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The Amazing Aminos for Anxiety Homestudy program launch

By Trudy Scott 53 Comments

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I’m so excited to launch the home study version of the Amazing Aminos for Anxiety program!

A powerful home study program on how to use five of the top individual amino acid supplements to help you eliminate anxiety, social anxiety and panic attacks. The added bonus is that you will also feel less stressed and overwhelmed, happier, more energetic and focused and will sleep through the night! Your cravings and emotional eating will be a thing of the past – no willpower required and no feelings of being deprived. You really do deserve to feel on top of the world and the amino acids may well be the answer!

Here’s what a past participant said about the live version I offered earlier this year:

This class was extremely helpful for me personally and professionally. I was intimidated with amino acids and Trudy’s class improved my understanding and confidence. In addition to her well organized class materials and information, she also shared personal experiences which made me feel like I wasn’t the only person with anxiety issues and there is a solution to managing anxiety.

I’m also seeing how gluten, alcohol and sugar really change my mood and anxiety/depression levels. I am very conscious of the consequences for me personally if I choose to eat/drink any of these. Before, I knew it was not good for me or anyone, now I know what happens with anxiety and brain function, in addition to the digestive and weight issues.

We’re offering 3 versions:

#1 Basic: Homestudy if you’re a DIY person OR
#2 Plus: Homestudy + 2 Q and A Live with Trudy (if you need some guidance and will have questions you can opt for this one) OR
#3 Premium: Homestudy + 4 Q and A live + private Facebook group for group discussions and interactions.

You can read all about it and sign up here:
https://www.everywomanover29.com/aminosforanxietyhs

Got questions or comments? Please comment below

Low serotonin MAY often be a factor in anxiety and depression

By Trudy Scott 25 Comments

 low-serotonin-anxiety

I recently received the following series of questions/comments (all from the same person) on my blog Targeted Individual Amino Acids for Eliminating Anxiety: Practical Applications and would like to share some of what I shared, plus some additional information.

  1. Do you believe in the serotonin hypothesis? And that low serotonin is a factor in anxiety and/or depression? The serotonin hypothesis is a sales pitch from the pharmaceutical industry to sell psychotropic drugs. It is therefore very worrying that nutritional therapists found a market for sufferers and medicine addicts!

  2. There is no test you can take today that show low serotonin in the brain? So where is the evidence?

  3. Please read the books by Robert Whitaker, Peter Breggin and David Healy. Please read this article Things your Doctor Should tell You About Antidepressants and watch this Peter Breggin video

I’m sharing my response because these questions do come up periodically and you may hear other practitioners make similar statements. This is my response:

Yes, I do believe that low serotonin MAY be a factor in anxiety and/or depression (and research shows this to be a fact). I say MAY because anxiety and/or depression could have one of many possible causes – low serotonin, blood sugar instability, poor diet, not eating enough protein, sugar, caffeine, gluten, low dopamine (for depression), pyroluria, inflammation etc.

There is much evidence supporting low serotonin and depression/anxiety. Here are a few recent papers published in 2015:

In response to the question about testing serotonin levels: you can actually test serotonin levels via platelet testing. It’s the test that correlates most closely with CSF levels. A lab called European Laboratory of Nutrients (ELN)/formerly Vitamin Diagnostics offers this platelet serotonin test. It’s not a test that I use as I rely on the Amino Acid Questionnaire and response to the amino acids.   I do not use Urinary Neurotransmitter testing.

With regards to the great article from Mad in America – I totally support these facts (for many individuals):

“antidepressant medications appear to do more harm than good as treatments for depression” and all the “harmful effects on other processes in the body” like digestion, sexual function, cognition etc.

I also respect Dr Peter Breggin’s concerns (in the youtube video) about biochemical imbalances in your brain being caused by the antidepressant drugs you are taking (such as Prozac or Paxil) and why we want to avoid them.

We know that anxiety and depression is not only caused by life stresses and trauma. There are physical biochemical imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, gut problems, food sensitivities, heavy metals and many more causes. I discussed 60+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes of Anxiety during season 3 of the Anxiety Summit.

Low serotonin is just one of these possible contributing factors and we can address this with dietary and lifestyle changes:

  • Dietary changes include real whole food, grass-fed red meat, no sugar, no gluten, oily fish, healthy fats etc
  • Lifestyle changes include light therapy and exercise

Here are a few recent studies supporting the above:

The amino acid supplements tryptophan and 5-HTP are very powerful for providing immediate results of improved mood and reduced anxiety while the other factors are being addressed.   We really need more research on the supplements. Here are two papers:

By boosting serotonin levels in my clients, I see incredible results on a daily basis. And with all this serotonin anxiety/depression research (literally thousands and thousands of papers), it just amazes me when I hear someone say that low serotonin is not a factor. It’s not THE ONLY factor, but is often one of any contributing factors.

If you are anxious or depressed and are still unconvinced, I encourage you to do the Amino Acid Questionnaire and a trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP and see how you respond. I’ve listed some brands I like on this blog: The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements.

If you don’t need convincing and have seen great results by boosting your serotonin levels please do share your experiences in the comments below so we can inspire others to look into this approach so they can feel wonderful too.

The Anxiety Summit – Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Real Cases, Real Solutions

By Trudy Scott 22 Comments

 

Karla A Maree CNC, Neuronutrient Therapy Specialist, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Real Cases, Real Solutions

  • How pyroluria affects mood and anxiety and introversion
  • Amino acids GABA and tryptophan: how they can help you feel less anxious and happier in as little as 5 minutes
  • What is a pixie dust person
  • Gina, case study 1: social anxiety/pyroluria, birth control pill, vegetarian, low GABA, low serotonin and low iron
  • Mark, case study 2: social anxiety, pyroluria, claustrophobia, low serotonin, very sensitive to noise, gluten sensitivity

Here are some snippets from our interview:

When we do a trail of an amino acid, you open the capsule into water and hold this in your mouth for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. It bypasses the digestive system and you can expect results in 5 minutes or less

“Pixie dust” people are very sensitive to the environment or vitamins and we have them do finger touches of the opened capsule [of an amino acid] and that small amount can literally shift their brain chemistry

Here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. I encourage you to do it and see which sections may be an issue for you.  And as Karla mentioned re-do it frequently to see how much you’ve improved if you’ve been using amino acids.

We discussed why Urinary neurotransmitter testing falls short and why we use the above questionnaire instead.

Here is the Pyroluria Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution.   Karla has pyroluria and having it helps her identify with her clients.  She also used to be an introvert but when she is on the pyroluria protocol she can easily walk up to people and talk to them. 

[please stay tuned for the Dalai Lama vegetarian article]

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.

The Anxiety Summit – Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Troubleshooting when you are not getting results

By Trudy Scott 101 Comments

 

Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution. presents during the Anxiety Summit Season 3.

Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Troubleshooting when you are not getting results

  • Pyroluria and the effects of leaky gut, oxalates and low oxytocin levels
  • CFS, ADHD, autism, alcoholism, Lyme disease: the pyroluria connection
  • Introversion and musician’s dystonia: an update on the pyroluria connection
  • Troubleshooting the pyroluria protocol and mistakes I see
  • Testing for pyroluria, zinc, vitamin B6 and fatty acids
  • The 8 factors that make the targeted individual amino acids more effective
  • What to do when the amino acids are not working
  • Concerns about quinolinic acid and tryptophan?

Pyroluria/social anxiety/introversion protocol: trouble-shooting

This is the blog I mentioned that summarizes a number of prior blog posts on the topic: Pyroluria, social anxiety, introversion: a summary

We discussed factors to consider when you are not getting results on the pyroluria protocol. Here is the blog with the 21 we talked about during the interview plus additional factors that I’ve added.

Pyroluria protocol: why aren’t I getting results – trouble-shooting checklist

Here are the oxytocin blogs that discuss social anxiety, testing, the oxytocin receptor gene and connections to autism and depression:

Oxytocin, social anxiety, pyroluria and autism

Dr. Woeller shares how helpful oxytocin is for social anxiety, facial recognition and voice recognition in individuals with autism and Asperger’s syndrome

Oxytocin and social anxiety, pyroluria and depression?

Genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) has been implicated in anxiety, depression and related stress phenotypes

I mentioned my aminos and pyroluria interview with Sean Croxton on the upcoming Depression Sessions (an online video series) in June. He is an introvert and is fascinated with pyroluria-introversion connection. I said I’d share a link to the Depression Sessions but the site isn’t quite ready so please stay tuned. I’ll share it in a few days. This one is not to be missed.

 

Targeted individual amino acid supplements for anxiety: trouble-shooting

This is the blog I mentioned that summarizes a number of prior blog posts on the topic: Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary

Here are the categories I discussed, together with the associated amino acid/s

  • low blood sugar: glutamine
  • low GABA: GABA (I prefer GABA to Phenibut or pharmaGABA)
  • low serotonin: tryptophan or 5-HTP
  • low endorphins: DPA (d-phenylalanine)
  • low catecholamines: tyrosine

Here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. I encourage you to do and see which sections may be an issue for you (or see how much you’ve improved if you’ve been using amino acids)

I discussed why Urinary neurotransmitter testing falls short and why I use the above questionnaire instead

There are some precautions to be aware of when taking supplemental amino acids. Here are the Amino Acid Precautions

The 8 factors that make the amino acids more effective:

  1. addressing blood sugar issues and eating real whole food
  2. the brand and quality
  3. timing i.e. between meals and away from protein
  4. your unique amount for your own need
  5. addressing bipolar or bipolar-type symptoms
  6. using the pyroluria protocol at the same time (if needed)
  7. addressing thyroid health and hormonal health
  8. taking the amino acids opened up

Thanks to Dr. Josh Friedman, Integrative Psychotherapist, for the interview. As I mentioned, I interviewed him on season 1 of the Anxiety summit on: “Integrative Psychotherapy: My Journey from Psychoanalysis to Whole Person Mental Health.” If you missed it, I highly recommend it. Dr. Friedman is dear friend, colleague and integrative psychotherapist who uses amino acids and other nutritional approaches in his practice. During our season 1 interview I asked him if he uses GABA with his patients and I love his answer:

it is definitely something I use. I am not a biochemist, so I actually don’t really know whether it crosses the blood/brain barrier, nor do I care actually. the first question should be, is it harmful? Are any of these things going to cause harm? And the answer with all the amino acids are no, they’re not going to cause harm, especially when compared to psychiatric medicines. The second question is, does it work? Is it helpful for our patients that we see in our practice?

Here is a link to my book: The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings

As we mentioned, it has the amino acid questionnaire, pyroluria questionnaire and all the protocols BUT does not contain the 21+ pyroluria touble-shooting checklist (see the separate blog post for this)

trudy scott the antianxiety food solution

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.

The Anxiety Summit Season 3 speakers and topics

By Trudy Scott 33 Comments

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20+ of the World’s Experts and Opinion Leaders Share Powerful Nutritional Solutions for Your Anxiety, So You Can Feel Calm, Joyful and On Top Of The World Again!
Join Food Mood Expert and Certified Nutritionist Trudy Scott as She Interviews Researchers, Doctors, Psychiatrists, Nutritionists, Consumer Advocates, Psychologists.
Discover the Very Powerful Connection Between Food and Mood!
Hear the Science and Learn Practical Tools You Can Start to Use NOW!
Be Empowered, Take Charge and Feel Hopeful!
Practitioners… Get Solutions to Help Your Clients and Patients.

There will be a speaker blog for each speaker with links to studies, snippets from the interview, related articles and blogs, videos if they are available and a speaker gift. This will be a place for you to comment and ask your questions during the summit.

Here is the complete speaker line-up and some snippets from a few speakers.

Wednesday, May 6th
Trudy Scott CN, “New 2015 Food/Nutrient Research on Anxiety and Speaker Highlights”
Dr. Daniel Amen MD, “The Brain Warriors Way to Attacking Anxiety, Depression and Aging”

Here are a few snippets from my wonderful interview with Dr. Daniel Amen, THE brain doctor!

  • women’s brains are more active and we make less serotonin
  • testosterone boosts GABA and sugar consumption can drop your testosterone by 20%
  • benzodiazapines reduce blood flow to the brain (and we know that they can cause pseudo-dementia
  • Amen proposed that the BCP (birth control pill) is likely the reason that 23% of women 28-60 are taking anti-depressants
  • eat real food, plenty of organic produce, healthy fats and grass-fed red meat

Thursday, May 7th
Julia Rucklidge PhD, “What if… Nutrition could Treat Anxiety and Depression?”
Rebecca Katz MS, “Your Brain on Food: The Science and Alchemy of Yum for Alleviating Anxiety!”

Here are a few snippets from my interview with Rebecca Katz, the queen of yum!

  • Pumpkin seeds are “nature’s smallest antidepressant next to a snowflake”
  • Pumpkin seeds are a source of iron which has been shown to boost cognitive performance, especially in women of childbearing years. Iron is also a co-factor for making our neurotransmitters
  • Parlsey and mint are so accessible and eating them “is like eating oxygen” (I recently shared the delicious pomegranate olive mint salsa recipe from Rebecca’s new Healthy Mind Cookbook

Friday, May 8th
Summer Bock, “Sauerkraut for Gut Healing and Reducing Anxiety”
Dr. Peter Osborne DC, “Grainflammation – How Grain Consumption Contributes to Anxiety and other Mood Disorders”

Saturday, May 9th
Lierre Keith, “Anxiety, Depression, and the Vegetarian Diet”
Kaayla T. Daniel PhD, “Real Food for Anxiety: Butter, Broth and Beyond”

Sunday, May 10th
Dr. Allison Siebecker ND, “Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Anxiety”
Ann Louise Gittleman PhD, CNS, “The Parasite/Anxiety Connection”

Here are a few snippets from my interview with the legendary Ann Louise Gittleman PhD, CNS, grande dame of nutrition!

Monday, May 11th
Dr. Eva Selhub MD, “How to Heal Anxiety with Nature and the Body, not just with the Mind”
Dr. Jill Carnahan MD, “Is Toxic Mold the Hidden Cause of Your Anxiety?”

Tuesday, May 12th
Joe Tatta DPT, “Nutritional Influences on Anxiety and Musculoskeletal Pain”
Magdalena Wszelaki, “Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety – part 1”

Wednesday, May 13th
Dr. Benjamin Lynch ND, “How Methylfolate can make you Feel Worse and even Cause Anxiety, and What to do about it”
Magdalena Wszelaki, “Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety – part 2”

Thursday, May 14th
Mira Calton CN and Jayson Calton PhD, “Micronutrients for Eliminating Anxiety”
Yasmina Ykelenstam, “Histamine-containing Foods: their Role in Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia – part 1”

Friday, May 15th
Dr. Peter Bongiorno ND, “Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones”
Yasmina Ykelenstam, “Histamine-containing Foods: their Role in Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia – part 1”

Saturday, May 16th
Karla A Maree CNC, “Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Real Cases, Real Solutions”
Trudy Scott CN, “Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Troubleshooting when you are not getting results”

Sunday, May 17th
Dr. Kim D’Eramo DO, “How to use MindBody Medicine to Reverse Anxiety in 3 Minutes or Less”
Lebby Salinas, The Fooducator®, “How Gluten Elimination Healed Me and Eliminated my Anxiety”

Monday, May 18th – you’ll vote for your favorites to be replayed

Tuesday, May 19th
Dan Stratford, “My Anxiety-Zinc Story and the Message of Hope We Offer”
Trudy Scott CN, “Closing call: 30+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes/Solutions and Recommended Supplements”

Wednesday, May 20th  you’ll vote for your favorites to be replayed

I have not yet interviewed Dr. Ben Lynch ND, on “How too much methyfolate may actually make you more anxious”. [4/24/15 interview has now been done]

Nor have I interviewed Dr. Peter Bongiorno ND, on “Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones” [4/24/15 interview has now been done]

Let me know if you have questions you’d like me to ask these doctors.

I hope you can join us! And do let us know which speakers and topics are of particular interest in the comment section below.

The Anxiety Summit site has officially launched! Yay! You can now see all the incredible speakers and topics at www.theanxietysummit.com

I am just so excited to kick this off Wednesday May 6 at 9am PST. It will run thru May 20 with 2 speakers per day available for viewing at no charge.

You will, of course, have the option to upgrade and purchase digital audios or digital audios/transcripts. And now for the first time we’re offering physical CDs with audios/transcripts.

This will be over 25 hours of top-notch anxiety nutritional solutions from people I have hand-picked! Plus 3 talks I will be doing on new research, amino acid and pyroluria troubleshooting, 60+ nutritional causes of anxiety and the supplements I recommend.

If you signed up for either season 1 or season 2, or pre-registered for season 3 there is no need to sign up again – you will get the season 3 daily emails announcing speakers, gifts, fun drawings and special offers.  If you’re not sure if you are signed up, you can sign up again no problem. If you use the same email address you won’t get duplicate emails.

Register here www.theanxietysummit.com 

 

Mindful Eating World Summit: Stop dieting and START LIVING

By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

This is just a reminder that the Mindful Eating World Summit: Stop dieting and START LIVING! online event runs March 16th – 26th for 11 days.

mindful-eating

I’m very excited to be a part of Dr. Kellee Rutley’s virtual event. She’s brought together over 28 amazing POWERHOUSE experts to help you remove the guilt, shame and confusion around weight issues and TRUE health, and disocver powerful ideas that work to EMPOWER you!

We are Doctors, Educators, Scientists, Zen Masters, Psychologists, Naturopaths and Holistic Chefs! New York Times and Hay House authors, World Renowned Master Trainers, Coaches and Nutritionists. Many of us have had our own issues with poor health, unhealthy weight rollercoasters, emotional eating, anxiety and depression – and our personal stories reflect that.   Had my own issues with anxiety and panic and at one stage was such a choco-holic!

Together, we’ll share ways to help you reach optimal health, vitality and happiness!

I was given a sneak peek at some of the interviews and would love to share some gems from the wonderful interview with Dr. Michael Finkelstein….

Dr. Michael Finkelstein, The Slow Medicine Doctor, has been featured in top media outlets including The New York Times and CNN; has presented at leading venues including GE Corporation and Omega Institute; and blogs on the topic of Slow Medicine for The Huffington Post.

  • Dr. Finkelstein opened with this powerful message: “The promise of science let us down…the reality was that it doesn’t work for everything. Procedures and medicines often cause side-effects and problems, and 80% of people going to the doctor these days have a chronic problem (often contributed in part by their treatments). My patients would say to me (after 15 years of writing prescriptions): ‘isn’t there something else?’   I didn’t have the answer. When my blood pressure started to rise, I went to my physician who said you said to me ‘you need to be on medication’ and I said: ‘isn’t there something else?’ I had to go back to school to study integrative medicine to find the answer and I learned about other tools to augment my tool box. Instead of a pen and a scalpel I had so much more”
  • He suggests putting flowers and candles on the table when we’re eating – to improve our mood and overall eating experience
  • I really love when he talked about how “activity with meaning” or “movement with purpose” and how it is way more than simply exercising (like being on a treadmill). He suggests things like building a community garden, hiking with friends and gardening. “Do something you love and then you’ll do it!”
  • He loves to garden, his office is located in a garden and he shared the importance of nature, air, natural light, rain, getting your hands in the dirt, and probiotics and the microbiome and how it changes when you garden. I loved hearing him say so many of us suffer from nature-deficit-disorder! It’s so true!
  • His best quick fix for your health is Slow Medicine…when you change how you are living, you’ll feel in alignment and your anxiety will go down because your expectations are reasonable.

Dr. Finkelstein also shared how if we aren’t living a life that’s meaningful with purpose, we’re going to be very hungry and our craving will lead us to food because it’s readily available. Sometimes our hunger is emotional and with food we are feeding our bodies, and our minds and spirits.  He talks about finding your purpose and finding the treasure in your pain (for example, your anxiety or emotional eating) and looking for one key to the treasure.   Beautiful!

If you haven’t already heard me speak on amino acids and emotional eating my topic is: 5 Powerful Amino Acids that Banish Emotional Eating and Balance Your Brain Chemistry – No Willpower Required!  

The amino acids may be one of the keys to finding your treasure i.e. the freedom from your anxiety and/or or emotional eating.  

I’ll be offering $50 off my homestudy 6-week digital delivery program called The Amazing Amino Acids for Ending Emotional Eating – No Willpower Required! Really!!

Mark the date and sign up here http://mindfuleatingworldsummit.com?affiliates=33

Enjoy all these great speakers and topics!