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5-HTP for a calm brain, and a racing mind at night: questions and answers

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5-HTP q and a

5-HTP is an amino acid, made from the seeds of an African plant, Griffonia simplicifolia, and used as a supplement to ease low serotonin symptoms. With low levels of serotonin you’ll experience the worry-type of anxiety with ruminations, obsessing, panic attacks, insomnia (often lying awake worrying). This type of anxiety is different from the low GABA physical/tension type anxiety. Other low serotonin symptoms include low mood/depression, late afternoon and evening carbohydrate cravings, pain, digestive/IBS symptoms, PMS, irritability, rage and anger, TMJ, low confidence, imposter syndrome and perfectionism.

When I share my low serotonin blogs on Facebook I receive so many great questions about 5-HTP. Today I’m going to share some of these questions and my answers so you can get the benefits too.

Gail asks why 5-HTP stopped working for her when it had been working so amazingly well:

I took 5-HTP and it worked amazingly….for about 6 months. Then it did nothing. Any idea why?

I took 100 mg per day. It’s hard to explain, but it calmed my brain down. I wasn’t so quick to blurt things out during the day and at night I was able to sleep because my mind wasn’t racing. Nothing else changed at that time. That was a few years ago, I think I’ll buy more and try again

I would guess that something did shift around the 6 month mark and would try and identify what it was so you know for the future. It could have been accidental gluten exposure (from the diet or even cosmetics), hormonal shifts (perimenopause or menopause), adding collagen or gelatin on a regular basis (this can lower serotonin in susceptible folks) and/or changes in thyroid health.

If you have pyroluria and were exposed to major stresses (life stresses or toxic mold etc.) you’d lose vitamin B6 and this could affect serotonin production. The addition of the birth control pill and antidepressants can also deplete vitamin B6. I share some possible reasons for low serotonin on this blog on imposter syndrome (as mentioned above, imposter syndrome is a common sign of low serotonin).

With these wonderful benefits Gail experienced, trialing 5-HTP again is worth considering. Because 5-HTP works so quickly she’ll feel that sense of calm right away and she won’t blurt things out during the day (possibly caused by lack of confidence and/or irritability and/or anger?). Also, her mind won’t race at night, she’ll fall asleep quickly and will stay asleep, waking rested, calm, happy, confident and optimistic.

And in future if something like this happens again, I’d try to identify the cause and bump up 5-HTP temporarily.

Wendy asks about headaches as an adverse effect:

What do you recommend if 5-HTP gives you headaches?

Headaches are not a common adverse effect with 5-HTP (compared to the amino acid tyrosine which is recognized to cause headaches and migraines in susceptible folks).

Even if you are seeing benefits – for the worry-type anxiety and other low serotonin symptoms – with 5-HTP you don’t ever want to push through with something like headaches and continue to take it. I have clients use less 5-HTP and observe if they still see the benefits with no headaches.

We also make sure low serotonin is the issue. If it’s not then any amount of 5-HTP will either do nothing or cause adverse effects. If the issue is low serotonin then I have clients do a trial of  tryptophan.

If the 5-HTP is being used to ease low mood/depression caused by low catecholamine or low endorphins depression then neither 5-HTP or tryptophan is going to help and may cause adverse effects. And tyrosine and/or DPA are better choices.

Gerry asks this question after my interview on Your Best Sleep Ever Summit:

Great talk Trudy. When you want to increase serotonin, do you take both 5-HTP & tryptophan or just one or the other?

They can be used alone or both can be used together. I like to have clients add one new amino acid supplement at a time so we know what is working before confounding things with another one. I typically start with tryptophan for low serotonin support simply because I have such good results with it and because 5-HTP can raise cortisol in some folks.

We start with tryptophan mid-afternoon and evening (after doing a trial earlier in the day to make sure it helps).  If tryptophan causes adverse effects or doesn’t work then we do a trial of 5-HTP and then use it afternoon and evening (when serotonin levels tend to drop).

If tryptophan is working in the afternoon and evening, and additional support for worry or ruminations or panic or anxiety is needed earlier in the day, we may consider 5-HTP which can often also help improve focus. We may also consider tryptophan earlier in the day too.

It’s very individualized and we may mix and match to find the ideal combination and dosing based on trials and symptom resolution. It’s important to be aware that some folks do better on 5-HTP and some do better on tryptophan.

Here are some useful blogs related to low serotonin and the amino acids:

As always, it’s not only the low serotonin we need to address. 5-HTP offers quick relief but we must always do a full functional workup looking at diet, nutritional deficiencies, digestion, all hormones, toxins and infections (and so on) so we can address all possible root causes – and why serotonin is low in the first place.

Thanks to these folks for asking good questions and for allowing me to share here.

What questions do you have about 5-HTP?

Which low serotonin symptoms can you relate to and has 5-HTP or tryptophan helped? Or have you found success with a combination.

Feel free to post your questions and feedback in the comments below.

Christmas tree phenols as a trigger for anger, meltdowns, anxiety, hyperactivity, insomnia, aggression, self-injury and autistic symptoms?

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christmastree phenols and anxiety

Are you aware that the aromatic oils that give pine trees their wonderful smell are phenols and that these phenols may be a trigger for anger and meltdowns, anxiety, hyperactivity, irritability insomnia, self-injurious behavior, digestive issues and autistic symptoms (such as stimming, swinging and hand-flapping)? All this can be caused by an indoor Christmas tree in susceptible individuals.

My colleague Julie Matthews writes about this here: Avoiding Holiday Havoc: Healthy solutions to avoid meltdowns and keep the holidays happy

“When phenols are not able to be broken-down and detoxified by a process called sulfation, which is low in many children with autism and ADHD”, they can cause these symptoms and also red cheeks and ears. She shares that “phenolic compounds come in many forms including artificial petroleum-based food additives, and salicylates (a type of phenol) found in plants and foods like strawberries and spices, as well as pine trees.”

In the above blog, Julie shares this story about a client with a 10-year old son with autism. He severely regressed during the holidays and it was because of the Christmas tree. This is what the mom shared:

During the Holidays our son regressed severely.  He became anxious, aggressive, and self-abusive. He cried and had tantrums regularly throughout the day. He couldn’t sleep anymore and was up for hours at a time, night after night. He was hand-flapping like crazy.  We have a swing in the house for him and he now wanted to swing all day long, constantly, and do nothing else. He lost eye contact and he stopped responding to his name.

Once the Christmas tree was removed the improvements were dramatic:

The next day, he was much calmer. He seemed to have “exhaled.” Within 48 hours, our son was completely back to normal.

I shared Julie’s blog on my Facebook page and a father in my community shared a similar experience about his autistic son’s severe reactions to phenols:

Yes! My autistic son who is sensitive to phenols, would completely meltdown during the holidays. We thought it was just the change in routine and his environment, but quite by accident we discovered fragrances seemed to make him worse. We got rid of the fragrances and holiday tree/decor and the improvement in our son was dramatic! We now realize it was the phenols.

My son’s reaction to phenols/fragrances are bright red cheeks/ears, dark under eye circles, headaches, inappropriate manic laughter, aggression/self injurious behavior, marathon meltdowns/screaming, incontinence, insomnia/less than 3 hrs sleep a night, bumpy rashes, GI issues/diarrhea, excessive sensory stimming (hand flapping, lip licking, running around and body slamming into things.) During the holidays, the intensity of these reactions shot through the roof.

They found out by chance that it was the Christmas tree that was causing his son’s issues each year. It started when he was a toddler and they figured it was the stress and changes of the holidays that was the issue. One year they didn’t put up a tree and they could not believe the difference. It was then they made the connection and learned more about phenols and made the necessary changes.

By reducing phenols in his diet and environment, and giving him Epsom Salt baths and enzymes (No-Fenol), most of the above symptoms were significantly reduced.

I suspect there are many families who are seeing similar meltdowns and have no idea it could be the Christmas tree. Keep in mind that the reactions may not be as severe as these two cases I’ve shared here. If you are seeing any increase in anxiety, irritability, sleep problems, digestive issues or other unusual behavior changes in your child, keep an open mind that it may be more than just the holiday changes.

Julie’s advice is this:

  • Since so many children with autism and ADHD react to salicylates/phenols – in her nutrition practice she finds an overwhelming majority react negatively – she suggests a cautious approach to holiday decorating for all families of a child with autism or ADHD. Simply avoid the pine Christmas tree.
  • If you are unsure about their sensitivity to salicylates/phenols you might ask yourself if your child is often hyper, irritable, or has red cheeks, and other common salicylate symptoms, or whether they crave salicylate-rich foods such as berries, grapes, apples, and ketchup. If so, explore salicylates further.

I encourage you to read Julie’s blog to gain a better understanding of salicylates and phenols. If you are a practitioner and want to learn more about low salicylates/phenols and other special diets her practitioner training is excellent.

I appreciate this mom and dad for sharing their experiences with their sons so we can all learn and help other families. I also so appreciate Julie’s expertise in this area and really look forward to digging further into the research and picking her brain so I can share more.

Could your holiday anxiety and/or insomnia be phenol issues too?

Julie works with children with autism and ADHD but as someone who works primarily with adults with anxiety, I’m going to be exploring sensitivity to salicylates/phenols further. Julie recently shared this with me: “if you start looking you’ll probably see a lot of your clients with anxiety have phenol issues.”

If you also notice any increase in anxiety, anger, irritability, sleep problems, digestive issues or other unusual behavior changes, keep an open mind that it may be more than just the holiday stress or winter blues/winter anxiety. It may well be phenol issues too.

Serotonin connection to phenol issues

I’ll be blogging more about this and the fascinating serotonin connection to phenol issues. You may have noticed that many of the symptoms these 2 boys experienced sound a lot like either low serotonin or high serotonin (both of which can occur in autism).  Serotonin is an endogenous phenol compound and this phenol issue is likely causing high serotonin.

When I asked Julie about this she shared this with me: “Yes, serotonin and dopamine are phenolic. And sulfation is important for the inactivation of dopamine and serotonin. So poor sulfation can lead to neurotransmitter imbalances.”

Using collagen to lower high serotonin?

I’ve blogged about how collagen can lower serotonin in susceptible folks and increase anxiety. It is also used by some folks to lower their high serotonin and make them calm. Misty reports using collagen ‘therapeutically’:

I use it to reduce tryptophan because I have a tendency toward high serotonin. I have suffered my entire life with ADD, tics as a child, grinding teeth, general anxiety, lack of motivation and later, IBS. In my 53 years I’ve never been as calm as I am now.

I don’t know if Misty has a phenol issue but I’m going to be exploring if collagen or gelatin could possibly be used to help lower the high serotonin and ease some of these severe phenol reactions quickly, in conjunction with other approaches like avoiding the foods and environmental exposures, enzymes and other nutrients, and Epsom salt baths.

Christmas tree syndrome, mold issues and toxic plastic trees

I hate to spoil the Christmas fun but here are a few other things to consider:

  • Christmas tree syndrome is also a real issue for many individuals
  • My friend and Enviornmental Toxins expert Lara Adler shares how mold from a real tree made her and her cat really sick “Within a few days of getting the tree, I broke out in a full-body rash that required a 10-day run of prednisone. I didn’t think it was the tree at first (it could have been something else), but then my cat, who was already dealing with GI inflammation and a gut issue developed asthma! Out of nowhere! She also ended up on prednisone. I got rid of the tree and both our symptoms never came back.”
  • She also shares some issues with plastic trees: they are often made from toxic PVC (polyvinyl chloride) with “softeners like lead and/or phthalates”, and often treated with endocrine-disrupting flame retardant chemicals. More about this on Lara’s blog here.

Have you observed a salicylate/phenol reaction with your child or client/patient? What about a less severe reaction with your child or with you personally?

Have the following helped you: avoiding the foods and environmental exposures like a Christmas tree, using enzymes like No-Fenol and other nutrients, and Epsom salt baths? In the midst of a very severe reaction has collagen or gelatin helped reduce symptoms quickly?

What about mold issues or allergies with a Christmas tree?

Feel free to post your questions here on the blog too.

Gelatin triggers Enid’s anxiety in 2 weeks but also lowers her high blood sugar

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gelatin anxiety blood sugar

Are you aware that collagen and gelatin lower serotonin and may increase your anxiety and depression and worsen sleep? I blogged about this in 2017 and how susceptible individuals who are prone to low serotonin need to be aware of this and use 5-HTP or tryptophan to counter these effects. (You can read that blog here: Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression?)

I’m sharing an example today from one of the many comments on the above blog as a reminder or in case this is new to you. It’s not well-recognized as being an issue even amongst practitioners and producers of collagen. This is also one of my most commented-on blogs so it’s clearly a big issue. And gelatin and collagen continue to become more and more popular.

As a reminder, gelatin is derived from collagen: when collagen breaks down, it becomes gelatin. Also, collagen and gelatin are an excellent source of these amino acids: proline, glycine, glutamine and arginine, but they do not contain the amino acid tryptophan, so they have the potential to lower serotonin levels.

Tryptophan-depletion studies have been done for years – using a tryptophan-deficient amino acid mixture – as a way to study the relationship between low serotonin and depression.

More recently, collagen and gelatin are being used in these tryptophan-depletion studies because they do not contain the amino acid tryptophan. This paper, Pharmacokinetics of acute tryptophan depletion using a gelatin-based protein in male and female Wistar rats, summarizes what we find in a number of studies that use gelatin for the purpose of lowering serotonin levels (in order to study the relationship between serotonin and mood issues):

The essential amino acid tryptophan is the precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. By depleting the body of tryptophan, brain tryptophan and serotonin levels are temporarily reduced.

What does this mean? If you consume gelatin or collagen, you end up depleting the body of tryptophan and serotonin levels are reduced for a short time. This can cause the classic low serotonin symptoms of anxiety, worry, panic attacks, fears, phobias, insomnia, PMS, afternoon and evening carb cravings, TMJ, PMS and even anger issues and obsessions/ruminations.

For Enid, adding gelatin to her weight-loss shake powder triggered the anxiety she used to experience:

I wanted to give you a sincere thanks for all the work you’ve done on this blog and for studying collagen and serotonin. I have been taking quite a bit of gelatin because I started a medically supervised weight-loss program a month ago and was adding the shake powder to gelatin to thicken it. I have a long history of anxiety but it has been better for several years. However, I have been really concerned because my heart hurts with anxiety like I used to have. So your article and the follow up comments have helped me since I would have continued to eat a lot of it But now I will stop. So thank you.

Edid also shared how the gelatin she was consuming lowered her blood sugar in 2 weeks:

What’s interesting is in 2 weeks of being on the diet and eating a lot of gelatin my glucose went from 190 (which is diabetes) to 113 which is perfectly normal. I’ve read that collagen lowers blood sugar. So hopefully it will stay down even after stopping eating gelatin.

I found it very interesting to learn about Enid’s lowered glucose and that it went down so much in just 2 weeks.

So I went looking into the research and found this paper, Therapeutic effects of marine collagen peptides on Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and primary hypertension, stating that marine collagen “significantly reduced levels of fasting blood glucose.” The study concluded that marine collagen:

may benefit glucose and lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, renal function and hypertension management in Chinese patients with T2DM [type 2 diabetes] and hypertension.

This research is new to me and is a good reason to continue with gelatin or collagen and address why it’s causing her anxiety to ramp again after just 2 weeks.

My message in this blog post – Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression? – is not to stop gelatin or collagen, but rather help you to figure out if your consumption of collagen or gelatin is causing your anxiety, depression or insomnia (or other low serotonin symptoms), or making it worse.

Once you have made this connection then you need to figure out what the mechanism is. The fact that the consumption of collagen and gelatin lower serotonin is one possible factor for susceptible folks. The easiest way to figure out if it is low serotonin for you is to do a trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP while continuing to consume gelatin or collagen and see if your new symptoms resolve. (You can read more about that here: Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety)

I would love your feedback. Do you use gelatin or collagen regularly i.e. daily or weekly? And why do you use it? How do you use it and what benefits do you notice?

Have you noticed an increase in anxiety or worsening of mood or any of the other low serotonin symptoms? Do you take tryptophan or 5-HTP to offset the fact that gelatin or collagen doesn’t contain any tryptophan and does that help?

Have you done the off/on test with collagen/gelatin and tryptophan or 5-HTP – and what was the outcome?

Have you found collagen or gelatin helped to lower your high glucose levels?

Feel free to post your questions here too.

Collagen Can Cause Anxiety and Insomnia with Trudy Scott: The Anxiety Summit 5

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collagen anxiety

One of my three interviews on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis is: Collagen Can Cause Anxiety and Insomnia. In this interview, I’m interviewed by my colleague and friend Dr. Nicole Beurkens, PhD,  and you’ll learn:

  • How acute tryptophan depletion lowers serotonin
  • How to figure out if you may be susceptible to serotonin-lowering effects of collagen or gelatin
  • About other factors to consider: Oxalates, glutamates, arginine, glyphosate and histamine

trudy scott as5

Collagen and gelatin are an excellent source of these amino acids: proline, glycine, glutamine and arginine BUT they do not contain the amino acid tryptophan. This can cause increased anxiety, worsening insomnia and even a low mood in individuals who are susceptible to the fact that both collagen and gelatin can lower serotonin levels.

We talk about some of this in a short in-person interview I recently did in San Diego, with my friend and colleague Tara Hunkin (who also happens to be speaking on the summit – on the topic of mitochondrial dysfunction and anxiety).

I actually blogged about this topic in Sept 2017 and updated the blog with a number of studies in Dec 2017. You can read about this and all the feedback from folks who have observed similar issues when consuming collagen and/or gelatin – Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression? (there are also quite a few naysayers)

This will get you up to speed for the summit interview if you’re hearing this for the first time or if you read this back in 2017.

In the summit interview (Dr. Nicole Beurkens is my interviewer for this one) I review the theory and serotonin-depleting mechanisms, the 3 different effects folks are noticing and share some feedback from real people, as well as my story and what I experienced.

I also discuss a new paper that further supports this very probable connection: Use of tryptophan fortified hydrolyzed collagen for nutritional support. I share this about the study: “they were using hydrolyzed collagen – because the collagen is very well digested,- for people that were very severely nutritionally depleted. But they added in tryptophan to make it more of a complete protein” and presumably also prevent these mood and sleep issues.

The authors share this about hydrolyzed collagen and the addition of tryptophan for this population:

Standard hydrolyzed collagen is not a perfect amino acid according to the established standards because it does not contain the amino acid tryptophan. A tryptophan-fortified liquid hydrolyzed collagen supplement is, in fact, considered a complete protein. Forms of hydrolyzed collagen have been utilized for several decades as a dietary supplement. Collagen hydrolysate has been of interest as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis

Closer investigation of this product will reveal that it may indeed meet the protein requirements of a malnourished individual, containing an optimal amino acid composition, high bioavailability, and high digestibility.

trudy scott as5

In the summit interview we also talk about bone broths and a step-by-step approach to figure out if your issue with collagen is one of the following and what to do about it:

  • low serotonin
  • oxalates
  • a histamine reaction
  • a reaction to glutamates or glycine
  • arginine

This is one of 3 interviews I do on the summit. My other 2 interviews are:

  • GABA & Tryptophan: The Gut-Anxiety Connections (here is the blog for this one)
  • Simple Solutions for Anxiety and Gut Health (I’ll share highlights from this ones in another email/blog)

anxiety summit

Please join us and listen to this interview and all the others on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis.

When you register now you’ll get access to there 3 interviews right away:

  • Fix the Brain to Fix the Gut – Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS, FACN, CNS
  • MTHFR, B12 Genes and Anxiety – Carolyn Ledowsky, ND
  • Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc – Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

anxiety summit 5 speakers

If you have already signed up for the summit, I hope you enjoy these interview highlights.

If you have yet to sign up, please do come and join us and learn.

Register for the Anxiety Summit 5

 

If you’re considering purchasing the summit to keep for your learning library, you have a number of options that include:

  • Online only or flash drive or both
  • A PDF or printed transcripts of all the interviews
  • The Best of Anxiety-Gut interviews from previous Anxiety Summits
  • GABA Quickstart Program (a group program with me on how to actually use GABA for your physical anxiety, with a private Facebook group and live Q & A call)
Purchase options

 

If you’d like to give feedback or ask a question, please post in the comments below.

I’d love to hear from you once you’ve listened in to my interview.

Until then let us know how you do use collagen or gelatin and if you’ve noticed any mood issues, increased anxiety or insomnia? And if it was due to low serotonin or something else?

When using GABA for anxiety does tolerance increase and which amino acid to use for a low mood?

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gaba and tolerence

Today I’m sharing some great questions I’ve received about GABA and serotonin support for anxiety and low mood, and my feedback to give you some ideas on what to look for as you use the amino acids for your own issues (or with clients/patients if you’re a practitioner).

I cover possible reasons for ongoing low GABA levels, long-term use of the amino acids, low mood associated with menopause, problems with mainly sugar- and gluten-free, the role of the adrenals and thyroid, the amino acids I’d start with for low mood, how lithium orotate may help, how to know if collagen is causing a low mood and making you more anxious, and some resources for you.

GABA tolerance has increased

Gaba has been a lifesaver for my anxiety! I also use taurine sometimes for anxiety too, and that has helped too. Right now, I take 1000 mg [of taurine]. As for GABA (I now take 1000 mg of that also) I have noticed that my tolerance for it has increased.

Here is my feedback: I’m really pleased GABA and taurine are helping ease your anxiety. I have not seen tolerance to be a factor with my clients using GABA and I’m not aware of any research on this topic. I would look into what could be depleting GABA at a faster rate so you seem to need more and more.

This could be caused by:

  • increased stress which lowers zinc and increases cortisol
  • poor gut health and dysbiosis (there is a bacteria in the gut that may consume GABA – it’s called gabavorous)
  • low zinc and low B6 (which are needed to make GABA and other neurotransmitters)
  • toxin exposure (we’re now seeing that GABA has a protective effect – this blog covers have GABA is protective of the thyroid after fluoride exposure)
  • thyroid problems (the amino acids are less effective in this instance)

Keep in mind that long-term use of the amino acids is not the plan. Once the diet is addressed and the other underlying biochemistry, nutrient deficiencies, toxins etc. are addressed they should no longer be needed. At most, an occasional “top-up” may be needed.

Low mood associated with menopause

Which amino acids would you recommend for low mood associated with menopause? No panic attacks but a crashing low mood for 24hrs or more before slight recovery, a few easy days and then the cycle begins again. Diet is mainly sugar- and gluten-free. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thank you

Here is my feedback: When I hear “diet is mainly sugar- and gluten-free” with mood swings I always look into gluten exposure and blood sugar dips. Keeping a food mood log is an easy first step to see if the low mood is tied to what is being eaten and when.

I would recommend the complete removal of gluten and sugar. Gluten can trigger depression, anxiety, OCD and lead to many psychiatric symptoms. Blood sugar swings can cause both depression and anxiety. The amino acids make it easy to quite sugar and gluten – no willpower required and no feelings of deprivation. Do the questionnaire and do a trial of the amino acids that apply. Based on the above symptoms I’d suspect tryptophan and tyrosine may help and are always a good first step while everything else is being figured out.

I would also look at adrenal function as they take up the slack in menopause and rule out Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves (as you can get mood swings with both as the thyroid levels shift).

Low lithium can also cause mood swings too and lithium orotate can help to keep an even mood, allowing the amino acids to be more effective.

Finally, I’d want to know if collagen, gelatin or bone broths have recently been added to your diet and are being consumed in an on-an-off pattern that correlates with the low mood. Certain susceptible individuals find that it lowers serotonin and increases depression and anxiety, and causes insomnia.

Next steps are a full workup looking at sex hormones, low zinc, low B6, low magnesium, the gut, EMFs, sleep and other dietary factors like salicylates, histamine, glutamates etc. We look at all the possible 60+ nutritional and biochemical root causes and address them or rule them out.

It’s also important to have a good support system in place for those very low days – friends and family members, being part of a community and even keeping a mental health support line number close at hand.

And of course, I always say this: get out in nature, get some exercise, hug someone and have a good laugh.

Resources for you

  • My book The Antianxiety Food Solution (my Amazon affiliate link) has an entire chapter on the amino acids GABA, tryptophan, tyrosine, and DPA (and how to use them), a chapter on blood sugar balancing and glutamine and a chapter on gluten issues (and much more). Read it and become a savvy health-advocate for yourself. Become someone who is well-informed about the amino acids, the precautions and nuances, and all the nutritional approaches for anxiety-relief. Share a copy with your doctor and point out the references.
  • If figuring it out alone or reading my book feels overwhelming to you, or you’re afraid to use the amino acids on your own, my home-study Amazing Aminos for Anxiety program walks you through a step-by step approach on how to figure out which symptoms are tied to which neurotransmitter deficiency, and how to trial each respective amino acid. Stay tuned for a special upcoming launch with live Q and A calls so you can get your questions answered. (If you have recently purchased the homestudy ONLY version we will be contacting you to invite you to participate.)
  • Here is a blog to read if you’re new to GABA: GABA for the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety
  • Here is a blog to read if you’re new to tryptophan: Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety (it’s a blog about low serotonin anxiety but applies to low-serotonin low mood too)
  • Here is a blog to read if you’re new to tyrosine: Tyrosine for focus, motivation, energy, a good mood and possibly even anxiety
  • You can find the amino acids in my supplement store here.

Can you relate to either of these questions? And are you good at playing a detective to figure out why something may not be working as expected?

What has worked for your anxiety and/or low moods?

Feel free to post questions in the comments too.

And let me know if you’re interested in the homestudy program with live Q and A calls. (If you have recently purchased the homestudy ONLY version we will be contacting you to invite you to participate.)

The best food-mood-nutrient topics of 2017

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As we move into 2018, it’s time to recap and share the best of 2017 – from both blog posts and facebook posts. Hopefully these topics have helped you move forward as you address your anxiety symptoms and will help you (and your clients/patients if you’re a practitioner) take even bigger leaps as you move into 2018!

Most popular blog posts

Here are the most popular blog posts of 2017, based on comments and questions. If you have already read one of these and found it interesting at the time of publication, it’s worth a re-read for all the valuable comments/questions and my feedback.

Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression?

I see everyone raving about gelatin and collagen – and rightly so – they have amazing health benefits. However, no-one is addressing the fact that gelatin is actually used in tryptophan-depletion studies to lower serotonin.

Some people get more anxious and depressed when consuming collagen, some do just fine and some even use it to lower their serotonin. Many need to use it with added tryptophan. I recently made some additional updates to this blog and have more to add so stay tuned for more on this topic.

How much GABA should I use and which GABA product is best?

There is no simple answer! It requires a blog post to provide a good answer because we are all unique, have different needs and these needs can even differ at different times depending on the issue and what is going on in our lives at the moment.

My Kid is Not Crazy and PANS/PANDAS awareness day 2017

PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) occurs when strep triggers a misdirected immune response results in inflammation on a child’s brain. In turn, the child quickly begins to exhibit life changing symptoms such as OCD, anxiety, tics, personality changes, decline in math and handwriting abilities, sensory sensitivities, restrictive eating, and more.

Anxiety, compulsive thinking, counting behaviors: gluten, tryptophan and inositol

Today I’m going to share my feedback on a question I received on how to approach working with a child with anxiety, compulsive thinking and counting behaviors in the hope it can help you or someone you know (or are working with if you’re a practitioner)

DPA for weepiness, pain and comfort and reward eating

This amino acid is a favorite with so many of my clients because it helps with [weepiness, pain and comfort and reward eating] by boosting your endorphins and when you chew a capsule you feel like you just got a big hug.

How to Beat Anxiety and Resolve Panic Attacks with Targeted Amino Acids: Wellness Mama podcast

I share my wonderful interview with Katie, the “Wellness Mama”. We talk about my favorite topic: How to Beat Anxiety and Resolve Panic Attacks with Targeted Amino Acids, with some extra questions about pregnancy and nursing that I’m not often asked about.

GABA for the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety

I’m going to review some GABA products for the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety, and share some additional resources for you….

I share that sublingual is best, do a trial and start low, my favorite GABA products and when it works and when it doesn’t.

Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety

I’m going to review some tryptophan products for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety… Lidtke is the only brand of tryptophan that I recommend simply because I see it work so well and because of quality issues with tryptophan in the past.

I also share when to use tryptophan and when to use GABA, and tryptophan for PMS.

GABA: an amino acid supplement for neurotransmitter support and anxiety relief

I recently attended the first international meeting of International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research and was honored and thrilled to present my poster – GABA: an amino acid supplement for neurotransmitter support and anxiety relief Because you were not able to be there, here are the contents of my poster word for word.

How GABA eases agonizing rectal pain and spasms in under 2 minutes

Proctalgia fugax is described as a condition that leads to rectal spasms and sharp fleeting pain in the lower rectum or anus. In some people it can be more than fleeting and is often described as excruciating and agonizing.

I have experienced this awful anal sphincter spasm and pain myself so I want to shine some light on this condition and offer the simplest and most effective solution: oral and sublingual GABA. It works to completely eliminate the pain in 1-2 minutes! And it can also be used to prevent a full-on spasm if you catch it in advance.

Migraines, Anxiety and Antiphospholipid Syndrome: on the Chronic Headache & Migraine Summit

The autoimmune condition called Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is one of many possible contributing factors for both migraines and anxiety.

Cognitive impairment, strokes and livedo reticularis is common.

GABA protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride and reduces anxiety

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to establish the therapeutic efficacy of GABA as a natural antioxidant in inducing thyroprotection against fluoride-induced toxicity.

GABA for children: ADHD, focus issues, irritability, anxiety and tantrums

My daughter hasn’t been diagnosed with ADHD but has a lot of ADHD qualities. We were having a huge amount of behavior problems as she is getting older (she’s 11). I did some research and went to the health food store and bought a bottle [of GABA Calm]. At this point I was mentally exhausted from all the fighting and drama at home and at school. I was desperate and didn’t want to put her on any hard medication.

She has had amazing behavior at school and at home since giving it to her. She’s almost like different child. GABA has truly changed our life. She’s been taking it for almost 2 months.

Anxiety: when to use GABA and tryptophan and how much to use

When you have anxiety it can be confusing trying to figure out the root cause. I like to start by assessing for low GABA and low serotonin because when you address these with targeted individual amino acids you typically see results right away and feel hopeful (and now have time to look for other root causes like gluten issues, high cortisol, gut issues, dietary changes etc).

But there may still be some confusion about when to use GABA and when to use tryptophan and how much of each of these amino acids to use.

Vulvodynia: oxalates, GABA, tryptophan and physical therapy

I just listened to the webinar talking about oxalates. I was shocked and delighted to hear the mention of the connection between high oxalates and vulvodynia.

Research shows there is serotonin involvement with vulvodynia and SSRIs are often prescribed, as are benzodiazepines. My recommendation is trials of tryptophan and/or GABA.

Seriphos Original Formula is back: the best product for anxiety and insomnia caused by high cortisol

If you have high nighttime cortisol (as measured by an adrenal saliva test) it can cause insomnia and anxiety. Using 1-3 x Seriphos about 1-3 hours before the high cortisol is the best way I know for lowering the high cortisol and providing relief.

The product was reformulated and didn’t work like it used to and then the original formula was brought back.

GABA takes some of the anxiety edge away and now I want to add tryptophan: how do I do this?

I would say this – ask yourself what low GABA anxiety symptoms (this is the physical anxiety) have improved with the GABA and how much (rate each one before – out of 10; and what are they now – out of 10). From your question it sounds like they could improve more – so if we were working together I’d continue to increase GABA before adding something new.

The most popular facebook posts

And here are some of the most popular Facebook posts on TrudyScottAntianxietyFoodSolution (based on comments and shares). Many of these link to other sources like the research or other blogs with additional information. Most of them have a great back and forth discussion on the Facebook post so feel free to join in there.

Canola oil linked to worsened memory and learning ability in Alzheimer’s

Canola oil is one of the most widely consumed vegetable oils in the world, yet surprisingly little is known about its effects on health. Now, a new study published online December 7 in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) associates the consumption of canola oil in the diet with worsened memory, worsened learning ability and weight gain in mice which model Alzheimer’s disease. The study is the first to suggest that canola oil is more harmful than healthful for the brain.

Canola oil is not something I’ve ever recommended and I’m really glad to see this research. You have to read labels because it’s in a lot of salad dressings and processed foods!

Nestle to buy vitamin maker Atrium Innovations for $2.3 billion

The following brands are now owned by Nestle: Garden of Life, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations.

This is not good! Other than the fact that the formulations will likely be changed, there is much to be said about Nestle and their ethics.

The Big Vitamin D Mistake

This could lead to a recommendation of 1000 IU for children <1 year on enriched formula and 1500 IU for breastfed children older than 6 months, 3000 IU for children >1 year of age, and around 8000 IU for young adults and thereafter. Actions are urgently needed to protect the global population from vitamin D deficiency.

Do you use a zinc supplement every day?

1) how much and what form? and with or without copper?
2) how did you decide to add zinc (or was it recommended by a practitioner)
3) how did you assess your zinc status (alk phos? zinc challenge/tally? mood symptoms? white flecks on nails? poor digestion? pyroluria questionnaire? blood work? other?)
4) how it helps you? (less anxious? more social? less depressed? less cravings? better digestion? better skin? less aches/pains? better blood sugar control? less PMS/hormone symptoms? better adrenal health? better immunity? other?)

Scary new information about benzodiazepine deaths

The five most frequently occurring drugs found in decedents were ethyl alcohol (5,318), benzodiazepines (5,167, including 1,851 alprazolam occurrences), cocaine (2,882), cannabinoids (2,292), and morphine (2,040).

With teen mental health deteriorating over five years, there’s a likely culprit

In a new paper published in Clinical Psychological Science, my colleagues and I found that the increases in depression, suicide attempts and suicide appeared among teens from every background – more privileged and less privileged, across all races and ethnicities and in every region of the country. All told, our analysis found that the generation of teens I call “iGen” – those born after 1995 – is much more likely to experience mental health issues than their millennial predecessors.

What happened so that so many more teens, in such a short period of time, would feel depressed, attempt suicide and commit suicide? After scouring several large surveys of teens for clues, I found that all of the possibilities traced back to a major change in teens’ lives: the sudden ascendance of the smartphone.

Gabapentin and pregabalin are as problematic as benzodiazepines

Crippling toll of the new valium that’s ruining the lives of MILLIONS

Can you relate to the term high-functioning anxiety?

Busy and in control. High-achieving and perfectionistic. Driven by details and order in a desperate attempt to calm racing thoughts, worry, and the fear that invade every ounce of the mind and body. An over-thinker with a tendency to perseverate, dwell, and stew on everything.

I used to be like this before the panic attacks and it’s a big clue that it’s time to do something about it but too often we push and push and push and then it gets really bad. I would love to be able to reach women (and men) at this stage before it gets really bad!

Great article about squatting and the benefits

How often do you squat? and do you use a device like the Squatty Potty?

Screen time might boost depression, suicide behaviors in teens

A new study finds that teens, especially girls, who spend several hours per day on phones and tablets are more likely to be depressed and have suicide-related outcomes.

When it comes to cravings, addiction and appetite we have this research supporting the use of glutamine

– Glutamine and glutamatergic metabolism is a factor in cravings and alcohol dependence
– A combination of tyrosine, lecithin, glutamine and 5-HTP helped withdrawal syndromes and mental symptoms in detoxified heroin addicts
– Glutamine has been shown to decrease secretion of ghrelin, the hormone that impacts appetite regulation. High levels of ghrelin appear to make high-calorie foods look more appealing.

Why the vaginal mesh scandal could be ‘bigger than thalidomide’

More than 92,000 women had vaginal mesh implants between 2007 and 2015 in England, and about one in 11 is said to have complications. More than 800 of these women are now taking legal action against the NHS and mesh manufacturers.

Please be aware of the dangers of vaginal mesh (and other procedures that use mesh) – it’s something I’ve always warned my clients about and it needs to become common knowledge

Do you take probiotics on a daily basis and do they help? Have you had to stop taking probiotics because of any adverse effects?

Melatonin–estrogen interactions in breast cancer

Individualized protocols in Dr. Nalini Chilkov’s OutSmart Cancer system include melatonin at 10-20mg at bedtime (to match nature’s cycling of melatonin…not for sleep issues) . MANY breast cancer patients have low or aberrant melatonin patterns.

The anti antidepressant. Depression affects 16 million Americans.

One third don’t respond to treatment. A surprising new drug may change that: ketamine.

I’m quite surprised how many women who are smart and savvy when it comes to eating and natural health continue to color their hair (or straighten or perm or treat).

I’m curious if you are one of those people ? And if yes why? Do you know the risks or would you just prefer not to know?

Excellent article on toxic sunscreen ingredients

I have always avoided conventional sunscreens and teach my clients about this but wish more people were aware of these issues. It’s not just sunscreens either…so many skin care products, makeup, hair products and household products have ingredients that are endocrine disrupters, cause DNA and oxidative damage and affect our health – both physically and mentally! What sunscreen do you use?

My favorite protein powder

I love this one because _______. I use it in these ways ______, _______, ________.

Right now my favorite protein powder is a pea protein (made by Nuzest). I love this one because it’s gluten-free, dairy and soy free, GMO-free and is pea only (no other ingredients!). I just found out it’s also available in USA and other countries.

My favorite healthy protein bar

I love it because _______ AND/OR I tried ______ and don’t like it because ________. My clients are always looking for protein bars for a quick healthy snack but so many are loaded with sugar OR don’t have enough protein and fat OR are full of processed soy OR contain a ton of nuts OR aren’t gluten-free.

Thank you for being such a huge part of this community, for sharing your stories and successes and for offering words of encouragement to others in the community. Thank you too, for asking your questions. Keep the questions coming – they keep me on my toes and help me to learn too!

I’d love to hear how the above topics have helped you and what topics you’d like me to cover in 2018, plus which areas you’d like me to take an even deeper dive into.