5-HTP

Balance Neurotransmitters for Pain and Anxiety: The Healing Pain Summit

September 11, 2015 By Trudy Scott 20 Comments

Joe Tatta is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and he is putting on The Healing Pain Summit which is focused on healing pain of all kinds using an integrated approach. Having practiced Physical Therapy for 20 years, Joe knows first-hand that pain is THE thing that will stop you in your tracks … completely. To help people with pain of all kinds Joe has brought together experts on:

Healing joint pain and muscle pain
How the foods you eat can cause you physical and emotional pain
Healing spiritual pain
Healing sexual pain

Here are just a few of the summit topics that may interest you:

Natural Ways To Heal Fibromyalgia
Your Adrenals and Pain: What is the Connection?
Solutions for Cancer Patients and Cancer Survivors

My interview will be: How Balancing Neurotransmitters Can Help Pain and Anxiety. I’ll be sharing new information on pain and the amino acids – something I don’t often talk about but can be a very powerful addition to a pain management program. I’ll cover how GABA, DPA/Endorphigen and tryptophan/5-HTP can help with various types of pain (and anxiety). I’ll also discuss some of the many mood and anxiety side-effects we can see with pain medications.

Here are some reasons for concern when it comes to pain medications:

Glucocorticoid medications like cortisone and prednisone can actually contribute to mood and cognitive issues. A 2014 paper titled Adverse consequences of glucocorticoid medication: psychological, cognitive, and behavioral effects reports that

Severe neuropsychiatric consequences (including suicide, suicide attempt, psychosis, mania, depression, panic disorder, and delirium, confusion, or disorientation) have been reported to occur in 15.7 per 100 person-years at risk for all glucocorticoid courses, and 22.2 per 100 person-years at risk for first courses

NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen are well known for causing injury and bleeding throughout the GI tract, but there now new evidence of an increased risk of a brain bleed when someone is also taking an SSRI. According to a Medscape article

The combination of antidepressants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) is linked to an early increased risk for intracranial hemorrhage, regardless of the type of NSAID or antidepressant, new research shows.

Most worryingly, conditions requiring NSAIDs and antidepressants commonly coexist; 65% of adults with major depression also have chronic pain, with both morbidities sharing common psychological risk factors and neurobiological processes.

The good news is that amino acids can be a very powerful addition to a pain management program. One example is 5-HTP, an amino acid that raises serotonin levels. Anxiety, depression and increased pain can all be caused by low serotonin.

A paper published in 1998 and called 5-Hydroxytryptophan: a clinically-effective serotonin precursor reports that 5-HTP

easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and effectively increases central nervous system (CNS) synthesis of serotonin. In the CNS, serotonin levels have been implicated in the regulation of sleep, depression, anxiety, aggression, appetite, temperature, sexual behaviour, and pain sensation. Therapeutic administration of 5-HTP has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of conditions, including depression, fibromyalgia, binge eating associated with obesity, chronic headaches, and insomnia.

You can register here https://gc182.isrefer.com/go/hpsreg/trudyscottcn/

Holistic Solutions for Anxiety and Depression: review

June 12, 2015 By Trudy Scott 84 Comments

Although it is written for therapists I feel that Holistic Solutions for Anxiety and Depression: Combining Natural Remedies with Conventional Care, written by Dr. Peter Bongiorno, ND, is a great resource for anyone working with individuals with anxiety or depression, and this includes nutritionists.

As a nutritionist who works primarily with women with anxiety, I was so pleased to receive a physical review copy of this wonderful book. I did purchase the kindle but a real book is just so much nicer!

It’s also perfect for the anxious individual who taking charge of their own health and wants to become more empowered. It would also be a perfect book for the anxious person to share with their open-minded therapist or doctor.

Here are some of the reasons why I really enjoyed this book:

The extensive coverage of diet – Dr. Bongiorno favors a Mediterranean diet and cites research supporting this way of eating for mental health (I’d add more red meat and skip the grains, especially gluten)
The recommendation to eat crunchy vegetables based on the research about crunchy foods making us feel happier and calmer
The coverage of nutrients such as 5-HTP and tryptophan. Dr. Bongiorono will use 5-HTP first (he feels its “more effective at crossing the blood brain barrier) , whereas I tend to start with tryptophan. But he does say that “when dosed accordingly, tryptophan appears to be quite safe and effective.”
The coverage of GABA: “GABA supplementation helps open chloride channels in neurons, which hyperpolarizes them, so that the positive charges remain on one side of the membrane, which inactivates the nerve cell. This slows firing and calms the brain.”
The coverage of vitamin B3: one way it helps mood is “its ability to inhibit the liver enzyme tryptophan pyrrolase. This enzyme breaks down tryptophan making it less available to produce serotonin. Vitamin B3 is also responsible for activating the enzyme that converts tryptophan to 5-hydroxytryptophan.”
The coverage of lithium orotate: “It is suggested that lithium’s beneficial effects on mood may be due to its oxytocin-raising properties.” He suggests using it with an oxytocin-raising massage! Oxytocin also helps with social anxiety: Oxytocin and social anxiety, pyroluria and depression?
The fascinating discussion of the 5-HT1A receptor and oxytocin
The history of the discovery of serotonin (clams used it to keep their shells closed)
The coverage of light therapy, getting house-plants and a mind-body approach

As you can see, it includes plenty of geeky science, something I really love!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Bongiorno on The Anxiety Summit – our topic: Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones. Dr. Bongiorno’s speaking is as eloquent, factual and caring as his writing.

Dr. Bongiorno has been kind enough to offer a copy of his book as a giveaway. We’ll do a drawing and select one lucky reader and announce the winner next Friday. If you’d like to be entered in to the drawing simply comment below and share:

~~why you’d like to win the book~~
~~which section you’re most excited about reading and why (just go to the Amazon preview and check out the table of contents)~~
~~which holistic approaches you already use with patients/clients or you’ve used yourself~~

~~This drawing is open to practitioners and non-practitioners alike.~~

Peter Bongiorno, ND, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, is co-director of InnerSource Natural Health and Acupuncture in New York City. President of the New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians, he is a contributor to numerous blogs and online magazines, including DrOz.com and Sharecare.com, and is regularly interviewed as a natural medicine expert on national television and radio.

The Anxiety Summit – Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

May 14, 2015 By Trudy Scott 43 Comments

Dr. Peter Bongiorno ND, author of Holistic Therapies for Anxiety and Depression is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

What is serotonin and why is it often considered the molecule of happiness
The role of serotonin when it comes to anxiety?
How serotonin was first discovered and the 5-HT1A receptor/oxytocin connection
Serotonin’s strong relationship to the digestive tract
The connection between inflammation and serotonin
How to naturopathically support serotonin and the overall neurotransmitter system for optimal mood support: 5-HTP, L-tryptophan and its vitamin co-factors
Serotonin’s effects on our hormones, other neurotransmitters and whole body

Here are some snippets from our interview:

In modern medicine we tend to focus on one thing and tend to work it to death, almost to the point that we believe we are doing things that will be helpful. Many studies have shown that antidepressants are not working any better than placebos in most people and yet we’re still treating it [depression/anxiety] the same way

In naturopathy we look at things from all angles. There can be multiple factors involved and why someone has anxiety. How you’re going to work through these factors successfully is going to be very different for each person.

Here is the 2010 JAMA paper: The Antidepressant Drug Effects and Depression Severity A Patient-Level Meta-analysis

The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate symptoms. For patients with very severe depression, the benefit of medications over placebo is substantial.

Dr. Bongiorno shares how using 5-HTP and tryptophan leads to quicker results for his patients, and unlike drugs you don’t get side-effects. He likes to use acupuncture for this too.

He discusses the co-factors that are needed for making neurotransmitters: the B vitamins like riboflavin, niacinamide and vitamin B6, plus the need for a good multivitamin. Here is a recent Psychology Today article: Multiple Vitamins for Anxiety

Here are Dr. Bongiorno’s two books:

How Come They’re Happy and I’m Not – The Complete Natural Program for Healing Depression for Good

Holistic Solutions for Anxiety & Depression in Therapy: Combining Natural Remedies with Conventional Care

You can download his free gift here: 10 Ways to Boost Serotonin Naturally. Once you sign up you’re taken to a page that has the free ebook about serotonin.

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

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

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

Should I use 5-HTP for a 5 year old boy who has been “glutened”?

March 13, 2015 By Trudy Scott 25 Comments

boy-eating-sandwich

This is a great question that was posted on my blog by Margaret Floyd, author of Eat Naked, a great book on clean eating. Here is a review I did awhile back.

The question (which she gave me permission to share on a blog):

A close friend of mine has a little 5yr old boy who is celiac. Since his Dx, he’s doing much better but they’re struggling to get it out of his diet 100% – he keeps getting “glutened” as she calls it by well-meaning but uneducated parents of his friends, his chess coach, etc. and he’s VERY sensitive to even the slightest exposure. He takes a good 3-4 weeks to recover psychologically every time he’s exposed.

She recently started supplementing him with the supplement SeroPlus (maybe you know it?) which has 5HTP in it. She gave it to him last week when he got “glutened” and noticed his temperament was SO much better than usual. So she’s kept him on it But she’s worried about him developing a dependence on supplemental serotonin in this way.

My instinct is that he won’t develop a dependence because she’s giving him the precursor, and this is so important while his body and specifically, gut, heals. But I wanted to ask you since you’re the pro in these matters. What’s your experience been?

This is a really great question so I decided it was worth sharing with a bigger audience via a blog and my ezine. Here is my response:

I’ve not used Seroplus but it looks good and the positive result is always a good thing! You’re right and I agree, I don’t see dependence as being an issue – we know gluten issues can lead to low serotonin so his continued consumption of gluten may be continually depleting his levels, plus his gut needs to heal.

One issue longer term may be that his gluten exposure may very likely have impacted his adrenals and 5-HTP can raise cortisol which won’t be good if his cortisol is high. This is why in adults I use tryptophan unless I know cortisol results. In kids I always only use tryptophan since it’s closer to food. And I do like to use an individual amino acid versus a combo product as it’s easier to increase and/or decrease just the amino acid. And mom may need to reduce the amount as his gut heals and his serotonin levels come up so you don’t get a reverse effect (too much of any amino can do this).

One more thing to consider is methylation and SNPs – detox is compromised with the MTHFR polymorphisms and this product has 500mcg of folate (the good form!) which may be contributing to his good temperament too. Also if he does have either of the MTHFR mutations it may end up being too much folate if he is given more capsules (hence the benefit of individual amino acids and even individual folate).

I’m sure they are doing all they can to prevent this but would like to suggest this in case…I’d also suggest a card with information on how deadly gluten is to this little guy and really making a point to educate everyone he’s going to be in contact with. I’m sure he’s also old enough to ask smart questions as I’m sure he’s well aware of the effects. It just breaks my heart to hear he keeps getting “glutened”!

Keeping a supply of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) on hand is also recommended. DPP-IV specifically breaks down gluten.

I hope this helps you when thinking about whether to use 5-HTP or tryptophan and to understand more about gluten and methylation.

Here is the original blog post which was from my interview on The Anxiety Summit: Targeted individual amino acids for eliminating anxiety: practical applications

And here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from my book The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Do check out all the fantastic questions on these blogs AND all my answers. I respond to every single question posted on my blog so feel free to post one at any time.

The Anxiety Summit – How Changing My Breakfast Cut My Anxiety in Half

November 13, 2014 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

Angela Savitri, OTR/L, Freedom from Chronic Stress Coach was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

How Changing My Breakfast Cut My Anxiety in Half

How amino acids helped (5-HTP, and GABA)
How yoga and mindfulness meditation helped her anxiety
The research supporting yoga and mindfulness meditation for anxiety
How changing to a 90% whole foods diet helped her anxiety
What the biggest game-changer was for her anxiety?

It warmed my heart when I read this in a recent newsletter that Angela sent to her community. I contacted her right away and asked if she would come and share this on the summit and she said yes!

If you’ve been part of this community for a while, you’ve heard some of my personal struggles with anxiety.

When Lexapro, Buspar, and Doral were not helping, I sought alternatives.

I got some relief with taking amino acids, 5-HTP, and GABA.

I found some relief in yoga and mindfulness meditation.

I found some relief from eating a 90% whole foods diet.

I received the most relief from eating animal protein within one hour of waking.

Seriously…my anxiety went from a daily 6 to a 2 with this one nutrition adjustment.

And I learned it from Trudy!

This is going back to basics! This is simple and yet so powerful!

Here is a great blog post from Angela: 5 Tips to Avoid Depression and Anxiety

And an audio gift from Angela 3 Secrets to Self-Care Without Feeling Guilty

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