serotonin

The Anxiety Summit – Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

May 14, 2015 By Trudy Scott 43 Comments

Dr. Peter Bongiorno ND, author of Holistic Therapies for Anxiety and Depression is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

What is serotonin and why is it often considered the molecule of happiness
The role of serotonin when it comes to anxiety?
How serotonin was first discovered and the 5-HT1A receptor/oxytocin connection
Serotonin’s strong relationship to the digestive tract
The connection between inflammation and serotonin
How to naturopathically support serotonin and the overall neurotransmitter system for optimal mood support: 5-HTP, L-tryptophan and its vitamin co-factors
Serotonin’s effects on our hormones, other neurotransmitters and whole body

Here are some snippets from our interview:

In modern medicine we tend to focus on one thing and tend to work it to death, almost to the point that we believe we are doing things that will be helpful. Many studies have shown that antidepressants are not working any better than placebos in most people and yet we’re still treating it [depression/anxiety] the same way

In naturopathy we look at things from all angles. There can be multiple factors involved and why someone has anxiety. How you’re going to work through these factors successfully is going to be very different for each person.

Here is the 2010 JAMA paper: The Antidepressant Drug Effects and Depression Severity A Patient-Level Meta-analysis

The magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medication compared with placebo increases with severity of depression symptoms and may be minimal or nonexistent, on average, in patients with mild or moderate symptoms. For patients with very severe depression, the benefit of medications over placebo is substantial.

Dr. Bongiorno shares how using 5-HTP and tryptophan leads to quicker results for his patients, and unlike drugs you don’t get side-effects. He likes to use acupuncture for this too.

He discusses the co-factors that are needed for making neurotransmitters: the B vitamins like riboflavin, niacinamide and vitamin B6, plus the need for a good multivitamin. Here is a recent Psychology Today article: Multiple Vitamins for Anxiety

Here are Dr. Bongiorno’s two books:

How Come They’re Happy and I’m Not – The Complete Natural Program for Healing Depression for Good

Holistic Solutions for Anxiety & Depression in Therapy: Combining Natural Remedies with Conventional Care

You can download his free gift here: 10 Ways to Boost Serotonin Naturally. Once you sign up you’re taken to a page that has the free ebook about serotonin.

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety

May 11, 2015 By Trudy Scott 77 Comments

Magdalena Wszelaki, founder of Hormones Balance, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety (part 1)

Magdalena’s own journey with Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s disease, adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance and anxiety
How hormonal imbalances can cause anxiety: low progesterone, low/high estrogen
How over and underactive thyroid can cause anxiety
The adrenals and anxiety and depression

Foods to balance your hormones and ease anxiety (part 2)

How to test for hormonal imbalances
The foundation to all hormonal health being: healthy gut, healthy blood sugar levels and optimal liver health
Foods that support the production of the different hormones
Seed rotation for balancing estrogen and progesterone
The role of coffee in liver health, hormone metabolism and anxiety

In part 1 we discussed this 2015 paper: Sex hormones affect neurotransmitters and shape the adult female brain during hormonal transition periods.

Here we review the evidence from animal experiments and human studies reporting interactions between sex hormones and the dominant neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA and glutamate

The brain represents an important target for estrogen and progesterone effects.

major shifts in sex hormone levels seem to be paralleled by the incidence rates of mood disorders such as unipolar depression

A subgroup of women suffers from clinical level of premenstrual mood changes called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)… core symptoms include anxiety, irritability and depressed mood

Estrogen has been reported to have potent serotonin-modulating properties

progesterone and its neuroactive metabolites (allopregnanolone, pregnanolone) seem to facilitate GABAergic transmission

To summarize, neurotransmitter systems do not work in isolation and sex hormones act on multiple sites, highly intertwined with serotonin, dopamine, GABA and glutamate.

Magdalena shared these low estrogen symptoms:

Forgetfulness
Incontinence
Skin elasticity problems
Loss of muscle strength
Feeling really blah
Osteoporosis/osteopenia
Warm flashes and/or night sweats

Magdalena shared these low progesterone symptoms:

Tender breasts
PMS
Irregular periods
Puffiness and water retention
Mood swings and anger
Anxiety and sleep issues
Problems falling pregnant

In part 2:

Magdalena shared how the foundation of hormone balance is a healthy gut and talked about food intolerances, the microbiome, bone broths and quality animal protein.

I loved the discussion on using seed rotation for hormonal balancing: flax seeds and pumpkin seeds for the first half of your cycle and sesame and sunflower seeds for the second half of your cycle/luteal phase (the cracker recipes are in the gift download – see below).

Coffee does affect our hormones and here is a great guest blog post by Magdalena: 12 Ways Coffee Impacts Your Hormones

If you had to give up either coffee or the internet for 2 weeks, which one would you choose? How about either coffee or sex for 2 weeks? If you’d rather relinquish anything to keep your coffee, you’d be on par with the majority of the people around you.

Be sure to check it out and try out her delicious Roasted Chicory Root Latte recipe.

I shared my recipe: Carob Cinnamon Delight instead of coffee – a calming hot beverage and mentioned rooibos tea how it’s A Functional Food in the Management of Stress (an interview from a prior anxiety summit)

Magdalena mentioned the EWG/Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep site for checking your cosmetics – simply enter the name of the product in the search area.

We also mentioned Annmarie Gianni Skin Care, which is a natural skin care line made with organic ingredients that you can trust – and that actually work. This is the best and most natural skin-care line I have come across – anywhere! It’s organic, uses absolutely zero toxic ingredients and features gorgeous essential oils! You can try your Annmarie Gianni Skin Care sample kit here.

Magdalena’s gift: How to Rebalance Your Hormones with Food and Recipes

magdalena gift image

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit: Dr. Daniel Amen on the gut and serotonin

April 24, 2015 By Trudy Scott 45 Comments

Dr. Daniel Amen MD, is well recognized as the brain doctor and this is the title of our interview on season 3 of The Anxiety Summit: “The Brain Warriors Way to Attacking Anxiety, Depression and Aging.”

Why we are in a war for the health of our brains?
Why anxiety is so common in women and how depression shows up in men
Four different brain types
Natural ways for dealing with anxiety (instead of typical anti-anxiety medications)
How birth control pills contribute to anxiety
The impact of gut health on anxiety

daniel-amen-anxietysummit

He just has so much wisdom:

If you love your life and love the people in your life and love what you’re doing on this earth you need to get serious about your brain. This is The Brain Warrior concept!”

There is a path to keep your brain much healthier than most people every thought possible! Neurons don’t age, it’s blood vessels that age and if you understand that and can keep the blood flow to your brain healthy, it directly attacks ADD, anxiety, depression, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.

And a great sense of humor too! We had many laugh out loud moments which are always good for us but especially great when we’re feeling sad, anxious or overwhelmed.

We talk about how important the microbiome and gut health is when it comes to mental health. He finds it funny that as the brain doctor, he now going to have to consider poop! He really does say that!

You may recall my great interview with Dr. Ted Dinan on season 2: Microbes in the gut and psychobiotics as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression

We also talk about how women make less serotonin so I just had to look up the research. Here are some snippets from this 1997 paper “Differences between males and females in rates of serotonin synthesis in human brain”

The marked difference in the rates of serotonin synthesis between male and female subjects is, to our knowledge, a new finding.

Moreover, no differences have been found between the number of serotonin re-uptake sites in the brains of male and female subjects.

The rate of serotonin synthesis will depend on numerous factors including the free plasma tryptophan levels, the plasma levels of tryptophan relative to the other large neutral amino acids, the activity of the system that transports the large neutral amino acids into brain, the gene expression of tryptophan hydroxylase, degradation of tryptophan hydroxylase, compartmentalization of tryptophan and tryptophan hydroxylase in brain cells, as well as probably numerous other factors.

Averaging over the different brain areas, the rate of serotonin synthesis is 52% greater in male than in female subjects. This is one of the largest differences between the brains of males and females that is not related to hormone binding sites. The reason for this difference is not clear at this time.

brainimage

Here is an image of brain scans that were published in the above study. The color bar on the right in the same row gives an indication of synthesis i.e. blues, purples and pinks means low synthesis of serotonin. The research found low synthesis of serotonin in the women in the study.

We can tie this all back to the gut since we make so much serotonin in the gut!

As Dr. Amen says “you need to get serious about your brain” and here a few of his recommendations:

eat real whole food, quit sugar and sodas, get plenty of healthy fats in your diet and quit bread
use natural approaches to boost serotonin and GABA, and address low progesterone if necessary
fall in love with exercise and get rid of negative thoughts (he calls them ANTS: automatic negative thoughts)
and avoid medications like benzodiazapines and the BCP/birth control pill

Here are some of Dr. Amen’s wonderful books:

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness

Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex

Dr. Amen, and his wife Tana have created this free 3-part online video series called the Brain Warrior’s Way. Dr. Amen says:

To survive and thrive, you must become a brain warrior, because without a doubt you are in a war for the health of your brain.

You can get access to the 3-part online video series called the Brain Warrior’s Way here

Join us on season 3 of The Anxiety Summit (www.theanxietysummit) and hear Dr. Amen share more on “The Brain Warriors Way to Attacking Anxiety, Depression and Aging.”

Oxytocin and social anxiety, pyroluria and depression?

March 27, 2015 By Trudy Scott 66 Comments

A 2014 paper published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research looked at how variations in the oxytocin receptor gene is associated with increased risk for anxiety, stress and depression in individuals with a history of exposure to early life stress. Here are some excerpts from this paper:

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is involved in the regulation of mood, anxiety and social biology.

Genetic variation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) has been implicated in anxiety, depression and related stress phenotypes.

In this study, we examined genotypes in 653 individuals and tested whether SNP variation in OXTR correlates with severity of features of self-reported experience on the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), and whether this correlation is enhanced when early life trauma is taken into account.

The study found a significant effect of several oxytocin receptor genes (OXTR genotypes) on anxiety, stress and depression scores. They concluded that:

These results support the hypothesis that the oxytocin system plays a role in the pathophysiology of mood and anxiety disorders.

In this 2015 paper published in Neuropsychopharmacology, they looked at “Oxytocin modulation of amygdala functional connectivity to fearful faces in generalized social anxiety disorder” and found that oxytocin lessened anxiety by dampening amygdala reactivity to threat in individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder.

Results indicated that in individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder:

Oxytocin enhanced functional connectivity between the amygdala and the bilateral insula and middle cingulate/dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus during the processing of fearful faces

These findings suggest that [oxytocin] may have broad pro-social implications such as enhancing the integration and modulation of social responses.

We know that low serotonin can cause anxiety, worry and depression and research shows there are interactions between oxytocin and serotonin levels. So if you don’t respond to serotonin support (tryptophan or 5-HTP or light therapy), maybe boosting oxytocin is a possible solution? Or maybe supporting serotonin will boost oxytocin?

What is also really interesting to me is that zinc is needed for binding oxytocin to its receptor so I wonder about the oxytocin connection to pyroluria, a social anxiety condition where higher amounts of zinc and vitamin B6 are needed. I wonder if adding oxytocin to the mix or boosting it would help even more? Or if optimizing zinc use and absorption would help promote oxytocin?

Have you had your oxytocin levels tested? Have you used oxytocin with good results and did it help your social anxiety/pyroluria and/or depression? Have you done anything else to boost your oxytocin levels?

Organic Acids Testing by Great Plains Lab

December 15, 2014 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

This is a 1-day professional training being held in Berkeley, CA on January 24, 2015: An Overview of Organic Acids Testing and Why it is so Important

Hundreds of organic acid metabolites are found in the urine of all mammals including humans. These metabolites can be used for both diagnostic and therapeutic measurements for: detecting abnormal gastrointestinal overgrowth or dysbiosis, assessing mitochondrial energy production, detecting genetic diseases, assessing malnutrition and suboptimum nutrition, revealing toxic exposure, finding alterations of neurotransmitter metabolites in neurological and psychiatric disorders, and assessing metabolites that cause severe inflammation in a variety of chronic illnesses.

The Interrelationship between Chronic Yeast and Various Issues

The OAT evaluates for various fungal toxins, including specific markers for Candida. Many people rely on stool testing for Candida diagnosis and miss the presence of Candida toxins through the Organic Acid Test. Candida can lead to neurochemical imbalances in the brain, as well as sensory problems and self-stimulatory behavior (often seen in autism).

The Interrelationship between Clostridia and Various Health Issues

The OAT evaluates for two specific toxins related to Clostridia bacteria – HPHPA and 4-cresol. Both of these toxins can inhibit a dopamine converting enzyme, leading to excess dopamine and toxic reactions in the brain and nervous system. Problems such as moodiness, irritability, aggression, self-injurious behavior, sleep difficulties and more can be associated with Clostridia bacteria overgrowth.

Correlating Oxalate Problems

The OAT includes glycolic and glyceric acids in the oxalate section, which can differentiate between genetic and nutritional components in disturbed oxalate metabolism. Oxalates are compounds found in many foods, and can be worsened from Candida overgrowth. High oxalates are associated with pain in the joints, muscles, and connective tissues. They can also trap heavy metals (such as mercury, lead, and arsenic) in the body and lead to mineral imbalances. Certain behavioral issues and self-injurious tendencies have been associated with high oxalates.

Organic Acids Testing and Neurochemical Imbalances

The OAT evaluates for imbalances in serotonin (an important brain chemical for mood, fine and gross motor skills, and calmness), as well additional markers that can indicate toxic stress in the brain and nervous system, such as Quinolinic Acid. High Quinolinic Acid suggests toxic stress in the brain and is important to evaluate before prescribing certain supplements, particularly L-Tryptophan which is commonly used to help with sleep.

Case Studies

This presentation will highlight various patient cases from clinical practice that show the role of biomedical intervention for various patient scenarios such as dietary therapy, yeast and Clostridia treatment, and methylation support.

All of the above, together with start and end times, and breaks can be found here on the presentation schedule page

Presenter: Kurt N. Woeller, D.O., has been an integrative medicine physician and biomedical autism specialist for 15+ years. He is an author of several health books including “Autism – The Road To Recovery,” “Methyl-B12 Therapy For Autism,” “Methyl-B12 for Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia,” and “5 Things You MUST Do Right Now To Help With Your Rheumatoid Arthritis.” He is a lecturer (United States and International), educator and experienced clinician offering specialized treatment and testing for individuals with complex medical conditions such as Autism-Spectrum Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Mental Health Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and other chronic health conditions.

I’m sharing this training on behalf of Dr. Kat Toups, M.D., Distinguished Fellow APA, Functional Medicine Psychiatry, BayAreaWellness.net

Dr. Toups shared this with me and I would suggest you call Great Plains Lab if you are unsure whether you are eligible to order testing:

This includes a free test kit. My understanding about the free test kits at the Organic Acid Testing conference is that they are available for anyone licensed to order testing. You do not have to be a Physician. Their website says the following: “Please note that to receive the FREE Organic Acids Test practitioners must be qualified as MD, DO, NP, NMD, DC, PsyD, PA, LAc or otherwise have the authority to order laboratory testing. Other healthcare practitioners will receive a voucher for 50% off one Organic Acids Test.

The pricing will increase by $40 on 12/22/14, so please register as early as possible to allow time to receive your OAT kit, complete it, mail back and get results before the conference. Things may get a little backed up around the holidays.

For those of you new to Organic Acid Testing, you can also request a complimentary consult at Great Plains once you receive your results. They will go over them with you.

Location details are here

Jeffrey Smith on Anxiety, depression, GMOs and Roundup on the Anxiety Summit

October 24, 2014 By Trudy Scott 18 Comments

Jeffrey Smith, non-GMO advocate, founder of Institute for Responsible Technology, producer of the movie Genetic Roulette, is speaking on the Anxiety Summit. Our topic: “Anxiety & Depression: Health Risks of GMOs and Roundup.” We also talk about GM tryptophan and why it was removed from the market. It was a fabulous interview!

Here is an outline of what we cover:

GMO definition, health effects and why advocate a complete ban
The sad story of the South African GM corn/mielie farmer – this is a powerful story
How Bt toxins damage the gut and become “pesticide producing factories” – this is scary and sounds like a futuristic movie
How Roundup affects serotonin production, detoxification and the gut – more on this below in the snippet and video preview
Roundup’s new scary use – I had no idea!
The GM tryptophan disaster in 1989 – and the theory as to why tryptophan was banned
The good news and how you can help bring about change – there is light at the end of the tunnel!

I brought up South Africa during the interview because I was recently there. GMOs are labeled in South which is good and bad. It’s good because you can avoid eating GM products. It’s bad because labeling was done without all the activism we are seeing here in the USA, and I feel there is less awareness about the dangers. Many people are simply consuming these products without any questioning. Here is a picture of the Knorrox label.

knorox pic 1

knorox-ingredients

In this close-up picture, you’ll notice a few things. As well as the label “contains genetically modified materials” i.e. the maize/corn), it also contains:

TBHQ (read more about this this on Mira Dessy’s blog – there are claims it can contribute to anxiety and depression)
hydrogenated vegetable oil – which research shows can cause anxiety and depression
monosodium glutamate/MSG – which can trigger anxiety in many people
and radurised spices and herbs

Getting back to my interview with Jeffrey…he shared the sad story of the South African GM corn/mielie/maize farmer that had a happy ending and he assured me that awareness is growing.

We also talked extensively about how Roundup affects serotonin production, detoxification and the gut.

Here is a snippet from our actual interview we did for the summit:

Roundup shuts down this pathway called the shikimate pathway. Monsanto bragged up-and-down because Roundup blocks the shikimate pathway in order to kill weeds. And because humans don’t have the shikimate pathway, they said Roundup must be safe for humans.

But it’s not safe for a lot of reasons.

It’s an endocrine disruptor. It can promote cancer. It’s linked to heart disease and diabetes. But what they failed to point out was that the shikimate pathway is what our gut bacteria use to produce the vast majority of the l-tryptophan that we assimilate. L-tryptophan is a precursor to melatonin, which is linked to sleep and circadian rhythms, daily cycles, but it’s also a precursor to serotonin and now we land squarely on the world of anxiety. Without sufficient serotonin there can be anxiety and depression.

I managed to nab Jeffrey for a quick preview in August – this snippet in itself is enlightening – he shares more on the shikimate pathway and low serotonin. I always learn from Jeffrey and his energy and passion is amazing! Just watch him in action doing this unprepared on-the-fly interview. Sorry about the background buzz – we were at an event and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to have Jeffrey inspire you.

This is all very timely with October being Non-GMO month, a month of awareness created by the Non-GMO Project, a non-profit organization, offering North America’s only third party verification and labeling for non-GMO (genetically modified organism) food and products.

I hope you’ll join us on the Anxiety Summit season 2. It runs from Nov 3-16 and you’ll learn about this and many other nutritional and natural solutions for anxiety, panic attacks, OCD and social anxiety. This is one of many great topics we’ll be sharing.