anxiety

Healthy Mind Cookbook and pomegranate olive mint salsa recipe

April 3, 2015 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

healthy-mind-cookbook I’m excited to have had the opportunity of interviewing Rebecca Katz for season 3 of The Anxiety Summit. She has a new book The Healthy Mind Cookbook and I can’t wait to share our great interview.

Until then I’m sharing why I love this book and a wonderful recipe from her book, the pomegranate olive mint salsa.

Let me share why I love this recipe book:

It’s all about food for the brain and how to have a healthy mind and great mood!
I really appreciate the Culinary Pharmacy where the science behind the ingredients is shared. If you’ve been following me for awhile you know I love the science!
Rebecca’s focus is on yum! The recipes are delicious and the flavors just pop! I would have to say that one of my favorite sections is the Dollops chapter. Rebecca says “these dollops are snazzy surprises, acting as delicious high notes” and “many of the dollops contain healthy fats, which work to make brain-boosting vitamins and minerals more bioavailable” (the recipe below is from the Dollops chapter)
The food photos are positively mouth-watering (my only complaint is that there is not a photograph that goes with each recipe)
She has a section on Reducing Recipe Reading Anxiety, where she shares how to use these recipes as a blueprint and how not to get overwhelmed when there are ingredients you don’t recognize, can’t find or don’t really like. I’ll share below how I modified this salsa recipe to my liking and how it still turned out great.

Pomegranate Olive Mint Salsa

1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped mint
½ cup Kalamata or green olives, chopped
½ cup finely chopped fennel
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of sea salt

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir gently to combine. For optimal flavor, cover and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. For taste, you may want to add another squeeze of lemon or a pinch of salt.

Makes: 2 ½ cups.
Prep time: 15 minutes.
Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

healthy-mind-recipe1 — The picture from the Healthy Mind Cook book

My comments and modifications to the recipe:

When I read the ingredients I was surprised about the quantity of parley and mint but used this amount anyway and the end result is incredibly yum!
We didn’t have all the ingredients so we left out the pomegranates and used raisins instead, we replaced walnuts with almonds and I’m not crazy about raw scallions so just left them out – and it was still amazing! This all ties back to the section on Reducing Recipe Reading Anxiety.

healthy-mind-recipe2 — The first time we made it – served on salmon

We LOVE this recipe – it has become a standard in just a few short weeks. We have had it with both salmon and with lamb chops (it’s the best mint “sauce” for lamb)
The salmon above was also one of the recipes in the book: Roasted Ginger Salmon, and was delightful. In this one we left out the cayenne pepper and doubled up on the ginger – I love ginger! I’ll share this recipe in a future blog post.
And now we need to make it with the pomegranates!

So get shopping and chopping and enjoy a delicious salsa for your brain and taste buds! Let us know how yours turns out and what you serve it with.

The Hormone Secret and progesterone for anxiety

March 18, 2015 By Trudy Scott 68 Comments

Dr Tami Meraglia, MD, is the author of The Hormone Secret. I had an advance review copy and read it on the plane coming back from San Diego and it’s fabulous!

Read on below for a wonderful sample snippet from the book:

Did you know that you have a natural anti-anxiety hormone?

Women have a hormone that is produced in the ovaries and the adrenal glands that is like Valium bathing the female mind. It helps reduce anxiety and is known as the peaceful hormone. It also helps us sleep soundly through the entire night.

What is this amazing hormone? Progesterone.

Progesterone acts on the gamma amino butyric (GABA) receptors in the brain (the same receptors sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and even alcohols act upon), producing a calming effect. GABA is the primary inhibitory transmitter in the brain. If you wake between 2am and 4 am wide awake, you likely have a progesterone deficiency.

Progesterone also affects the elasticity of our skin, memory, is anti-inflammatory, is a natural diuretic and helps normalize blood sugar. It also stimulates that cells that make new bone called osteoblasts.

Unfortunately progesterone leaves our bodies first and leaves us quickly. You can have a low progesterone level as early as your late 20’s! Many women think that their increased irritability, loss of enjoyment of life and trouble sleeping if from their 24/7 lifestyle but it is likely more often due to a progesterone deficiency

Here are 7 common symptoms associated with low progesterone:

Anxiety

Waking at night

Fibrocystic breasts

PMS

Bone loss

Low libido

Infertility or irregular periods.

Here are 3 simple and natural things you can do to help your own body produce more progesterone:

Vitamin C. A dose of 750-1000 mg has been shown in studies to raise progesterone in women.

Selenium. 200-400 mcg/day was shown to boost production of progesterone in an Italian study.

The spices turmeric, thyme and oregano are also useful for raising progesterone. Use in cooking whenever you can.

Topical progesterone is also available over-the-counter.

If you find that it takes a bit more energy to keep your cool or that you are no longer sleeping through the night I encourage you to look to progesterone as a way to help.

I love Dr. Tami’s famous quote: “Remember, fine is a four-letter word. You deserve to feel FABULOUS!” I could not agree more – we all deserve to feel our absolute best all the time!

I do want to mention that we do differ in our food recommendations. I’m a Paleo eater myself and am recommending this more and more to my clients. But I absolutely LOVE the hormone information in this book! Just wait until you read about testosterone too – yes! And natural ways to boost your own production! And/or how to use small amounts for women! It’s very different from what you typically hear.

Mindful Eating World Summit: Stop dieting and START LIVING

March 10, 2015 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!

Winter blues or SAD: light therapy

February 27, 2015 By Trudy Scott 44 Comments

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or “winter blues” is a form of depression most often associated with the lack of light during the fall and winter months. It is very common and may be associated with low serotonin levels. We often associate low serotonin with depression, however low serotonin can also be associated with: anxiety, excessive worry and feeling overly stressed. There’s evidence of seasonality in anxiety and panic attacks, just as there is with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Another common sign of low serotonin is increased carbohydrate cravings, especially during the afternoon or evening.

One very effective approach for SAD is light therapy. I also find the use of targeted individual amino acids and a dietary approach to be very useful and share more about that below.

Winter Blues by Dr. Norman Rosenthal MD

I’ve just finished reading a really great book called Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder by Dr. Norman Rosenthal MD, and the research is fascinating. He is a fellow South African who moved to the USA and found he was depressed each winter. After 3 seasons of this, he started doing research on light therapy and was one of the original SAD researchers. He is internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to understanding SAD and using light therapy to treat it.

Feedback from colleagues: desk lamp, desk panels, floor lamps and light boxes

I asked some colleagues what they have used and/or liked, and recommend and share some of these below (providing my Amazon links in most cases so you can find them easily). Due to models being discontinued/revamped, I’ve made some updates as of Jan 2024.

Donna Kelley, Certified Holistic Nutritionist

I have a Blue Max, full spectrum, 70 watt dimmable desk lamp. I have had it for 3 years and actually use it to work by. It was recommended by Julia Ross in her certification program. (The company that makes this one is Full Spectrum Solutions)

UPDATE: Jan 2024 – the above model is no longer available but a very comparable one is the Verilux HappyLight Duo – 2-in-1 Light Therapy & Task Desk Lamp. Be sure to read some of the reviews. This is a really good one: “providing me with light therapy to lift my mood some during these dark times (literally since it’s winter…and figuratively…). I genuinely think I feel better/lighter/cheerier after I’ve been working by my HappyLight Duo for several hours.”

Christine Wokowsky, Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition

My office is the darkest room in the house and I have one sitting on my desk, especially helpful in the winter. This is the second Verilux Happy Light I have used and I really like it. Living in Nevada where there is sunshine over 330 days of the year I am so accustomed to light and brightness if I am in a dark room or space for too long it really affects me. This has been a great product for me and I can recommend it.

Tracey Schuyler, Owner, Nutrition Counselor at Redefining Food 4 Health, LLC, also likes the Verilux

Like Christine, I personally use the Verilux Happy Light, which I purchased recently. It made a difference right away. I live in Boise, Idaho, and we are accustomed to winter inversions … sometimes days / weeks on end without any sunlight! I place it on my bathroom counter, turn it on in the morning before I shower, and turn it off as I’m leaving the bathroom, after drying my hair, etc. (about 25 minutes).

UPDATE: Jan 2024 – the above model, Verilux Happy Light, is no longer available but a very comparable one by the same company is the Verilux® HappyLight® Alba – New Round UV-Free LED Therapy Lamp. This one has a count-down timer and is portable so can be moved from room to room easily.

Shirley Pastore McCormack, Writer, Life/Wellness Coach, Registered Yoga Teacher

I use the Blue Max Lighting (BlueMax 70W dimmable) floor lamp. I use it 20 minutes each morning from the fall to spring equinoxes. I noticed a great level of improvement, but even more improvement when a doctor prescribed Vitamin D therapy. I was moderately to severely deficient, and needed 10,000 IU for 4-6 weeks under her care to bring my levels up. I do well with the light therapy as long as it is used in conjunction with regular daily doses of D3 (I’m now on 2000IU daily). The light therapy just seems to be “part of the whole solution.” (The company that makes this one is also Full Spectrum Solutions.)”

UPDATE: Jan 2024 – the above model, Blue Max Lighting floor lamp, is no longer available but a very comparable one is the Verilux® HappyLight® Duo – 2-in-1 Light Therapy & Task Floor Lamp.

Dr Josh Friedman, PHD, Integrative Psychotherapy of Omaha

I follow the guidelines of Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Therapeutics. They have done research on a variety of light boxes and the one on this page is inexpensive and effective [and is 10,000 lux] You can find it on Amazon here: Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp

This is what the Center for Environmental Therapeutics has to say about this newer light therapy device:

This handsome new bright light therapy unit ― the Carex Day-light “Classic” Plus Model supersedes our former Daylight “Classic” Model, presenting the same benefits at lower cost and with enhanced design. The required parameters for 10,000 lux light therapy have been thoroughly clinically tested at major university centers, and have been established as the international standard for treatment of winter depression, milder “winter doldrums,” and other chronobiological, circadian rhythm sleep and mood disturbances.

Using light therapy with amino acids or adjusting up the amino acids or doing both

Additional Jan 2024 updates:

I often recommend the use of light therapy in conjunction with amino acids. We may just add light therapy and keep amino acid dosing the same or we may use higher doses of amino acids like tryptophan, 5-HTP and GABA during the winter months. We may also do both depending on the person’s unique needs.

Here are some blog posts where I address adjusting up/increasing the amino acids during winter:

There may even be a seasonal aspect to PMDD/PMS with an increase in hormonal binge eating, wine drinking and anxiety – with symptoms ramping up from October (click here to read that blog post).

More binge eating, emotional eating and carb cravings in Winter

This paper, The Role of Diet, Eating Behavior, and Nutrition Intervention in Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Systematic Review discusses the eating and drinking habits of individuals with SAD (seasonal affective disorder):

Compared with non-clinical subjects, SAD patients tended to consume significantly larger dinners and more evening snacks during weekdays and weekends and exhibit a higher frequency of binge eating, external eating, and emotional eating. Additionally, compared to healthy controls, SAD patients presented more cravings for starch-rich food and food with high fiber.

This paper also mentions vegetarianism being associated with higher SAD prevalence. As outlined in my book (link below) and various blogs, I am an advocate of quality animal protein as it provides amino acids, zinc, iron, omega-3s and vitamin B12 – all needed for neurotransmitter production.

It also mentions that alcoholism is “associated with higher SAD prevalence.”

Amino acids and light therapy help emotional eating and excessive drinking

The authors don’t offer a solution but I can share that the amino acids mentioned above help with sugar/carb cravings and emotional eating and alcohol addiction.

Using light therapy is going to help too, with research suggesting that bright light therapy is potentially effective at improving both disordered-eating behavior and mood.

Seasonality to anxiety and panic disorder and how to use bright light therapy

There is a seasonality to anxiety and panic disorder just as there are seasonal variations in mood for certain susceptible individuals. You can read more about this and some of the basics like how to use bright light, and for how long, possible adverse effects and who should not use bright light therapy.

The blog is: How to use bright light therapy for increased anxiety, increased panic and SAD during the cold dark winter months

This information about bright light and mood disorders can be applied to anxiety and panic attacks, in addition to SAD.

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan and the other amino acids as supplements

We use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue for you.

If you suspect low levels of any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the practitioner/health team you or your loved one is working with.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues. The importance of quality animal protein is also covered.

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 acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms too). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

Do you get the winter blues and increased anxiety in the winter months? Have you had success with light therapy?

If yes, which full spectrum lamp have you found to be the most useful? What time of the day do you use it, how often do you use it and for what duration?

Have you used a combination of amino acids and light therapy, and adjusted up your amino acids during the colder and darker winter months?

If you’re a practitioner do you recommend light therapy to your clients/patients?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

BOUGHT the movie – watch at no charge

February 20, 2015 By Trudy Scott 44 Comments

The movie that Big Pharma, the Vaccine Industry, the Medical Establishment and Big Ag DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE!

Watch it at NO CHARGE ~~between February 20th – March 6th~~ (details are below)

UPDATE 3/6/15: FREE VIEWING HAS BEEN EXTENDED THRU SUNDAY MARCH 15th – ENJOY! (the drawing will be done after this so keeping sharing and adding your WOWs in the comments!)

I’m thrilled to be able to share this incredible movie viewing with you. Jeff Hayes, producer of the new film BOUGHT, is a man on a mission, and he is making it available to view at no charge for a limited time.

BOUGHT is a groundbreaking documentary that exposes the shocking truth behind drugs, vaccines and GMOs. It’s all about Big Food, Big Ag, and Big Pharma and is all about money and profits.

The movie subtitle is perfect: “Your health – now brought to you by Wall Street.”

Watch this film and hear from acclaimed experts in science, medicine, and the law, plus the activists who are raising awareness to help protect their families and will help you protect your family.

Big Pharma funding medical education

You may recognize Dr. Kelly Brogan MD., integrative psychiatrist. I interviewed her on both season 1 and season 2 of the Anxiety Summit. She talks about how Big Pharma funded her medical education. She shared how she was heavily courted by the drug industry and taken to first class restaurants. Of course, she questioned all of this and now educates her patients about real food, gut health, inflammation, curcumin, low vitamin B12 etc.

Selling a drug (the antidepressant Paxil) off-label to children

Former drug sales rep (and now whistleblower) Blair Hamrick, was fired from GlaxoSmithKline when he reported that the company was selling a drug (the antidepressant Paxil) off-label to children. The drug was indicated for 18 years and above.

In July 2012, James Cole, Deputy Attorney General announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) had to pay $3 billion dollars in fines. Carmen Ortiz, US Attorney, MA, shared that GlaxoSmithKline “bribed physicians to prescribe GSK drugs using every imaginable form high-priced entertainment.”

Here is a snippet about this from the New York Times

Prosecutors said the company had tried to win over doctors by paying for trips to Jamaica and Bermuda, as well as spa treatments and hunting excursions. In the case of Paxil, prosecutors claim GlaxoSmithKline employed several tactics aimed at promoting the use of the drug in children, including helping to publish a medical journal article that misreported data from a clinical trial.

A warning was later added to the drug that Paxil, like other antidepressants, might increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in teenagers.

Prosecutors said the company had marketed Wellbutrin for conditions like weight loss and sexual dysfunction when it was approved only to treat major depressive disorder.

Blair Hamrick shared this in the movie: “I have a new respect for doctors that didn’t want drug reps in their office.” Reps are given 3 week crash courses and are taught exactly what to say to the doctors. They are persuading doctors to make decisions about patient care.

Shocking Paxil study 329

One of my favorite integrative doctors, Dr. Tami Meraglia MD., talks more about the Paxil study 329. It found that suicide ideation tripled in adolescents who were on this antidepressant. The study authors omitted – yes omitted! – these parts from the study saying the adolescents were non-compliant, instead of reporting this as a side-effect! Had this been reported in the study, Paxil would not have been approved for use in adolescents.

A message of hope and empowerment

I love that it’s a movie with a mission and also with a message of hope and empowerment. It’s bringing these issues to light so we can make sure things get changed!

Brad and I watched the movie earlier this week and we were riveted to our seats! I highly recommend it! You may not agree with everything and much of this is controversial (especially the vaccine information) but I encourage you to simply be open to listening to both sides.

Watch it at NO CHARGE

Just sign up HERE to get access to the full video viewing – enter your name and email and you’ll receive an email with a link to watch it at your leisure

Save your spot, enjoy the video, and do tell others about it!

You can also buy copies of the DVD and transcript (as a hardcopy booklet). There are discounts for volume sales – for schools, organizations, clubs etc. or if you’d like to buy a copy for family and friends.

Addition 2/25/15: Let’s get this message out in a REALLY big way!

Watch it and make a note of 1-3 things that made you go “Wow! I have to tell my sister/mother/husband/wife/best friend/daughter/son this right now!” Also make note of the time elapsed (e.g. 13 minute mark)
For each of the 1-3 things/facts that made you go wow, come back and comment on the blog with each “wow fact” + the corresponding minute mark for each one.
Here is an example: “Wow! Dr. Tami Meraglia – Paxil study – suicide ideation tripled in children – they omitted these parts from the study… 15 min mark”
This will inspire others to go and watch these sections and will give a great synopsis with minute marks each of us can go back to.

Win a copy of The Anxiety Summit

As a thank you, once the free viewing ends, I’ll do a drawing and 3 lucky winners will each win a copy of either season 1 or season 2 of The Anxiety Summit, 25+ hours of expert interviews on nutritional solutions for anxiety. If you already own a copy you’ll get a season 3 when it airs in May.

UPDATE: 4/17/15 – the winners have been selected – congratulations to Peace, Theresa and Susan! Thanks to everyone for comments and shares!

Pyroluria and focal musician’s dystonia or musician’s cramp

February 6, 2015 By Trudy Scott 50 Comments

In May 2014 a gentleman named Jay asked this question on my Pyroluria Questionnaire blog: “have you come across a connection between pyroluria and focal musician’s dystonia (musician’s cramp)?

I responded saying “I have not and until I looked it up I was not aware of this condition. I’m curious why you’re asking? Do you or someone you know have symptoms of pyroluria and focal musician’s dystonia?”

I’m a very curious person and always turn to the research and like to look for connections. I started to dig and came across the The Dystonia Society, a UK based organization that provides support, advocacy and information for anyone affected by the neurological movement condition known as dystonia. They have this definition on the About Dystonia page:

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder. Faulty signals from the brain cause muscles to spasm and pull on the body incorrectly. This forces the body into twisting, repetitive movements or abnormal postures.

The various types of dystonia are listed and they discuss managing symptoms and say:

Remission from symptoms does sometimes occur but is rare – occurring in around 5-10% of cases.

I posted some feedback, starting a dialogue (both in the comments and via email) that led to me learning a whole lot more about dystonia and the finding out there does seem to be a connection to pyroluria, a social anxiety condition that is not well-recognized in the medical or mental health community. Symptoms include inner tension and discomfort in big groups. Many introverts relate to the symptoms of pyroluria too.

In the process Jay saw wonderful results, we heard from Dave and his success. And we’re getting to share this information in the hope of helping others like him and Dave.

Much of the information is buried in comments on various blogs so I’ve decided it needs a separate blog post – with the connections and research I discovered and some of the inspiring feedback from Jay and Dave.

Dystonia and possible connections with pyroluria

This is most of what I originally posted (with a few slight revisions).

I do see some overlaps with dystonia and mood so it’s possible there is a connection between pyroluria and musician’s dystonia:

(1) The Dystonia Society is a wealth of information and has this on their mental health page: “it is now thought that people affected by dystonia are more likely to experience mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and OCD even before the physical symptoms of dystonia appear. It is not known why this is – but it appears that whatever causes dystonia may also affect mood and behaviour in some way.” Now I wonder how common social anxiety is for those with dystonia?

(2) “An additional relation between dystonia and mental health conditions is that some drugs used to treat psychoses can cause tardive dystonia / dyskinesia. With the new generation of these drugs (called dopamine receptor blockers) this is much less likely than it used to be – but unfortunately a small risk remains.” (this is also from the above dystonia page)

(3) The drug treatments they recommend are also often used for anxiety and depression. I’d suggest assessing for low GABA, low serotonin and low catecholamines first (using the amino acid questionnaire and determining if targeted individual amino acids may give the same relief. I would avoid benzodiazapines – Dr. Catherine Pittman shared the many side-effects and withdrawal effects during the Anxiety Summit.

(4) If you have pyroluria, you’ll also have low levels of zinc and vitamin B6, key co-factors in making serotonin and GABA and other neurotransmitters which affect anxiety and depression.

(5) Depression, anxiety, pyroluria and dystonia have a possible autoimmune/gluten/diet connection. This paper “Movement disorders in autoimmune diseases” discusses how “Tremors, dystonia, chorea, ballism, myoclonus, parkinsonism, and ataxia may be the initial and even the only presentation of these autoimmune diseases.” And here is a case study where the dystonia resolved on a gluten-free diet: “She had complete resolution of her neurological symptoms with introduction of a gluten-free diet.” We know gluten can damage the gut and lead to low levels of nutrients such as zinc and also cause low serotonin.

(6) Wilson’s disease (a serious condition of high copper/low zinc) can have symptoms of dystonia. This 2012 paper states: “The clinical manifestations of neurologic Wilson’s disease include variable combinations of dysarthria, dystonia, tremor, parkinsonism, ataxia, and choreoathetosis.”

I’m so pleased Jay asked this question. I learned a lot by looking in to this initially and since then have learned a great deal more.

Jay and Dave: their results implementing the pyroluria protocol

And take a look at the fabulous results Jay and Dave saw when they implemented only the pyroluria protocol (the starting dose I use with clients is 100mg vitamin B6 and 30mg zinc and 1300mg Evening Primrose Oil):

From Jay in June 2014

I started taking B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 120mg and Zinc USP 60mg 2 weeks ago and do find some relief already. As you may have guessed, I have had dystonia for a long time and had to put a professional musician’s career on hold, and when I read your site, I found that I have a large number of symptoms from your list – I am hopeful.

From Jay in September 2014

I think it is, at this point, safe to say that the pyroluria treatment is, at least in my case, the cure for pyroluria and dystonia. 90%+ of my symptoms have disappeared, I am working extensively on repertoire and I am thinking about getting back into performing.

Dave in September 2014

just writing here to say that i too have battled focal dystonia over the past 8+ years. actually started as writer’s cramp and then worked it’s way into my guitar playing. about 3 years ago i noticed symptoms lessened based on different things i ate and shortly after came across pyroluria. in all questionairs i answer yes to most if not all questions.

anyway, for the past 2 years i’ve been on zinc and b6 and have had vast improvements. for me, the muscle disorders don’t go away without retraining, but the b6 and especially zinc make retraining much more successful. however, sometimes i do hit the jackpot and my hands work almost normal without the efforts of retraining. my dose fluctuates between 25-60 mg zinc and 50-100 mg b6 which i seem to have more trouble taking. i also experimented with methyl b12 but that led to a very painful rash.

the funny thing about all of this is that i feel nowadays that focal dystonia was only the canary in the coal mine for other symptoms that paid little or no attention to because i was only focused on being a musician. as a result of taking supplements most of those other symptoms are much better and i’m soooooo close now to having proper movement in my fingers.

it’s really great to see what you and jay have posted here because it really validates what i’ve been doing. i too believe there are many that can be helped by this.

Jay in October 2014

I am so happy to read this dystonia related success story! After my own experience, I still say an experience akin to rebirth as a musician and also as a person, this was the reason for me to post on this blog – to help get this out to musicians who are victims of dystonia and inadequate medical treatment.

Low GABA levels in focal and cervical dystonia

Update: Dec 6, 2024

I’m adding this section on a GABA connection to dystonia because cervical dystonia came up as a question in the GABA Quickstart 2.0 program this week. The research finds that there seems to be a low GABA connection to many different types of dystonia.

This 2002 paper, Impaired brain GABA in focal dystonia, reports on patients with writer’s cramp, a task specific dystonia, revealing “that brain GABA levels are decreased in specific brain regions of the focal dystonia patients compared to normal controls” and concludes that the “reduction of brain GABA in dystonia patients may explain the clinical symptomatology of focal dystonia.”

Cervical dystonia, “also called spasmodic torticollis, is a painful condition in which your neck muscles contract involuntarily, causing your head to twist or turn to one side. Cervical dystonia can also cause your head to uncontrollably tilt forward or backward.”

The objective of this 2021 paper, Cervical Dystonia Is Associated With Aberrant Inhibitory Signaling Within the Thalamus, was “to investigate whether alterations in the neurotransmission of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the thalamus are present in patients with cervical dystonia compared to healthy controls.”

The authors report that “aberrant inhibitory signaling within the thalamus contributes to the pathophysiology of cervical dystonia. Additionally, these results suggest that an inadequate ability to compensate for the loss of GABA through upregulation of GABAA receptors may underlie more severe symptoms.”

Keep in mind that zinc and vitamin B6 are cofactor nutrients that are needed to make GABA. It’s common for someone with low GABA symptoms to also be on the pyroluria protocol.

I would be exploring low GABA in addition to low zinc and low vitamin B6 (and possibly pyroluria if someone has any type of dystonia.

Additional resources when you are new to using GABA and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low GABA or other neurotransmitter imbalances may be an issue.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program (if you have low GABA symptoms). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I appreciate Jay and Dave for sharing their dystonia success stories. I am curious if using GABA too would have helped them see results more quickly.

We’re hoping we can generate some interest from various dystonia organizations/groups/forums and help more musicians find symptom resolution – certainly more than the 5-10% the Dystonia Society reports. The more people reporting success, the more likely approaches like this will be studied, accepted by the mainstream medical community and included on sites like the Dystonia Society.

If you relate to any of this please do comment and let us know what your results have been.

If you know someone with musician’s dystonia (or another form of dystonia) and pyroluria/social anxiety please do share this with them.