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“A demonic urge to eat sugar and all things sweet”: glutamine opened onto the tongue stops the urge every time!

By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

sugar urge and glutamine

In my interview, Glutamine, DPA & Tyrosine for Anxiety & Sugar Cravings, on the Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis, I share the story of a client of mine who described her sugar cravings as an “almost demonic urge  to eat sugar and all things sweet.”

Before working with me she had been trying to control her blood sugar levels by eating the right foods at the right times i.e. healthy fats and quality protein (especially at breakfast). But this wasn’t enough to eliminate her sweet cravings. She would make and eat sweet treats all day long, using “healthier” sweeteners like monk fruit and maple syrup.

The solution was using 500mg of glutamine opened onto her tongue. I had the same conversation  that  I have with all my clients who would obviously rather eat something sweet than open a glutamine capsule onto  their tongue: “If you have an intense craving for something sweet, tell yourself that  you’re  going to  indulge, but also humor your nutritionist and take the glutamine anyway. You may be surprised to find your urge completely disappears.”

She did that and it worked –  it stopped her demonic urge to eat something sweet every time and very quickly!

As a reminder here are the signs of low blood sugar –

Anxiety and mood:

  • Nervous, anxious, panic attacks
  • Irritable, shaky, headachey – especially if you go too long between meals
  • Lightheaded if meals are missed
  • Agitated, easily upset
  • Eating relieves fatigue

Sugar cravings:

  • Crave sugar, starch or alcohol any time during the day
  • Very intense cravings for sweets/sugar

I also share an excerpt from this March 2021 paper, The role of glutamine in supporting gut health and neuropsychiatric factors, highlighting the role of glutamine in gut health and depression/anxiety, and the gut-brain connection:

Glutamine can positively affect gut health by supporting the gut microbiome, gut mucosal wall integrity, and by modulating inflammatory responses.

As modulated by the vagus nerve, via the enteric nervous system, the gut-brain connection can impact the brain’s neurochemical environment.

Poor gut health can disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters, which can result in neuropsychiatric based conditions such as depression [and anxiety].

Glutamine supplementation may provide significant adjunctive nutritional support in cases of depression [and anxiety] by promoting proper gut health.

anxiety summit 5

Here are all the topics I cover in my interview:

  • Sugar addiction: impacts on the microbiome, tryptophan metabolism, zinc & B vitamins
  • Glutamine for intense sugar cravings, anxiety & support of the microbiome/mucosa
  • DPA for comfort/reward cravings, pain & acute stress
  • Tyrosine for focus & calm energy

Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD, kindly interviewed me. She is also a guest expert on the summit so be sure to tune into her excellent interview too: The Biology of Trauma and the Freeze Response.

I encourage you to tune in if you have:

  • Anxiety & feel overwhelmed & stressed by little things
  • Panic attacks &/or obsessive thoughts or behaviors
  • Social anxiety/pyroluria
  • Phobias or fears (flying, spiders or even driving on a highway)

And also if you suffer from…

  • Food sensitivities, IBS/SIBO, parasites or gallbladder issues
  • Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, pain & other digestive issues
  • Leaky gut, a leaky blood-brain barrier or vagus nerve issues

Join us if you are also an emotional eater with intense sugar cravings (and know you suffer from low blood sugar), experience insomnia, low mood, PMS, poor focus and/or low motivation.

This is THE online event to learn about the powerful individual amino acids – GABA, theanine, tryptophan, 5-HTP, glutamine, DPA and tyrosine – to quickly ease anxiety and help with gut symptoms while you are dealing with other root causes which take longer to address. (They also help with cravings as with this example, and sleep and immunity).

With research-based anxiety nutritional solutions and practical steps, you can determine your root causes, ease your anxiety and prevent it from coming back so you can feel on top of the world again!

If you are a practitioner, please join us too and find advanced solutions for your clients or patients too!

You’ve heard me say the Anxiety Summit has been called “a bouquet of hope!”  My wish for you is that this summit is your bouquet of hope!

I hope you’ll join me and these incredible speakers, be enlightened and find YOUR solutions! More about this summit and other Anxiety Summits here.

Here’s to no more anxiety and you feeling on top of the world again!

Please share if glutamine has helped you with low blood sugar symptoms such as an intense desire for something sweet.

Feel free to post your questions here too.

Learn more/purchase now

 

 

Fermented foods (like sauerkraut) and the bidirectional relationship between anxiety/depression and gut function

By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

fermented foods

Today’s blog is to whet your appetite (pun intended) with some snippets from my interview – Anxiety: Gut-Brain Communication & Diet – with Dr. David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain and Brain Wash. In this interview we talk about fermented foods (like sauerkraut) and a study that highlights mechanisms underlying the  bidirectional relationship between anxiety/depression and gut function.

With anxiety at an all-time high and the ever-evolving research on the gut-brain connections we are relaunching the Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis summit on November 8-14, 2021. This interview is featured during the summit and is meaty (you’d expect nothing less from Dr. Perlmutter.)

The two-way connection between the gut and brain is powerful and needs to be explored and addressed if you have anxiety. Diet, fermented foods, reducing inflammation, addressing leaky gut (or intestinal permeability) and neurotransmitter support with amino acids are some of the ways that make a difference.

For the summit relaunch we have 4 incredible new guest expert interviews on sugar addiction, thiamine deficiency, trauma and the freeze response and safe tapering of SSRIs. And I have a new deep dive interview on glutamine, DPA and tyrosine for anxiety and sugar cravings/addiction. I’m excited to share it all with you!

For now, save the date and look out for the registration link in a few weeks. We’re in edit mode for the videos and transcripts, and getting all the backend setup done.

This is the first question I ask Dr. Perlmutter: I’d like to start with the microbiome and the fact that there is a bidirectional relationship between mental health and gut function. There’s a paper titled, Fermented foods, the gut and mental health: a mechanistic overview with implications for depression and anxiety published online late 2018 in The Journal of Nutritional Neuroscience. It highlights this important bidirectional relationship and the role of fermented foods. Can you share a little bit more about this and why this is important?

Before I share Dr. Perlmutter’s response, let me share a few quotes from the abstract of the paper:

  • Mental disorders including depression and anxiety are often comorbid with gut problems, suggesting a bidirectional relationship between mental health and gut function.
  • Several mechanisms might explain this comorbidity, such as inflammation and immune activation; intestinal permeability; perturbations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; neurotransmitter/neuropeptide dysregulation; dietary deficiencies; and disturbed gut microbiome composition.
  • The potential of modulating the microbiome-gut-brain axis, and subsequently mental health, through the use of functional foods, is an emerging and novel topic of interest.
  • Fermented foods are considered functional foods due to their reputed health benefits.

The paper goes on to discuss food fermentation and summarizes how these foods “act biologically in the gastrointestinal tract and have the ability to modify the gut microbiota, influence translocation of endotoxins and subsequent immune activation, and promote host nutrition.” They are exploring their theoretical potential to improve symptoms of depression and anxiety in humans, saying more research is needed.

Dr. Perlmutter highlights various section of the paper and starts by sharing more about fermented foods and that we’ve been actively fermenting for thousands of years:

I think it’s first instructive to recognize that we’ve been actively fermenting foods for thousands of years as humans as a technique to preserve them, and allow us to travel with a food source. But beyond that, our ancestors prior to that would eat fermented foods. Fermentation is actually what happens to food when it’s left outside and is exposed to bacteria and begins the process of, dare I say, rotting. I don’t want that to be off putting to people who are going to hear the later part of our discussion dealing with eating fermented foods, because we have wonderful fermented foods that we eat these days.

He goes on to elaborate on what the paper terms functional foods. What this means is that these fermented foods have far-reaching health benefits for optimal health and for making us resistant to disease (i.e. improving our immunity):

The point is that the process of fermentation is basically a process of enrichment of food sources with bacteria. And what a notion that is, where we’re looking at the idea of eating a food that’s teeming with bugs, with germs, if you will. I say it that way, because it has such a negative connotation, but it really is what we want to do. These bacteria are involved in so many processes that deal with our health, and nurture our health, and our resistance to disease.

Some common examples of fermented foods are kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir (dairy kefir and water kefir), kombucha, and yogurt. Keep in mind, you can ferment many different vegetables. One of my favorites is cauliflower.

The paper also mentions inflammation as one possible mechanism for the bidirectional relationship between anxiety/depression and gut function, and Dr. Perlmutter discusses this in great detail, in the context of chronic health conditions. And he ties it all back to the microbiome:

From my perspective, of course, that has to do with the functionality of the brain, the way the brain remains healthy, and disease-free moving forward. And there are multiple mechanisms that relate to what’s going on in the gut to the brain. When we think of disease processes, most of what we are concerned about is the notion of inflammation, at least, in terms of a mechanism that relates to so many of the chronic degenerative conditions of the brain; be it Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or even a non-chronic degenerative condition, which is autism is not necessarily considered to be progressive, but nonetheless at its heart, is in fact an inflammatory disorder.

So beyond that, of course, all of the chronic degenerative conditions that plague our planet, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, the autoimmune conditions are at their very core, primarily inflammatory.

And let me be very clear that chronic degenerative conditions are ranked by the World Health Organization as the number one cause of death on planet Earth.

So we have to pay attention to anything that’s involved in the regulation of inflammation in the human body. And front and center right now in terms of gaining the spotlight, is the health of the gut bacteria, as well as its metabolites and it’s gene expression, collectively, we call that the microbiome.

The paper mentions intestinal permeability as another mechanism. Dr. Perlmutter covers the importance of the gut lining integrity and why it’s so important when it comes to anxiety, depression and the chronic diseases he mentions:

So we realize that the gut bacteria have a very important function, and that is to maintain the integrity of the gut lining.

And why would I, as a neurologist, give a hoot about the integrity of the gut lining? Quite categorically it’s because that is where inflammation in the body, in the long term, has its genesis. So, meaning we’ve got to have a strong gatekeeper at the lining of the gut to keep various gut-related proteins and other chemicals from making their way into the rest of the body, and challenging the immune system, upregulating the production of inflammatory chemicals that then do damage.

Dr. Perlmutter ends by discussing neurotransmitter dysregulation (also mentioned in the paper):

We know that our gut bacteria are involved in the manufacture of various neurochemicals, various neurotransmitters, serotonin, for example, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, [GABA], etcetera, that are primarily manufactured in the gut.

As a matter of fact, when it comes to serotonin, which certainly gains the spotlight; 90% is manufactured in the gut, another 9% is manufactured in the blood platelets, meaning that only 1% is actually manufactured in the brain, though, we call it a brain transmitter, a neurotransmitter. That said, the availability of the precursor for serotonin; the amino acid tryptophan, the availability of that even to the brain, is in fact controlled to a significant degree by actions of the gut microbes.

He wraps up by bringing in the microbiome, inflammation, chronic health conditions, anxiety and depression, and our lifestyle choices and diet (which includes foods such as fermented vegetables):

If we simply recognize that our gut bacteria are playing a massive role in regulating inflammation in the body, that’s enough, because our mission for the prevention of chronic degenerative conditions in the brain and out of the brain is controlling inflammation.

And it’s through the lens of the microbiome that we realize the detrimental or effectiveness of our food choices, and other lifestyle choices that can act to increase or balance inflammation. So it becomes extremely important.

The paper does discuss perturbations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis but we didn’t get into this during this interview. However, we do cover this in Dr. Peter Bongiorno’s interview on the summit.

Some of the recent research on specific fermented foods and mental health

Here is some of the recent research on specific fermented foods and mental health, where some or all of the above mechanisms may be a factor:

Some simple changes you can make

Here are some simple changes that be incorporated when you have anxiety or depression:

  • Include fermented foods and beverages in the diet (ideally on a daily basis). If you decide to include sauerkraut, you can make it yourself or buy it from the store. If you buy it ready-made, always make sure it’s raw and found in the refrigerated section. Vinegar should not feature on the label but do look for salt as this is used in the fermentation process. In the example I share above, the added ginger helps with digestion even further and is very delicious!
  • Eat a real whole foods diet with quality animal protein, healthy fats and organic vegetables and fruit (there is much research supporting dietary changes for improving mood and easing anxiety i.e. nutritional psychiatry)
  • Avoid inflammatory foods like gluten, sugar, processed foods/fast foods and foods that you have a sensitivity to
  • Address intestinal permeability if necessary (glutamine is my go-to nutrient for this and I take a deep dive into this amino acid in one of the new interviews on the summit)
  • Use targeted individual amino acids such as GABA to boost GABA (for physical anxiety symptoms) and tryptophan or 5-HTP to boost serotonin (for worry-type anxiety). You can do this while you are addressing underlying gut issues and making dietary changes. Keep in mind that these amino acids help you quit sugar, gluten and junk food at the same time as easing anxiety!

Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using the amino acids as supplements and want to know more, 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 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.

Do join us on the summit relaunch of Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis summit on November 8-14, 2021. Registration details coming soon.

And if you’d like to learn more about Dr. Perlmutter’s book, Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness (written with his son Dr. Austin Perlmutter), here is my review. In our interview on the summit, he shares about disconnection syndrome (and loneliness) and how our decision-making abilities have been compromised.

Are fermented foods and beverages included in your diet (and your family’s diet) on a daily basis? And what are your favorites?

Do you make your own fermented vegetables?

Have you observed mood and/or digestive improvements since including fermented foods in your diet?

If you are a practitioner, do you recommend fermented foods and discuss this bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain with your clients/patients?

Feel free to post your questions too.

I need help with my Diet Coke addiction – when I stop, my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety/depression increase big time!

By Trudy Scott 42 Comments

diet coke addiction

A woman asked for help on the blog, wanting desperately to quit her long-time Diet Coke addiction. This woman knows her addiction is detrimental to her health and she gets withdrawal symptoms when she tries to quit – fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and depression increase big time! And yet she can’t quit. This is not unusual. I share my feedback on the brain chemical imbalances that can drive addictions and how to figure out which amino acids (or more than one) may help her quit easily. This means she doesn’t have to go cold turkey and then fail yet again. Using the amino acids means there is no willpower required and no feelings of deprivation, and it’s addressing an underlying neurotransmitter imbalance i.e. a root cause.

Here is her question:

I need help with my Diet Coke addiction. I have been using it for 35 years and I am too appalled to tell you how much I drink.

I have tried to quit many times and ended up in utter failure. A friend mentioned that phenylalanine may be a booster for my dopamine.

When I stop, my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety/depression increase big time. I know this drink is literally killing my health and I am desperate for some answers, suggestions….or a miracle.

What supplements do you recommend for helping me quit this devil of a habit? Thank you for ALL you do!” 

Here is my response …. when it comes to using amino acids to help break the addiction, pretty much everything I write about in relation to sugar addiction or cravings would likely also apply to quitting Diet Coke.

What emotions are driving the addiction?

She needs to figure out what emotions are driving her addiction and use the respective amino acid supplement/s (one or more of them) to help break the addiction and improve the mood symptoms at the same time.

These are the questions I review with my clients who have a Diet Coke addiction (or other diet soda or regular soda addiction):

  1. If you have to drink it when you haven’t eaten in awhile it’s likely low blood sugar. Glutamine on the tongue stops the desire almost immediately and also helps with the low blood sugar symptoms of shakiness and irritability
  2. If you stress-drink, your cravings are likely due to low GABA, and GABA will stop the stress-drinking and calm you down too
  3. If you drink it to feel happy (and especially from late afternoon into the evening) then your cravings are likely due to low serotonin, and tryptophan (or 5-HTP) stops the cravings and boosts mood and reduces anxiety
  4. If you drink it for comfort or a reward comfort then it’s likely due to low endorphins and DPA (d-phenylalanine) will stop that feeling of “I deserve-it” and also give you a hug-like mood boost
  5. If you drink it for an energy boost or to give you focus then it’s likely due to low catecholamines and tyrosine will stop those cravings and give you a mood and energy boost, and also help with mental clarity

Based on her question above, she mentions that “my fatigue, brain fog, anxiety/depression increase big time” when she stops. The fatigue, brain fog and depression is a big clue that #5 above will likely apply. She asks about using phenylalanine for dopamine support (dopamine is one of the catecholamines). I prefer tyrosine to l-phenylalanine for boosting levels.

The fact that anxiety also increases when she stops is a clue that #2 or #3 may apply too, and possibly #1. It’s not unusual for someone to have imbalances in multiple areas.

If this is the case, I  always recommend doing a trial of one at a time, so it’s easy to see the benefits.

It’s not the same neurotransmitter imbalance that shows up in each person

It’s also not the same neurotransmitter imbalance that shows up in each person with a Diet Coke (or other soda addiction). When I shared this on Facebook and asked what was the driving emotion behind their “self-medication” with Diet Coke this is feedback I received from two women:

  • “I had been drinking almost 6 per day for decades. I believe it was comforting.” In this instance, addressing low endorphins with DPA (#4) would have helped. Comfort or reward or treat is a common emotional driver for all addictions.
  • “I noticed I would drink Diet Coke when I felt anxious (1 or 2 times a day).” In this instance #2 or #3 would have helped i.e. GABA support if it was physical anxiety and/or tryptophan or 5-HTP for low serotonin if it was worry-type anxiety.

The caffeine addiction and the artificial sweetener Aspartame

Keep in mind, with Diet Coke, there is the caffeine addiction and the artificial sweetener Aspartame that also make it challenging to quit. Tyrosine and addressing low catecholamines (#5 above) and vitamin C can help with the caffeine addiction and quitting so headaches are minimized.

The amino acids can help with the imbalances created by aspartame. This paper, Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, proposes that “excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning.”  This excerpt from the abstract is relevant to this discussion:

Aspartame is composed of phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%). Phenylalanine plays an important role in neurotransmitter regulation, whereas aspartic acid is also thought to play a role as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Glutamate, asparagines and glutamine are formed from their precursor, aspartic acid. Methanol, which forms 10% of the broken down product, is converted in the body to formate, which can either be excreted or can give rise to formaldehyde, diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic derivatives. Previously, it has been reported that consumption of aspartame could cause neurological and behavioural disturbances in sensitive individuals. Headaches, insomnia and seizures are also some of the neurological effects that have been encountered, and these may be accredited to changes in regional brain concentrations of catecholamines, which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine.

This further supports the need for catecholamine support with tyrsosine (#5 above) and GABA support with the amino acid GABA (#2 above).

Recognizing it’s an issue is a big first step

I acknowledge her for recognizing it’s an issue – that is a big first step! I did also ask her to share how much she was consuming each day because there is no judgement here and we acknowledge it’s an addiction. I’ll report back when I hear from her and will also share which amino acid/s helped her break the addiction.

As always, it’s not only about the amino acids and a comprehensive healing approach is always part of the picture. The amino acids make it easy to get started and then other underlying issues can be addressed: other nutritional deficiencies, dysbiosis, fatty liver, metabolic syndrome and so on. You can see some of the many studies below.

Of course, it’s important to be eating a real whole foods diet with quality animal protein, healthy fats, organic vegetables and fruit, no caffeine, no gluten, no sugar, fermented foods and herbs.

Reconsider your diet soda consumption if you’re on the fence

If you are on the fence about giving up your diet soda consumption here are a few additional papers that will hopefully make you reconsider:

Facts like this help you recognize it’s an issue but even when we have these facts, we often simply cannot quit. This is where the amino acids are so powerful because they work with no willpower required and no feelings of deprivation. And using them addresses the underlying neurotransmitter imbalance/root cause that led to the initial addiction or “self-medication”. They also help address the neurotransmitter deficiencies that are often made worse by diet soda consumption.

Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using the amino acids as supplements and want to know more, 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 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.

What advice do you have if you have been through this yourself and what has helped you?

What do you drink now instead of your diet soda?

If you are a practitioner, how do you help your patients/clients with this kind of addiction?

Feel free to post your questions too.

The Essential Oils Apothecary – Advanced Strategies and Protocols for Chronic Disease and Conditions by Eric Zielinski and Sabrina Ann Zielinski

By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

essential oils apothecary

This wonderful new book was just released this week. It covers the basics and their recipes are wonderful as always. I really appreciate that Dr. Z and Mama Z include chapters on insomnia, stress and anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Even though I already know about and use essential oils, I picked up plenty of gems. I do love that they include the research too.

Here are a few highlights that resonated with me:

  • A new essential oil that I learned about is Bitter Orange. I love all the citrus essential oils and learn that this one “is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an aid to meditation and can be extremely helpful in easing stress and anxiety” … and that a “study from Iranian researchers found that when patients were given bitter orange prior to a minor operation, they felt more relaxed, with much less anxiety.”
  • Being reminded about Thyme essential oil for stress relief and anxiety support. I found this statement worth remembering and fascinating: “Like many essential oils, thyme oil works by stimulating smell receptors in the nose, which then transmit messages through the nervous system to the emotion-controlling limbic system in the brain.”
  • Learning about a study where “Japanese investigators evaluated the anti-stress benefit of aromatherapeutic hand massages in healthy women in their twenties.” I see a huge application for this in children, hospitalized loved ones and elderly parents too.
  • I love ginger and I was intrigued to learn about Plai root essential oil, a cousin to ginger and similar to eucalyptus “with additional spicy notes.” They share that a study with healthy male volunteers found  that plai improved mood “by easing the negative emotions and enhancing positive emotions, especially feelings of pleasure and contentment.” They also share that plai essential oil pairs well with rosemary, a favorite of mine for mood and anxiety support.
  • I was not aware that black pepper essential oil can “reduce cravings for cigarettes, alcohol, or marijuana. Black pepper oil can also help you fight withdrawal symptoms and keep you calm throughout….by elevating levels of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin in your brain.” They share a fun recipe for Quit Sticks to help folks quit these addictions.
  • The list of essential oils that are rich in linalool, “known for its calming, sedative, anticonvulsant, and anxiolytic (anti­anxiety) properties. Chemically, it is a monoterpenoid—a major compound found in essential oils – and is widely used as an antimicrobial agent and a fragrance.” The list includes Rosewood (82.3 to 90.3 percent), Coriander seed (59.0 to 87.5 percent), Magnolia leaf or flower (78.9 percent / 69.9 percent), Bergamot mint (24.9 to 55.2 percent), Neroli (31.4 to 54.3 percent), Lavender (25.0 to 45.0 percent) and many others.

I’ve highlighted some gems related to insomnia, stress and anxiety, depression and substance abuse but there are also sections on the following: chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, low libido, Alzheimer’s and dementia, bone and joint disorders, cancer support, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and obesity, fatty liver, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

Here is the official blurb:

Soothing practices, healing rituals, and 100+ practical recipes for applying essential oils to the treatment and symptom management of chronic illness–by the bestselling author of The Healing Power of Essential Oils and his wife, Mama Z!

More and more people living with a chronic condition–from insomnia, hypertension, and fibromyalgia to migraines, insulin resistance, and even the effects of chemotherapy–are reaching for essential oils as a complementary therapy to treat their symptoms. Whether you apply them topically, infuse them in liquid, or diffuse them in the air, essential oils are proven to penetrate the skin and work on the body’s physiology gently and quickly.

Dr. Eric Zielinski, author of the bestselling primer on using essential oils for general health, The Healing Power of Essential Oils, and his wife, Sabrina, affectionately called Mama Z, now bring their masterful and authoritative knowledge to the complexities of chronic illness. The Essential Oil Apothecary shares more than 100 research-backed and easy-to-prepare formulations, from an Immune Boosting Blend to an Anxiety-Busting Body Oil, to help with symptoms of twenty-five common chronic conditions, including fatigue, pain, anxiety, and addiction. It also offers two life-changing tools: an essential home makeover to remove toxins that may be making you sicker, and self-care rituals (including Mama Z’s beauty rituals) that help you feel better when navigating any chronic illness.

Dr. and Mama Z’s evidence-based and holistic approach will help you experience the power of essential oils against chronic illness and build a lifetime of healthy habits and supportive lifestyle actions.

I see this as a book you’ll refer to again and again (like I refer to their first book “The Healing Power of Essential Oils”). I recommend it for essential oils beginners and for individuals (including practitioners) who are already using essential oils.

Use this link to order your copy and claim additional bonus digital content.   Or purchase from your favorite local bookstore or from Amazon (my link) and then use this link to claim your bonus content.

Let us know what gems you pick up when you read it!

Wean off prescription pain medication, improve sleep and reduce emotional eating with DPA (an endorphin-boosting amino acid)

By Trudy Scott 19 Comments

dpa

A question about using the amino acid DPA (d-phenylalanine) to help wean off prescription pain medication was posted on the blog. She was also hoping it would help ease her pain while she was weaning and improve her poor sleep too. I share my feedback on DPA for weaning, timing of vitamin C, additional information for sleep support and using DPA for emotional eating too. Concerns about oxalates and pain are mentioned and the importance of a comprehensive approach.

Here is the question that was posted:

Hi Trudy, I am trying to get off prescription pain medication and have read that DPA really helps – do you have any knowledge and/or experience with this?

There is a very popular opiate withdrawal support website that recommends DPA 500mg 3x/daily. Since amino acids need to be taken away from food and other amino acids, I feel like it could be very easy to make the DPA go to waste if not taken at exactly the right time every day.

The insomnia is the worst part of opiate withdrawal for me – days can go by with only 20-45 minutes of sleep. I have a little one to care for and the stress of no sleep just makes me want to give up.

No sleep worsens my physical pain as I toss and turn for hours on end. It isn’t a surprise that then causes terrible emotional distress.

One more question…since Vitamin C does help withdrawal does it affect/break down DPA?  I take a liposomal version multiple times a day.

Here is my response: Yes, DPA (d-phenylalanine) does help with withdrawal from prescription pain medication and I’ve used it for this purpose with great success with many clients. It does need to be used away from protein and the dosing can vary for each person.

A starting dose of DPA is 500mg and it can be used 3- 4 x day to start, and we increase from there based on the unique need of each person. We typically adjust the DPA up as the prescription medication is tapered very slowly, and under the guidance of the prescribing physician.

I share more about her vitamin C and insomnia questions below.

If you are new to DPA and endorphin support

DPA/d-phenylalanine is an amino acid used as a supplement.

DPA destroys the enzyme that breaks down/inhibits endorphins and in essence raises endorphin levels. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that you experience with an endorphin rush when you go for a run or when someone gives you a big hug, when you show kindness to someone or an individual does something nice for you.

Taking the amino acid, DPA, as a supplement helps to raise your endorphins and helps when you feel weepy and overly emotional and reduces the need to self-medicate with treats as a reward or for comfort (more on that below). This amino acid is a favorite with so many of my clients and community because it makes them feel so lovely.

In addition to helping with emotional pain, DPA also helps with easing physical pain. And for this reason it can be used to help get off prescription pain medications.

In summary, these are the signs of low endorphins:

  • Heightened sensitivity to emotional pain
  • Heightened sensitivity to physical pain
  • Crying or tearing up easily
  • Eating to soothe your mood, or comfort eating
  • Really, really loving certain foods, behaviors, drugs, or alcohol
  • Craving a reward or numbing treat

DPA and endorphin support for pain: the research

Here is one paper, which discusses how DPA inhibits or breaks down enkephalins (endorphins are closely related compounds) and as a result helps with depression and pain, and acts as an anti-inflammatory: “proven to be beneficial in many human patients with chronic, intractable pain.” The authors also state that a compound such as DPA “may alleviate other conditions associated with decreased endorphin levels such as opiate withdrawal symptoms.”

This paper discusses beta-endorphins and the reward mechanism and how they can induce euphoria, reduce pain and ease addictions and distress: “Long known for its analgesic effect, the opioid beta-endorphin is now shown to induce euphoria, and to have rewarding and reinforcing properties.”

I would love to see DPA used instead of pain meds when possible or used in conjunction with prescription pain medications when they are needed.

I am also very curious to know which opiate withdrawal support website is recommending DPA. I’m so pleased to hear this because it helps so much – for physical pain relief and for weaning off pain medications.

Is DPA the same as DLPA?

DLPA (dl-phenylalanine), although similar sounding, is not the same as DPA and only offers about half as much endorphin support. It also provides dopamine/catecholamine support (i.e. focus, motivation, mood, energy) and this aspect means DLPA has the same precautions as tyrosine. It also means DLPA can affect sleep if used from midafternoon onwards.

I seldom have clients use DLPA and prefer DPA for endorphin support and tyrosine for dopamine/catecholamine support if needed.

Keep in mind, the amino acid DPA, is not the same as the omega-3 fatty acid called docosapentaenoic acid and also abbreviated as DPA.

The brand of DPA that I recommend for my clients

The brand I recommend for my clients is Lidtke Endorphigen. You can read about it and the other supplements I recommend on the supplements blog here.

My recommendation has always been to chew the DPA capsule for the best effects and to get results quickly (in 2-5 minutes). Instead of chewing the whole capsule I now recommend opening the capsule into your mouth. You can read more about using DPA and some client feedback here.

lidtke endorphigen

I’ve used Endorphigen personally too and it’s always with me as part of my travel first-aid kit. I write about using DPA, GABA and acupuncture for pain relief after my back injury and I had DPA, GABA and arnica on hand when I sprained my ankle while hiking in Red Rocks.

Benefits include reduction of emotional/comfort eating too

As I mentioned above, with DPA there is the bonus benefit of endorphin support to help end emotional/comfort eating where you are seeking treats as a reward i.e it helps with physical pain and emotional pain.

You may relate to this if you are someone who would say or think “I just LOVE chocolate-chip cookies!” or “PLEEEEASE don’t make me give up my treats, it’s all I have left after I gave up my coffee and wine! I deserve something nice!”

This emotional attachment to sweet treats and reward-eating is very common with low endorphins.

Using vitamin C with the amino acids and watching for oxalate pain adverse effects

She is correct, vitamin C is best used away from the amino acids so as not to reduce the beneficial effects.

I do caution clients to find the right amount of vitamin C as too much can increase pain in individuals with dietary oxalate issues. I write about oxalate crystal disease here and vitamin C and oxalates here. Both can aggravate insomnia too and increase anxiety.

Address low serotonin, low GABA and/or high cortisol for sleep too

With sleep issues we may also look into supporting low serotonin with tryptophan or 5-HTP,  and/or low GABA levels with GABA and/or theanine. These amino acids can also help with reducing pain in some instances.

Opioids have an endocrine effect via impacts on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, affecting sex hormones levels and cortisol levels. Endocrine dysfunction can adversely impact sleep and make anxiety worse, and needs to be addressed. GABA and serotonin support can help with some of the sex hormone imbalances and Seriphos helps when cortisol is too high.

A comprehensive approach is key

Of course, a comprehensive approach is key, so it’s important to remove inflammatory foods (gluten, maybe all grains, sugar, caffeine, unhealthy fats etc), add fish oil if omega-3s are low and include anti-inflammatory nutrients such as turmeric.

And we always want to figure out the root cause of the pain and address it. Also, ruling out if dietary oxalates (and vitamin C) are an issue is important and often overlooked.

I’m a big fan of working with a physical therapist and acupuncturist too.

Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using the amino acids, DPA, tryptophan or GABA, as supplements and want to know more, 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 endorphins, low serotonin or low GABA levels 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.

Can you relate to any of this? Has DPA helped your pain and/or helped you withdraw from prescription pain meds? And did you even know this was an option?

Did it also help you sleep and make you less anxious/worried because of the reduction in pain?

What about less emotional eating when using DPA/Endorphigen?

Feel free to post your questions too.

Teen with anxiety, low self-esteem and insomnia: how to do a one-off trial of tryptophan to figure out if she has low serotonin

By Trudy Scott 23 Comments

 

teen anxiety tryptophan serotonin

A mom asks for advice for her teenage daughter who has anxiety, low self-esteem issues,  insomnia, experiences negativity and has phobias. She wants to know if serotonin support may help and where to start. I share my feedback confirming that these are low serotonin symptoms and that I would do a trial of tryptophan. I go deeper in this blog and also go into detail about how I would do a one-off trial (or evaluation) of tryptophan if I was working with this family. I also share why I’d look into low GABA, seasonal allergies and the birth control pill. And I discuss the importance of being proactive given the increasing suicide and self-harm in this age-group, with the pandemic compounding the increase.

Here is the question that Maria asked about her daughter:

My 13-year-old teen has always suffered from insomnia, sometimes light, sometimes a bit heavier, depending on the period. She has suffered from asthma from a young age, even if this issue has improved enormously, it is sometimes present, specially during spring time as she is allergic to different plants. She would suffer from sugar cravings in the past as we were trying to change her diet. Things are going better in this respect as well; however, negativity, phobias, low self esteem and anxiety are always present for her.

Are these signs of low serotonin? How could we help her feel better? Should serotonin pills be applied directly? Would this make the system dependent on it? If amino acids should be supplemented, how should we do this, considering her age?

I responded that yes, negativity, phobias, low self esteem and anxiety (the worry type) are signs of low serotonin. Insomnia can also be caused by low serotonin especially if her daughter is lying awake, overthinking and worrying about things.

I shared that the body does not get dependent on the amino acids and I’d consider a trial of tryptophan to address her symptoms.

Doing a one-off trial/evaluation of tryptophan based on her symptoms

If I was working with this family, I would help this mom figure out for sure if her daughter has low serotonin by reviewing the low serotonin symptom list with her, and helping her rate them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst.

This can often be challenging for a 13-year old: giving the symptoms a severity rating and being able to identify exactly how she feels. Her ratings may also be reflective of where she is in her cycle at the time and may fluctuate more in the month if her cycle is not yet regular. Working together with mom we can hopefully figure this out. If not, we do the best we can with the information we have.

The next step is picking one or two symptoms that are easy to measure the day we do the initial trial or evaluation. For this young girl I’d pick anxiety/worry and negativity and ask her some questions that would help us assess before and after results of the one-off trial /evaluation of tryptophan:

  • For anxiety and worry she may say it’s also a 9 and give me this example: “I’m really worried about performing in the concert – I keep thinking about it all day long and at night.”
  • For negativity she may say it’s a 9 and give me this example: “I really don’t think I’m good enough to be in the dance class.”

Both tryptophan and 5-HTP can raise serotonin but I like to start with tryptophan. I typically start with 100mg Lidtke chewable tryptophan in children/teens so I’d have her chew one tablet and then check back in the next 2 to 5 minutes (or maybe a little longer for some folks).

This is the kind of feedback I’m looking for:

  • With regards to anxiety and worry she may say: “Gosh, I completely stopped thinking about the concert. I’m not worrying about it at all. Now that you ask I’m thinking about it again but I think my worry/anxiety is about a 5 now.”
  • With regards to negativity she may say: “I think I feel better about being in the dance class. I think I can do it. My negativity feels like it’s a 5 or 6”

Since this teen responded so well, I’d have her start taking tryptophan midafternoon and evening (away from protein) and we’d increase if needed, each week, and based on her symptoms.

I have everyone keep a food mood and supplements log and mom could help her do this too.

GABA, seasonal allergies and the birth control pill

I also always assess low GABA when someone is anxious (especially if she also has physical anxiety, tension, stiff muscles) and has insomnia. We’d do the same one-off trial with a product like GABA Calm (or similar) once we’ve established a good dose of tryptophan for easing her symptoms.

This mom also mentioned Spring time allergies so I also shared this blog with her: 5-HTP and/or tryptophan to help with increased anxiety, panic attacks and depression caused by spring allergies. Depending on the season, her daughter may score higher on some of the low serotonin symptoms.

I’d also want to know if her daughter is on a birth control pill (often prescribed at this age for acne) because it can contribute to anxiety and depression.

Being proactive is wise given the rise in suicide and self-harm in this age group

Being proactive about addressing low serotonin symptoms quickly is wise given the rise in suicide and self-harm in this age group. This 2021 Italian study discusses the role of emotional dysregulation when it comes to and self-injurious thoughts and behaviours in high-school students:

Overall, 11.1% of adolescents reported self-harming behaviours without suicide ideation or attempts, 6.4% declared having thought to suicide without acting a suicide attempt or self-harm, 1.4% declared having attempted suicide and really thought to take away their life.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has also made things worse for many adolescents. This study reports that Canadian adolescents appear to be experiencing “higher rates of self-harm thoughts and behaviours relative to before the pandemic.”

It’s important to keep in mind that pre-teens and teens may not be willing to admit that they are engaging in self-harm like cutting or burning, or thinking about taking their lives.

Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using the amino acids tryptophan/5-HTP or GABA as supplements and want to know more in case you need them in a future situation, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the low serotonin and low GABA symptoms here) and a brief overview here, Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

If you suspect low serotonin or 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.

It also covers all the basics of a healthy diet. It’s a comprehensive approach – amino acids AND diet. I’d also want to know what her diet is like right now – gluten-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, eating protein at breakfast for blood sugar control, real whole foods, grass-fed red meat, wild fish, fermented foods etc?

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 the amino acid products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

Thanks to this mom for asking the question and allowing me to use it as a teaching tool for my community. Let’s get her daughter and all teens feeling their best again.

Can you relate to the question this mom asked? Does it sound similar to what your daughter is experiencing right now or a client/patient?

Do you do a one-off trial /evaluation like this to find out if serotonin support is needed? Or have you done this in the past with your daughter, family member or yourself?

What are the before and after questions (and symptom ratings) and did tryptophan help?

Feel free to post any questions here too.