oxalates

GABA works wonders for anal cramps (almost instantly) and relieves body aches in the hips and legs of a 75-year-old woman

May 17, 2024 By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

Dear Trudy, your recommendation of using GABA for anal cramps has changed my life. I don’t experience them often but when I do they are nasty. A crushed pill or open capsule on the tongue works wonders, almost instantly.

However, I want to add, after hearing your presentation on the Parkinson’s summit and your mention of relief from physical tension, that taking 500mg relieves body ache in hips and legs.

I’m 75, and have recently developed debilitating body aches. Taking one twice/day a.m. and p.m. has made a huge difference. Thank you for your brilliant blog.

Merril shared this wonderful feedback about how the amino acid GABA, used as a supplement helps her with anal cramps and also body aches. I never get tired of hearing feedback like this and as always, I like to share so I can educate further. This helps the person sharing the results and the community as a whole.

Today’s blog highlights more about the role GABA plays in muscle spasms and pain, and more about anal/rectal spasms in case this application is new to you. I also share other considerations when muscle spasms and/or pain are an issue: gluten, oxalates and low endorphins.

GABA works wonders (almost instantly) to eliminate anal cramps

I first blogged about GABA as a solution for agonizing rectal pain and spasms in 2017. I shared how I experienced the awful anal sphincter spasm and pain myself. The medical term is proctalgia fugax and is described as a condition that leads to rectal/anal spasms and sharp fleeting pain in the lower rectum or anus. In some people it can be more than fleeting and is often described as excruciating and agonizing.

The first time it happened to me I was terrified and beside myself not knowing what it was or what to do. I eventually figured out the solution because of what I knew about GABA helping to ease tense muscles and wanted to shine some light on this very painful condition.

As Merril says GABA “works wonders, almost instantly” to completely eliminate the pain. Take note that she says a “crushed pill or open capsule on the tongue.” GABA is most effective when used this way: sublingual GABA or GABA powder or liposomal GABA (and presumably GABA cream too).

GABA can also be used to prevent a full-on spasm if you catch it in advance i.e. when you first feel the twinges of a spasm coming on.

GABA relieves body aches/pain for her and in Parkinson’s patient

I love that GABA has the side benefits of also relieving her body aches in her hips and legs. It’s not unusual to use GABA or one of the other amino acids for a symptom and then discover it’s helping in another area.

And do appreciate that she picked up this tip when tuning into the Parkinson’s summit. I always share new information when I speak at summits and the amino acid and neurotransmitter information typically has varied applications.

During my summit interviews I had shared that working with a few people with Parkinson’s disease, GABA has been very helpful for the stiffness and pain, the physical anxiety, easing some of their tremors and helping with insomnia. I had one client whose husband had anxiety, insomnia, and leg pain and “thrashed around the bed at night.” GABA helped this man tremendously.

I shared this research: Molecular Imaging of the GABAergic System in Parkinson’s Disease and Atypical Parkinsonisms

A growing number of neuroimaging studies have focused on the association with different symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, thereby suggesting a GABAergic role in motor symptoms, gait disturbances, frontal cognition, somatic symptom disorder, and hallucinations.

Other ways GABA helps with pain and muscle stiffness

With regards to my comment above about GABA having many applications, when it comes to aches, pain and spasms, GABA helps with the abdominal pain of colitis, muscle stiffness and pain in those with multiple sclerosis and even bladder pain.

Gluten, sugar, gut health, and oxalates

She didn’t mention what her diet was like so just to be safe, I encouraged her to also check out my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” to explore all the possible root causes that may be contributing to the anal spasms, pain and body aches – such as gluten (“tingling at 50%, numbness at 27%, pain at 20%, burning at 13% and “buzzing” feeling at 7%”) , gut health and SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and even sugar.

I mentioned that I don’t cover oxalates in my book but with body aches, spasms and pain I’d also explore this aspect. More on oxalates here and here.

Endorphin support with the amino acid DPA helps ease pain

When there is a neurotransmitter imbalance like low GABA levels it’s not uncommon to also have other neurotransmitter imbalances. With pain and aching I’d want to explore the possibility of low endorphins and do a trial with the amino acid DPA (d-phenylalanine) if low endorphin symptoms are present (you can find the symptoms questionnaire here).

DPA supports endorphin production (by inhibiting the breakdown of endorphins), reducing pain quickly, often in 2-10 minutes.

The use of DPA is not new information as you can read in this paper from 1982 – D-phenylalanine and other enkephalinase inhibitors as pharmacological agents: implications for some important therapeutic application

A number of compounds have been shown to inhibit the degradation of enkephalins. As expected, these compounds produce naloxone reversible analgesia [pain-relief] and potentiate the analgesia produced by enkephalins and by acupuncture.

One of these, D-phenylalanine, is also anti-inflammatory.

D-phenylalanine has proven to be beneficial in many human patients with chronic, intractable pain. It is proposed the enkephalinase inhibitors may be effective in a number of human “endorphin deficiency diseases” such as depression, schizophrenia, convulsive disorders and arthritis.

DPA also improves mood, especially when there is weepiness, and provides comfort when there is emotional eating. Here is one of many blogs that address DPAfor pain. Feel free to use the blog search feature to find others if you are new to this amino acid.

A few GABA product options – a sublingual, a powder and a cream

Some of the GABA products I recommend include Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder. You can purchase these from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account).

If you’re not in the US, Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder are available via iherb (use this link to save 5%).

Somnium GABA Cream is available with international shipping. Read more about the product and grab my coupon code to save 15%.

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.

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 do always appreciate feedback from the community and being able to share it on the blog. I’m thrilled Merril saw these benefits with GABA. She doesn’t mention if she has also seen benefits for sleep or feeling anxious or stress eating (all signs of low GABA too) – I’m curious to find out!

Now I’d love to hear from you – have you had success with GABA for anal/rectal spasms or other body aches, pains and muscle spasms? How much has helped and which product?

Have dietary changes or DPA also helped?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA help in situations like this?

And please let me know if it’s helpful that I’m now including product recommendations and where to get them.

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Berberine in perimenopause and menopause: improving mood, calming the anxious mind, and improving heart health, blood sugar and bone health

May 10, 2024 By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

… Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid derived from plants of the generis Berberis, has been recognized as being capable of decreasing oxidative stress, LDL, triglycerides, and insulin resistance and of improving the mood. This review describes the cellular and clinical effects associated with the use of berberine, which suggest that this molecule could be an effective natural supplement to ensure a smooth peri- and postmenopausal transition.

The above is from a paper published in 2015, Potential benefits of berberine in the management of perimenopausal syndrome.

These are just a few of the many benefits of berberine. Other research reports impacts on the microbiome, benefits for bone density and kidney health – all very relevant in perimenopause and menopause.

I feel that berberine may be a nutrient to consider, in addition to dietary changes, stress reduction and lifestyle changes, and targeted individual amino acids. Read on to discover some of the mechanisms and the benefits of using a comprehensive approach, and feedback from folks in the community who are using berberine with success.

Impacts on oxidative stress, blood sugar/insulin resistance, lipids and heart health, and mood

I encourage you to read the full paper in order to get an overview of the impacts on oxidative stress, blood sugar/insulin resistance, lipids and heart health, and mood. Here is a very high level summary:

Estrogen deficiency, increased cardiovascular risk, an “overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS)” and reduced nitric oxide (NO) which are important contributing factors when it comes to “menopause-related endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiovascular, and renal diseases.” Berberine counters this via various mechanisms.
Type 2 diabetes is higher amongst menopausal women, causing high blood sugar and insulin resistance. This paper shares a study that found berberine “significantly lowered fasting blood glucose (FBG), hemoglobin A1c, triglycerides, and insulin levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes as well as metformin and rosiglitazone.” One way berberine does this is via “increased insulin receptor (InsR) messenger RNA and protein expression.”
“inactivity of LDL receptor (LDLR)” in liver cells leads to higher levels of oxidized LDL, a risk factor for “endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.” One mechanism is that berberine improves LDLR expression and has lipid-lowering activity.
When it comes to mood issues, the increased oxidative stress, immune dysfunction and inflammation play a role because of “interactions between neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and cytokines.” Higher levels of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein, interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), and TNFα “can enter the brain and may cause alterations of the metabolism of serotonin and dopamine.” Berberine helps to counter this inflammatory cascade and “inhibits the expression of MAO” , increasing norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine – and improving mood and presumably reducing anxiety too.

Berberine benefits menopause — From: Potential benefits of berberine in the management of perimenopausal syndrome

Feedback from folks in the community

When I shared this research on Facebook I received much in the way of positive results.

Susan shared this: “A functional medicine doctor suggested I take it with every meal. My A1C was not bad, (5.3) but my last level was 4.8. This was over the course of about 1 year.”

Becky shared this: “I used it for about 6 months along with diet changes to drop my A1C. Have been holding steady since with dietary measures alone. I didn’t realize berberine also helped lower LDL. Mine is slightly elevated. Not enough that my traditional MD has called me on it, but I’ve adjusted my diet again and hearing this about berberine I think I’ll try going back on it.”

Liz shared this: “I had gained some caregiver weight so started on berberine twice a day and it was helpful. However my Doc quickly had me switch over to [a combination product with berberine, chromium and alpha lipoic acid] and it’s fabulous! Twice a day and I feel great, my carb cravings are at bay and my bloodwork and overall health has vastly improved in just a few months.”

Marcy shared this: “Yes!! My son had been steadily gaining weight from binge eating and medications. In October 2022 his triglycerides were through the roof and I was so worried about his health. I put him on 500 mg of Berberine twice a day. Fast forward to today, he has lost approximately 50 pounds and his triglycerides are normal. There were other factors that may have contributed to the weight loss such as therapy and more structured eating times, but I absolutely believe the Berberine supported all this!” (this was also a combination product with berberine and a small amount of alpha lipoic acid and grape seed extract)

Marcia shared this: “I’ve used Berberine for appetite suppression, which it seems to help with, though not enough for me to lose any weight. But it did also actually lift my mood, which I was not expecting.”

Berberine: the microbiota, the gut-brain connection and anxiety

The number of studies on berberine is impressive and growing by the day. It’s not discussed in the above paper, but this paper, Effects of Berberine on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota states this: “The mechanism underlying the role of berberine in lipid‐lowering and insulin resistance is incompletely understood, but one of the possible mechanisms is related to its effect on the gastrointestinal microbiota.” Given what we know about the gut-brain connection, this is another likely mechanism for mood and anxiety benefits.

In another paper, Berberine ameliorates ovariectomy-induced anxiety-like behaviors by enrichment in equol generating gut microbiota, the authors propose that the use of berberine “modulates the gut microbiota, stimulates equol production, and improves anxiety-like symptoms” … “suggesting a direct link between gut microbiota modulation and estrogen deficiency-induced anxiety.”

Berberine: osteoporosis and the kidneys

An osteoporosis study shows that berberine regulates “the estrogen and thyroid hormone signaling pathways to treat osteoporosis in a multi-target, multi-pathway, and multi-system manner.”

And berberine used in conjunction with calcium carbonate and vitamin D, helps to prevent drug-induced bone loss too: “berberine inhibits bone resorption and improves bone formation to prevent glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.” I’d be considering vitamin K and other approaches like working towards optimal homocysteine, addressing food sensitivities, addressing possible oxalate and gallbladder issues too. The latter are more common during and after perimenopause.

Interestingly berberine also improves kidney health. One study reports that berberine “significantly ameliorated chronic kidney disease by altering the composition of the gut microbiota and inhibiting the production of gut-derived uremic toxins.”

A comprehensive approach that includes amino acids

As I mentioned above, I feel that berberine may be a nutrient to consider, in addition to dietary changes, stress reduction and lifestyle changes, and targeted individual amino acids. Berberine is relatively new to me and not covered in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” but it’s a great resource for the rest.

Here are are few blog posts specific to amino acids in perimenopause and menopause:

The good news is that the amino acids provide immediate relief while the berberine is slower-acting and starting to have an impact.

Product recommendation: Thorne Berberine

There are many good berberine products available. I did some reading and research and landed on Thorne Berberine.

It is available from my online store (Fullscript – only available to US customers – use this link to set up an account) and it’s available via iherb (use this link to save 5%).

If you’re new to berberine, be sure to discuss the research and if it may be something to consider with your practitioner.

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.

Wrapping up and your feedback

I do always appreciate feedback from the community and being able to share it on the blog.

Now I’d love to hear from you – have you used berberine with success? How much have you used, which product and how has it helped?

Were you aware of all these benefits?

Have you also used amino acids and dietary approaches as you start to see hormonal shifts?

If you’re a practitioner do you berberine with your clients/patients?

And please let me know if it’s helpful that I’m now including product recommendations and where to get them.

Feel free to share and ask your questions below.

Waking in the night due to environmental toxins: impacts on the liver, gallbladder and fat digestion (making oxalate issues worse)

September 9, 2022 By Trudy Scott 37 Comments

Today I’m sharing how waking in the night may be caused by oxalate issues that are made more severe because of home cleaning products, environmental toxins and fragrances/phthalates. It can happen because of the additional detoxification work required and adverse impacts on your liver and gallbladder. This can impact bile production so fat digestion is impaired. And when you have impaired fat digestion this can contribute to more severe oxalate issues because more oxalates are absorbed in the gut. This can lead to increased pain, worsening sleep and/or waking in the night, increased anxiety, fatigue, depression, more severe bladder symptoms, eye problems etc.

Using extra calcium citrate in the night can help in the short term. But improving fat digestion (with lipase, ox bile, taurine, a lipotropic formula, digestive bitters etc.) and supporting the liver/gallbladder is key because it gets to the root of the problem. And of course, avoid the chemical exposure. Sometimes this can’t be done – which is the case when you are traveling – so you have to do your best to reduce exposure.

This is actually my story. I’m traveling in South Africa at the moment and had a flare of my old oxalate issues, with increased foot pain at night, so much so that it was waking me at 3am in the morning. I’d be awake from 3-5am feeling agitated and restless and waiting for the extra calcium citrate to work. I’m a hot mess when I don’t get a solid 8-9 hours sleep so I had to figure out what the issue was and fix it quickly. It was a somewhat convoluted journey (more on that below) but eventually I landed on taurine as the solution and it’s been wonderful to get my solid sleep with no waking in the night!

I do eat a fair amount of fat – plenty of butter on my steamed veggies, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, the fat from grass-fed meat, chicken skin, full fat cheese and eggs – and didn’t want to cut back.

So when taurine came to the rescue I was thrilled and still am!

I took 500mg before bed the first day and woke briefly twice but went right back to sleep. The second day I took 500mg taurine mid-morning, 500mg taurine mid-afternoon and 500mg before bed (all away from food). That night I woke briefly once and went right back to sleep. The third day I did the same and slept solidly through the night. My goal had been to increase to 3000mg per day but I’ll stick with 1500mg as long as this continues.

There were a few clues that indicated a need for liver-gallbladder support: the 3am waking is classic for liver issues; and my stool had become pale despite nothing else changing.

Impaired fat digestion leads to an increase in oxalate absorption

As mentioned above, when you have impaired fat digestion this can contribute to more severe oxalate issues because more oxalates are absorbed in the gut. This paper, Fat malabsorption induced by gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor leads to an increase in urinary oxalate excretion, summarizes the mechanism well:

Unabsorbed bile acids and fatty acids may react with calcium in the intestinal lumen, forming “soaps” that limit the amount of free calcium binding with oxalate, with a consequent increase in intestinal oxalate absorption leading to hyperoxaluria

In the above study, it’s orlistat (Xenical®), a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor rather than environmental toxins and bile issues, that causes the increase in oxalates. I share it because it has a helpful explanation of the mechanism.

I share more about my issues with dietary oxalates here – Oxalate crystal disease, dietary oxalates and pain: the research & questions. My main issues in the past have been foot pain and eye pain, with downstream impacts on sleep. This blog has links to a number of other dietary oxalate blogs if this topic is new to you.

Bile production and detoxification

You may recall my wonderful interview with Ann Louise Gittleman on The Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis. The topic was: Why Bile is the Key to Anxiety & Hormone Havoc. I’ll add sleep to that too.

She covered the role of bile in PMS, estrogen imbalance and thyroid health; and importantly, how it’s involved in the removal of toxins from the body:

Bile is the dumping ground for hormones like estrogen. It’s the dumping ground for heavy metals that create anxiety like mercury, as well as too much aluminum and lead. And it’s the dumping ground, also, for a bunch of chemicals. So you got to keep the bile flowing. You have to keep it decongested. You have to thin it out.

She mentions simple tools to improve bile production: bitters (already part of my routine), lemon and water in the morning (also part of my daily routine), coffee (I can’t drink coffee as it makes me anxious), grapefruit and watercress. She also discusses key nutrients for bile production and quality: choline, inositol, methionine and taurine.

I could not find any lipotropic formula with choline, inositol, methionine (they all had rice flour). And I could not find any products that contained only lipase or ox bile.

While I was looking for something to improve my bile production, I did try a milk thistle extract (for overall liver support) and a liver-gallbladder herbal tincture but both made things worse. So I did some reading on taurine, found a nice taurine only 500mg product and haven’t looked back. Read on for some of the mechanisms.

Taurine and bile acid conjugation and detoxification

Metabolic actions of the amino acid taurine include: “bile acid conjugation, detoxification, membrane stabilization, osmoregulation, and modulation of cellular calcium levels.”

This paper, The Continuing Importance of Bile Acids in Liver and Intestinal Disease, explains the significance of bile acid conjugation with taurine:

After biosynthesis from cholesterol and before excretion from the hepatocyte, bile acid molecules are conjugated with glycine or taurine, which converts a weak acid to a strong acid. As a result, conjugated bile acids are fully ionized at the range of pH values present in the small intestine.

Taurine works on GABA receptors and is a GABA alternative

What is really interesting is that taurine works on GABA receptors and has a synergistic effect with GABA. I suspect this played a role for me too.

In this editorial, Taurine and GABA neurotransmitter receptors, a relationship with therapeutic potential?, the authors share the following::

“Taurine exerts its neuronal inhibitory effect through the activation of GABAA receptors (GABAAR) but with less affinity than the specific agonists of each receptor.
GABA and taurine act synergistically in extra-synaptic GABA receptors.
Some experiments suggest that taurine activates GABAB receptors with high affinity”

In countries where over-the-counter GABA is not available (like the UK, Australia and New Zealand), I will recommend taurine as an option. I don’t find it to be as effective as GABA but it is slightly calming.

You may need to course-correct from time to time

I share this story to illustrate that things can be going well in terms of sleep, pain, anxiety, depression and so on, and then something can happen and you have to course-correct.

I also often hear from folks in my community saying: “GABA and/or tryptophan was working perfectly to help me sleep and all of a sudden it’s no longer working. What is going on?” A situation like this shows how something else can change and it has nothing to do with the amino acids no longer working.

I do already use GABA, tryptophan (more on these below), melatonin and magnesium at bedtime and continued taking these supplements but I had to fix the root cause – the fat digestion issue.

I will add this: even if you don’t have dietary oxalate issues, this approach may be worth considering if you have no gallbladder, have fat digestion issues, are exposed to environmental toxins, have liver issues and wake in the night.

Resources if you are new to using amino acids as supplements

If you are new to using any of the amino acids as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances, including low serotonin and low GABA).

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, gluten, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, self-medicating with alcohol and more.

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

Have you experienced any adverse symptoms when exposed to environmental toxins? And has this made your oxalate issues worse or affected your fat digestion?

Have you used taurine with success? How much helps you?

Have other liver or gallbladder approaches also helped?

If you have questions please share them here too.

Read all posts in this series:

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

September 3, 2021 By Trudy Scott 19 Comments

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

Here is the question that was posted:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you are new to DPA and endorphin support

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

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

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

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

In summary, these are the signs of low endorphins:

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

DPA and endorphin support for pain: the research

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

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

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

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

Is DPA the same as DLPA?

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

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

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

The brand of DPA that I recommend for my clients

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

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

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

Benefits include reduction of emotional/comfort eating too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A comprehensive approach is key

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

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

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

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

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

If you suspect low endorphins, low serotonin or low GABA levels and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids so you are knowledgeable.

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

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

What about less emotional eating when using DPA/Endorphigen?

Feel free to post your questions too.

Willow’s survival story: Easter Lilies cause acute renal failure in cats and Peace Lilies cause oxalate issues

September 11, 2020 By Trudy Scott 5 Comments

Be aware that Easter Lilies (pictured above) can cause acute renal failure in cats and Peace Lilies (pictured below) can cause calcium oxalate issues.

Lindsey Warnock shared these pictures and the story of her kitty Willow on Facebook and kindly gave me permission to share this on my blog as a caution for anyone with cats:

On Thursday Willow played with lilies in my office. She didn’t eat anything. She only batted at them and got the pollen all over her before I shooed her away. We laughed initially but thank God something in my head told me to google it.

I read, “All parts of the lily – including the stem, leaves, petals, stamens and pollen – are poisonous to cats. Even minor exposures (cat chewing on a leaf or getting pollen on his or her haircoat or whiskers) can be fatal.”

“Cats typically do not survive, even with aggressive therapy (such as dialysis).” [from this site noliliesforcats.com]
I freaked out. Threw her in the shower (that wasn’t fun) and immediately took her up to Blue Pearl Emergency & Specialty Hospital. Due to covid, they came and took her from my car and after her exam the ER doctor called me. She said her prognosis was very poor because they found the pollen around her mouth and on her tongue. She even said, “in my experience I’ve never seen a cat survive lily poisoning. Most owners only realize there’s an issue when the cat is sick and by that point it’s just too late”

Insert hysterical crying here. She said that her only saving grace may be that we sought treatment quickly but realistically she might not make it through the night. They made her throw up, gave her activated charcoal and aggressively treated her with fluid therapy and other meds.

Thank God after 2 days in the hospital, she pulled through!!! We will go for a recheck soon but her doctors are confident her organs didn’t suffer any long term damage from the poisoning.

I can’t tell you the intense guilt I felt and still feel for buying those stupid flowers. I felt like a murderer, terrible fur mom, terrible person. I’ve had cats my entire life and have never heard of lily poisoning. The vet’s response to that was “most people only find out the hard way” The doctors, technicians and staff at Blue Pearl really are the best! They saved our baby.

Please SHARE this with your friends. I would hate to see anyone go through this!! Thank you all for your support during that gut-wrenching 2 days. We’re thankful our girl is back home! No. More. Flowers. Ever.

This was a few weeks ago and when I checked in I see that Willow is still doing well!

This article, Toxic Plants by Tina A Wismer, DVM, DABVT, DABT, shares the toxic effects of the lily (pictured above) Willow brushed up against:

Lilies of the Lilium and Hemerocallis sp.have been shown to cause acute renal failure in the cat. Some examples include: Easter lilies (L. longiflorum), tiger lilies (L. tigrinum), rubrum or Japanese showy lilies (L. speciosum, L. lancifolium), and day lilies (H. species). The toxic principle is unknown, but is known to be water soluble. Even minor exposures (a few bites on a leaf, ingestion of pollen, etc.) may result in toxicosis, so all feline exposures to true lilies should be considered potentially life-threatening and should merit aggressive clinical intervention.

Peace lilies are also an issue for cats and dogs – due to oxalates

Peace Lilies are also harmful for cats and dogs because they contain calcium oxalate crystals. Fortunately they are not deadly.

This Toxic Plants article also lists common houseplants – including Philodendron spp. and Spathiphyllum spp. or Peace Lily – that contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, describing how they are also harmful for cats and dogs:

The calcium oxalate crystals look like needles, and when the plant is damaged these crystals embed themselves in the oral cavity. Clinical signs include hypersalivation, vomiting and possible swelling of the pharynx (obstruction is rare). Treatment includes milk or water to rinse mouth. Clinical signs usually resolve within 24 hours with no lasting effects.

Here is an image of calcium oxalate crystals called raphides. You can see why these needle shaped calcium oxalate crystals found can inflict pain and cause harm. There are many different shapes of calcium oxalate crystals and this is just one example.

This article, Easter Lilies and Cats do not Mix! shares more about the two different groups of lilies, “true” lilies (like Easter Lilies) and “benign” lilies (like Peace Lilies). Author, Karen Christopherson, DVM, CVA says “It is best to skip lilies altogether in households where cats live.”

Be sure to read the entire Toxic Plants article for a list of all plants that are harmful and severely toxic to cats and dogs. I had no idea there were so many!

I am not a vet and am not an expert on any of this so please do check in with your own vet.

Oxalate questions I have

With regards to oxalates I have these questions I’d love to know the answers for:

Do all cats and dogs have an inborn ability to tolerate calcium oxalate crystals like those found in the Peace Lily?
Would cats and dogs also have issues (especially severe pain in their joints, bladder issues and increased anxiety) if they were to ingest high oxalate foods like spinach, beets, sweet potatoes, soy and kiwi fruit?
Given that there are some human “antidotes” for helping with acute exposure symptoms after ingestion of high oxalate foods (like spinach, rhubarb, nuts, kiwi fruit etc) in susceptible individuals, I am curious to know if some of these could be used with cats and dogs too: calcium citrate, magnesium citrate, vitamin B6 and/or an epsom salt bath?
Do humans with dietary oxalate issues have problems working with some of these indoor plants (like Peace Lilies) when planting them, pruning and even getting pollen on the skin?

Are you aware of these harmful effects of plants for cats and dogs? Let us know if you experienced something similar to what happened to Willow or with a plant like the Peace Lily. What advice did your vet share with you and how is your cat or dog doing now?

If you have answers to any of the above questions please do share too.

Feel free to post your questions here too.

We appreciate Lindsey for letting me share this and say well done for your quick thinking!

Read all posts in this series:

Vitamin C causes oxalate formation resulting in pain, anxiety, and insomnia (when there is a defect in ascorbic acid or oxalate metabolism)?

September 4, 2020 By Trudy Scott 50 Comments

Supplemental vitamin C has many exceptional health benefits and causes no issues for a large majority of individuals. However if you have dietary oxalate issues, doses of vitamin C above 100mg to 250mg per day may be problematic and trigger pain, anxiety, insomnia, bladder issues and more. This blog, Coronavirus and vitamin C for immune support: new pain or more severe pain due to oxalate issues?, is part 1 of the series which sets the scene and is a fact-finding article. Part 2, Oxalate crystal disease, dietary oxalates and pain: the research & questions (part 2), covers the research behind oxalate crystal disease.

Today we look at some of the research on vitamin C/ascorbic acid being a possible trigger for the formation of oxalates in certain instances. This paper, No contribution of ascorbic acid to renal calcium oxalate stones, has a good summary:

Even though a certain part of oxalate in the urine derives from metabolized ascorbic acid, the intake of high doses of vitamin C does not increase the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones due to physiological regulatory factor: gastrointestinal absorption as well as renal tubular reabsorption of ascorbic acid are saturable processes, and the metabolic transformation of ascorbic acid to oxalate is limited as well.

But in the large-scale Harvard Prospective Health Professional Follow-Up Study, those groups in the highest quintile of vitamin C intake (> 1,500 mg/day) had a lower risk of kidney stones than the groups in the lowest quintiles.

This paper does however have this precaution:

Recurrent stone formers and patients with renal failure who have a defect in ascorbic acid or oxalate metabolism should restrict daily vitamin C intakes to approximately 100 mg.

My proposed interpretation of this

I’d like to propose an interpretation of this, based on what we know about oxalates. These are the individuals who should restrict daily vitamin C intakes to approximately 100 mg per day (or up to around 250mg per day – more on the range below):

1) If you are someone who is a recurrent stone former or is in renal failure with a defect in ascorbic acid or oxalate metabolism

2) If you are someone with dietary oxalate issues i.e. you have similar symptoms when consuming vitamin C as you do when consuming high oxalate foods. Could we consider that you be classified as having “a defect in ascorbic acid or oxalate metabolism?” I would say yes.

I’ve added #2 above because we need to keep in mind that many individuals who have issues with dietary oxalates are not necessarily stone formers and nor do they have renal failure.

Research is also lacking in this area as you can read in Oxalate crystal disease, dietary oxalates and pain: the research & questions (part 2).

An omission of the 100mg per day restriction

I would like to point out that the study mentioned above was referred to in an article on Dr. Andrew Saul’s site but for some reason the section about the 100mg daily restriction was omitted from the article. It may have something to do with the fact that the author firmly believes that no-one has oxalate issues with any dose of vitamin C. In fact, he even jokingly makes this comment in the article:

Is some clown still trying to tell you that vitamin C is somehow dangerous? Or that you shouldn’t take more than 200 mg/day?

If you are someone who does experience pain when consuming vitamin C (like I do), I’m pretty sure you don’t find this comment amusing.

Vitamin C intake leading to pain, anxiety, insomnia, low mood and bladder issues

Here is some additional feedback from a question I posted on Facebook. This is the question I posted:

I’ve been sharing here about vitamin C being an issue for some folks who have oxalate issues and seeing an increase in pain. I’d love to hear if you upped your vitamin C intake for immune support and saw your mood take a dive or your anxiety increase or your sleep get worse? Vitamin C typically helps because it’s a cofactor for making neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA and tyrosine but too much of a good thing is not good! Did you also have increased or new pain (as well as anxiety, low mood and insomnia)?

Here are some of the responses from folks who shared about pain, anxiety, insomnia, low mood and bladder issues:

Fay shared this: “Yes increased pain, insomnia and anxiety with increased C and mouth sores to boot. Taking liposomal C and Ester C to boost antioxidants for health reasons and pain in elbows and knees. Not sleeping well at all either.”
Lica shared this: “Yes increased anxiety…never thought of it before…felt a bug coming on and took c for a few days…yup anxiety.”
Nicola shared this: “Increase in body pain, burning bladder, sleep affected and low mood ( not something I usually suffer with). I was taking liposomal C then increased the dose and also added Ester C as I had symptoms of covid. I was taking 1-2g a day of liposomal previously as a preventative and increased to 4g plus 4g of Ester. Only did it for a couple of days. Stopped three days ago and pain is starting to subside but no sleep last night. So I will continue with a break for now and add a very low dose again perhaps of Ester C and see how I go.”

I really appreciate these women sharing their experiences so we can all learn!

What is the upper limit of vitamin C for individuals with dietary oxalate issues?

I’m sure you’re wondering about the various dosages mentioned: the study mentions 100mg per day, Dr. Andrew Saul’s clown comment says 200mg per day and Susan Owen’s TLO Facebook group recommends no more than 250mg per day. You’ll need to figure out what the upper dose of vitamin C you can tolerate – by trial and error.

The big disconnect is always the mention of kidney stones

This is one of many similar studies on the topic of ascorbic acid/vitamin C and oxalates. There are also many studies and articles stating that vitamin C does NOT play a role in the formation of oxalates and cause kidney stones. The big disconnect is always the mention of kidney stones. The missing piece – in the research and in many articles – is that you can have issues with dietary oxalates AND vitamin C when there is no kidney disease/no kidney stones.

I have a number of additional oxalate blog posts planned so please let me know what else you want to hear about.

Here are the 2 previous blog posts on this topic of oxalates, vitamin C and pain:

Please also share your vitamin C oxalate story and how you figured it out (and if you react in a similar way to dietary oxalates).

Let us know what your ideal dose is (and which dose caused issues) and what form of vitamin C and product name you use/used. Feel free to share if you also have a history of kidney stones.

Feel free to post your questions here too.

Read all posts in this series: