Today I’m sharing a few highlights from The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis. We cover all new material, it’s research-based and we talk about practical solutions.
The highlights cover sage and other herbs that can impact GABA and anxiety; new testing for gluten issues; CBD and the role in gut health, anxiety and PTSD; and the microbiome and gut-brain axis and neurotransmitters.
#1 Herbs to Improve Digestion and Support GABA ~ Magdalena Wszelaki, author of Cooking for Hormone Balance, shares this in our interview
Astringents like sage, rose and red raspberry tighten loose junctions in IBS, support female hormonal health and ease anxiety.
We discuss sage and make reference to this study called Flavonoids: some of the wisdom of sage? which concludes that the “actions of molecules such as hispidulin [a flavonoid found in sage] might be able to target GABAA receptors for the management of anxiety and epilepsy.”
What I really love about this interview is that Magdalena brings it all back to practical steps and shares how to make a healing medicinal tea.
#2 Latest Gluten Research and Testing (Part 2) ~ Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN. We discuss the Neural and Wheat Zoomer tests and Dr. Tom shares this:
Let’s do a different test that’s more accurate and more sensitive. That’s why the Wheat Zoomer looks at 26 different peptides of poorly digested wheat. And it’s the most comprehensive test on the market today …. on the Anxiety Summit, the ones that you’d be most concerned about is the gluteomorphins and the prodynorphins because those antibodies attack the opiate receptors, and that is critically important with brain dysfunction.
#3 Gut-Brain Axis and Mental Health ~ Peter Bongiornio, ND, LAc, author of Put Anxiety Behind You, talks about the microbiome and bidirectional aspects:
so we have this microbiota, all these germs and bacteria that are in our digestive tract as an example. What we’re seeing now is that the health and the diversity of those create either a healthy brain or an unhealthy brain; that the microbiota that are in our gut actually play a very, very strong role and how neurotransmitters are made both in the gut and in the brain. As well as they also create inflammatory molecules and peptides and things that also travel to the brain and will affect brain inflammation, and affect brain neurotransmitters and affect the receptors of these neurotransmitters as well.
#4 Endocannabinoid System and Your Gut ~ Hyla Cass, MD, talks about CBD and anandamide in the endocannabinoid system:
CBD influences the breakdown of anandamide , extending it’s use. Anandamide is found in both the brain and the gut and the name comes from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss.
So what CBD is doing is extending the life of the anandamides, so they can act longer. Dr. Cass also shares the connection between the endocannabinoid system, stress, the HPA axis, the gut and PTSD:
we react to stress and trauma through the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis/ the HPA Axis. And the endocannabinoid system tends to tone down or modulate the HPA axis to protect us from stress. And when it’s protecting us from stress in that way, it’s also signaling to the GI system to calm down. People that don’t have enough endocannabinoid activity are more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder.
The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis airs online Monday Nov 8 to Sunday Nov 14, with replays the following weekend. I do hope you’ll be joining us.
If you’re having any doubts, read this delightful message I received when the Anxiety Summit 5 originally aired and be inspired and motivated to tune in and learn:
Trudy … thanks so very much for the 3 transcripts featuring Ann Louise Gittleman, Carolyn Ledowsky and Dr. Datis Kharrazian … they were ALL fantastic and unlike many of the health related docu-series, I felt that I obtained some great insights and key take-aways that will help me on my road to good health journey! You asked some GREAT questions and I appreciate you digging further for names of supplements and more specificity to ensure clarity. You are a PRO and I am so glad I found you ❤️
You can listen to each of the interviews (and get transcripts) by purchasing The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.
If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you once you’ve listened in.
What gems stand out for you today and do you have questions?
If you’d like to ask a question, please post in the comments below.
I’d also love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to these interviews and the others.
Hello…I have just been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto. I had never heard of this till the last couple of months and has unfortunately devastated my life especially the bad fatigue. I registered for your online class but I have to work that day at 10am. Thank you for what you do.
HealthTalks and HealthMeans refuse to provide English closed captions for Deaf and Hard of Hearing viewers. They require a full purchase containing transcripts while hearing people get to listen FREE OF CHARGE. HealthTalks is all about MONEY and nothing else. Other summits than HealthTalks and HealthMeans have provided English closed captions. I have canceled all HealthTalks and HealthMeans summits due to their discrimination against Deaf and Hard of Hearing in which it is against the federal law. GOOOOOOOOOD BYE
C
When you shared this last month I let you know that they do offer transcripts to deaf and hard of hearing folks at no cost. This has not changed
Health Talks is an amazing company helping individuals like me reach more and more people with my message of anxiety. Summits like this are changing healthcare as we get information in the hands of folks who would not have access to it before. They are also an amazing resource for practitioners – I tune in and learn on summits all the time
Where can I find the slow release 5-HTP you mentioned which helps gut motility as well as raising serotonin ?
Thank you !
Trudy, could you please give me your thoughts on what to try for my chronic life-long anxiety?I Carry great tension in my body and have tried GABA Calm, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, 5-HTP without any real noticeable effect. Was a heavy drinker for 40+ yrs. and off alcohol now since 2011, but that’s when my anxiety kicked into high gear!
Have been supplementing with all sorts of amino acids for past few years and take a lot of different herbal supplements to help me sleep. Actually tried Phenibut to help me sleep and it was like a miracle! Was able to sleep so much better without getting up as many times in the night and it seemed to stop the incessent ruminating thoughts!
Heard that this product gets thru the blood/brain barrier to get to GABA receptors. Realize however, you’re only supposed to take a couple of times per week because of addictive quality. Anyway, just listened to your interview with Dr. Hyla Cass and your discussion on the use of full-spectrum CBD oil, which I haven’t tried because of the expense.
After hearing my brief history, do you feel this might be a good option to try? Any other thoughts? Am a 69-yr.-old woman who is desperate to find an answer to my inflamation, tremors and chronic anxiety!
Thanks so much for your help and for all the great info you share with the world.
Best wishes,Marley
Marley
When phenibut works well I have found that GABA work well too but only when used sublingually – started low and titrated up to the ideal amount needed. The other amino acids often work better this way when there are gut issues.
With a history of heavy drinking all nutritional deficiencies would also need to be addressed and gut healing protocols key.
Based on what we know from the research I would consider CBD for a heavy drinker (current or in the past) … “chronic consumption of ethanol alters EC [endocannabinoid] transmitter levels and CB1 expression in brain nuclei associated with addiction pathways” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22459871. Dr. Hyla Cass and I discuss how CBD can enhance both serotonin and GABA production in our interview “Endocannabinoid System and Your Gut”
And yes there are many issues with phenibut. I talk about this in my interview “GABA & Tryptophan: Gut-Anxiety Connections” and blog about it here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/phenibut-for-anxiety-and-insomnia-fda-warns-3-companies-to-cease-distribution-of-their-products/
Hi Trudy,
thank you so much for responding to my post. Will try the GABA again and see if it makes a difference. Is there any particular CBD oil you would recommend? dosage?… or is that forbidden. Again, many thanks for all the great information made available on the summit!
Marley
There are a number of good products available. I’ve recently used Dr. Cass’ Hemp Oil with a family member https://cassmd.com/hempoil/ I like the liquid. Please listen to my interview with Dr. Hyla cass as we discuss dosage there
Thanks Trudy, will do if her interview is still available for listening. 🙂
Marley
You’ll be able to catch her interview on replay weekend when all the interviews are available again – Nov23-24
Wonderful, thanks!
Hi Truddy
Thank you bcp for this site and the quality of its content.
I had a urine test for neurotransmitters. The results showed that dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin levels were below the minimum of the normal range while adrenaline was in the middle of the normal range.
I also had a very disturbed sleep with several night awakenings. So I started taking l-tryptophan in the evening. I was taking “L-tryptophan Complete” from the brand LIDTKE.
I managed to reduce my night awakenings to two or three per night.
Lately, my night awakenings have become more frequent, around 10 to 12 per night. I tried 3 times to take l-tryptophan except that, each time, I had a strange reaction. Indeed, between 10 and 20 minutes after I start to develop a feeling of panic during the phase of falling asleep and
at each awakening also.
The same feeling, I developed it after taking 2 mg of melatonin and recently after taking 200 mg of magnesium.
Do you have an explanation for that? Do I have high serotonin levels in the brain or have I started to develop an intolerance to these products? I was planning to try 5-htp, but I’m a little scared.
Many thanks
Taha
I can’t provide specific feedback on the blog but can share that some folks do better on 5-HTP and some better on tryptophan. Too much of either can cause an adverse effect (similar to too little)
Dear Trudy,
I just went through all three free interviews of you Gut-Brain-axis-Summit and I love them all as they all provide such fascinating information. A big thank you to you for all your effort and beautiful work to get it all put together.
In the interview “Fix the brain to fix the gut” with Datis Kharrazian, Dr. Kharrazian mentioned, that milk products are bad for the body as they trigger inflammation”.
Is Dr. Kharrazian refering to all kind of milk products eg. sheep/goat’s milk or only cow’s milk? And does it matter, whether I am consuming soft or hard cheese?
Your answer in this regard is greatly appreciated.
Warm regards,
marianne
Marianne
Thanks for the great feedback! Dairy can be a problem for many folks but fine for others. It’s a matter of figuring out with IgG testing and/or an elimnation diet what is tolerated (cow’s milk and products vs raw/pasturized vs goat/sheep’s milk and products vs cheese vs fermented dairy).
In case you’d like it here is the blog link for Dr. Kharrazian’s interview https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/fix-the-brain-to-fix-the-gut-with-dr-datis-kharrazian-on-the-anxiety-summit-5/
Enjoy the rest of the summit
Dear Trudy,
Thank you for your prompt answer.
I have lactose intolerance and I love cheese. Over the years I figured out, that goat/sheep cheese is accepted by my body.
Now after having read Dr. Kharazzian’s interview, I am just wondering, whether all kind of dairy products are inflammatory? Would you recommend me to skip all kind of dairy products?
Warm regards,
marianne
Marianne
I’m afraid I can’t offer specific advice to anyone via the blog. As I mentioned above, it’s a matter of figuring out with IgG testing (a food sensitivity test done by functional medicine practitioner, ND, nutritionist) and/or an elimination diet to figure what is tolerated
Medications and supplements usually affect me the opposite of what they are supposed to do. Should I still give cannabinoids a try for anxiety?
Diana
I can’t advise via the blog but can share that I have clients start with dietary changes first (gluten-free, caffeine-free, sugar-free), eating for blood sugar stability, eating quality animal protein, organic fruit/veg, healthy fats, fermented foods etc. And as far as supplements go I use the amino acids first (GABA, tryptophan and glutamine) and then we may consider CBD. And when someone is sensitive or reacts the opposite way we use a very low and slow approach.
How do you score on the amino acid questionnaire? https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/ This helps us decide where to start
Be sure to check out my amino acid interviews in the summit if you are new to this approach. My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” is also a great resource on amino acids and the dietary factors I mention above – more here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/