/or DPA/Endorphigen for the gloom and doom

I’ve had many many clients successfully use tryptophan for the spinning and overwhelming feeling that many folks with mold toxicity experience. Tryptophan and/or DPA can also help the pattern of doom and gloom Micki described.

Recent research also shows that GABA helps you switch off unwanted thoughts too so it’s possible Micki didn’t need tryptophan for this reason.

She doesn’t remember all the supplements that she used when she was really REALLY sick. This is very typical when you’re in the midst of dealing with mold toxicity (and a good reason to try and keep a log) but she seems to recall that DPA/Endorphigen may have helped with the emotional trauma of it all.

The wonderful news is that today Micki is doing so much better! The amino acid GABA, together with Heartmath and EFT provided much-needed anxiety relief and emotional support while Micki was remediating her home, detoxing her body with daily infrared sauna sessions and following mold toxicity nutritional protocols.

Micki’s gift is that she has become a mold expert

When you’re in the midst of all this you can’t imagine that there can be a gift in what you’re going through but there always is. For Micki, her gift is that she has become a mold expert and now helps others navigate their mold healing journey via SimpleGoodHealth. She shares this:

As you may know, the road to recovery from mold illness is a long hard one, but I can make it easier for you. I have become an expert out of necessity.

We appreciate Micki for sharing her anxiety-induced mold story.

Resources if you are new to the amino acids

If you are new to the amino acids, 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

This lists The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs – you will find the GABA Calm and other GABA products, tryptophan and DPA/Endorphigen here.

If you suspect low GABA 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 the amino acids as supplements: The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings.

Let us know if you’ve used GABA or tryptophan with success for mold-induced anxiety and panic attacks, and DPA/Endorphigen for helping with weepiness.

And let us know what other approaches you’ve used for helping with the anxiety and other emotional impacts of mold toxicity.

Feel free to post your questions here too.

[The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.]

MegaSporeBiotic™: A spore-based probiotic for leaky gut, IBS, anxiety, depression, liver health and colitis

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megasporebiotic

MegaSporeBiotic™ is “a 100% spore-based broad-spectrum probiotic shown to maintain healthy gut barrier function” i.e. leaky gut. Research and clinical results show it is promising for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), recovery from liver injury caused by acetaminophen, and is protective in ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory bowel disease). Given the gut-brain connection and the fact that the majority of serotonin is produced in the gut, it’s not surprising that spore-based probiotics may also help ease anxiety and depression.

Here are some of the studies supporting this spore-based probiotic for gut issues:

The key findings of the present study is that oral spore-based probiotic supplementation reduced symptoms indicative of “leaky gut syndrome”.

The results demonstrated that patients treated with MegaSporeBiotic, compared with those treated with rifaximin followed by nutraceutical or low-FODMAP diet, had similar severity scores and rectal volume sensation test results for all parameters tested and statistically significant improvement in measurements of quality of life.

This is important because “Acetaminophen  is one of the most used analgesics [pain-reducing] and antipyretic [fever-lowering] agents in the world. Intoxication with acetaminophen is the main cause of acute liver toxicity in both the US and Europe.”

Pretreatment with probiotic spore-forming Bacillus strains and a supplement of amino acids in combination with immunoglobulins exhibited anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in an AA-induced rat model of ulcerative colitis.

In one study, Bacillus coagulans (one of the spore-forming strains in MegaSporeBiotic™), when used alone was shown to help ease depression and gut problems in IBS patients. It was a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled, multi-centre, pilot clinical study and:

The improvement in depression and IBS symptoms was statistically significant and clinically meaningful. These findings support B. coagulans MTCC 5856 as an important new treatment option for major depressive disorder in IBS patients.

During The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis, I interviewed Kiran Krishnan who is a microbiologist, one of the founders of Microbiome Labs and a co-creator of MegaSporeBiotic™. He reminds us about the gut-brain connection and how anxiety and mental health issues come from the gut “because the vast majority of serotonin in your body – more than ninety percent of it – is actually produced in the gut” and not in the brain.

He talks about the type of cell in the gut that produces serotonin – the enterochromaffin cell – and the fact that “spore forming bacteria are some of the best stimulators of the enterochromaffin cell to produce serotonin.”

With low levels of serotonin you’ll experience the worry-type of anxiety with ruminations, obsessing, panic attacks, insomnia (often lying awake worrying). Other low serotonin symptoms include low mood/depression, late afternoon and evening carbohydrate cravings, pain, PMS, irritability, rage and anger, TMJ, low confidence, imposter syndrome and perfectionism. This type of low-serotonin anxiety is different from the low GABA physical/tension type anxiety.

These cells also play a crucial role in gastrointestinal regulation, particularly intestinal motility. We know low serotonin also contributes to digestive/IBS-type symptoms.

You can see a list of all the low serotonin symptoms here.

Brandy’s positive feedback on digestive issues and mental health

Brandy Oto, a marriage, couple and family counselor, incorporates  an integrative nutrition approach with her clients and she shares this:

MegaSporeBiotic™ makes a HUGE difference in my body! I have used every probiotic I can think of. Megaspore has not only resolved my digestive issues and allows me regular bowel movements, I find my mental health is much better! I have decided to use it in my practice as well now. Clients consistently report better mental health!

I asked her how quickly she notices an improvement when using MegaSporeBiotic™ and what aspects of mental health improve for her and her clients. She shares this:

I personally notice physical and mental anxiety decrease usually about 4-5 days, bowel movements easy within a couple days, ability to tolerate foods I was sensitive to after 6 or so months on them.

Clients report all types of improvements from anxiety, depression, to digestive issues improving. I have even heard from one client that when she gets off the probiotic symptoms of schizophrenia return.

In Brandy’s mental health practice, she does use amino acids to address neurotransmitter deficiencies too (for example tryptophan or 5-HTP to address low serotonin symptoms like worry, fear, panic attacks). She uses this spore-based probiotic to address underlying issues that cause those deficiencies.

It’s not one or the other – the probiotics and amino acids are part of a comprehensive plan.

Not everyone raves about this probiotic and some folks report it either does nothing for them or is too strong for them. So, as with everything, it’s very individualized.

How do spore-based probiotics differ from other probiotics?

During the Anxiety Summit interview with Kiran, he explains how they differ from other probiotics and why this is important for them to get into the gut:

These are organisms that have a unique capability of covering themselves in a thick calcified protein-like coating. So it’s armor, essentially, around the bacterial cell.

This allows these bacteria to come in through the gastric system, through the oral route, and survive the gauntlet that bacteria have to go through just getting through the process of digestion.

So the first step is the stomach acid. The stomach acid is called the gastric barrier and that’s because it acts as an actual physical barrier through the function of hydrochloric acid to try to kill off as many microbes that are trying to enter the system through food and other exposure.

If something gets past the stomach acid then the second piece of the gauntlet are the bile salts. Bile salts are released into the duodenum itself. Those are very strong antimicrobials and part of their function is to act as an antimicrobial to protect the system against a lot of bacteria coming in on a regular basis.

And then the last part is the pancreatic enzymes that help you digest your food – they also act as antimicrobials.

So there’s this really difficult gauntlet that the microbes that are entering the system through the oral route have to go through in order to make it past these initial systems to get to the site of action in the deeper part of the intestines where they’re supposed to function as a probiotic.

These spores have developed this unique, natural capability of covering themselves in this armor which allows them to survive through all of that.

This study, Survival and persistence of Bacillus clausii in the human gastrointestinal tract following oral administration as spore-based probiotic formulation confirms the above for one particular strain and concludes that “Bacillus clausii spores survive transit through the human gastrointestinal tract.”

Where can I buy MegaSporeBiotic™?

megasporebiotic supplement facts

These are the spore-based bacteria contained in the MegaSporeBiotic™ product: Bacillus Licheniformis, Bacillus Indicus HU36™, Bacillus Subtilis HU58™, Bacillus Clausii and Bacillus Coagulans.

You can purchase MegaSporeBiotic™ directly from Microbiome Labs once you have set up an account with them under my name. Use this link (and make sure the Direct2Patient™ Code says tscott).

You can also read more about the product on the Microbiome Labs site here.

If you already have an account with Fullscript, my online supplement store, you can purchase from there too.

If you don’t yet have an account with Fullscript you can read more about how to set up an account here.

Let us know if you’ve used MegaSporeBiotic™ with success and how it helped you with anxiety, depression and/or gut and liver health.

Let us know if you’ve used another spore-based probiotic and which one? Or do you have a favorite probiotic that is not spore-based?

I’m going to a product review like this once a month so please let me know if you like this format with research, feedback and mechanisms.  And let me know what other products you’d like me to review.

Feel free to post your questions here too.

[The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.]

 

I was called a vulture for preying on sensitive people in a social anxiety group – because I mentioned pyroluria and a nutritional solution

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I was called a vulture

Earlier this week I was called a vulture for preying on sensitive people in a social anxiety group because I mentioned pyroluria and a nutritional solution in response to someone asking for help. I shared much of this on Facebook and the response has been huge – supportive, understanding and encouraging, and also something many of you have also faced and can relate to. I’m publishing it as a blog post too because I feel there are many takeaways and lessons we can all learn from this.

The person asking for help posted this:

I’m seriously stuck. I’ve been battling social anxiety disorder my whole life. I feel like my social skills have gotten worse during 2020-2021. Is anyone the same way? And If possible can anyone give me some good advice?

I posted this in response to the request for advice:

Look into pyroluria and the nutrient protocol – life-changing for me (and my clients – disclaimer: I’m a nutritionist)

And this is the response from someone else in the group:

So not medicine. I think as a nutritionist you shouldn’t be advising people to avoid actual medical help. Foods can’t help but most depression and anxiety isn’t stress based. It’s a biological chemical imbalance. Food won’t help it in the long run. As someone who’s had bipolar, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, insomnia and possible schizo. I have known people to get seriously ill from people that couldn’t manage to be actual doctors. I’ve lost a friend due to them being advised to stop meds and take some herb. Please unless you are actually here because you have social anxiety and such. Could you please leave and stop acting like a vulture over the sensitive people.

I get that it can be tough to grasp that nutrition and nutrients could be a solution for social anxiety but even with a response like this I will continue to share my message.

This was my response:

Correct, not medicine … nutrition. I had social anxiety and panic attacks and diet (gluten-free, caffeine-free, sugar-free etc) and nutrients like zinc, vitamin B6, GABA, tryptophan and more solved my anxiety. I’m passionate about creating awareness because I’ve seen “nutritional psychiatry” work for 100s of thousands of folks.

Please be open-minded … and google “nutritional psychiatry”, “gut-brain”, “pyroluria social anxiety” and “gluten schizophrenia” … you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s going to take some time for all this to be part of mainstream psychiatry but it’s in the research and awareness and acceptance is growing.

I’m sorry about your loss but I would never advise anyone to stop taking their meds. For folks who want to explore this approach we always work in conjunction with their prescribing doctor.

It’s also not very nice calling someone a vulture but I understand that the idea that food and nutrients could be so powerful when it comes to anxiety and mental health can be tough when you first hear about it.

Why I’m sharing this – it’s not for sympathy or to call this person out

I’m not sharing this here for sympathy.

I’m not sharing this to call out this person who called me a vulture or to judge or shame them.

I’m sharing it to illustrate the challenge we have with getting this message out.

I’m sharing it in case you’ve tried to tell a loved one or friend or colleague about the power of anxiety nutrition solutions and have had push-back.

I’m sharing here so we remember to have empathy for someone who doesn’t yet know or understand what we have learned and experienced (no matter what they say or how they say it or even if they have even been preyed on in the past so a comment like this may be justified in their mind).

I’m sharing here because I truly believe in the power of planting seeds of knowledge.

I’m sharing here because I believe everyone deserves to feel their absolute best every single day.

I’m sharing here because everyone struggling with anxiety and social anxiety deserves to know about the growing field of “nutritional psychiatry” in mainstream medicine.

This is why I’m sharing here and why I’ll continue to share nutritional solutions in groups where folks are asking for help for social anxiety, anxiety and panic attacks (and other conditions where pyroluria and neurotransmitter imbalances are common, and there is a role for diet and nutrients).

Why the disconnect and the possible role of neurotransmitter imbalances

I’m hoping all this can help you as you reach out and offer support to someone in an online group. And also help you as you share what you have learned or experienced personally when it comes to nutritional solutions for social anxiety/anxiety – with loved ones, community members, friends and colleagues who are sometimes less than receptive.

I suspect one big disconnect is comprehending that lifestyle/diet/nutrients could help with anxiety and mental health challenges. Heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer are more recognized as being lifestyle conditions even dietary and lifestyle changes are not always implemented.

I also often hear this: “my anxiety or social anxiety or panic attacks are so severe (or so complex) there is no way nutrients and nutrition could help! I need medications for sure.”

If someone has nutritional deficiencies or neurotransmitter imbalances, that may also be playing a role in how they respond. For example, low serotonin can make you feel hopeless, fearful, negative, overwhelmed and even angry. This is in addition to feeling anxious and not sleeping well, so you’re more likely to be cranky and irritable.

Links to resources for you to share

Here are links if you need some resources to share or in case you’re new to some of this:

Tamara’s wonderful feedback about gluten and vitamin D

This was Tamara Underwood’s response to my vulture post and her powerful feedback about gluten and vitamin D:

That was a thoughtful response Trudy. I think when people have complex health issues, they think the solution needs to be complex. I had no idea how powerful nutrients could be until it solved my own health issues. Often, it is returning to basics and using foundational support in a targeted way.

I’ve had chronic migraines (3-4 a week) since I was a toddler. Tried every medication, label and off label, to manage them for 40+ years. Removing gluten was life changing. I’ve been migraine free for 8 years now.

Also, about 10yrs ago, I experienced a very dark, unexplained depression for nearly a year. Of course drugs and therapy are the first line treatments. Not sure why I was opposed to starting there but thankful. My Vit D was 4.1. I felt so radically better within a week of starting repletion that I went back to school for my MS in Clinical Nutrition.

I think about how different life might be now, 10 yrs later, had I not pushed for testing. Psych meds wouldn’t have improved my Vit D so I would have been prescribed all the variations and combos and told how complex my case was when it didn’t help. [One study supporting an association between low vitamin D and depression]

There are just so many toxicities, deficiencies, and imbalances worth exploring if your mental wellness suffers. I’m passionate about this subject and a big fan of yours Trudy.

I’m thrilled that going gluten free and addressing low vitamin D solved her migraines and depression. It’s so wonderful to hear Tamara was inspired to go back to school to study nutrition. She now does this work helping professionals (firefighters, EMTS etc.) who shoulder a greater burden of stress and trauma. Check out Underwood Functional Wellness. I appreciate her for allowing me to share here.

I plan to update this blog with more of the wonderful insights from my community on Facebook but folks are still actively engaging and I need to get permission to share here. Stay tuned for more.  You can also join the discussion on the Facebook post here.

Until then, feel free to post your insights, thoughts, experiences (and questions if you have them) in the comments below.

Let us know how nutritional approaches have helped your anxiety and/or other health issues?

What made you open to this approach and were you initially skeptical?

And let us know if you continue to share your success and plant seeds even when you get negative feedback – and why? And do you have resources you like to share?