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This Is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo, MD (video interview and review)

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brain on food

Dr. Uma Naidoo has a wonderful new book called This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More (my Amazon link)

Her big bold message is this “Until we solve nutritional problems, no amount of medication and psychotherapy is going to be able to stem the tide of mental issues in our society.”  This is something I wholeheartedly agree with!

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dr. Naidoo and we talked about the benefits of fermented foods and social anxiety, vitamin D and anxiety, dietary sources of polyphenols for ADHD and much more:

51 women with type 2 diabetes and vitamin D deficiency were randomly allocated to receive one oral pearl of 50,000 IU vitamin D3 (26 women) or a placebo (25 women) fortnightly for 16 weeks

Anxiety score changes were significantly lower in vitamin D group than the controls

Dietary polyphenols… have antioxidant capacities as well as immunoregulatory effects and, therefore, appear appropriate in ADHD therapy.

  • Dr. Naidoo recommends these sources of polyphenols: berries and other fruit, vegetables, extra virgin olive oil.
  • I’m fascinated by the fact that polyphenols “act as a low-dose toxin that trains the body to mount an immune response in a process called hormesis” (there are many geeky gems like this in the book)
  • Dr. Naidoo shares the story of her 36 year old patient with severe anxiety. He was a binge eater and also had a history of alcohol abuse. Vitamin B1 (250mg) was every effective for him…“In animal studies, thiamine appears to reduce stress-like responses because it protects the hippocampus”
  • We talk about chamomile tea and how it helps with sleep. There are some cautions if you’re on a blood thinner prescription or going to have surgery. Pregnant women should also avoid it.
  • Dr. Naidoo shares a delicious Golden Milk recipe with tips on how to use turmeric (one her favorite spices and inspired by her grandmother’s cooking) with black pepper. You’ll find this in the recipes section.
  • Dr Naidoo also shares one of her favorite comfort foods – a yummy lentil soup recipe called dal in south Indian cuisines. It’s a great source of fiber, plant-based protein and is very affordable. And really healthy when cooked with vegetables and spices like mustard seeds, ginger, garlic and turmeric. She shares a tip to improve the flavors – making tadka (listen to the interview below, enjoy and be inspired!)

 

It’s a wonderful book that I highly recommend if:

  • you are new to nutritional psychiatry and the power of food
  • you are a seasoned foodie and want to geek out on mechanisms and the science
  • you want to learn about foods and nutrients (all science-based) specifically for depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD and insomnia
  • you are a practitioner and want to learn and share a wonderful book with your patients or clients

I read it cover to cover and picked up so many gems. I also loved reading about her memories of cooking with her Pinetown granny (Pinetown is just outside Durban where we both happened to grow up)!

We do have a few professional differences of opinion that I feel I should mention:

  • I am not in favor of canola oil and I’d switch out the recipes that call for canola oil with olive oil
  • I have a difficult time extrapolating high-fat diets in rat studies to concerns about saturated fat consumption in humans (given the nature of the rat chow in many of these studies)
  • I’m more concerned with portion-size of carbs than I am with portion-size of healthy fats (and typically recommend full-fat coconut milk, and chicken and turkey with skin-on)
  • I find grass-red meat to be beneficial for my clients with anxiety and mood issues
  • Many of my anxious clients cannot tolerate any caffeine and I consider 14 alcoholic drinks a week for men and 7 alcoholic drinks a week for women to be excessive
  • I prefer stove-top and oven cooking to using a microwave.

This is the official book blurb:

Did you know that blueberries can help you cope with the aftereffects of trauma? That salami can cause depression, or that boosting Vitamin D intake can help treat anxiety?

When it comes to diet, most people’s concerns involve weight loss, fitness, cardiac health, and longevity. But what we eat affects more than our bodies; it also affects our brains. And recent studies have shown that diet can have a profound impact on mental health conditions ranging from ADHD to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, OCD, dementia and beyond.

A triple threat in the food space, Dr. Uma Naidoo is a board-certified psychiatrist, nutrition specialist, and professionally trained chef. In This Is Your Brain on Food, she draws on cutting-edge research to explain the many ways in which food contributes to our mental health, and shows how a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues.

Packed with fascinating science, actionable nutritional recommendations, and delicious, brain-healthy recipes, This Is Your Brain on Food is the go-to guide to optimizing your mental health with food.

Uma Naidoo, MD is board-certified psychiatrist (Harvard Medical School), professional chef (Cambridge School of Culinary Arts), and nutrition specialist (Cornell University). She is currently the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where she consults on nutritional interventions for the psychiatrically and medically ill; Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital Academy; and has a private practice in Newton, MA. She also teaches at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

Dr. Naidoo speaks frequently at conferences at Harvard, for Goop audiences, the New York City Jewish Community Center (JCC), and Ivy Boston. She blogs for Harvard Health and Psychology Today and completed a unique video cooking series for the MGH Academy which teaches Nutritional Psychiatry using culinary techniques in the kitchen.

You can get your copy of This Is Your Brain on Food here (my Amazon link) and find additional information about Dr. Naidoo here and the book here.

Let us know what you think in the comments below and be sure to leave Dr. Naidoo a review once you read your copy!

Feel free to post your questions here too.

The healing properties of camel’s milk for autism (and anxiety)

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Kaalya Daniel, PhD covers the very interesting topic of camel milk in her interview on The Nourishing Hope for Autism Summit

How You Can Use the Healing Properties of Camel’s Milk for Autism

Camel’s milk is like no other milk. You’ll learn the unique and powerful immune system properties and nutrient benefits of this milk, from an animal known to endure extreme conditions. And how it helps with autism, even when you can’t tolerate other milk.

I don’t have access to the interview transcript yet but since this is a new topic I haven’t yet blogged about I’ve decided to highlight this interview as one I’m really interested in exploring for mom’s in my community with children on the spectrum, with ADHD or other developmental disorders.

In case you’re new to camel’s milk, a paper published in 2015 – Nutritional and Therapeutic Characteristics of Camel Milk in Children: A Systematic Review, shares the following:

Camel milk is the closest to a human mother’s milk. Camel milk is different from other milks, however, having low sugar and cholesterol, high minerals (sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc and magnesium, and vitamin C). The milk is considered have medicinal characteristics as well.

The study concludes that there is evidence denoting the importance, usability and benefits of camel’s milk:

Camel milk as a supplemental treatment seems less invasive and costly than specialist care, medications, alternative treatments, and behavioral interventions. Based on our findings, camel milk is safer for children, effective in the treatment of autism, improves general well-being, promotes body natural defenses, is a good nutritional source, and can helps the daily nutritional needs of humans.

Given the many overlaps we see with autism/ASD and anxiety/depression, it’s clear that camel milk has wide applications given the benefits we see has for immunity, the gut and inflammation, as well as providing nourishment when dairy cannot be tolerated. As you can see in the above study below camel milk consumption has been shown to improve general well-being.

I’m not sure if anxiety and GABA is covered in the interview but I did find some interesting research reporting that both camel and goat milk have significantly more bioavailable GABA than cow and human milk – which may be another beneficial mechanism.

Here are just a few of the other speakers and topics I’m really looking forward to hearing:

  • James Adams, PhD: The Scientific Evidence Linking Nutrition and Autism Improvement
  • Dietrich Klinghardt: Understanding Lyme, Infections, Mold, and Heavy Metals and the Effects on Autism
  • Chef Pete Evans: Food is Medicine, Inspiration from a chef
  • Dominic D’Agostino, PhD: Is the Ketogenic Diet Right for an Autistic Child?
  • Susan Owens, MS: The Inflammasome, Oxalates, Autoimmunity and Autism
  • And of course, Julie Matthews, CNC: When GFCF Diets Don’t Work – BioIndividual Nutrition for Autism (I’m actually going to interview Julie on this topic)

In my interview we go into anxiety, OCD and aggression in great detail, discussing the amino acids GABA and tryptophan, plus gluten issues and when and how to use inositol.

This summit provides you with information and tools that address the root causes of autism, ADHD and many other conditions including anxiety.

The Summit runs July 30 to August 3 and is hosted by my dear friend and colleague Julie Matthews, whose work you’re probably very familiar with. In case Julie’s work is new to you, in my eyes, she is THE autism nutrition expert. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing her a number of times on the Anxiety Summit, I endorse her Bioindividual Nutrition training (special diets) for practitioners, I highly respect the work she does and I adore her!

Register here for The Nourishing Hope for Autism Summit to learn more! It airs online from July 30 to August 3, 2018. Hope to see you online!

I’d love to hear your camel’s milk experiences. If you have questions please post them in the comments below.

Little evidence for SSRI use in anxiety and compulsions in ASD: my interview on Nourishing Hope for Autism Summit

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One of the reasons I’m so passionate about participating on summits like The Nourishing Hope for Autism Summit and sharing the powerful nutritional interventions is due to the fact that medications such as antidepressants and benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed in ASD – and the research and clinical evidence shows that children and adolescents with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) are more vulnerable to the side effects.

This paper, Psychopharmacological interventions in autism spectrum disorder, makes the following conclusion:

Psychopharmacological treatment of core and associated symptoms in ASD is challenging, in large part because ASD presents in many different ways. Furthermore, children and adolescents with ASD are more vulnerable to the side effects of psychopharmacological intervention than their age-matched, typically developing counterparts.

This paper, Pharmacotherapy of emotional and behavioral symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents, supports this, stating there is little evidence to support the use of SSRIs in ASD:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are often used in clinical practice to target anxiety and compulsions; however, there is little evidence to support its use in this population. There is a great need for further research on the safety and efficacy of existing psychotropic medications in youth with ASD.

And this paper published a few months ago, An update on pharmacotherapy of autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents, concludes that

Overall, the evidence is limited for pharmacotherapy in children with ASD, and side-effects with long-term use can be burdensome.

Much of this also applies to adults with ASD and in my interview I talk about the psychiatric medicine concerns within the ASD community and the high incidence of anxiety, aggression, irritability and OCD in this population.

We also discuss the following nutritional solutions in my interview (appropriately titled: How to calm anxiety, and eliminate aggression and OCD) –

  • the role low serotonin plays in anxiety, aggression and OCD/obsessions and the use of tryptophan and when to avoid 5-HTP
  • the low GABA type of physical anxiety and how to effectively use GABA for results
  • how to use inositol for OCD and some wonderful success stories
  • lead toxicity and increased anxiety and the protective role of tryptophan and ascorbic acid
  • phenols and oxalates other special diets (and my story with oxalate issues)

Our interviews are always fun, science based and practical – and in this one we even shared some of our personal results (both good and bad) with some of these nutrients.

Here are just a few of the speakers and topics I’m really looking forward to hearing:

  • James Adams, PhD: The Scientific Evidence Linking Nutrition and Autism Improvement
  • Dietrich Klinghardt: Understanding Lyme, Infections, Mold, and Heavy Metals and the Effects on Autism
  • Chef Pete Evans: Food is Medicine, Inspiration from a chef
  • Kaalya Daniel, PhD: How You Can Use the Healing Properties of Camel’s Milk for Autism
  • Dominic D’Agostino, PhD: Is the Ketogenic Diet Right for an Autistic Child?
  • Susan Owens, MS: The Inflammasome, Oxalates, Autoimmunity and Autism
  • And of course, Julie Matthews, CNC: When GFCF Diets Don’t Work – BioIndividual Nutrition for Autism

This summit provides you with information and tools that address the root causes so medications such as the above do not even have to come into the picture!

The Nourishing Hope for Autism Summit runs July 30 to August 3 and is hosted by my dear friend and colleague Julie Matthews, whose work you’re probably very familiar with. In case Julie’s work is new to you, in my eyes, she is THE autism nutrition expert. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing her a number of times on the Anxiety Summit, I endorse her Bioindividual Nutrition training (special diets) for practitioners, I highly respect the work she does and I adore her!

The focus of this summit is clearly autism and Julie is THE expert so you’ll learn a ton from the experts she has gathered.

But do keep in mind that those with autism or Asperger’s are often considered the canaries in the coalmine and even if you don’t have a loved one with ASD many of the interviews have wider applications for anxiety, ADHD and other developmental and learning disorders.

Register here for The Nourishing Hope for Autism Summit to learn more! It airs online from July 30 to August 3, 2018

The role of functional neurology, the cerebellum and brain balance exercises for anxiety, depression, social communication, ADHD and obsessions

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Here are some snippets from a fascinating interview sharing cutting edge information on functional neurology and the cerebellum on the Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit

Dr. Peter Scire, DC covers: How to Induce Neuroplastic Change in Your Teenager and Make it Fun. He shares how brain hemisphere imbalances and misfiring can be assessed and corrected with very specific exercises to induce neuroplastic change (in both children and even adults). 

I want to bring attention to, really what Schmahmann calls the cerebellum cognitive affective syndrome, so CCAS. It’s been in the literature now for 20 years. And now he’s developed a way to actually do a checklist and to look at these different aspects. But ultimately what he’s saying is that the cerebellum networks have huge relationships to your cognition of executive functions: like working memory, linguistics (your ability to generate language and to actually comprehend language), your affect, so your mood and your emotional stability. Being able to not only generate emotions, but also be able to receive emotions.

These are things that we thought for a long time were at the higher center of the brain, more of the frontal lobe specifically….. But again, the more that we’re looking at the neuro anatomy through neuroimaging, we’re able to really say, guess what? There are certain pockets of the cerebellum that specifically drive these networks.

He talks about the 3 major parts of the cerebellum, 10 subparts and how 5 of these subparts actually deal with non-motor aspects (i.e. mood and emotions, ADHD etc.). It’s this latter aspect – the non-moto aspects – that is not recognized in mainstream neurology and that forms the some of the central aspects of functional neurology: 

What we know about the cerebellum is that we have three major parts to it, and then there’s actually like 10 sub parts to it. And these 10 sub parts to it have different connections and when you look at the 10 sub parts, the first 5 have to do with more sensory motor aspects of the cerebellum. And then really the other 10 or so, give or take, are really dealing with non-motor aspects.

We have areas from the cortex that speak back to the cerebellum. We call them cerebral cerebellum loops. And then we have cerebellum back to the cerebrum. It kind of makes this bio directional system. Now it’s a little bit more complicated than that. There are other parts of the motor center, the basal ganglia and these other parts in the limbic system and stuff like that. But from a simple standpoint, for most of our attendees that understand brain gut access, just think about it in that sense. Cerebellum … brain, cerebellum, cerebellum back to the brain, okay?

And so we can have dysfunction in those systems. But again, most of the clinical model has always been looking at brain to cerebellum, not cerebellum back to the brain. And I think in my experience over the last 15 plus years, most of the work in functional neurology has actually been centered around, even chiropractic per se has been centered around cerebellum to brain, but we now are even getting more specific with our therapeutic entities.

Dr. Scire discusses the under-recognized relationships between the cerebellum networks and ADHD, social communication, mood, and emotional aspects, relationships, obsessions, compulsions, anxiety and depression: 

Again, when you look at the different phases of his work, you want to look at executive function – the whole ADHD population. You look at the linguistic processing. Obviously, we know language and social communication for autism spectrum disorders. Looking at spatial cognition so visual spatial information, visual memory aspects. Then you can begin to look at not only mood, and emotional aspects, but also relationships, obsessions, compulsions, anxiety and depression.

All this continuum of symptomatology can be traced back to the cerebellum. I agree with Doctor Melillo on this hemisphere communication model. But at the same time, in my opinion, I think that we can take it one step further and even get into the specifics of starting with these networks in the cerebellum. It starts out with this very specific examination to say okay, I want to look at motor functions of the cerebellum and I also want to look at non-motor functions of the cerebellum. And then my therapeutic entity is going to be based on that.

You can watch the video snippet of the above here

Dr. Scire shares the research published by Dr. Schmahmann. In this paper, The neuropsychiatry of the cerebellum – insights from the clinic they discuss the behaviors that they witnessed and that were described by patients and families:

distractibility and hyperactivity, impulsiveness, disinhibition, anxiety, ritualistic and stereotypical behaviors, illogical thought and lack of empathy, as well as aggression and irritability. Ruminative and obsessive behaviors, dysphoria and depression, tactile defensiveness and sensory overload, apathy, childlike behavior, and inability to appreciate social boundaries and assign ulterior motives were also evident.

He also recommends Dr. Robert Melillo’s book: Disconnected Kids: The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders (my Amazon link). I’ve skimmed it and will be doing a review –the functional neurology information is brilliant. I’d love to see the dietary information expanded upon.

In this interview you will learn…

  • What the latest research says about the role of the cerebellum in cognition and motor planning [and the role it also plays in anxiety, depression and ADHD]
  • What to look for when assessing cerebellar function.
  • How the cerebellum impacts executive function.
  • How to rehabilitate the brain and the importance of movement.
  • How to treat young adults with neurological disorders.
  • How what may seem to be “simple” exercises you can do at home with your child can have a major impact on their cognitive function.

I also had the pleasure of speaking on a panel with Dr. Scire and Dr. Leila Masson last week – you can watch this here. We discuss some of the above and a great deal more

Facebook Live Panel with Tara Hunkin, Dr Leila Masson, Dr. Peter Scire DC, and Trudy Scott.

I learned so much from his interview and our panel discussion and will be delving into this aspect of functional neurology in order to add this element for clients who need this support beyond nutrition and functional medicine.

If you’re new to my work and the targeted individual amino acids be sure to catch my interview: Self-care strategies for parents that are stressed out, anxious and depressed – without using medications.

Using the targeted individual amino acids (such as tryptophan, GABA and DPA) provides quick relief from anxiety and overwhelm, giving my clients hope from day one.  And then we start to dig deeper for other root causes which can often take some time.

In this interview my focus was for stress and overwhelm support for parents but the use of amino acids is very applicable to children (and was the topic I covered in my interview in the first season).

You can watch a video snippet of me sharing more about the amino acids here

As I learn more I expect to find that the amino acids used in conjunction with functional neurology is going to provide more comprehensive results for many individuals who also have cerebellum dysfunctions.

This event brings together 30+ of the leading doctors, nutritionists, and researchers working to help parents by sharing the latest information and strategies for achieving recovery for children with Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder.

If you have (or a loved one has) anxiety, depression, OCD,  social anxiety, anger issues and other behavioral symptoms this event is one I highly recommend. Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and Parkinson’s disease are also covered in Dr. Scire’s interview.  This information has a wider application than autism, Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD and SPD and you will learn a great deal.

If you’ve benefited from functional neurology and these brain balancing exercises please do share in the comments. Feel free to post questions too.

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

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Earlier this week was PANS/PANDAS awareness day 2017 so I’d like to bring some awareness to this condition that causes sudden-onset OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) type symptoms and anxiety. The PANDAS Network defines PANDAS as follows:

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

PANDAS Network estimates that PANDAS/PANS affects as many as 1 in 200 children.

This Huffington Post article: Misdiagnosed: How Children With Treatable Medical Issues Are Mistakenly Labeled as Mentally Ill covers one family’s experience with misdiagnosis with their daughter and the treatment that eventually helped her recover. As you’ll read in the blog, PANS/PANDAS is still very poorly understood in the medical community and misdiagnoses are very common:

the vast majority of pediatricians, child psychiatrists, and neurologists are unapprised of the latest research and continue to misdiagnose children who have PANS/PANDAS with any number of mental health disorders.

The new movie My Kid Is Not Crazy is another great resource for gaining a better understanding of this condition. Here are some snippets from this excellent movie:

Nine-year-old Kathryn was a normal, healthy child. She was a star student, athlete and dancer. In a matter of days, she would become totally dysfunctional. Kathryn had alarming rapid-onset OCD refusing to eat or drink. She had tremendous separation anxiety and would become panicked if her parents were not in sight. She had trouble sleeping and showed signs of age regression in vocabulary and handwriting.

How did this happen?

Kathryn’s family and many families like them— turned to a fractured medical system, where there is fierce disagreement about how to help their daughter. More often than not, a child with these symptoms would be diagnosed as having mental illness. They’d be treated with anti-psychotic medication, behavior therapy, and even hospitalization.

But more than 30 years ago, Susan Swedo—a doctor with the National Institutes of Health—discovered that an undiagnosed strep infection was the cause of one child’s disabling illness. The more Swedo dug, the more evidence she found: Strep was linked to symptoms normally chalked up to psychiatric illness.

She also discovered how non-accepting modern medicine can be of new ideas.

Swedo has put her reputation and career in jeopardy as she fights to cure the condition she named: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). Neurologists Jonathan Mink, Roger Kurlan, Harvey Singer and others publically ridicule Swedo and her PANDAS theory, creating controversy over diagnoses and treatment. This group has become known on social media as the “non-believers.” The result: the entire pediatric-care industry is confused and doesn’t know what to do.

And it’s the children who suffer.

“My Kid is Not Crazy,” a film by Tim Sorel, tracks the journey of six children and their families as they become tangled in the nightmare of a medical system heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. Here it’s common for a caregiver to prescribe a young child with a Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitor (SSRI) but hesitate to prescribe an antibiotic to counteract a potential infectious-based trigger. For some of these kids, what happens after several years is shocking and sad.

You can watch the trailer here and rent the movie to watch it online or purchase the DVD here.

The movie site also lists many helpful resources for PANS/PANDAS.

Last week’s blog: Anxiety, compulsive thinking, counting behaviors: gluten, tryptophan and inositol covered gluten, tryptophan and inositol for OCD symptoms. I mentioned that I also always keep Lyme disease, heavy metals and PANDAS on the list as possible areas to refer out for if symptoms are not resolving with the above nutritional approaches, so it made sense to share more about PANDAS this week.

Even if the OCD and anxiety is due to PANS/PANDAS, I would still encourage a gluten-free diet and trials of tryptophan, GABA and inositol (and other nutritional approaches) in order to provide some relief while the infection/s are being addressed. Similar results are seen when providing nutrient support like the use of GABA (and/or tryptophan) for relief for Lyme anxiety.

Do you know about PANS/PANDAS and the connection to OCD and anxiety?

Have you seen symptom resolution by addressing the infection/s one of your children, personally or with a patient or client?

Have you seen some symptom relief when also using GABA and/or tryptophan and/or inositol?

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

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

Regarding anxiety and compulsive thinking/OCD counting behaviors in a 12 year old, have you experienced (or heard through client sharing) a correlation with certain foods or inflammatory compounds? In a younger person, I am trying figure out the triggers if there is low production of certain neurotransmitters driving the symptoms. This child in particular has had a long history of allergies and terrible asthma (requiring nebulizer treatments) so I’ve long suspected food sensitivities as a driver for systemic inflammation but am trying to connect the dots for her parent. The counting seems to be a distraction of sorts for her – I assume following a triggering thought. This parent is very new to integrative therapies so treating with an amino acid is going to *feel* like she’s not doing enough as parent. Standard talk therapy has not helped.

This is how I responded and it’s how I would start to work with a parent with a child with these types of issues.

After looking at the basics to make sure the child is eating real whole food with no additives, is not consuming any caffeine and is getting quality animal protein at breakfast (to keep blood sugar stable and reduce anxiety), I always consider gluten and even dairy and other food intolerances. I write about the success of a gluten-free diet with a 7 year old boy in this blog: Integrative Medicine Approach to Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety. He saw a “marked reduction of OCD symptoms and anxiety along with marked improvement of social behavior and school work.”

OCD and counting behaviors are classic low serotonin symptoms and her anxiety could be the low-serotonin worrying type or the low GABA type which is more physical anxiety. I’d have them do the amino acid questionnaire

I’d start with a trial of tryptophan – using 100mg of Lidtke Chewable Tryptophan – to help with the OCD, counting and worry-type anxiety. If it helps, I’d have her use it twice a day mid-afternoon and evening, increasing it over the course of a few weeks to find the ideal amount for symptom relief (and keeping a food mood log to record doses and symptoms).

Some people do really well with tryptophan, others do better with 5-HTP for low serotonin symptoms, so doing a trial with 25mg of 5-HTP would be an option if the tryptophan doesn’t help as expected.  

I would carefully review the precautions with the mom as tryptophan and 5-HTP can sometimes be an issue with asthma and may need to be lowered or discontinued.

Inositol can be added if additional nutritional support is needed for the OCD and counting behaviors and may even be needed to replace the tryptophan or 5-HTP if either one triggers asthma. The maximum dose in the research is 18g of inositol per day and I start at 2g once a day and increase slowly over a few weeks to find the ideal dose. Here is feedback from one mom on how inositol alone helped her son with migraines, stress, anxiety and OCD

Once we’ve figured out nutritional support for the low serotonin symptoms then we’d address low GABA if needed, using sublingual GABA. [Update Nov 17, 2017: I mentioned GABA as a possibility but with her symptoms and the new GABA research on intrusive thoughts, a GABA trial would definitely be something to pursue]

I found this comment to be rather unusual: “treating with an amino acid is going to *feel* like she’s not doing enough as parent.” The parents I work with are thrilled to discover how powerful the amino acids are and how quickly they provide amazing results.

These other factors would also be addressed: possible high cortisol, gut health and any of the other possible contributing root causes. I also always keep Lyme disease, heavy metals and PANDAS on the list as possible areas to refer out for if symptoms are not resolving with the above approaches.

Here are links to the amino acid questionnaire, the precautions and the supplements:

  • I have my clients complete the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and check off their symptoms in each of the sections. The rating uses scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst.
  • I also have my clients review the Amino Acids Precautions and we figure out which amino acids they can and can’t use
  • These are some of the supplements I use with my clients

Have you used any of the above approaches with your child or for your symptoms or for a client/patient?