magnesium

Vitamin B6 and magnesium on neurobehavioral status of autism spectrum disorder with hyperactivity and irritability (research)

May 24, 2024 By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

Today I’m sharing new research that supports some of the original findings about vitamin B6 and magnesium published by autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland.

Despite the small population size, this study demonstrated neurobehavioural improvement among children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder] with hyperactivity and irritability. Consequently, it can be expected that future studies conducted on a larger scale might help to establish the beneficial role of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium as a complementary treatment for autism with hyperactivity and irritability.

The above comes from the conclusion of this 2021 paper, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium on Neurobehavioral Status of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Study.

There were 50 children in the study, with a random assignment of 27 to the study group (vitamin B6 and magnesium) and 23 to the control group (placebo). All the children were autism patients from a pediatric autism and neurodevelopmental disorder outpatient clinic in India.

One of the primary aims over the 3 month study period was to investigate “any improvement among the six domains of ASD: general observation, cognition, emotion, social behavior, communication, and sensory deficits.”

Read on for learning more about the study outcomes, and dosing and forms of magnesium and vitamin B6 (and how this compares to P5P). I also share more about autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland’s earlier research and the autism/B6/pyroluria connections. And end with some of the many possible mechanisms, GABA and vitamin B6, and other applications for vitamin B6.

More about the study outcomes

The improvement observed in the study/intervention group was 81% compared to only 47% in the placebo group.
Both the study group and control group had a mixture of patients rated as having mild, low moderate, high moderate and severe symptoms of ASD. At the conclusion of the study, there were fewer patients in high moderate and severe categories.
There was “an overall improvement in the symptoms of autism along with improvements in specific domains e.g. Emotion and Cognition.” The Emotion domain includes hyperactivity, aggressiveness, emotional lability (or instability) and stress.

Dosing varied by age and forms of magnesium and vitamin B6

The dosage of magnesium and vitamin B6 for the 27 children in the intervention/study group was pre-determined by the age of the subjects: “Patients aged 2-3 years received 50 mg Magnesium and 25mg Vitamin B6 daily, aged 4-8 years received 100 mg Magnesium and 50mg Vitamin B6 daily, and patients aged 9-12 years were given 200 mg Magnesium and 100mg Vitamin B6 daily.”

Patients in both groups received Risperidone for hyperactivity and irritability.

The form of magnesium used in the study was glycinate and the form of vitamin B6 was pyridoxine.

Vitamin B6 and magnesium research by autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland

The authors share that of the many autism studies with nutrients, studies using vitamin B6 and magnesium “given by parents to ASD children have been observed to produce improvement for about 30 years.”

As I mentioned above, this new research builds on some of the original findings about vitamin B6 and magnesium published by autism biomedical pioneer Bernie Rimland. The study authors share this: “Rimland found significant improvement with the use of high doses of pyridoxine, however high doses of pyridoxine showed side effects which could be negated by co-administering magnesium.”

This 1988 paper by B. Rimland is referenced: Controversies in the treatment of autistic children: vitamin and drug therapy, and states that “Among the biomedical treatments, the use of high-dosage vitamin B6 and magnesium received the highest ratings”

Also referenced is this vitamin B6 paper, co-authored by B. Rimland and published 46 years ago: The effect of high doses of vitamin B6 on autistic children: a double-blind crossover study. It states that “Behavior was rated as deteriorating significantly during the B6 withdrawal.”

Vitamin B6, autism and pyroluria

My experience when it comes to vitamin B6 and P5P is primarily with the many individuals in my community who have pyroluria or suspect they do based on their symptoms (here is the pyroluria symptoms questionnaire). This is about 80% of the anxious folks in my community.

I share this because pyroluria is common in autism spectrum disorder:

children with learning disorders and behavioral disorders: 25% (Abram Hoffer)
autism spectrum disorders: 46% (Woody McGinnis)

(more on prevalence and associated conditions here)

And this study found emotional instability – a key aspect of pyroluria and autism – improved with vitamin B6 and magnesium.

For adults with pyroluria, vitamin B6 is used in the range of 100 mg to 500 mg, starting low and increasing as needed. We use dream recall and increased ability to socialize without feeling anxious as a clue that the correct dose is being used.

Keep in mind that 25 mg P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) or the active form of vitamin B6 is approximately equivalent to 100 mg pyridoxine.

I have found that some folks do better on one form of vitamin B6 than the other i.e. not everyone needs P5P and some folks do better with a combination of P5P and pyridoxine. As with all supplements there is no one–size fits all and so the protocol and form of vitamin B6 used in this study group really only serves as a guideline.

The possible mechanisms

The authors mention this as one possible mechanism under these circumstances: “Magnesium inhibits the excitatory channel glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and reduces hyperactivity – a part of the emotional domain.” They also mention the fact that “magnesium increases presynaptic releases” enhancing “both short term and long term synaptic facilitation and long-term potentiation, improving learning and other memory functions.”

I’m adding these as possible mechanisms to consider too:

Vitamin B6 is a potent anti inflammatory compound
Vitamin B6 and magnesium are co-factors needed to make serotonin (which is calming and helps with emotional stability) and dopamine (which helps with focus and motivation)
“GABA is formed from glutamate via the addition of glutamate decarboxylase and vitamin B6”
Vitamin B6 offers neuroprotection in situations of excess glutamate release (together with vitamin B12 and B2)
Vitamin B6 is key (together with zinc, evening primrose oil and others) for addressing social anxiety/pyroluria which is common in autism (as mentioned above)
Vitamin B6 and magnesium improve hormonal health
Oxalate issues are common in autism, leading to depleted levels of vitamin B6 and magnesium. Supplementation can help counter some of the adverse effects.

Also vitamin B6 (and other B vitamins) and magnesium are depleted by sugar, stress, dysbiosis, food allergies, certain medications and caffeine. And it’s common to find deficiencies of both.

A comprehensive dietary and functional medicine / biomedical approach, targeted individual amino acids such as GABA and tryptophan, in addition to vitamin B6 and magnesium is imperative in ASD.

Many other applications for vitamin B6

It’s wonderful to be able to share yet another application for vitamin B6, which, in some circles, is receiving an unfavorable reputation about causing toxicity.

Here are a few other related vitamin B6 blog posts that may be of interest:

Because of the role of vitamin B6 when it comes to calming GABA, it’s worth sharing this blog too – Half a crushed GABA Calm for my autistic child: sleep, anxiety and sensorimotor skills (writing, horse riding and swimming) improve. Both vitamin B6 and GABA are commonly beneficial.

And sometimes, vitamin B6 on it’s own provides results – Anxiety and vomit phobia in an 8-year-old: within a week of starting vitamin B6 she made a complete turnaround.

Additional resources when you are new to using 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.

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 (this is covered in an entire chapter too), sugar cravings, anxiety and mood issues.

There is also an entire chapter on pyroluria and in-depth sections on vitamin B6 and zinc.

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.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I’d love to hear from you – have you had success with vitamin B6 and magnesium – personally or with your child? How much has helped and which products? (feel free to share the diagnosis and what symptoms have improved)

Have dietary changes and/or addressing pyroluria helped too?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen these nutrients to help in situations like this?

I’m also curious to hear if you’re familiar with the vitamin B6 and magnesium research and work done by Bernie Rimland?

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Are adrenal issues causing your anxiety? Highlights from the book: Adrenal Transformation Protocol by Izabella Wentz PharmD

April 21, 2023 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

This is a guest post from my friend and colleague, Dr. Izabella Wentz, who just came out with her latest book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol (my Amazon link). The book is focused on healing your adrenals, and in it she shares specific strategies to support anxiety. Izabella shares a few of the many strategies with you here in this guest post.

You’ll notice that we share many common approaches:

Addressing low blood sugar (much more on that below)
Caffeine intake: Izabella recommends reducing caffeine but I have found many folks in my community need to quit altogether. I have noticed that those with panic disorders experience increases in symptoms such as nervousness, fear, nausea, heart palpitations, and tremors after consuming caffeine and said the effects were similar to how they felt during a panic attack.
Gluten elimination: Interestingly, I have found in my clinical experience and research that there is a connection between gluten and anxiety, social phobia, depression, and even schizophrenia.
Using herbal adaptogens, addressing nutrient deficiencies, and even pyroluria which can deplete key nutrients needed for adrenal health (especially when under high amounts of stress).

All of her approaches focus on adrenal health specifically and she has now taken over 3000 people on an adrenal healing journey. And 86% of them reported that their anxiety improved after going through her protocol.

By Dr. Izabella Wentz. PharmD

Stress is at the root cause of many chronic health issues, and very well may be at the root of your anxiety, too. Chronic stress can put a burden on our adrenal glands, resulting in an excess of stress hormones like cortisol. The body’s repeated exposure to cortisol can result in increased blood sugar levels, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure, all of which can lead to feelings of anxiety.

The adrenals are two small glands, located on top of each kidney, that release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenal dysfunction generally occurs when your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is unable to effectively manage your stress response. The HPA axis describes the interactive feedback loop that takes place among these three endocrine, or hormone-producing, glands. If the communication among these three breaks down, your adrenals and their ability to produce important essential hormones can be jeopardized.

Overactive adrenals can leave you feeling like you’re constantly in “fight or flight” mode. First, your body releases high levels of stress chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol. To ensure you’re ready to defend yourself or run, these chemicals spike your blood sugar, as well as increase heart rate, blood pressure, and insulin levels – making you feel anxious, stressed and wide awake at night.

Chronic stress is one of the most common causes of adrenal dysfunction. Our bodies are well-equipped to respond to acute stressors (like being chased by a bear or getting out of the way of an oncoming car), where we experience activation of the fight-or-flight response, followed by a return to the rest-and-digest state.

However, many of us today face a never-ending presence of stressful, yet non-life-threatening, situations that can lead to the constant activation of the stress response.

With enough chronic stress, the HPA axis becomes overwhelmed and desensitized to the usual feedback loop, and stops sending messages to the adrenals to produce more hormones or less hormones, no matter what’s happening.^[1]

Other common causes of adrenal dysfunction include sleep deprivation, blood sugar dysregulation, and chronic inflammation (which are all forms of stress on the body).

Symptoms of poor adrenal function may include the following:

Feeling overwhelmed
Feeling anxious
Feeling tired despite adequate sleep
Trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep
Difficulty getting up in the morning
Dependency on caffeine
Cravings for salty foods (a.k.a. the “I just ate a whole bag of chips” syndrome)
Cravings for sweet foods
Increased effort required for everyday activities
Intolerance to exercise
Low blood pressure
Feeling faint/dizzy when getting up quickly
Easily startled
Mental fog or trouble concentrating
Alternating diarrhea/constipation
Low blood sugar (often presenting as feeling angry when hungry or, as I like to call it, “hangry”)
Decreased sex drive
Decreased ability to handle stress
Longer healing time
Mild depression
Less enjoyment in life
Feeling worse after skipping meals
Increased premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Reduced ability to make decisions
Reduced productivity
Poor memory

If you have three or more of these symptoms, and if these symptoms developed after experiencing a period of acute or chronic stress, sleep deprivation, an infection, or toxic exposure, chances are that you have adrenal dysfunction.

The anxiety adrenal connection

Anxiety is a hallmark symptom of adrenal dysfunction. When the adrenals are compromised, your resilience to stress starts to go down, and you might start to feel more anxious.

Of course, anxiety and adrenal dysfunction run on a two-way street. Chronic stress and anxiety can tax the adrenals, and weakened adrenals can contribute to feelings of anxiety.^[2]

There’s another connection here that I’d like to highlight, and that is the thyroid. The thyroid is impacted by adrenal function, and anxiety can also be connected to thyroid conditions. In fact, I’ve noticed that up to 50 percent of my clients with anxiety have Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune thyroid condition.

A 2004 study found an association between the presence of a mood or anxiety disorder, and the presence of anti-TPO antibodies (indicating Hashimoto’s).^[3] It also noted that a slight reduction in thyroid hormone secretion (such as that found in subclinical hypothyroidism) may affect mood as well. Therefore, it’s also possible that the anxiety you are feeling is related to your thyroid.

Anxiety solutions: Use the ABC’s

One of the first places to start is with the ABCs of adrenal health – adaptogens, B vitamins, and vitamin C.

Adaptogens both tone down overactive systems and boost underactive systems in the body, and are thought to help normalize the HPA axis. Examples of adaptogenic herbs that may increase the body’s ability to resist stress include: ashwagandha, astragalus, reishi mushroom, dang shen, eleuthero, ginseng, jiaogulan, licorice, maca, schisandra, spikenard, and suma.

Ashwagandha in particular is helpful for stress and anxiety, and it can also support thyroid health. Research supports that ashwagandha may offer antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective benefits.^[4] It also may reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and even help address sexual dysfunction in women.^[5]

Rhodiola is another favorite for stress support, mood support, and improved sleep. Sometimes referred to as golden root, rhodiola focuses on our nervous system health. Izabella has found it to be helpful for those with depressed cortisol levels (which can happen in later stages of adrenal dysfunction).

One of the main chemicals in rhodiola is salidroside, found to have neuroprotective effects that reduce the impact of stress on the immune system and the neuro-endocrine system.^[6] Studies have found an anti-fatigue effect along with cognitive function improvements, such as memory improvements (during stressful conditions), and it’s also been shown to diminish depressive symptoms.^[7]

B vitamins and vitamin C tend to be depleted during times of stress and high cortisol production. In particular, deficiencies in pantothenic acid and biotin (vitamins in the “B” family), have been linked to decreased adrenal function in animals and humans.^[8]

Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps support the adrenals, mitochondria, collagen production, and immune function.^[9] It’s also needed for the production of cortisol.

Supplementing with the ABCs is a really good place to start if you’re experiencing anxiety or adrenal dysfunction.

Balancing blood sugar

One of the most important strategies to reduce your anxiety involves addressing blood sugar issues. Blood sugar swings can put us on an emotional rollercoaster.

After consuming carbohydrate-rich foods, some people find their blood sugar goes up too high, too quickly.

This leads to a rapid, sometimes excessive release of insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels). These insulin surges can cause low blood sugar, which can cause unpleasant symptoms such as anxiety, nervousness, lightheadedness, fatigue, excessive hunger, and “hanger”.^[10]

You can balance your blood sugar by reducing your intake of carbohydrates, and increasing your protein and fat intake. A low-carb or ketogenic diet (a low-carb diet where the body breaks down fats for fuel instead of relying on carbohydrates) could be beneficial for some.

Starting the day off by having a breakfast that is filled with good fats (for example, avocado or coconut milk), as well as a good source of protein, while limiting your intake of sugars (even from fruit). Some options include eggs with avocados, burger patties, or protein and fat-based smoothies. In addition to a good breakfast, eating frequent protein and fat-containing meals and snacks, help to balance your blood sugar throughout the day.

Eat on a schedule to avoid getting “Hangry”

It’s ideal to eat every two to three hours, and avoid high carbohydrate foods, to support balanced blood sugar. This will also help with energy levels, feelings of anxiety, and “hanger”. A typical day would look like this:

Start the day with an energizing Adrenal Kick Start (recipe is in the book), followed by a blood-sugar-balancing breakfast smoothie.
A mid-morning snack/caffeine-free latte/tea/green juice to help with blood sugar, hunger, hormones, and energy levels.
A nourishing and balancing midday lunch.
Another snack/caffeine-free latte/tea/green juice two to three hours later.
An easy-to-digest dinner is scheduled for the early evening to set up for restful sleep.
An optional after dinner snack or tea, to support restful sleep through stable blood sugar levels at night.

Reduce (and ideally eliminate) caffeine

If you’re currently drinking coffee, soda, green tea, or black tea, removing or reducing your intake of caffeine can be helpful for an immediate reduction in anxiety, and is supportive over time to your adrenals.

Some people who are slow metabolizers of caffeine and do not clear it effectively out of their body may not be able to have any caffeine at all – not even chocolate! Others who are fast metabolizers and are able to clear caffeine more quickly from their bodies, may be able to tolerate more daily caffeine without it impacting their anxiety levels.

Regardless of your genes and metabolism of caffeine, the weaker your adrenals and the more unbalanced your blood sugar levels are, the more likely you are to experience anxiety from caffeine. This is because caffeine forces more glucose to be produced by the liver, sending the body on a blood sugar rollercoaster that can trigger anxiety.

If you’re thinking about reducing your caffeine intake, do it gradually over time, instead of quitting cold-turkey, which can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and even vomiting.

There are ways to improve energy levels and sleep before trying to get off caffeine, such as supporting your mitochondria and tuning into the circadian rhythm.

[Trudy’s note: be sure to read my comment above about the need to eliminate caffeine altogether in many instances]

Address low magnesium

Research suggests that a magnesium deficiency may be associated with anxiety. Several studies have found that feelings of fear and panic can be greatly reduced with an increased magnesium intake.^[11] It has even been shown to have a positive effect on both post-traumatic anxiety and premenstrual anxiety, as well.^[12]

Even more interesting, is the understanding that magnesium also controls the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, which is the hub of the body’s stress response system.^[13] This could provide some explanation as to why a magnesium deficiency could lead to increased stress and anxiety when the HPA axis is out of balance. Other signs of a magnesium deficiency include headaches, insomnia, constipation, and menstrual cramps.

A magnesium supplement throughout the day may help, or at bedtime if you have insomnia or a racing mind when you’re trying to fall asleep. The citrate version is best if you tend to be constipated (magnesium citrate has stool softening effects), and I recommend the glycinate version if you tend to have normal bowel movements or diarrhea. Keep in mind that, for some people, magnesium glycinate can worsen anxiety symptoms. If you notice that your anxiety increases after taking magnesium glycinate, try switching to magnesium citrate.

Remove reactive foods

The most common food reactions responsible for anxiety symptoms are due to gluten, dairy, soy, grains (especially corn), sugar, caffeine (as discussed above), and surprisingly to some, nuts.^[14]

Doing targeted food sensitivity testing, or simply a trial of eliminating the suspect foods for a period of time (with an elimination diet), can help you uncover your food triggers.

If anxiety is not resolved using the strategies above, there are many advanced strategies for anxiety support, and the book provides plenty of information and options for testing.

Address copper toxicity

A toxic buildup of copper may be at the root of anxiety, racing thoughts, mood swings, fatigue, and insomnia.^[15] High-copper foods include shellfish, oysters, nuts, seeds, and chocolate. We can also absorb copper from our water and metal pipes and products. Certain medications (oral contraceptives, antacids, copper-rich multivitamins), excess estrogen, copper IUDs, and zinc deficiency can increase our exposure. Many people with adrenal dysfunction have a congested liver, so that is likely one reason copper toxicity is a common root cause.

Reducing copper containing foods, and increase zinc containing foods (non-organ meats, eggs, poultry).

Balance thyroid hormones

Having an excess amount of thyroid hormone can make us extremely anxious, irritable and on edge. This is commonly attributed to Graves’ disease, but can also occur in Hashimoto’s. The ideal TSH for most people is between 0.5-2 μIU/mL. Levels that are too high or too low indicate an imbalance of thyroid hormone levels and have been associated with various symptoms, including anxiety. Work with your doctor to test your thyroid and adjust medication if needed.

Address female hormone imbalances

Estrogen dominance and/or low progesterone may lead to many symptoms like irritability, mood lability, depression, and mood swings.^[16] If tests reveal low progesterone, supplementing with oral or topical bioidentical progesterone might just be the chill pill you need.

Address gut infections

An imbalance of gut bacteria can contribute to mood issues. There are also certain overgrowths and gut infections that can impact anxiety levels. For example, overgrowth of Streptococcus bacteria has been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.^[17] The book includes recommendations for further testing that can help you determine if you have an overgrowth or infection.

Address iron toxicity/overload

A buildup of too much iron can cause irritability and depression.^[18] Ferritin levels above 200 ng/dL in women (300 ng/mL in men) can indicate iron toxicity or overload. The book offers several different options for treatment.

Address mold toxicity

There is a big connection between mood issues and mold exposure.^[19] If your symptoms appeared or increased after moving into a new home, there’s a good chance your anxiety may be connected to mold exposure.

Address common nutrient deficiencies

Nutrient deficiencies are common in those with adrenal issues, and could be contributing to feelings of anxiety. Address these important nutrients for mood support: omega-3 fatty acids, folate (vitamin B9), iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.

Address the social anxiety condition called pyroluria

Symptoms of social anxiety have been associated with pyroluria, which is a condition where there are too many pyrrole molecules in your body.^[20] These molecules can deplete your system of essential nutrients that play an important role in mood and adrenal health.

[Trudy’s note: I’m really pleased to see pyroluria mentioned in this book, because it’s not often acknowledged as a condition. I also appreciate the reference, in the pyroluria section, to my work and book, The Antianxiety Food Solution.]

Adrenal Transformation Protocol – for anxiety

Adrenal Transformation Protocol (my Amazon link) provides comprehensive support for the many potential stressors the body can experience, so that you can heal anxiety using a whole body, root-cause approach.

When we address the root causes of adrenal fatigue and anxiety, like blood sugar imbalances, food sensitivities, and nutrient deficiencies, we can increase our resilience and reduce feelings of anxiety!

Adrenal dysfunction often begins after a stressful period in our lives. When the body puts cortisol front and center, rebuilding and repairing go on the backburner, and we can end up with a host of symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, and anxiety.

While most people can bounce back from small stressors, some of us can get caught up in a stress cycle that ends up affecting our physiology. When we are caught in this stress cycle, it throws our hormonal systems out of balance, and leads to us being stuck in “fight or flight” mode. Prolonged “fight or flight” mode eventually leads to burnout, and often contributes to anxiety.

Through years of research, patient study, and work with thousands of clients, my signature protocol has been shown to reverse symptoms of adrenal fatigue. It provides a foundation for optimal health, and can even be one of the keys to resolving anxiety.

In both my own work and Izabella’s, we have found that addressing the adrenals often results in the complete resolution of chronic stress symptoms!

Izabella has experienced multiple bouts of adrenal fatigue and has struggled with anxiety. She realized that her body was responding to the various stress triggers in her environment, and decided to send it safety signals instead, to put it into a healing and rebuilding state. The protocol worked so well for her that she piloted it as a program with a small group in 2020. Despite all of the things that happened in 2020, people reported that the program helped them rebalance their stress response.

Over 3000 people have now completed this protocol, with incredible results, and it’s all in her new book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol (my Amazon link). The book outlines a simple four-week plan to help you recover your adrenal function and resolve symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, depression, and anxiety. The protocol is designed to help you feel calm, strong, excited about life, and brilliant once more!

In addition to reduced brain fog, reduced fatigue, and better sleep, participants reported incredible results in mood – 86 percent reported reduced anxiety and 80 percent reported reduced feelings of nervousness.

Adrenal dysfunction can be a root cause of anxiety. If you’re still experiencing anxiety symptoms and feel like you’ve tried everything, but haven’t yet addressed your adrenal health, I’d highly recommend Adrenal Transformation Protocol (my Amazon link)!

Feel free to share your feedback once you’ve read the book.

Also, let us know if any of the above approaches have helped you address your adrenal issues?

If you have questions and other feedback please share it here too.

^[1] Cook SB. Current Controversy: Does Adrenal Fatigue Exist?. Natural Medicine Journal. 2017;9(10).^[2] Faravelli C, Lo Sauro C, Lelli L, et al. The role of life events and HPA axis in anxiety disorders: a review. Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(35):5663-5674. doi:10.2174/138161212803530907

^[3] Carta M, Loviselli A, Hardoy M et al. The link between thyroid autoimmunity (antithyroid peroxidase autoantibodies) with anxiety and mood disorders in the community: A field of interest for public health in the future. BMC Psychiatry. 2004;4(1). doi:10.1186/1471-244x-4-25.

^[4] Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Malvi H, Kodgule R. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019;98(37):e17186. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000017186

^[5] Dongre S, Langade D, Bhattacharyya S. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Improving Sexual Function in Women: A Pilot Study. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:284154. doi:10.1155/2015/284154

^[6] Lee Y, Jung JC, Jang S, et al. Anti-Inflammatory and Neuroprotective Effects of Constituents Isolated from Rhodiola rosea. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:514049. doi:10.1155/2013/514049

^[7] Cropley M, Banks AP, Boyle J. The Effects of Rhodiola rosea L. Extract on Anxiety, Stress, Cognition and Other Mood Symptoms. Phytother Res. 2015;29(12):1934-1939. doi:10.1002/ptr.5486

^[8] Pan L, Jaroenporn S, Yamamoto T, et al. Effects of pantothenic acid supplement on secretion of steroids by the adrenal cortex in female rats. Reprod Med Biol. 2011;11(2):101-104. Published 2011 Dec

^[9] Valdés F. Vitamina C [Vitamin C]. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2006;97(9):557-568. doi:10.1016/s0001-7310(06)73466-4

^[10] Mathew P, Thoppil D. Hypoglycemia. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; July 23, 2022.

^[11] Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Subjective Anxiety and Stress—A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017 May; 9(5): 429. doi:10.3390/nu9050429.

^[12] Fromm L, Heath DL, Vink R, Nimmo AJ. Magnesium attenuates post-traumatic depression/anxiety following diffuse traumatic brain injury in rats. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004;23(5):529S-533S. doi:10.1080/07315724.2004.10719396

^[13] Sartori SB, Whittle N, Hetzenauer A, Singewald N. Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: modulation by therapeutic drug treatment. Neuropharmacology. 2012;62(1):304-312. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.07.027

^[14] Vatn MH. Food intolerance and psychosomatic experience. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1997;23 Suppl 3:75-78.

^[15] Russo AJ. Decreased zinc and increased copper in individuals with anxiety. Nutr Metab Insights. 2011;4:1-5. Published 2011 Feb 7. doi:10.4137/NMI.S6349

^[16] Glick ID, Bennett SE. Psychiatric complications of progesterone and oral contraceptives. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1981;1(6):350-367. doi:10.1097/00004714-198111000-00003

^[17] Mell LK, Davis RL, Owens D. Association between streptococcal infection and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, and tic disorder. Pediatrics. 2005;116(1):56-60. doi:10.1542/peds.2004-2058

^[18] Cutler P. Iron overload and psychiatric illness. Can J Psychiatry. 1994;39(1):8-11. doi:10.1177/070674379403900104

^[19] Harding CF, Pytte CL, Page KG, et al. Mold inhalation causes innate immune activation, neural, cognitive and emotional dysfunction. Brain Behav Immun. 2020;87:218-228. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.006

^[20] Mensah A. Mood instability: Pyrrole disorder underlying cause bipolar, DMDD. Mensah Medical. https://www.mensahmedical.com/pyroluria-pyrrole-disorder/. Published July 12, 2016. Accessed February 8, 2023.

GABA helps 14-year-old with Tourette’s Syndrome (the tics and sleep), and tyrosine makes him happier and his mind sharper

January 21, 2022 By Trudy Scott 30 Comments

We typically associate low GABA, a calming neurotransmitter, with a physical-type of tension- anxiety that also often affects sleep. However there is evidence that low GABA is also a factor in other conditions. One of these conditions is Tourette’s Syndrome, which is characterized by the presence of chronic tics which can be motor/movement and vocal. In today’s blog I share some research that suggests a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms in Tourette’s and a case study where a teenage boy found relief from his tics when using the amino acid GABA as a supplement. GABA also improved his sleep. He also made some dietary changes – no gluten, no sugar and no caffeine – and supplemented with magnesium and melatonin. The amino acid tyrosine, used as a supplement, also improved his low mood and focus, both of which can be issues with Tourette’s.

Kim, a mom in this community, shared this wonderful feedback about her son in response to a Facebook post a few years ago:

Because of your book, I started using GABA for my 14-year-old son with moderate to severe Tourette’s Syndrome, and the results have been significant. Highly recommended for tics, and sleep for these individuals. Thank you.

I asked her how much GABA he used and how often and she shared this:

He used 750mg GABA nightly before bed, and if tics are really active then additional 300mg. Lots of water and a balanced diet with no caffeine…. life-saver.

Keep in mind that 750mg is considered a high dose. We typically start with 125mg GABA and increase based on each person’s unique needs. There is the temptation to think “I have tics and this is a very severe condition so I need a high dose to start.” You don’t want to be thinking like this. Some people may not need this much and others may need this high dose. We always use the trial method to figure out the ideal dose.

She also shared that when he added tyrosine, he saw benefits from that amino acid supplement too:

He recently added 300mg of l-tyrosine, and it promotes happiness and a sharper mind, due to brain fog. He says he really notices a difference. He has read your book as well.

How wonderful is this? GABA helped reduce his tics and improved his sleep, and tyrosine improved his mood and focus.

I love that he’s read my book – good for him and this mom! It’s never too early to have you and your child read this information. It’s empowering for them so they understand the changes they need to make and why these amino acids, dietary changes and elimination of caffeine make such a difference.

I recently checked in to see how he is doing now and asked what other nutritional approaches helped/help other than GABA, a balanced diet and no caffeine. She shared this:

He’s gluten free, magnesium for sure for the muscle tics, and melatonin for good sleep (Touretters need a routine sleep schedule).

He’s 18 now and is doing way better as he matures, but GABA no doubt has improved his life. We promote GABA and educate others as much as possible.

All this is so great to hear and I love that they now help to educate others about GABA too.

I appreciate that she gave me permission to share, hence this post. (The image above is a stock image and not her son.)

Tourette’s Syndrome and reduced GABA function

This paper, Reduced GABAergic inhibition and abnormal sensory symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome, describes the condition and the role of reduced GABA function:

Tourette Syndrome is characterized by the presence of chronic tics. Individuals with Tourette Syndrome often report difficulty with ignoring (habituating to) tactile sensations, and some patients perceive that this contributes to a “premonitory urge” to tic. While common, the physiological basis of impaired tactile processing in Tourette Syndrome, and indeed tics themselves, remain poorly understood.

It has been well established that GABAergic processing plays an important role in shaping the neurophysiological response to tactile stimulation. Furthermore, there are multiple lines of evidence suggesting that a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms found in Tourette Syndrome.

In this study, the authors used testing (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and tasks that were vibrotactile (the perception of vibration through touch) to investigate the role of GABA and atypical sensory processing in these 8-12-year old children with Tourette Syndrome.

They found the following:

lower concentration of GABA in the sensorimotor cortex and “impaired performance on tactile detection and adaptation tasks, consistent with altered GABAergic function”
the altered/reduced GABAergic function correlated with the severity of motor tics and sensory impairments, “linking the core feature of Tourette Syndrome directly to … brain neurochemistry.”

The authors conclude that this provides a foundation for novel interventions (i.e. medications) but unfortunately do not offer the use of the amino acid GABA as one of these solutions. This is very unfortunate but not unexpected. I plan to reach out to the authors and share this case study and blog.

This research supports why GABA works so well for Kim’s son and why he needed higher amounts of GABA when his tics were more active/severe. And now I’m curious to find out if her son has/had sensory issues and how they improve/improved with GABA. I’ll report back if I hear from her about this.

It’s no surprise that GABA helps his sleep too. There is much evidence supporting this – like the the sleep promoting effects of combined GABA and 5-HTP (or GABA alone or 5-HTP alone). I’ve also shared many GABA-sleep success stories on the blog. Here is one: Since starting GABA my child sleeps for the first time in years and really notices a difference in his carb cravings. (Use the search feature and “GABA sleep” to find additional blog posts)

Interestingly only 8% of the children in the study had generalized anxiety disorder. Given how common low GABA is in anxiety, and that low serotonin can also be a factor with tics, I would have expected anxiety to be higher.

Evidence supporting the other nutritional changes he made

There is evidence to support the other nutritional changes that Kim’s son made:

There are reports that “an increase in tics has been related to the consumption of caffeine and refined sugar.” The authors acknowledge that there is no one diet for Tourette’s, so as always, it’s a matter of figuring out the ideal diet for each child (or adult) with tics. Oligoantigenic diets have been identified as significantly reducing tics. This involves removing foods that can potentially cause a food sensitivity leading to tics and/or behavioral impacts and/or insomnia.
A gluten-free diet maintained for one year in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome was shown to markedly reduce tics and OCD in children and adults
Magnesium is one of the most used supplements in children with Tourette’s Syndrome. When used with probiotics, omega-3 and multivitamins “Seventy-five per cent of supplement users in the Tourette syndrome group noted improvement, mainly in motor and vocal tics, sleep quality and anxiety reduction.”
Melatonin is listed with a number of medications commonly prescribed for tic disorders where sleep issues are also a factor

Keep in mind that the above is not a protocol for relief from tics for everyone with Tourette’s Syndrome. It’s what worked for the unique biochemical needs of Kim’s son.

That said, this could be a framework to start with and build upon.

Tyrosine improves his mood and focus

Tyrosine helps with low catecholamines, improving the curl-up-in-bed low-energy kind of low mood and poor focus. (You can see all the symptoms here.) The typical dose is 500mg tyrosine a few times a day. Kim’s son found just 300mg to be beneficial.

Interestingly, 48% of the children in this study had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with about half of those on stimulant medication. I wonder how many would have also benefited from tyrosine for improving their focus, as it did for Kim’s son.

Resources if you are new to using GABA or tyrosine as a supplement

If you are new to using the the amino acid GABA or tyrosine as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see the low serotonin and other low neurotransmitter symptoms) and a brief overview here: Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

If you suspect low levels of GABA or catecholamines 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.

And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with. As I mentioned above, it’s empowering for your teen and also relatively easy reading too.

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 GABA and tyrosine products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

Have you seen results with GABA or any of the above approaches? Or has another approach helped you or your child?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA and any of the above to help? What else has helped your clients/patients?

If you suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, do you also experience ADHD, insomnia, low mood and/or anxiety?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

Fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and cardiac troubles as the expression of a classic mild thiamine deficiency

October 8, 2021 By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

Fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and cardiac troubles are some of the symptoms we see as the expression of a classic mild thiamine deficiency. Thiamine deficiency is very under-rated and under-recognized, and can have far reaching ramifications. And a magnesium deficiency and high dose magnesium can actually cause a thiamine deficiency. There are also many other causes of thiamine deficiency that may not be on your radar: a high carb/processed food/sugar diet, coffee, tea, alcohol, genetics, environmental toxins, medications, celiac disease, leaky gut, bariatric surgery and malabsorption.

It’s for this reason that I invited Chandler Marrs, PhD to speak on the Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis. We had so much to cover and it ended up being so long, that we split it into part 1 and part 2.

This is what we cover in Thiamine Deficiency in Anxiety and Gut Health (Part 1)

Excessive carbs, alcohol, medications and genetics as causes of low B1/thiamine
Dysbiosis, dysmotility, constipation, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, low energy
Psychiatric and digestive effects: research, history and other symptoms

This is what we cover in Thiamine Deficiency in Anxiety and Gut Health (Part 2)

The mitochondria, dysautonomia and POTS
Other symptoms: hyperemesis, exercise intolerance, muscle pain, neuropathy
Thiamine supplementation – forms, dosing and paradoxical reactions

Thiamine deficiency is under-rated and under-recognized

We start with why it’s an under-rated and under-recognized deficiency and Dr. Marrs shares that the assumption is that deficiency is not common and even when you test it looks like you are not deficient:

“The assumption is that there is no such thing [as a thiamine deficiency] and that it’s rare unless you are a chronic alcoholic. And even then, it’s missed 80% of the time. Or you have a severe injury or illness that depletes thiamine rapidly.
The presumption is that we’ve solved it, and it’s rare, and it only happens in countries where food availability is problematic.
The reality is that the chemistry of our foods, the chemistry of our environment, the medications that we take all combine and accrue to not only deplete the available thiamine on the basis of intake but to increase the need and to damage a lot of the enzymes involved in the processing of thiamine.
So a lot of folks are functionally deficient in that even though by definition they meet the daily requirement and they may, based upon lab testing, show up as being sufficient and not frankly deficient.
And so, I think that we just have taken our eye off of the ball with regard to this particular nutrient.”

Magnesium deficiency (and high dose magnesium) can actually cause a thiamine deficiency

Dr. Marrs also shares how a magnesium deficiency (which is very common) can actually cause a thiamine deficiency:

“One of the things that’s interesting is it requires magnesium to activate thiamine into its active form.
If someone is thiamine sufficient and magnesium deficient, then they are actually functionally deficient in thiamine because you cannot take the free thiamine and activate it into thiamine pyrophosphate.
So magnesium deficiency itself can cause thiamine deficiency. And there’s a good percentage of the population that doesn’t get enough magnesium.”

And she also shares how when taking high dose magnesium it’s so crucial to also be addressing low thiamine in order to prevent them becoming more thiamine deficient:

“Now, the flip side of that is really interesting. And I think this is important for your audience, in particular, is that magnesium supplementation, when someone has a problem with thiamine, will actually shut down thiamine processing and mitochondrial processing at one of the enzymes. Because if you don’t have thiamine with magnesium, then the enzyme α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase kind of shuts the whole sequence down.
So if you are giving someone high dose magnesium, which is common to supplement, and not tackling the thiamine as well, you risk them becoming more thiamine deficient and reducing ATP output, energy output even further. So everything has to be in balance to some extent or another.”

I can think of one situation where this could be common. You use high dose magnesium due to constipation. Low thiamine may be one of the underlying causes of your constipation and now high dose magnesium is going to make the low thiamine situation worse.

Up to 30% of psychiatric patients have a thiamine deficiency

We talk about how up to 30% of psychiatric patients have a thiamine deficiency but that there hasn’t been enough work on psychiatric disorders which Dr. Marrs says “is strange given the fact that some of the strongest symptoms involve brain function and the most dangerous or some of the more dangerous damage is relative to areas of the brain.”

I share some quotes from a 2019 paper that does actually look at the psychiatric aspects – Neurological, Psychiatric, and Biochemical Aspects of Thiamine Deficiency in Children and Adults:

“The brain is highly vulnerable to thiamine deficiency due to its heavy reliance on mitochondrial ATP production. This is more evident during rapid growth, i.e., perinatal and children.
Thiamine deficiency contributes to a number of conditions spanning from mild neurological and psychiatric symptoms, confusion, reduced memory, sleep disturbances, and severe encephalopathy, ataxia, congestive heart failure, muscle atrophy, and even death.”

This paper also looks at the beneficial effect of thiamine supplementation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurological conditions.

Below, I share some additional studies that we didn’t talk about in the interview but add value to the topic.

Fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and cardiac troubles as the expression of a classic mild thiamine deficiency

This paper, High-dose thiamine improves the symptoms of fibromyalgia, states that “It is our opinion that fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety and cardiac troubles are the expressions of a classic mild thiamine deficiency.”

The authors share 3 cases where thiamine/vitamin B1 improved symptoms in all areas for all these women:

Patient 1: Female, 58 years old, weight 59 kg. From 1998, the patient began to have widespread pain accompanied by severe fatigue, depression, anxiety, irritability, sleep disorders, trouble concentrating, dry skin, general sickness, continuous headache, intolerance to low temperatures and, more recently, episodes of tachycardia and extrasystolia [alteration in heart rhythm].
Patient 2: Female, 37 years old, weight 74 kg. From 1999, the patient has had widespread pain and all the symptoms described for patient 1, with the only exception being that of cardiac symptoms.
Patient 3: Female, 60 years old, weight 65 kg. From 2006, the patient began to have widespread pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders. Trouble concentrating.

As you can see the symptoms can be very varied and this is what makes it challenging to identify low thiamine as being the issue.

Thiamine deficiency after bariatric surgery

Here one case study where thiamine deficiency occurred after bariatric surgery: Wernicke’s encephalopathy mimicking multiple sclerosis in a young female patient post-bariatric gastric sleeve surgery:

We describe a case of Wernicke’s encephalopathy secondary to thiamine (B1) deficiency in a patient status post-bariatric sleeve gastrectomy.

The presenting symptoms of new-onset weakness, diplopia [double-vision], and confusion in a young female patient raised suspicion for multiple sclerosis (MS), but given a history of bariatric surgery, thiamine levels were checked, revealing significant Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency.

This case highlights the importance of thorough history taking, as a misdiagnosis of MS in this case could have resulted in irreversible neurological deterioration and hematological and infectious consequences associated with the inappropriate administration of disease-modifying therapies.

Bariatric surgery is one of many causes of thiamine deficiency.

Some of the other many causes of thiamine deficiency

Other causes of thiamine deficiency include factors that may not be on your radar: a high carb/processed food/sugar diet (and even consistent smaller amounts of “healthy” sweeteners), coffee and tea consumption, alcohol consumption (excessive consumption and even moderate consumption i.e. social drinking), genetics (we talk about specific genes in the interview), environmental toxins, certain medications, celiac disease, leaky gut and malabsorption etc.

We do a deep dive into all this in the two interviews (and much more).

chandler marrs interview — (As you can see, when I do interviews I take notes throughout for a few reasons: writing consolidates the information into my brain and it allows me to make notes for follow-up questions. It also helps the video editing process later.)

Interviews that dove-tail well with this topic are these ones:

Michael Collins – Sugar/Fructose Addiction: Anxiety, ADHD and Aggression (because sugar and carbs lead to low thiamine)
My interviews, Glutamine, DPA and Tyrosine for Anxiety and Sugar Cravings and GABA & Tryptophan: Gut-Anxiety Connections (because the amino acids help you quit sugar/carbs, coffee and alcohol easily)
Tara Hunkin, NTP, CGP, RWP – Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Anxiety (because low thiamine adversely affects the mitochondria)

I encourage you to 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! More about this summit and other Anxiety Summits here.

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

Please share if these thiamine deficiency symptoms are new to you.

Also let us know if you’ve benefited from thiamine in the past or are currently using some form of thiamine – and how helped/is helping.

Have you seen this correlation between low magnesium and low thiamine OR taking high doses of magnesium and low thiamine symptoms?

Feel free to post your questions here too.

Learn more/purchase now

Coronavirus: my immune boosting and antiviral plans (and what to use if you’re anxious)

January 31, 2020 By Trudy Scott 107 Comments

3/27/20: Updated with a good blog post on elderberry (addressing cytokine storm concerns); an excellent video on “The Coronavirus Explained”; 3 new and promising coronavirus/COVID-19 studies on gut health and melatonin; an excellent hand-washing video I encourage you to watch with your families; a recap on using GABA, tryptophan, DPA, glutamine and tyrosine for emotional support

3/20/20: Updated with webinar information so you can post your questions.

3/12/20: Updated as a result of the situation in Italy and the WHO pandemic declaration – Italy overwhelmed with not enough ICU beds and ventilators; predictions the USA healthcare system (and other countries) will likely not be able to handle a similar situation; stay home and immune-boosting advice from Dr. David Brady; additional resources from Dr. Elisa Song; and more on hand-washing

1/31/20: Originally published – vitamin C and foundational nutrients; my other immune boosting nutrients and first aid kit; GABA or tryptophan if you are worried, overly anxious or fearful

UPDATES 3/27/20:

Coronavirus explained, gut health, elderberry, melatonin and more

So much is changing so quickly and there is so much to learn about the coronavirus. I am spending all my time pouring through the literature, learning from other practitioners, reaching out to researchers and trying to connect some of the dots for you. For this reason I’ve decided to do an update each week to this blog and add new findings and relevant information for you.

I’ve updated this blog again TODAY with a good blog post on elderberry, an excellent video on “The Coronavirus Explained” and 3 new and promising coronavirus/COVID-19 studies on gut health and melatonin. I will be taking a deeper dive into these studies, sharing my perspectives related to the anxiety nutrition work I do. I also share an excellent hand-washing video I encourage you to watch with your families! And a recap on using GABA, tryptophan, DPA, glutamine and tyrosine for emotional support.

Elderberry concerns about it triggering a cytokine storm – put to rest

There have been many questions about elderberry and concerns about it possibly triggering a cytokine storm. Suzy Cohen addresses all these concerns here: In Defense of Precious Elderberries

The misinformation you’re getting was based upon a research article that evaluated blood cells in test tubes. It was not a well-designed, placebo-controlled clinical trial. It was not even done on real live people (in vivo).

A number of my respected colleagues agree with her conclusions: “compounds from elderberries can directly inhibit the [flu] virus’s entry and replication in human cells, and can help strengthen a person’s immune response to the virus.” More here.

Understanding the Coronavirus

I found this video very helpful for understanding the coronavirus: The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do

New and promising coronavirus/COVID-19 studies on gut health

Here are two new coronavirus/COVID-19 gut health studies. I will be taking a deeper dive into these studies in a future blog post, sharing my perspectives related to the anxiety nutrition work I do. For now, here are the links. It’s very preliminary research but if you tuned in to the recent Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis, you know how promising this is:

2019 novel coronavirus infection and gastrointestinal tract

Although no specific antiviral treatment has been recommended to date, we speculate that probiotics may modulate the gut microbiota to alter the gastrointestinal symptoms favorably and may also protect the respiratory system

Management of Corona Virus disease-19 (COVID-19): The Zhejiang Experience

Nutritional and gastrointestinal function should be assessed for all patients. Nutritional support and application of prebiotics or probiotics were suggested to regulate the balance of intestinal microbiota and reduce the risk of secondary infection due to bacterial translocation.

Anxiety and fear were common in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, we established dynamic assessment and warning for psychological crisis.

I address anxiety in all the work I do an agree it needs to be at the forefront for everyone. I take a deeper dive into GABA and theanine and the anxiety/sleep/immunity connections in this recent blog: GABA and theanine for easing anxiety, improving sleep and supporting immunity.

Melatonin as a potential treatment: new research

This in press and pre-proof paper on melatonin is also very promising: COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment:

Melatonin, a well-known anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative molecule, is protective against ALI/ARDS [acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome] caused by viral and other pathogens. Melatonin is effective in critical care patients by reducing vessel permeability, anxiety, sedation use, and improving sleeping quality, which might also be beneficial for better clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Notably, melatonin has a high safety profile.

I will also be taking a deeper dive into this study in a future blog post, sharing my perspectives on serotonin, melatonin, anxiety and sleep.

THE best hand-washing video!

This is THE best hand-washing video I’ve come across. It was even retweeted and acknowledged by WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

I’m pretty sure I may have been missing my thumbs! What about you?

I don’t know how to share a video from twitter other than share the twitter link so I hope you can watch it.

We’re using soap at home and have one designated person in our household of four adults going out to pick up food items. This is the time we use hand-sanitizer (and gloves). Here is another blog on How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer in case you’re in a similar situation to us and can’t find ingredients to make more. Suzy mentions vinegar and colloidal silver in this one and shares a number of practical recipes.

IV vitamin C, oxalates, anti-malarial drugs and losss of smell and taste

It’s so encouraging that New York hospitals are treating coronavirus patients with vitamin C. There are, however, concerns for folks who have dietary oxalate issues (with both oral and IV vitamin C). I’ve been gathering feedback and research on this topic and will hopefully have more to share next week.

I also have some major concerns about the anti-malarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and will share those, together with my perspectives on the loss of smell and taste as a possible marker of infection.

Until then, here is another little “bouquet of hope” from our garden to you … My darling mom-in-law brought this lovely little arrangement to me in my home office earlier this week! Aren’t I a lucky girl!?

Amino acids for emotional support, good sleep and to prevent comfort-eating

Finally, don’t forget about the amino acids for added emotional and nutritional support (our needs are higher at a time like this):

GABA for physical tension and anxiety (more here)
tryptophan for excessive worrying and feeling fearful (more here)
glutamine if you’re not eating well and getting blood sugar crashes, and for gut healing (more here)
tyrosine if you just can’t focus and want to curl up in bed (more here)
and DPA if you’re feeling overly emotional and weepy, comfort-eating is your support right now (more here)

This blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

Please feel free to comment on any of the above new developments and share what you are learning too. And do let me know if this format is helpful for you.

Keeping you in my thoughts! And keeping you informed and empowered so anxiety is less of an issue.

UPDATES 3/20/2020:

I’m planning a series of webinars to get your coronavirus questions answered:

I’m planning to interview a health coach/colleague living in Italy/Germany right now and have her share her experiences about living in lock-down and more about the situation in Europe
I’m planning to interview Dr. David Brady to share his patient protocols for immunity, testing and much more
I’ll be doing one with me talking about best how to deal with the anxiety, worry and laying awake until 3am fearful. Anxiety and lack of sleep adversely impact immunity so we have to sort that out. I’ll also cover the many nutrients for anxiety that also support immunity
I’m looking for an expert to talk about vitamin C and the risks for those with dietary oxalate issues, and other viable and safe options instead of vitamin C
I’ll be interviewing a doctor on the role of melatonin in counteracting severe inflammatory responses such as pro-inflammatory cytokines. It’s being theorized that older individuals are being more impacted because of low melatonin levels and it’s because children have higher levels of melatonin they are less impacted.

I hope these will be helpful for you? What questions do you have for each webinar (please list the webinar # and the question/s when you comment below. Please don’t send your questions via email – as you can imagine we are receiving a large number of emails!) Let me know what other information you are looking for.

UPDATES 3/12/2020:

The situation in Italy has me concerned

At the time of initial publication of this blog at the end of January, I was in agreement with what the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service were suggesting – we were reading a lot of media hype.

I am not one for fear-mongering, but after reading this very sobering account by two Italian doctors 2 days ago, I am now much more concerned about the coronavirus for the folks who will be most severely impacted – the elderly and the immune-compromised.

In Italy they do not have enough ventilators or ICU beds. Dr. Jason Van Schoor shared warnings from a colleague working in Northern Italy:

I feel the pressure to give you a quick personal update about what is happening in Italy, and also give some quick direct advice about what you should do.

First, Lombardy is the most developed region in Italy and it has a extraordinary good healthcare, I have worked in Italy, UK and Aus and don’t make the mistake to think that what is happening is happening in a 3rd world country.

The current situation is difficult to imagine and numbers do not explain things at all. Our hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid-19, they are running 200% capacity

We’ve stopped all routine, all ORs have been converted to ITUs and they are now diverting or not treating all other emergencies like trauma or strokes. There are hundreds of pts with severe resp failure and many of them do not have access to anything above a reservoir mask.

Patients above 65 or younger with comorbidities are not even assessed by ITU, I am not saying not tubed, I’m saying not assessed and no ITU staff attends when they arrest.

We have seen the same pattern in different areas a week apart, and there is no reason that in a few weeks it won’t be the same everywhere

You can read the entire thread on Twitter here. At first glance there is skepticism and disbelief this could be happening but a trusted colleague in San Francisco has heard similar accounts from doctors she knows in Italy. It’s thanks to her that I started digging deeper into the situation in Italy and had my mind changed.

And this article in the New York Times was also just published confirming much of this: Italy’s Health Care System Groans Under Coronavirus — a Warning to the World. They they do mention doctors being muzzled which is very concerning. We need transparency if we are to learn.

Predictions the USA healthcare system (and other countries) will likely not be able to handle a similar situation

This article supports what is happening in Italy, with serious predictions for the USA (and presumably other countries too) – What does the coronavirus mean for the U.S. healthcare system? Some simple math offers alarming answers

What does an avalanche of uncharacteristically severe respiratory viral illness cases mean for our health care system? How much excess capacity currently exists, and how quickly could Covid-19 cases saturate and overwhelm the number of available hospital beds, face masks, and other resources …

….like in Italy where this is happening right now!

This is why I am now fully behind social distancing and staying home

I’m still of the opinion I need to focus on healthy living/eating and boosting my immunity (and it’s what me and my family are currently doing) but I am now fully behind social distancing, staying home, not attending big events and not traveling – so this virus can be contained as much as possible. Knowing what I now know about Italy makes this an easy decision which is why I’m sharing it here today – even if it is frightening.

Dr. David Brady, ND, author of The Fibro Fix, provides some basic advice on staying as healthy as possible in this recent video posted on Facebook. His is the calm voice of reason, sharing precautions to take during the COVID-19 pandemic and also fully supporting the social isolation and stay home message. He does mention andrographis for antiviral support, garlic, elderberry, vitamin C, lauric acid (monolaurin), vitamin D, preformed vitamin A (as opposed to beta-carotene), zinc and echinacea as all good nutrients to consider for his patients and family.

Unfortunately, many of my colleagues are still saying it’s media hype, out of control fear-mongering, is not as bad as the flu and there is no way this could happen in a country like the USA, Australia, UK and elsewhere. I know they’ll get on board with all this once they have this information too.

I sincerely hope I am wrong about this and things don’t get as bad as Italy. For now I’m playing it safe.

My hand-washing research

I got called out for not mentioning hand-washing when I first published this blog. My focus was to share my first-aid kit i.e. nutraceuticals I use but KT was is absolutely right

Hand hygiene is the single most important intervention for reducing healthcare associated infections and preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

My assumption was that this is common knowledge but based on this statement in the same paper, perhaps this isn’t the case?

while tremendous progress has certainly been made in this field, a significant amount of work is yet to be done in both strengthening the evidence regarding the impact of hand hygiene and maximizing its implementation

With regard to what to use: antibacterial soap showed little added benefit compared with regular soap

Interestingly this paper also states “Hand hygiene is clearly effective against gastrointestinal and, to a lesser extent, respiratory infections. Studies examining hygiene practices during respiratory illness and interventions targeting aerosol transmission are needed.” I’m not sure of the implications of this for the coronavirus. For now I’m following the guidelines outlined in Dr. Song’s blog (below).

This 2017 Time article, Washing Hands In Cold Water Works As Well As Hot Against Germs, clears up what they say is often conflicting data and has some good guidelines from a study published the same year (it was looking at E. coli bacteria and not viruses): wash hands in cold water, at least 10 secs of lathering and use regular soap. Hand lotion afterwards seems to help too.

Additional resources

I’ve also got some blogs from colleagues to share with you so you have additional resources:

My friend and colleague Dr. Elisa Song MD shares this very comprehensive blog – Coronavirus (COVID-19): What a Pediatrician Wants You to Know (published late Feb so a little out of date with some of the stats). I’m so pleased to see Dr. Song write about IV Vitamin C and look forward to the outcome of the clinical trial she refers to: Vitamin C Infusion for the Treatment of Severe 2019-nCoV Infected Pneumonia.

It’s an approach the physicians of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service are recommending and it’s gives me a higher level of comfort in these days ahead.

As I mentioned above I do have some questions and concerns about this vitamin C IV approach (and high doses of oral vitamin C) for folks with oxalate issues (myself included) and for folks with G6PD deficiencies and hemochromatosis. I’ll share more as I learn more.

And this one from Dr. Song too – Handwashing and Coronavirus: Are you doing it the right way? I encourage you to watch the hand-washing demo videos she links to and show them to your children! This fact is astounding: “If 60% rather than 20% of air travelers maintained clean hands, it could slow down the spread of infections by almost 70%“

Dr. Song also shares How to Make a 60% Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer. “Washing hands with soap and water is the #1 recommended way to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. But if you don’t have access to soap and water, what can you do? The CDC recommends using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.“

A blog from Paleohacks: Thieves Oil What It Is, Benefits & How to Make It. Use Thieves oil as a natural disinfectant around your home. “It’s great for wiping down counters, cleaning toys, disinfecting cutting boards, removing stale odors, freshening trash cans and gym bags, and even cleaning veggies.”

Originally published 1/31/20:

How are you handling all the coronavirus news? Worried? Anxious? Fearful? Or are calmly watching and listening and making sure your immune system is in good shape and you have natural antivirals on hand if necessary? (and updated 3/12/20 – are you taking the stay at home message seriously? much more on that below)

There are still many unknowns but I’ve been gathering some articles and resources for my own personal use. I’m not an expert in infections but since folks in my community are asking I promised to share my first-aid kit and rationale in a blog post.

I can help with the anxiety and fear aspect if all this doesn’t put your mind at ease. I cover how I use individual amino acids with my clients at the end of this blog post.

Vitamin C and other foundational nutrients

This newly published blog by Andrew Saul PhD, Vitamin C Protects Against Coronavirus, offers sage foundational advice that resonates with what I already know:

The physicians of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service and the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine urge a nutrient-based method to prevent or minimize symptoms for future viral infection. The following inexpensive supplemental levels are recommended for adults; for children reduce these in proportion to body weight:

Vitamin C: 3,000 milligrams (or more) daily, in divided doses.

Vitamin D3: 2,000 International Units daily. (Start with 5,000 IU/day for two weeks, then reduce to 2,000)

Magnesium: 400 mg daily (in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form)

Zinc: 20 mg daily

Selenium: 100 mcg (micrograms) daily

Vitamin C, Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and selenium have been shown to strengthen the immune system against viruses.

Additional rationale for vitamin C

In another blog by Andrew Saul PhD, Nutritional Treatment of Coronavirus, offers additional rationale for vitamin C: “Abundant clinical evidence confirms vitamin C’s powerful antiviral effect when used in sufficient quantity” and states that the “physicians on the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service review board specifically recommend at least 3,000 milligrams (or more) of vitamin C daily, in divided doses. Vitamin C empowers the immune system and can directly denature many viruses.”

It’s very encouraging to read that just 200mg a day“given to the elderly resulted in improvement in respiratory symptoms in the most severely ill, hospitalized patients.”

~~This statement from the above blog puts much of what is considered to be media hype and fear-mongering into perspective:~~ (see below why I no longer feel this is media hype)

“The common cold is a coronavirus, and SARS is a coronavirus, so they are the same viral type” ~ David Jenkins, MD, Professor of Medicine and Nutritional Science, University of Toronto.

I do have some questions and concerns about using high doses of oral vitamin C and vitamin C IV for folks with oxalate issues (myself included). I’m actively seeking answers.

Vitamin D, olive leaf extract, oregano oil, elderberry, NAC and diet

Here are some additional links that I have found or were shared with me (thank you if you shared one of these with me!):

Vitamin D and the anti-viral state “These results support the hypothesis that vitamin D … may play a major role in the inhibition of viruses.” I’m very aware of the immune-boosting properties of vitamin D.
Olive leaf extract “decreased the duration of upper respiratory illness in high school athletes.” We always have this on hand and it appears to work well for me and my family so I’ll make sure to keep this in mind.
Oregano oil – per this article on Holistic Primary care “A number of preliminary in vitro or animal studies have shown that compounds in oregano oil are virustatic and virucidal against several viral pathogens.” I always have oregano oil on hand (and especially when flying) and it always works well for me at the first sign of any bug. I was pleased to come across this research even though we don’t yet have a human study.
Black elderberry liquid extract “displays an inhibitory effect on the propagation of human pathogenic influenza viruses” and has antimicrobial effects against bacteria responsible for infections of the upper respiratory tract. This is also a firm favorite in our household in the winter months and I seldom need more than one or two doses at the first sign of the sniffles.
N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) “antioxidants like NAC represent a potential additional treatment option that could be considered in the case of an influenza A virus pandemic.” I’ll be giving NAC more consideration.
Here are some well-balanced perspectives from Peter D’Adamo on Facebook mentions drinking plenty of water, stocks, garlic (freshly crushed), onions, leeks, elderberry and Andrographis paniculata. He does say “Keep in mind these are just my opinions and observations over a thin veneer of facts.”

Consider lomatium?

Lomatium is not my first choice but I’m listing it here out of interest. Lomatium by Barlow Herbals “During the flu pandemic of 1917-1918, the root came into extensive use by the two Washoe Indian tribes near Carson City, Nevada.” I have yet to try this one but have heard Jane from Barlow Herbals talk about lomatium on a number of summits and I’m intrigued.

My first-aid kit

In summary, here is my first-aid kit: Vitamin C, zinc, extra selenium, vitamin D, magnesium, oil of oregano, olive leaf extract, black elderberry and Biocidin Throat Spray and Xlear Nasal Spray (the latter two are always on hand and I always also travel with them).

I also always have essential oils on hand: tea tree oil, eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, lavender and others. I’ll be adding sage per Dr. Elisa Song’s blog (see below).

This is pretty much what I always use other than adding in extra selenium, so it was very affirming to gather all this research.

trudy first aid kit — Here are just a few products from my first-aid kit.

GABA or tryptophan: if worried or overly anxious or fearful

If you’re feeling worried or overly anxious or fearful, the best way is to be informed and prepared. Interestingly, some of the very same nutrients mentioned above also help ease anxiety – vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D, magnesium and selenium and B vitamins – because they are co-factors for making neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA and dopamine.

If all this information and being prepared isn’t enough to calm you down, then don’t forget the individual amino acids for quick relief. I use GABA for clients who are feeling physically tense and tryptophan or 5-HTP for worry-type of anxiety and if they are imagining the worst and can’t switch off their busy mind off.

We use the trial method to find the ideal amount for each person, starting low and titrating up based on symptoms and then down if not added benefits are seen.

You can find my most popular amino acid products on the supplements blog here (and with details for how to set up an account for my online store). You can find everything else I write about in the store too. Just be sure to work with your practitioner.

My thoughts are with you and all of those currently ill and those who will get ill. We will get through this together.

My hope is that you are less anxious and fearful as you become more informed.

Please share your immune-boosting remedies and your thoughts and plans.

As I mentioned above, these are resources and information I’ve gathered for my own personal use, and are in no way intended to be recommendations.

Sleeping through the night for the first time in many years: a trial and error approach to find the ideal tryptophan product

April 5, 2019 By Trudy Scott 38 Comments

If you have trouble sleeping through the night (or even have anxiety or panic attacks), finding the nutritional/biochemical root causes and addressing them is going to provide relief but it’s not always straightforward to find your root cause or causes (there are often more than one). Also, what works for you today may not work for you in 2 years time and may not work for your friend who has similar symptoms. You have to be a detective yourself and/or work with a health professional who can put all the puzzle pieces together.

I recently read a Facebook comment where someone was really frustrated about all the trial and error work that may be involved:

I’m just so tired of all this trial and error work trying to figure out why I’m anxious and depressed can’t sleep more than 4 hours a night. It’s been going on way too long I just want answers and a solution to all this. Enough already!

While I feel for this woman, I do acknowledge that it can sometimes be challenging to put all the puzzle pieces together. Other times we are able to figure things out very quickly. I’d like to share some feedback from Lorraine on the tryptophan-PMS-anxiety blog to illustrate how one small change made a big difference for her and it was a matter of trial and error.

Lorraine shares her great results with this Tryptophan Complete tweak for her insomnia:

Trudy, after listening to your talks about Lidtke Tryptophan I decided to give the Tryptophan Complete a try. I’ve taken one capsule each on the last two nights instead of two of the Tryptophan 500mg caps. Both nights I slept straight through all night and had a hard time waking up in the morning. I’ve struggled with insomnia for many, many years. The 500mg Lidtke Tryptophan supplements were helping but I was still waking up during the night. For me to sleep all night is almost miraculous.

I’ve been also taking Progesterone (low on testing), Magnesium, L-Theanine and Melatonin.

I recently added phosphatidylserine, and Holy Basil because saliva testing showed high cortisol at bedtime and off the charts high in the morning. I’m hoping to start eliminating some of those other supplements now that I’m sleeping so well.

I want to thank you for the Anxiety Summits and your book and updates on Facebook and newsletters. I have learned so much from you!

I’ve blogged about which product to use for boosting serotonin: Tryptophan 500mg or Tryptophan Complete (by Lidtke)?. I share this

I like to have my clients do a trial of the amino acidsso they can find the ideal dose for their needs and right now I still feel this would still be the best approach to take – using 500mg tryptophan. Once you have figured out you do well with tryptophan-only product and have your dose, then consider reducing it slightly after about 2-3 weeks and adding in additional Tryptophan Complete.
The other option is this: if you don’t get the expected results with Tryptophan 500mg, then try the Tryptophan Complete. You may need the other ingredients for it to work well for you.

Lorraine chose to do the latter – switching to Tryptophan Complete – since she didn’t get ideal results with Tryptophan 500mg and it worked for her. I will add that even though she slept straight through all night, I don’t like that she had a hard time waking up in the morning and when that happens, I recommend less tryptophan. It’s very possible that the ideal combination would be 1 x Tryptophan 500mg and 1 x Tryptophan Complete (my first suggestion).

Here is my quick commentary on the other products she’s using for her insomnia:

Progesterone and theanine: Testing progesterone levels are important before using progesterone. Both theanine and GABA support GABA production and when GABA is low, we often see low progesterone. With both low GABA and low progesterone, sleep and anxiety can be worse.
Magnesium: This mineral is commonly low and is needed to make both serotonin and GABA.
Melatonin: This is made in the body when there is sufficient serotonin and may not be needed long-term once she has good levels of serotonin (which the tryptophan product/s are helping her make).
Phosphatidylserine and holy basil: High cortisol is a common root cause of both insomnia and anxiety and saliva testing is an excellent way to confirm this. Phosphatidylserine can be used to lower high cortisol although I have found even better results with a phosphorylated serine product called Seriphos. Holy basil or tulsi is an adaptogenic herbal product that provides adrenal support helping with sleep problems and easing anxiety and stress.

In Lorraine’s case, her insomnia was caused by low serotonin (hence the need for tryptophan, melatonin and magnesium), low GABA/low progesterone (hence the need for progesterone, theanine and magnesium) and high cortisol (hence the need for phosphatidylserine and holy basil).

She shares she’s hoping to start eliminating some of these other supplements now that she’s sleeping so well. So, this would be another trial and error approach, stopping and/or reducing one at a time and seeing how she does. Or she may well find she needs to continue with everything for some time.

As you can see, for Lorraine it was a matter of trial and error to find her solution, but it was well worth it to get the “miraculous results” she experienced: sleeping though the night for the first time in many years!

Some of these products may work for you but it’s going to be a matter of trial and error to find your root cause/s and solution.

In case they are relevant for you, these products mentioned in this blog can all be found in my online Fullscript store:

Lidtke 500mg Tryptophan (with additional information here)
Lidtke Tryptophan Complete (with additional information here)
Magnesium
Melatonin (with additional information here)
Holy basil /tulsi (with additional information here)
Interplexus Seriphos (with additional information here)

I’d love to hear how you’ve used a trial and error approach either on your own or with the help of your practitioner to find the nutritional solution for your insomnia and/or anxiety?

If you’re a practitioner, please do share an example of how you’ve used this approach with a client or patient.

If you’ve had frustrations with this trial and error approach, please share them too.

Feel free to post your questions here too.