d-phenylalanine

Trauma: fluctuating between a high anxiety panic state and a low energy freeze response (with low endorphins and a numbing feeling)

October 22, 2021 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

The freeze response in trauma is not well understood and is a low energy state. When the anxiety has become so high or severe it triggers a low energy or freeze state in order for you to survive. There is also the feeling of numbness and being disconnected when in the freeze state and this eventually becomes the default pattern that the nervous system has been wired into. Healing can start with somatic work and using a functional medicine and nutritional psychiatry approach to address the biological underpinnings of trauma.

Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH discusses all this and much more in her interview on the Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis, Nov 8-14, 2021.

And then Dr. Aimie interviews me and we discuss how folks with low endorphins are often in the freeze state. These folks are more emotionally sensitive to everything and because of this they experience much more stress. They also experience a feeling of numbness and feel disconnected. The encouraging news is that the amino acid DPA (d-phenylalanine) helps ease the low endorphin symptoms while they are recovering. More on all this below.

The freeze response in trauma is not well understood and is a low energy state

Let’s start with this interview with Dr. Aimie – Biology of Trauma and the Freeze Response. This is what we cover:

Identifying the freeze response and symptoms when anxiety is high
The role of the microbiome, neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, mitochondria and cortisol
Somatic work when in the chronic freeze state: containment hugs and marking your territory

Dr. Aimie explains that the freeze response in trauma is not something that’s been really well understood:

When we talk about just trauma and mood, and stress even, it’s like we still lump everything in that fight, flight, or freeze response. And the fight and flight response could not be more different than the freeze response.
On a biological level, they are completely different biology states, which means that it is humanly impossible to be in both of those states at the same time. So when we look at this freeze response, okay, so what is it? If it’s not fight or flight, what is it?

She shares how the anxiety has been become so high or severe it triggers a low energy or freeze state in order for you to survive:

When we look at what it is, it’s when the anxiety has become so high that the body is not able to sustain that level of both anxiety, but it’s really an energy level.
Because anxiety is a high energy state and it triggers this response in the body where it says, “Ooh, this is unsustainable,” and in order to survive, for our best interests, it would be better for us to go into a low energy state.
And it feels like giving in, giving up. It feels like giving up the fight because the body just goes into this, I kind of call it like, it shifts down into first gear.
You’re no longer zooming along in fifth or sixth gear, you just kind of shift down into first gear and now you’re just going through life.

The feeling of numbness and being disconnected when in the freeze state

In addition to the low energy state, this is where Dr. Aimie talks about the feeling of numbness and being disconnected when in the freeze state:

Now you’re just going through your day, you feel a little numb, you feel a little disconnected.
But the trigger for that freeze response originally comes from the anxiety level, which really becomes a level of fear, terror, panic.

Dr. Amie also shares how this becomes the default pattern that the nervous system has been wired into:

And people can have what I call a strong pull towards the freeze response so that they no longer are even aware of the fear and the terror.
They just feel anxiety and boom, they go straight into the freeze response because it has just become that default pattern that the nervous system has been wired into.

The biology of trauma and somatic work

She goes on to discuss the biology of trauma and the role of the microbiome, neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, mitochondria and cortisol in contributing to the freeze response (i.e. making you more susceptible to trauma) and as factors we can address in order to facilitate recovery and healing.

Dr. Aimie also describes the somatic work she does with her patients who are in the chronic freeze state: exercises like containment hugs and marking your territory. She shares that “I want people to experience their nervous system. I want them to know what it feels like, be able to actually recognize which state of the nervous system they are in at any given moment in time, and be able to feel what that feels like in their body, because then that’s how we teach them how to shift that.”

In her work and in this interview, Dr. Amie brings the world of trauma recovery and somatic work to the functional medicine and nutritional psychiatry world. It’s an eye-opening interview you don’t want to miss.

The connection between the trauma freeze response and low endorphins

Also featured in the summit is another interview where Dr. Aimie happens to interview me on this topic: Glutamine, DPA and Tyrosine for Anxiety and Sugar Cravings. We cover the following:

Sugar addiction: impacts on the microbiome, tryptophan metabolism, zinc & B vitamins
Glutamine for intense sugar cravings, anxiety & support of the microbiome/mucosa
DPA for comfort/reward cravings, pain & acute stress; tyrosine for focus & calm energy

It’s during this interview that I make the connection between the trauma freeze response and low endorphins when we are discussing the last bullet above.

As a reminder, these are the mood symptoms of low endorphins:

Heightened sensitivity to emotional pain
(and also Heightened sensitivity to physical pain)
Crying or tearing up easily

And these are the ways sugar cravings often show up when you have low endorphins:

Eating to soothe your mood, or comfort eating
Really, really loving certain foods, behaviors, drugs, or alcohol
Craving a reward or numbing treat

As I share about the endorphins and how I use the amino acids DPA and/or DLPA to boost endorphin levels, I remember how Dr. Aimie discussed the numbing effect when someone is in the freeze state and it made me think about endorphins. So I ask Dr. Amie if she finds that folks with low endorphins are often in the freeze state.

Dr. Amie says most definitely yes and shares that with the low endorphins, people in the freeze state really are more emotionally sensitive to everything and because of this they experience much more stress:

From my perspective, working with a lot of the trauma response … they are much closer … to that line of overwhelm.
So most definitely, yes. And it’s that comfort, right? It’s that self-soothing, and it’s the numbing effect. The numbing effect of reaching for food when you’re not hungry. It’s just for numbing the emotional sensitivity that you have with low endorphins.
Endorphins really affect the stress levels and then mood, and then inflammation? It starts this cascade of changes in their biology because of the low endorphins and the increased amount of stress that they experience with that sensitivity.

This discussion tied in perfectly to the study I had to share: The Role of Beta-endorphin in Stress, Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Brain Energy Metabolism.

In this 2020 paper, the authors discuss beta-endorphins in the context of reward-centric behaviors, pain, neuroinflammation, immune function and also how endorphins attenuate (or reduce the effects of) the acute stress response. They also share how endorphins exert a regulatory effect on serotonin levels.

I find the latter link to serotonin very interesting and will be digging deeper into this in another blog post. I’ll also be digging into the low endorphins aspect of the trauma freeze response in the coming months. And I want to learn more about the somatic work that Dr. Aimie uses – to experience some of it myself and to bring to my community i.e you! I do love that I also get to learn so much when I do these interviews.

Use DPA to ease the weepiness and need to numb out with comfort food or behaviors

For now, if you have experienced trauma and recognize being in the freeze state, and you feel numbed out and disconnected, and also relate to the above other low endorphin symptoms, I would do a trial of DPA (the amino acid d-phenylalanine) and see how you do. It will likely help ease some of the low endorphin symptoms while you are recovering.

Keep in mind that you can also have low endorphin symptoms without having experienced trauma. I see this with many of my clients and it’s not uncommon to also have low serotonin worry and low GABA physical anxiety symptoms too..

In both instances, I would do a trial of DPA (I like the Lidtke Endorphigen product) and see how you do. If it is low endorphins you’ll ease the weepiness and need to numb out with comfort food or behaviors (such as endless scrolling on social media). You can expect to see results in 5-10 minutes when the DPA is opened onto the tongue.

To recap, be sure to tune in to these 2 interviews to see how it’s all connected and to hear more about trauma, the biology of trauma and how to use amino acids to balance neurotransmitters:

Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH – Biology of Trauma and the Freeze Response
Trudy Scott, CN – Glutamine, DPA and Tyrosine for Anxiety and Sugar Cravings

These interviews dove-tail well with this topic of trauma, the freeze response and neurotransmitters:

Navaz Habib, DC, AFMCP – Vagus Nerve Activation to Reduce Anxiety (because vagus nerve activation habits speed trauma recovery)
My other amino acid interview, Cravings and GABA & Tryptophan: Gut-Anxiety Connections (because the amino acids help to support low serotonin and low GABA which is common with trauma)
Evan Brand, CFMP, NTP – Floatation Therapy for Anxiety and PTSD (because floatation therapy is gentle and yet effective)
Eric Zielinski, DC – Essential Oils for Anxiety and Digestion (because essential oils are well tolerated and effective)
David Jockers, DNM, DC, MS – Fasting for Anxiety and Gut Health (he talks about the effects of fasting on endorphins and serotonin)

I encourage you to register and tune in if you have:

Anxiety & feel overwhelmed & stressed by little things
Panic attacks &/or obsessive thoughts or behaviors
Social anxiety/pyroluria
Phobias or fears (flying, spiders or even driving on a highway)

And also if you suffer from…

Food sensitivities, IBS/SIBO, parasites or gallbladder issues
Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, pain & other digestive issues
Leaky gut, a leaky blood-brain barrier or vagus nerve issues

Join us if you are also an emotional eater with intense sugar cravings (and know you suffer from low blood sugar), experience insomnia, low mood, PMS, poor focus and/or low motivation.

This is THE online event to learn about the powerful individual amino acids – GABA, theanine, tryptophan, 5-HTP, glutamine, DPA and tyrosine – to quickly ease anxiety and help with gut symptoms while you are dealing with other root causes which take longer to address. (They also help with cravings as with this example, and sleep and immunity).

With research-based anxiety nutritional solutions and practical steps, you can determine your root causes, ease your anxiety and prevent it from coming back so you can feel on top of the world again!

If you are a practitioner, please join us too and find advanced solutions for your clients or patients too!

You’ve heard me say the Anxiety Summit has been called “a bouquet of hope!” My wish for you is that this summit is your bouquet of hope!

I hope you’ll join me and these incredible speakers, be enlightened and find YOUR solutions!

Here’s to no more anxiety and you feeling on top of the world again!

Can you relate to the freeze state and fluctuating from a high energy anxiety/panic state?

When you’re in the freeze state do you feel numb and disconnected?

Have you had success with somatic work? And also using a functional medicine approach to healing?

Also let us know if you’ve benefited from using DPA to help ease the low endorphin symptoms?

Feel free to post your questions here too.

Wean off prescription pain medication, improve sleep and reduce emotional eating with DPA (an endorphin-boosting amino acid)

September 3, 2021 By Trudy Scott 17 Comments

A question about using the amino acid DPA (d-phenylalanine) to help wean off prescription pain medication was posted on the blog. She was also hoping it would help ease her pain while she was weaning and improve her poor sleep too. I share my feedback on DPA for weaning, timing of vitamin C, additional information for sleep support and using DPA for emotional eating too. Concerns about oxalates and pain are mentioned and the importance of a comprehensive approach.

Here is the question that was posted:

Hi Trudy, I am trying to get off prescription pain medication and have read that DPA really helps – do you have any knowledge and/or experience with this?

There is a very popular opiate withdrawal support website that recommends DPA 500mg 3x/daily. Since amino acids need to be taken away from food and other amino acids, I feel like it could be very easy to make the DPA go to waste if not taken at exactly the right time every day.

The insomnia is the worst part of opiate withdrawal for me – days can go by with only 20-45 minutes of sleep. I have a little one to care for and the stress of no sleep just makes me want to give up.

No sleep worsens my physical pain as I toss and turn for hours on end. It isn’t a surprise that then causes terrible emotional distress.

One more question…since Vitamin C does help withdrawal does it affect/break down DPA? I take a liposomal version multiple times a day.

Here is my response: Yes, DPA (d-phenylalanine) does help with withdrawal from prescription pain medication and I’ve used it for this purpose with great success with many clients. It does need to be used away from protein and the dosing can vary for each person.

A starting dose of DPA is 500mg and it can be used 3- 4 x day to start, and we increase from there based on the unique need of each person. We typically adjust the DPA up as the prescription medication is tapered very slowly, and under the guidance of the prescribing physician.

I share more about her vitamin C and insomnia questions below.

If you are new to DPA and endorphin support

DPA/d-phenylalanine is an amino acid used as a supplement.

DPA destroys the enzyme that breaks down/inhibits endorphins and in essence raises endorphin levels. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that you experience with an endorphin rush when you go for a run or when someone gives you a big hug, when you show kindness to someone or an individual does something nice for you.

Taking the amino acid, DPA, as a supplement helps to raise your endorphins and helps when you feel weepy and overly emotional and reduces the need to self-medicate with treats as a reward or for comfort (more on that below). This amino acid is a favorite with so many of my clients and community because it makes them feel so lovely.

In addition to helping with emotional pain, DPA also helps with easing physical pain. And for this reason it can be used to help get off prescription pain medications.

In summary, these are the signs of low endorphins:

Heightened sensitivity to emotional pain
Heightened sensitivity to physical pain
Crying or tearing up easily
Eating to soothe your mood, or comfort eating
Really, really loving certain foods, behaviors, drugs, or alcohol
Craving a reward or numbing treat

DPA and endorphin support for pain: the research

Here is one paper, which discusses how DPA inhibits or breaks down enkephalins (endorphins are closely related compounds) and as a result helps with depression and pain, and acts as an anti-inflammatory: “proven to be beneficial in many human patients with chronic, intractable pain.” The authors also state that a compound such as DPA “may alleviate other conditions associated with decreased endorphin levels such as opiate withdrawal symptoms.”

This paper discusses beta-endorphins and the reward mechanism and how they can induce euphoria, reduce pain and ease addictions and distress: “Long known for its analgesic effect, the opioid beta-endorphin is now shown to induce euphoria, and to have rewarding and reinforcing properties.”

I would love to see DPA used instead of pain meds when possible or used in conjunction with prescription pain medications when they are needed.

I am also very curious to know which opiate withdrawal support website is recommending DPA. I’m so pleased to hear this because it helps so much – for physical pain relief and for weaning off pain medications.

Is DPA the same as DLPA?

DLPA (dl-phenylalanine), although similar sounding, is not the same as DPA and only offers about half as much endorphin support. It also provides dopamine/catecholamine support (i.e. focus, motivation, mood, energy) and this aspect means DLPA has the same precautions as tyrosine. It also means DLPA can affect sleep if used from midafternoon onwards.

I seldom have clients use DLPA and prefer DPA for endorphin support and tyrosine for dopamine/catecholamine support if needed.

Keep in mind, the amino acid DPA, is not the same as the omega-3 fatty acid called docosapentaenoic acid and also abbreviated as DPA.

The brand of DPA that I recommend for my clients

The brand I recommend for my clients is Lidtke Endorphigen. You can read about it and the other supplements I recommend on the supplements blog here.

My recommendation has always been to chew the DPA capsule for the best effects and to get results quickly (in 2-5 minutes). Instead of chewing the whole capsule I now recommend opening the capsule into your mouth. You can read more about using DPA and some client feedback here.

I’ve used Endorphigen personally too and it’s always with me as part of my travel first-aid kit. I write about using DPA, GABA and acupuncture for pain relief after my back injury and I had DPA, GABA and arnica on hand when I sprained my ankle while hiking in Red Rocks.

Benefits include reduction of emotional/comfort eating too

As I mentioned above, with DPA there is the bonus benefit of endorphin support to help end emotional/comfort eating where you are seeking treats as a reward i.e it helps with physical pain and emotional pain.

You may relate to this if you are someone who would say or think “I just LOVE chocolate-chip cookies!” or “PLEEEEASE don’t make me give up my treats, it’s all I have left after I gave up my coffee and wine! I deserve something nice!”

This emotional attachment to sweet treats and reward-eating is very common with low endorphins.

Using vitamin C with the amino acids and watching for oxalate pain adverse effects

She is correct, vitamin C is best used away from the amino acids so as not to reduce the beneficial effects.

I do caution clients to find the right amount of vitamin C as too much can increase pain in individuals with dietary oxalate issues. I write about oxalate crystal disease here and vitamin C and oxalates here. Both can aggravate insomnia too and increase anxiety.

Address low serotonin, low GABA and/or high cortisol for sleep too

With sleep issues we may also look into supporting low serotonin with tryptophan or 5-HTP, and/or low GABA levels with GABA and/or theanine. These amino acids can also help with reducing pain in some instances.

Opioids have an endocrine effect via impacts on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, affecting sex hormones levels and cortisol levels. Endocrine dysfunction can adversely impact sleep and make anxiety worse, and needs to be addressed. GABA and serotonin support can help with some of the sex hormone imbalances and Seriphos helps when cortisol is too high.

A comprehensive approach is key

Of course, a comprehensive approach is key, so it’s important to remove inflammatory foods (gluten, maybe all grains, sugar, caffeine, unhealthy fats etc), add fish oil if omega-3s are low and include anti-inflammatory nutrients such as turmeric.

And we always want to figure out the root cause of the pain and address it. Also, ruling out if dietary oxalates (and vitamin C) are an issue is important and often overlooked.

I’m a big fan of working with a physical therapist and acupuncturist too.

Resources if you are new to using the amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using the amino acids, DPA, tryptophan or GABA, as supplements and want to know more, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and a brief overview here, Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

If you suspect low endorphins, low serotonin or low GABA levels 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 so you are knowledgeable.

Can you relate to any of this? Has DPA helped your pain and/or helped you withdraw from prescription pain meds? And did you even know this was an option?

Did it also help you sleep and make you less anxious/worried because of the reduction in pain?

What about less emotional eating when using DPA/Endorphigen?

Feel free to post your questions too.

How best to use the amino acid DPA for easing heart-ache, weepiness, comfort eating and a compulsive desire for food

May 17, 2019 By Trudy Scott 16 Comments

DPA (d-phenylalanine) is an amino acid that destroys the enzyme that breaks down endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that you experience with an endorphin rush when you go for a run or when someone gives you a big hug, when you show kindness to someone or an individual does something nice for you.

Taking the amino acid, DPA, as a supplement helps to raise your endorphins and helps when you feel weepy and overly emotional AND reduces the need to self-medicate with treats as a reward or for comfort. This amino acid is a favorite with so many of my clients and community because it makes them feel so lovely.

My recommendation has always been to chew the DPA capsule for the best effects and to get results quickly (in 2-5 minutes) but I’ve now changed my recommendation. Instead of chewing the whole capsule I now recommend opening the capsule into your mouth.

New DPA recommendation – open the capsule instead of chewing it

I’ve updated the Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements blog as follows:

I used to recommend simply chewing the capsule to get the quickest and best effects and this worked well when it was produced in a gelatin capsule. Now it’s made with a cellulose capsule and chewing doesn’t work at all well, so opening the capsule (or just biting off the top) and tipping the powder into your mouth works best.

When it was in a gelatin capsule, the warmth of the mouth dissolved the gelatin and you could eat the capsule together with the DPA. With the cellulose capsule, chewing it leas to much of the DPA getting partially stuck in the chewed capsule, which is not very pleasant to chew and swallow. The DPA is simply much more palatable and effective when it’s opened up into the mouth, rather than chewed. There is one caveat – the taste of the DPA itself – but if you’ve been chewing it you’ll be fine opening the capsule going forward.

My favorite DPA product is Lidtke Endorphigen. It contains 500mg and a tiny amount of vitamin B2 and vitamin B6.

You’ll notice the bottle says: “Maintain healthy endorphin levels to ease minor pain.” Physical pain relief is one of the side-benefits of DPA, but you could easily replace this statement.

Results for weepiness and a deep heart-ache, and the taste of DPA

Missy shares how DPA helps her deep heart-ache sort of feeling:

I have found I was using this product incorrectly. If you are feeling fine, you do not feel much of anything from it. But today I was weepy and felt that deep, heart-ache sort of feeling. I chewed 1000 mgs (2 capsules) and it DID help lift that awful feeling within 15 minutes.

Notice that she said if you’re feeling fine you don’t feel much at all. This is true of all the amino acids – they only make a difference when you need them.

Missy chewed the capsule but with the new cellulose capsule it’s much more palatable when it’s opened up into the mouth. She also reported what about half my clients say:

Tastes like slightly bitter dark chocolate. 🙂

The remainder of my clients don’t like the taste at all, although many say the taste grows on them. I’ve always been in the dark chocolate camp and find it quite pleasant tasting.

If you have a really hard time with the taste of the DPA, you can mix it with a small amount of GABA powder (assuming low GABA is also an issue) or inositol powder (if low serotonin and obsessions and ruminations are also an issue) as both of these are naturally quite sweet.

Results for a compulsive desire for food

Nanner finds that opening a capsule into her mouth gets rid of the compulsive desire for food:

It really helps! Whenever I notice I am opening cupboards when I cannot possibly be really hungry, I open one capsule and pour it into my mouth, let it dissolve. I like the taste! The compulsive desire for food goes away, and I am able to re-focus my attention and get on with my day. Amazing! Now, I just need to form a new habit and remember to DO IT!!! Lol

Take note how quickly this works for her. She is actually opening cupboards and on the prowl for a treat or reward, recognizes this and has some DPA and viola, she no longer needs the sweet comfort she was seeking. In an ideal world she would be taking DPA a few times a day until she has good levels of endorphins. In this instance there would be no cupboard prowling. But as you can see, it can be used on-demand with excellent results.

DPA, glutamine, GABA, tryptophan (or 5-HTP) and tyrosine are ALL powerful for eliminating sugar cravings – is it low endorphins?

The individual amino acids DPA, glutamine, GABA, tryptophan (or 5-HTP) and tyrosine are ALL powerful for eliminating sugar cravings, often within 5 minutes. It seems that this wonderful benefit – over and above the anxiety-reducing and mood-boosting benefits – is often overlooked or poorly understood.

If you’re not certain if your cravings are comfort/reward cravings the best way to figure it which neurotransmitter deficiency is affecting your sugar cravings is to do the amino acid mood questionnaire and also review the list on this blog for further clarification: The individual amino acids glutamine, GABA, tryptophan (or 5-HTP), DPA and tyrosine are powerful for eliminating sugar cravings, often within 5 minutes

The big clue with low endorphins is that you may also feel weepy, overly emotional and sometimes experience physical pain. The emotional connection to the treat – be it chocolate or ice-cream or cookies – feels very real and very strong too and you can’t imagine having to give up this treat you clearly deserve.

Resources for you related to this blog

Here is one paper, which discusses how DPA inhibits or breaks down enkephalins (endorphins are closely related compounds) and as a result helps with depression and pain, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. This paper, discusses beta-endorphins and the reward mechanism and how they can induce euphoria, reduce pain and ease addictions and distress. Despite that fact that this is discussed in the context of drugs and alcohol, more and more research is showing parallels between drug and food cravings.

Here is the amino acid questionnaire

You can find the DPA and other amino acid products I use with my clients here.

As always, thanks for sharing your feedback and questions on my facebook page and in all the blog comments. It allows me to write blogs like this and share your own feedback and experiences.

I have to say that I agree with Sandra’s sentiments and so do most of my clients:

Honestly I think the whole world needs this!

Do let us know if DPA has helped you with reducing weepiness, comfort/reward eating?

Has it also helped with easing physical pain too?

And have you noticed DPA works best when opened up onto your tongue? And are you in the dark chocolate camp and find it quite pleasant tasting?