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Tryptophan ends TMJ pain, headaches and worry, and improves mood and sleep: a success story

By Trudy Scott 32 Comments

tryptophan success story

Today I’m sharing a success story on how the amino acid tryptophan, taken as a supplement, ends  TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain and headaches in a woman in my community. She had the added benefits of an improved mood and less worrying and her sleep improved too.

There is evidence to support the low serotonin connection to TMJ and pain like fibromyalgia and I share that research below.

Before I share the success story, in case you’re new to neurotransmitter imbalances, the other symptoms we see with low serotonin are the worrying-type of anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, lack of confidence, depression, negativity, imposter syndrome, PMS, irritability, anger issues, insomnia and afternoon/evening cravings. Tryptophan can be used to boost serotonin levels and improve these symptoms as you’ll see below.

Right after speaking on the recent Trauma and Mind-Body Super Conference, Renee shared her wonderful success story on Facebook:

Out of all the interviews I felt yours gave the most actionable steps. I was taking amitriptyline for TMJ and didn’t like the side effects, however what other options did I have? Not many according to my GP [general practitioner]. Luckily I found your suggestion of tryptophan. And I can’t explain how much of a change it made! I weaned off the medicine and took tryptophan instead and not only did it help the TMJ but also helped me feel more even emotionally.

I am being referred for trauma therapy and I am optimistic that I will be discomfort free soon.

So huge thanks for sharing your knowledge. It helped me at a time when I was really starting to think there were no ‘natural’ options and conventional meds were all I could take.

I checked in with her, thanking her and acknowledging her wonderful feedback. I also asked how much tryptophan made this difference and how quickly she saw an improvement. And what side-effects she was seeing with the medication. She shared this:

I am a week into taking tryptophan, and I’m taking 500mg. I saw improvements with the TMJ within an hour of taking it. My jaw felt loose and I had no headaches, I also felt more ‘even’ mood wise. Like an underlying worry had gone. [worry is a classic symptom of low serotonin – more on that here]

I also had some stress yesterday that usually would have made me crumble, but instead I was able to stand up for myself and see subjectively the extent of the issue and resolve it. I am amazed!

My original medication (amitriptyline) had given me extreme dry mouth, which I found hard to manage, the headaches were also not relieved as much as I had hoped, plus I was having sessions of palpitations.

I haven’t had any palpitations from the day I started tryptophan whereas the dry mouth took some time to subside.

These really are wonderful results and typical that we’d see results this quickly with tryptophan if the root cause of the TMJ and headaches is low serotonin. It can sometimes take a few weeks to find the ideal dose but Renee found it with the initial trial amount of 500mg.

Sleep improved but made her too sleepy too early (some of the medication side-effects went away too)

The tryptophan also improved her sleep (and the palpitations and dry mouth side-effects from the medication stopped):

I was struggling to get to sleep and stay asleep, suffering bouts of insomnia, prior to any medication. I still am sleeping well taking tryptophan which I am pleased about.

She did however share that the timing of the tryptophan was making her too sleepy too early in the evening and she was planning to shift the timing:

I am finding tryptophan is making me feel drowsy in the evening, so I am trying different times during the day to take it. Hopefully I can push back the tiredness to perhaps 8/9 at night to coincide with bedtime.

My advice to her was that I have my clients use tryptophan MA (mid-afternoon) and evening and if MA makes them too sleepy they just do an evening dose. That can be enough for TMJ the next day. Sometimes more than 1 x 500mg in the evening is needed for easing TMJ and headache pain that night and the next day too.

I did check with her about weaning off the medication as cold-turkey quitting of psychiatric medications are dangerous and not advised. She shared this:

I weaned off over 1 week, but I was only on it for 8 weeks in total before I found tryptophan.

A slow taper under the guidance of the prescribing doctor is always recommended (more on this for amitriptyline/Elavil withdrawal here).

Some research supporting this serotonin/TMJ connection

…both temporomandibular disorders myalgia (TMDM) and fibromyalgia (FM) have been linked to central and peripheral changes in serotonin availability.” (tryptophan is not used in this study which also makes the serotonin/anxiety connection)

Over the 4 weeks of the study, there was a greater reduction in reported clinical pain and a greater increase in pain tolerance threshold in the tryptophan group than in the placebo group. The tryptophan group was given “three grams of tryptophan in conjunction with a high carbohydrate, low fat, low protein diet.”

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin 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). This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch is happening.

If you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is also a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.

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 appreciate Renee sharing her success story and I’m thrilled with her results.

Please share your TMJ/headache tryptophan success story if you have one (and how much tryptophan or 5-HTP helped you).

What about mood, anxiety and sleep (and any other low serotonin symptoms) – did they improve too?

And do share if other nutrients or approaches have helped.

And feel free to post your questions here too.

The vagus nerve impacts mood, anxiety, immune response, digestion and heart rate

By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

vagus nerve impacts

The vagus nerve forms a bi-directional “super-highway” between your brain and the majority of your internal organs. Unless your vagus nerve is in good shape and activates readily when it is supposed to, the communication between your brain and the body will be disrupted.

This modern world can lead to overstimulation of the nervous system and you can become desensitized to chronic stress. Over time, this can lead to low vagal tone, which has been linked to a variety of mental and physical health issues, including chronic inflammation, poor gut function, neurodegeneration, autoimmunity and cancer.

And we know this to be true: you cannot FULLY heal leaky gut, microbiome function or brain issues WITHOUT optimizing your vagus function.

Host of the Mind, Body & The Vagus Nerve Connection Summit, Eva Detko, PhD, MSc, BA (Hons), mIAHT, shares the above wisdom about the vagus nerve. I’ll add this: overstimulation of the nervous system is especially high right now during the coronavirus pandemic.

In my interview, Balancing Neurotransmitters to Optimize Vagus Function, we start with a review paper that reports how the vagus nerve is intricately connected with anxiety and mood (and immunity).

I share from Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders:

  • The vagus nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate.
  • It establishes one of the connections between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract and sends information about the state of the inner organs to the brain via afferent fibers.

The review article goes on to state how the vagus nerve is an attractive tool for treating psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders: “There is preliminary evidence that vagus nerve stimulation is a promising add-on treatment for treatment-refractory depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and inflammatory bowel disease.”

And as we all know when we hear the term treatment-refractory depression, it means we haven’t got to the root cause of it. It just means that medications haven’t worked for it.

So this allows us to extrapolate and say, well, there’s other lifestyle and dietary, and nutritional approaches that we could use. But they’re saying that stimulating the vagus nerve, activating it, can actually help in this area. And with my work in anxiety, whenever I see depression, I feel like I can replace that with anxiety (because of similar underlying causes). The other thing that they say is that there’s this impact on inflammation: “Treatments that target the vagus nerve increase the vagal tone and inhibit cytokine production.”

And we know that when we’ve got inflammation going on in the body, that’s going to contribute to mood disorders: “Stimulation of vagal efferent fibers in the gut influences neurotransmitters (like serotonin and dopamine, and GABA) that play a crucial role in major psychiatric disorders.”

So the conclusion is that vagal tone is correlated with the capacity to regulate stress responses and can be influenced by breathing. Its increase through meditation and yoga is likely to contribute to resilience, and the mitigation of mood and anxiety symptoms. And we know from other research, and we know from just doing it, that using meditation and yoga is going to affect anxiety levels. We’ve seen research showing that yoga and meditation raises GABA levels, which is one of the neurotransmitters that helps us feel calm.  But now we’re also seeing from the research that good vagal tone has an impact as well.

So it’s really exciting to see that there’s many different ways that we can use to approach someone who does have anxiety issues.

I also talk about a very interesting study that brings the connections between GABA and the vagus nerve together very nicely. As I’m talking I see Eva nodding in agreement as I cover this. I wanted to share this study to add another mechanism as to how GABA may work, given so many people don’t believe it can because of the blood brain barrier.

This was an animal study done in 2011 and it’s titled: Ingestion of Lactobacillus Strain Regulates Emotional Behavior and Central GABA Receptor Expression in a Mouse via the Vagus Nerve. You may have had other people in the summit talking about this. I can see you nodding there. Let me just bring it back to this discussion because I’ve got something to add about this. But what they found is this – Lactobacillus rhamnosus increased GABA in the hippocampus. It reduced cortisol levels, which was caused by the increased stress, and it reduced anxiety and the depression in the animals.

When they severed the vagus nerve in some of the mice in the study they found that these neurochemical and behavioral effects were not found. So as soon as the vagus nerve was severed, the effects of the Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which was increasing GABA levels, was not reducing the anxiety and it was not reducing those cortisone levels.

The biggest question that I get about GABA is: “How could GABA possibly work if it can’t cross the blood brain barrier?”  Maybe this is one way that is having an impact on anxiety. We know that we’ve got a lot of GABA receptors in our peripheral tissue. We’ve got GABA receptors in our muscles, which probably is the reason why we feel it when we’ve got this physical tension, or we’ve got the spasms. We’ve got GABA receptors in our pancreas. We’ve got GABA receptors in our endocrine system.

But maybe this vagus nerve connection and the fact that when it’s severed we’re not getting those effects, maybe this is another way that GABA is having an impact on anxiety.

Making the vagus nerve connection to serotonin, I share some interesting new research on SSRIs/antidepressants and the vagus nerve: Oral Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Activate Vagus Nerve Dependent Gut-brain Signalling.

SSRIs like Zoloft or Paxil or Prozac are often prescribed for anxiety, depression, autism and dementia. And there’s a whole host of issues that we have with SSRIs where you’ll have serious withdrawal symptoms in some people.

In the study, the researchers proposed that SSRIs were having an effect on serotonin and it was the vagus nerve that was now communicating to the brain leading to increased serotonin levels. Similar to the GABA study, when they severed the vagus nerve of the mice, they did not see the same benefits from the SSRI.

My thinking is this: could we possibly extrapolate and say the amino acid tryptophan may have similar effects?

We won’t hold our breath for a similar tryptophan study but we can learn from this paper and possible mechanisms.

I also share how I use GABA and tryptophan with clients so if you’re new to using targeted individual amino acids you’ll learn more about this too.

As you know, my work is primarily using the neurotransmitters precursors (such as the amino acids) and using dietary changes, but we don’t want to forget about other approaches like vagus nerve support.

If we can improve vagus function, then we’re going to get even better benefits.

I share some of my favorite vagus nerve exercises. One of them – social interaction – has been challenging lately but cold showers are very do-able.

Let me share some aspects on the importance of social interaction for improving vagal tone.

Research shows that the more social interactions you have, the more it improves vagal tone. And then that improved vagal tone, improves your mood and makes you more social (and has ramifications for so many other areas as you’ll learn on the summit).

However if you have a condition called pyroluria (social anxiety, preferring one-to-one connections rather than being in large groups, not liking small talk, early morning nausea, not really big on animal protein – I go into it in depth during the interview if it’s new to you), getting out and being social can be very challenging when you are forcing yourself and putting on a brave face:

It’s a very stressful situation in doing that, and then it makes your pyroluria worse so your social anxiety gets worse. So when you have pyroluria and you have a stressful situation, you end up dumping high levels of zinc and B6. So it makes things worse.

If you do go out, it’s either very stressful or you just don’t even do it. So my contribution to the discussion is: let’s address pyroluria and that’s going to in turn allow people to get out and socialize without feeling uncomfortable, without feeling awkward, without having to stress, without feeling absolutely exhausted afterwards, and it’s going to help improve vagal tone.

Eva sums up with this important aspect:

What people need to know is that social connection is good for your vagus nerve only if it’s perceived positively by you internally. So if you’re in a situation where you’re forcing yourself to interact with other people, you’re actually not going to have a positive knock-on effect on your vagus nerve because it’s going to be the opposite. You’re going to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system response because you’re there, as you described, completely uncomfortable and basically stress out. So those social connections need to be positive.

Here are some interviews I look forward to tuning into:

  • Niki Gratrix, BA, Dip ION: Connecting the Vagus Nerve, Emotions and Gut Function
  • Ben Lynch, ND: Epigenetics of Chronic Stress
  • Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP: How Mold Toxicity Damages Your Nervous System
  • Jay Davidson, DC, PScD: Impact of Infections on Mitochondrial and Vagus Function
  • Kimm Sun, CNM: Impact of Birth Trauma Across Lifetime
  • Eva Detko, PhD, MSc, BA (Hons): Impact of Perfectionism on Heart Rate Variability
  • Misa Hopkins: Vagus Nerve Session of the Day – Vagus Nerve Sound Healing

I don’t go into the immune connection in my interview because it was recorded before the coronavirus pandemic started but keep this in mind as you tune in: you cannot have a well-functioning immune system without a healthy nervous system, and vice-versa!

The psychological trauma of coronavirus – nutritional support for doctors, nurses and their loved ones

By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

psychological trauma coronavirus

If you are a nurse or doctor or providing support in any capacity in hospitals and other essential services during this coronavirus pandemic you need nutritional support.  You may be feeling on edge and anxious, worried about the future, concerned and angry about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), fearful for your safety and terrified about bringing the virus back to your family, exhausted and yet not able to sleep, feeling overly emotional and weepy about your patients (and decisions you are making or you anticipate having to make), and starting to have nightmares.

I’m not downplaying the enormity of the stress and trauma you are already facing and will continue to face, but we must not forget that nutrients (and nature and exercise) have a role to play in PTSD and trauma. They help to make you more resilient and mitigate some of the effects of trauma, and they also support healing and recovery.

When you feel calmer and you sleep better, you indirectly support your immune function too. There is also research that directly supports the role that GABA plays in improving immune function (more on this below).

B-complex and a multi-vitamin for everyone

If this is all that can be managed, a B-complex and a good multi-vitamin would be my first choice for everyone. I wrote this blog during Hurricane Harvey: Nutrition solutions for psychological stress after a natural disaster. It’s equally applicable now. Simply replace “after a natural disaster” with “during the coronavirus pandemic.”

My colleagues Bonnie Kaplin and Julia Rucklidge published this paper in 2015: A randomised trial of nutrient supplements to minimise psychological stress after a natural disaster. They found that folks traumatised after New Zealand earthquakes and floods in southern Alberta, Canada, showed significantly greater improvement in stress and anxiety when consuming a B-Complex and/or broad-spectrum mineral/vitamin formula.

In a newly published article in the Calgary Herald, Dr. Kaplan explains how these nutrients act as co-factors for making serotonin, GABA and dopamine and that “we should all consider a B-complex and/or a broad-spectrum nutrient formula on a daily basis to strengthen our mental resilience.”

My second recommendation is GABA and/or theanine

Supporting low levels of GABA, the calming neurotransmitter, eases your anxiety, improves your sleep and supports your immunity. When you feel calmer and you sleep better, you indirectly support your immune function too:

the physiological response to psychological stressors can dramatically impact the functioning of the immune system (from this paper)

We also have research that directly supports the role that GABA plays when it comes to improving immune function.

We want you to stay emotionally and physically strong and so does your family!

I write more about this here: GABA and theanine for easing anxiety, improving sleep and supporting immunity.  I share advice if you’re currently using GABA/theanine or have used it in the past, and a summary if you’re new to low GABA anxiety symptoms and using GABA/theanine.

Melatonin and serotonin support

I have my clients use a sublingual melatonin for going to sleep and a timed-release melatonin for staying asleep, and it’s another recommendation I’m making.

Melatonin improves sleep, helps ease anxiety and fear and may help with PTSD:

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial concludes that “melatonin may be an effective treatment for shift work nurses with difficulty falling asleep.”
  • Low levels of melatonin are common in military-related PTSD.
  • Melatonin modulates fear and “may serve as an agent for the treatment of PTSD”.

This in press and pre-proof paper reports on melatonin: 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.

This is very promising for offering added protection if you are working on the front-line and for  your patients too.

Serotonin is the precursor to melatonin and the amino acid tryptophan is one of the raw materials for making serotonin. I would also include tryptophan or 5-HTP for supporting serotonin levels to help with the worry and anxiety in the head, lying awake ruminating, feelings of fear, anger, depression, worry and negative thinking.

Try to get into nature for the pure joy of it and to lower your cortisol

Do your absolute best to try and get some nature. I share some simple options in this blog:

  • Get out into nature at least one day a week i.e. do some “forest bathing”
  • Take a short detour and drive to work via a tree-lined street
  • Look at some images of nature: sit and stare at a giant poster or even watch a show on National Geographic

Beyond the pure joy of spending time in nature, there is research supporting all of the above in playing a role in reducing anxiety, feeling more positive and calm, reducing cortisol levels and helping with recovery from stressful situations.

tree-lined street

Do this workout a few times a week for mood support

Here is a great workout from Dr. Zach Bush, MD. He recommends doing it 3 x day and starting with 10 reps of each of the 4 exercises and building up to 20 reps of each one:

The Four Minute Workout is a new concept of exercise that revolves around the body’s ability to use Nitric Oxide for muscle growth. This is an efficient anaerobic workout that can be done multiple times per day. The more frequently you do it, the better your results.

In this blog, I write how signals from our large leg muscles alter our brain and nervous system and improve mood.

If it’s your loved-one on the front-lines be sure to take care of yourself too

All of this nutritional support is also important if you are the mother or husband or wife or sister or brother etc. who is anxious and worrying about your loved one. You need to be strong for them so be sure to take care of you too.

Even if you are not working on the front-line or don’t know anyone doing so, if you are experiencing any of the above emotions, you need nutritional support too.

The New York Times article

It was reading this very somber and eye-opening article in the New York Times that promoted me to write this blog: The Psychological Trauma That Awaits Our Doctors and Nurses

The angst that clinicians may experience when asked to withdraw ventilators for reasons not related to the welfare of their patients should not be underestimated,” warn the authors of the article in The New England Journal of Medicine.“It may lead to debilitating and disabling distress.

We look at veterans and thank them for their service, never being able to fully comprehend what they’ve been through. The same may soon be true of some of our health care professionals. We may think we know. But we don’t.

No-one should have to make these choices and our hearts break for you and the families who are being impacted.

Louisiana article conveys the gravity of the situation like no other

Unfortunately it is happening already. This article conveys the gravity of the situation like no other and I’ve been pouring through everything – an account from a respiratory therapist in a Louisiana hospital (published two weeks ago.) We have been hearing similar stories from Italy for over a month now. Be warned – it’s horrifying!

It does include this statement… “The medical details in this story were vetted by an infectious disease doctor, a cardiologist and an internist at three different hospitals. All of the information about ARDS, the condition that the respiratory therapist describes, was fact-checked against peer-reviewed articles and UpToDate, a resource for physicians to check current standards in care, clinical features, and expected complications and outcomes.”

Because but I’m not familiar with this publication, I also checked with colleagues who are doctors and this is medically accurate.

While we don’t want to create panic I want to understand what doctors and nurses are facing so I can help. I do also believe we all deserve to know the facts, so we can truly support our doctors and nurses, and so we take this very seriously and stay home!

My biggest wish

It is my biggest wish that we can prevent much of this heart-ache and trauma going forwards, by preventing the spread of this virus and preventing the need for ventilators by helping sick individuals recover more quickly or prevent folks getting sick in the first place.

I do know of many incredible functional medicine practitioners who are creating task forces and working behind the scenes putting together proposals to present to governors, governments and mainstream medicine.

The products I mention and eating real whole food

The products I recommend to my clients are Designs for Health B Supreme and Designs for Health Twice Daily Multi.

You can find the GABA, theanine, tryptophan and 5-HTP on the supplements blog here.

If you are working in a hospital or medical setting or essential services

  • Please reach out if you need help with any of this – how to implement these recommendation or where to get the products
  • If you’re already doing this please share so we can encourage others to support themselves

And if your loved ones or friends in healthcare need support

  • Please share this blog with them and help them get access to these nutrients
  • I also encourage you to read my book – The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings – and give them the highlights about eating real whole food, quality animal protein, organic veggies and fruits, fermented foods, healthy fats, avoiding caffeine and sugar, eating for blood sugar control etc.
  • Please share if you know ways we can get this information (and nutrients) into the hands of more of our front-line workers
  • My focus is nutrition and nutrients but they also need someone to talk to so give them a call and be a listening ear. Also, help them find an online therapy service if they feel they need it. It’s encouraging to see more and more of this being made available.

One final comment – these are the bare essentials. In an ideal world, with more time, it would be best to work with a functional medicine practitioner and nutritionist and figure out your exact nutritional needs.

GABA and theanine for easing anxiety, improving sleep and supporting immunity

By Trudy Scott 86 Comments

gaba theanine

Stress and anxiety suppresses immunity and so does poor sleep. One root cause of anxiety and poor sleep can be low GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) levels.  When you boost low levels of GABA (the neurotransmitter) with the amino acid GABA (it has the same name as the neurotransmitter) or theanine (another amino acid), you feel calmer and you sleep better, and you indirectly support your immune function too. We also have research that directly supports the role that GABA and theanine may play when it comes to improving immune function.

This paper, Psychological Stress, Immunity, and the Effects on Indigenous Microflora, describes the field of PsychoNeuroImmunology which

has clearly demonstrated that the physiological response to psychological stressors can dramatically impact the functioning of the immune system, thus identifying one way in which susceptibility to or severity of diseases are exacerbated during stressful periods.

It’s important that we keep all this in mind as we deal with the coronavirus pandemic and during other times when we may be exposed to infections.

The authors also share that psychological stressors impact the microbiome contributing to increases in markers of inflammation even when there is no infection. As you may recall from the recent Anxiety Summit 5: Gut-Brain Axis there is a bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain, with poor gut health having a direct impact on anxiety levels.

The sleep-immunity connection

Here is some of the research supporting the sleep and immunity connection:

Sleep is considered an important modulator of the immune response. Thus, a lack of sleep can weaken immunity, increasing organism susceptibility to infection.

Sleep abnormalities affect immune function in a reciprocal manner, leading to changes in proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukins 1 and 6, and C-reactive protein. The multitude of systems that react to sleep loss suggest effects beyond the central nervous system and include total body functioning.

The GABA and theanine anxiety-immunity connection

Here is some of the research supporting the more direct role GABA and theanine may play when it comes to immune function (and act as a relaxant and anti-stress nutrient at the same time):

GABA could work effectively as a natural relaxant and its effects could be seen within 1 hour of its administration to induce relaxation and diminish anxiety. Moreover, GABA administration could enhance immunity under stress conditions.

A number of recent studies have suggested that theanine administration can improve the body’s immune system….one particular study highlighted the use of theanine as an intervention to decrease the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms via enhancing gamma and delta T-lymphocyte function.

The authors cite one study where “administration of 200 mg theanine was found to have an “anti-stress” effect on pharmacy students” and “regulate dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain through the release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.”

The  low GABA type of anxiety

When you have the  low GABA type of anxiety you’ll feel physically tense and overwhelmed, fearful and not be sleeping well. You may lie in bed stiff and tense and may also have unwanted thoughts and experience monkey-mind. It’s common to self-medicate with alcohol to stay calm or you may also use carbs to relax. When you use the amino acid supplement GABA, you get quick and very effective relief – when it’s used sublingually.

Already using GABA/theanine or have used it in the past?

If you are already using GABA or theanine you may find you need extra during this time of added stress.  You don’t want to make the mistake of thinking “This is serious, I need to double-up.” The best approach is to monitor your low GABA symptoms and consider using an extra dose during the day or possibly more at night or possibly more at each dose. Use the trial method to monitor your response.

Someone in my facebook community said she was conserving her GABA and noticed her anxiety was creeping back up. Now is not the time to cut back on GABA.

If you’ve found benefit from GABA or theanine in the past but are not currently using it you may very likely feel the need for the additional support right now.

New to low GABA anxiety symptoms and using GABA/theanine?

If you suspect low GABA symptoms and are new to using the amino acids and do not have my book I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in to taking supplements: The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings. (get it out of the library if you’re watching your expenses.)

There is a complete chapter on the amino acids and one for pyroluria, plus information on real whole food, sugar and blood sugar, gluten, digestion and much more.  If you’re not a reader there is now also an audible version.

Here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and additional information on Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary

Please also read and follow these Amino Acid Precautions.

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

In summary, anxiety and sleep deprivation are not good for your immunity, and theanine and GABA can ease anxiety, improve sleep AND enhance immunity.

Please share your experiences with GABA and theanine and feel free to ask questions. Let us know if you were aware of the connections to immune function and if you’ve noticed your immune system is stronger when using GABA or theanine?

Botox injections (cosmetic or non-cosmetic): are they a root cause of anxiety and panic attacks?

By Trudy Scott 71 Comments

botox injections

New research shows Botox injections are being considered for severe depression and bipolar disorder because it stops frowning and this lack of frowning has a positive impact on neurotransmitters and mood. I recently posted this on Facebook and asked this question:

I’m curious if you have had Botox injections or would consider it (for cosmetic reasons) or perhaps for migraines, dystonia, proctalgia fugax or depression/bipolar?

If you have had Botox injections are you happy with the result or did you have any adverse effects like increased anxiety, panic attacks or anything else?

The response was varied with most folks saying they would never consider using Botox for cosmetic reasons, some folks saying they used Botox for cosmetic reasons and had issues and some folks saying they’ve used Botox for cosmetic reasons and love it, and others who have used Botox for non-cosmetic reasons.

All the practitioners who commented have concerns about Botox saying results are mixed with some of their clients having severe reactions and some doing fine. As I looked further into this topic I’ve gained additional insights and my biggest concern for you, and my community, is that Botox can lead to very severe anxiety and panic attacks.

I encourage you to keep an open mind about my Botox concerns if you have chronic anxiety that is not resolving and it started (or got worse) after receiving Botox injections, or if  you’re considering Botox injections.

Anxiety, panic attacks, inability to handle stress, body shaking

I gained my biggest insights from the Botox Dysport (Side Effects) Support group. Someone suggested I look into this group and I requested an invite to join so I could learn more. So many of the members of this support group  report anxiety, panic attacks, inability to handle stress, body shaking and problems connecting socially.  This is what one member shared:

…just joining the dots, I’ve been unwell for a few years since getting Botox but didn’t put it together until having it last week and going into panic attacks / ER.

Since then extreme anxiety and I’ve ended up in a mental health facility on benzodiazepines (ativan/valium). Reactions / withdrawal has been severe, have started to put it all together whilst reading through this page.

I’m realising that my decline, immune system failure (chronic epstein barr) fatigue, loss of motivation, loss of appetite, shaking in my body, muscle atrophy, anxiety, no motivation to connect socially, can’t handle any stress, can’t relax, tinnitus, breathing trouble and the list goes on is from botox…. scared to say the least as doesn’t seem to be a solution, I was worried to get Botox originally and obviously am eating myself up with regret, thought I would share if anyone has a similar story.

There are many similar posts to this one and it’s heart-breaking, especially because they say they are not being heard by their doctors.

I had a short online conversation with one of the moderators and she shared they suspect Botox is impacting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leading to high cortisol and causing their anxiety symptoms. Many of the members find relief with Seriphos, which is a phosphorylated serine product I’ve had great success with. Here is my blog post on Seriphos for anxiety and insomnia related to high cortisol.

I asked if any of the members find GABA or serotonin support helpful and for some GABA helps ease the physical tension and for other members tryptophan or 5-HTP helps ease the worry type of anxiety. However for others, the amino acids seem to have a paradoxical effect and make symptoms worse.

I’ve never been in favor of Botox for cosmetic reasons simply because I’m not a fan of putting foreign objects/toxins into the body and because I believe in aging gracefully with confidence. I do find that many women feel the need for cosmetic Botox injections and other ways to try and look younger (such as breast implants and hair dye) because of low self-esteem and lack of confidence caused by low serotonin.

Botox for non-cosmetic purposes

Botox is also used for non-cosmetic purposes. Some of my neurologist colleagues also have concerns about cosmetic use and will only use Botox injections for the following:

  • severe cases of dystonia
  • migraines (to relax forehead muscles)
  • proctalgia fugax /rectal spasms

Botox may also be used for multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, pelvic pain and bladder issues, for TMJ, after a stroke and for chronic anal fissures in colitis (sphincter spasms can prevent anal fissures from healing).

I would love to see safer approaches for non-cosmetic Botox injections being researched and explored by practitioners. For example:

Botox for mental health – we can do better with nutritional psychiatry

At the beginning of this blog I mentioned the new research that shows Botox injections are being considered for severe depression and bipolar disorder because it stops frowning. This lack of frowning has a positive impact on neurotransmitters and mood.

A study published in 2018, Clinical analysis of 86 botulism cases caused by cosmetic injection of botulinum toxin (BoNT), reports that botulism is a severe side effect of Botox injections with symptoms including: “headache, dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, blurred vision, eye opening difficulty, slurred speech, dysphagia [difficulty swallowing], constipation, and anxiety.”

The authors report these symptoms occur in the first 36 days after the Botox injections and that all symptoms resolved after botulinum antitoxin serum injections.

This conclusion clearly doesn’t address why there are so many folks in the Botox Dysport (Side Effects) Support group continue to experience long-term severe symptoms.

We also have research reporting a possible connection between Botox injections and thyroid autoimmunity.

I feel we can do better especially with what we know about nutritional psychiatry, the use of targeted individual amino acids, nutrients like lithium orotate, the gut-brain connections and everything covered in my book The Antianxiety Food Solution (my Amazon link) and on this blog.

A note of appreciation

I’d like to end with a note of appreciation to everyone who commented on my Facebook post, to the members of Botox Dysport (Side Effects) Support group on facebook (with over 5700 members as of this writing).

I’d also like to thank Diane Kazer for asking bold questions about Botox injections as part of her Non-Toxic Beauty Revolution Summit which addresses Botox, breast implant illness, toxins in your cosmetics and so much more. In my interview we talked extensively about the low serotonin/low self-esteem connections which I feel is a big missing piece for helping women who feel the desire or need to use cosmetic Botox in order to feel good and love themselves.

Diane writes about Botox here: Is Botox Safe? Top 3 Concerns & What to do if you’ve had it, sharing a brief history of botox, what she has uncovered about toxicity issues and possible detox solutions.

She also created this list of 58 Botox Illness Symptoms which she gave me permission to share here. She compiled this list from 1000+ people who have had Botox injections.

58 botox illness symptoms

Because of Diane asking questions and this initial research I’ve done, I’m adding a question about past history of Botox injections to my client intake form and will be gathering more information from my community of anxious women to see if there are patterns as to why some folks have such bad reactions.

I do feel we need to be asking if Botox injections (cosmetic or non-cosmetic) are a possible root cause of anxiety and panic attacks because they are adding to the toxic burden in susceptible folks.

But I do acknowledge it’s challenging to unwind all the contributing factors because it depends on what is going on with each person, such as their gut health, other medications (benzodiazepines themselves can be problematic), past trauma, infections, poor adrenal health, low GABA, low serotonin, poor detox capacity, low bile production, genetics etc. Unfortunately there is no way to know in advance who will be harmed and if Botox is the tipping point.

Please comment below if you’ve had Botox injections and had adverse reactions or have benefited from them with no adverse reactions. And if you have not had Botox would you ever consider it? Feel free to post your questions too.

Imposter syndrome and low serotonin: is tryptophan the solution?

By Trudy Scott 75 Comments

imposter syndrome

An article published on Psychology Today states that imposter syndrome and “feelings of inadequacy are surprisingly common” and cites the results of a 2020 systematic review:

62 studies with over 14,000 participants found that a staggering 56 percent to 82 percent of individuals, across genders, backgrounds, and ages, experienced imposter feelings at some point.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term imposter syndrome, many of my clients who appear to have very successful careers will say to me … “I feel like I’m an imposter. They’re going to catch me out at what I’m doing. I’m not really as good as everyone thinks I am.” Perhaps you can relate to this? You just don’t feel that you’re good enough – you’re faking it until you make it and putting on a brave face.

No-one is talking about the biochemical and low serotonin aspect of imposter syndrome and the role tryptophan plays. This really does need to be part of the discussion and part of the solution.

Read on for examples of imposter syndrome you may resonate with and the typical tools that are offered to help you reframe and be kind to yourself (hint: it’s hard work when it’s a biochemical imbalance); and the simple biochemical solution i.e. addressing low serotonin. You also need to figure out why serotonin is low and address this. There is no research supporting this low serotonin connection but there is a proposal to investigate serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine systems among those who suffer with imposter syndrome. You’ll also find additional resources if you need guidance using amino acids like tryptophan/5-HTP and GABA.

There is more awareness but it’s really hard work to reframe and be kind to yourself

Valerie Young’s excellent book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, [my Amazon link] has created the awareness we need and offers so much in terms of recognizing the way imposter syndrome mani­fests in our lives. She shares these examples which you may also resonate with:

From the high-achieving Ph.D. candidate convinced she’s only been admitted to the program because of a clerical error to the senior executive who worries others will find out she’s in way over her head, a shocking number of accomplished women in all ca­reer paths and at every level feel as though they are faking it – impostors in their own lives and careers.

This article in Harvard Business Review, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, states

Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.

The article mentions phrases such as “I must not fail”, “I feel like a fake” and “it’s all down to luck”, offering these tools: recognize the imposter feelings, reframe, talk about how you feel, be kind to yourself, visualize success and seek support.

This is all great advice but it’s hard work when you’re already struggling and when it’s actually a biochemical imbalance! What if there was a simple solution that involved addressing low serotonin with an amino acid supplement such as tryptophan or 5-HTP?

What if there was a simple biochemical solution i.e. address low serotonin?

If your serotonin is low you WILL feel like this: plenty of self-doubt, lack of confidence and negative self talk. It’s common to feel anxious and inadequate, have ruminating thoughts, do lots of reprocessing and overthinking, and be a perfectionist (you may get stuck because of the perfectionism and overthinking things). This often occurs together with carb cravings (especially late afternoon and evening), PMS/perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms. Insomnia is common and this is when much of the ruminations and negative self-talk occurs.

There is a very simple solution. Figure out if low serotonin is the issue and address it with tryptophan or 5-HTP.  Using co-factors like zinc, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, and diet and lifestyle changes may be necessary too. Other neurotransmitter imbalances like low GABA, low endorphins and low dopamine may also be factors.

I can relate to all this personally. I had a very successful corporate job in my late 30s and I started to feel sure I was useless and that I was going to lose my job. I felt like they were going to figure I didn’t really know what I was doing despite my leadership abilities! Then the dreadful perimenopausal symptoms and anxiety and panic attacks started. And then I figured out it was low serotonin, low GABA and hormone imbalances, and a number of other root causes that contributed to my low neurotransmitters.  I list many typical root causes below.

Why is serotonin low (and address the root causes)

You need to figure out why serotonin is low and address this. Low serotonin may be caused by many factors such as:

  • dysbiosis and a messed up microbiome (we make so much serotonin in the gut)
  • stress and the adrenals (cortisol affects your sex hormone production)
  • the birth control pill (which lowers zinc and vitamin B6, both of which are needed for serotonin production)
  • gluten issues (leading to low serotonin and other nutritional deficiencies)
  • not consuming enough quality animal protein (amino acids are the building blocks of our neurotransmitters, and grass fed red meat provides zinc, iron and omega-3s – all needed to make serotonin)
  • low stomach acid (meaning you can’t digest the protein you’re consuming)
  • sex hormone imbalances (serotonin and estrogen are very closely linked)
  • liver issues (affecting how you process xenoestrogens)
  • low bile production (so you’re not digesting the healthy fats you’re eating)
  • statins (leading to cholesterol that is too low)
  • not getting enough exercise, sunshine or nature
  • mold exposure
  • heavy metal toxicity
  • Lyme disease and other co-infections
  • and more

I’ve poured through the research on imposter syndrome and there is no mention of serotonin. A few articles – like this one in Forbes, Why You Need To Understand The Neuroscience Of Imposter Syndrome – do mention serotonin and dopamine:

feelings of “not deserving” correlate with lower levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin which relates to mood, and low levels of dopamine which are connected to reward and motivation

There is no mention of tryptophan (or 5-HTP) or any of the above approaches for raising serotonin (other than exercise) or tyrosine to help raise dopamine. However, clinically we see all the signs of imposter syndrome disappear once low serotonin is addressed, and motivation improve once low dopamine is addressed.

New 2020 research:  the need to explore the role of serotonin and other neurotransmitters

A paper published in 2020, shortly after this blog was published, Focusing on the Neuro-Psycho-Biological and Evolutionary Underpinnings of the Imposter Syndrome, does mention the need to explore the role of serotonin and other neurotransmitters:

exploring the serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine systems among imposterism sufferers could be a worthy research pursuit. Likewise, it would be intriguing to know how these neuro-hormones and other bioactive molecules are functionally interconnected, and how they are related to the feelings of self-doubt in the syndromal imposters.

Based on my experience, I suspect research will eventually confirm that low serotonin is a major factor with imposter syndrome but also that many other neurotransmitters play a role too – with low levels of oxytocin, dopamine, endorphins and GABA.  The above paper also mentions a possible role of cortisol and sex hormones.  And just as we see with anxiety, fears and worries, the combination of root cause factors will likely be unique for each person.

Additional resources when you are new to using tryptophan and other amino acids as supplements

As always, I use the symptoms questionnaire to figure out if low serotonin 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), and you need serotonin support, the Serotonin QuickStart Program is a good place to get help. This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance on using tryptophan and 5-HTP safely, and community support during 5 LIVE Q&A calls. You can sign up to be notified when the next live launch of this program is happening.

The next way 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. Another option is the budget-friendly GABA QuickStart Homestudy Program.

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.

Imposter syndrome and low serotonin? Have you made the connection and can you relate?

Please comment below if imposter syndrome resonates with you so we can all learn from each other. I’d love to hear:

  • how imposter syndrome shows up in your life and how you’d describe it to your best friend?
  • when do you feel like this – at work, all the time (work and home life) or only certain situations?
  • are these new feelings and if yes when did they start?  or have you always felt like this?
  • what type of job do you have? or are you an entrepreneur?
  • have you sought help for imposter syndrome and what has helped?
  • are you surprised to learn there is a biochemical aspect and nutritional solutions?
  • what other low serotonin symptoms do you have?
  • have you used tryptophan (or 5-HTP) for other low serotonin symptoms (like anxiety, ruminations, insomnia etc) and then realized that imposter syndrome is no longer an issue for you?
  • have you figured out and addressed some of the root causes of your low serotonin?
  • have you found that other neurotransmitter support has helped too – such as GABA (for low GABA) or DPA (for low endorphins) or tyrosine (for low dopamine) or glutamine (for low blood sugar)?

(if you feel more comfortable sharing some of this anonymously feel free to use a nickname when commenting – I’m aware that there is a stigma to admitting this in the corporate world)

Feel free to post your questions too.