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GABA, Rescue Remedy & essential oils for eliminating dental anxiety

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dental anxiety

Have you used GABA to help with the anxiety you experience when going to the dentist or with one of your children who are fearful during a dental visit? I recently shared a comment on Facebook about how delighted I was with some of the feedback from Integrative Medicine for Mental Health attendees for my recent GABA presentation. I had a mom, Katie, respond and share how happy she was that GABA helped her 8 year old son on a trip to the dentist. She shared this:

My 8 year old has some anxiety, OCD-like tendencies, and sensory processing issues. Going to the dentist is extremely difficult. They recommended full sedation, which I refused. Instead, I brought his GABA, Rescue Remedy, and essential oils. He got 2 cavities filled like a champ!

I had forgotten the GABA at first and he was struggling. I stopped the dentist, gave my son a GABA lozenge to dissolve in his mouth, and within 30 seconds he was calm. The dentist was SO impressed. It really does work! I’m so grateful I learned about it from you!

GABA really does work this quickly – 30 seconds is not unusual – and this effectively and I was thrilled for this mom and her son.

A few other moms asked about which GABA product Katie used for her son, which one I recommend, and can GABA be used with children.

I like GABA Calm for kids and adults for the physical type of tension anxiety. When using with a child we want to start low and slowly increase. I’ll have the mom start them on one quarter (or sometimes less) of the GABA Calm product (which contains 125mg of GABA) and increase based on the trial and how their symptoms improve.

kal gaba

Katie used a 25mg GABA product by Kal, pictured here. I really like that it’s a nice low amount and that it uses what they call ActivMelt™ technology, so it melts in the mouth. Using GABA this way or sublingually or opening a capsule of a GABA-only product and holding it in the mouth is the most effective way to use GABA.

Depending on sensitivity issues you may need to test it out and consider some of the other ingredients if you notice tummy upset or something else.

Rescue Remedy and an essential oil blend

Katie also shared this about the Rescue Remedy and essential oil blend she used when they arrived (before giving him GABA):

The Rescue Remedy was very helpful. We use it on the whole family. For oils, I used a blend called Tranquility from Butterfly Express.

I had him inhale the oil plus applied it behind his ears and on the carotid artery on his neck. The dental assistant commented on how good that oil works because she felt really relaxed and calm.

I find GABA to be more effective so start there but many moms like Katie, find Rescue Remedy, a Bach Flower remedy, to help. I remember using Rescue myself, many years ago before I had discovered GABA.

The Tranquility blend contains: Blue Tansy, Geranium, Chamomile German, Lavender Officinalis, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Orange Sweet, Tangerine, and Ylang Complete. I’m not familiar with this company but the essential oils in this blend are wonderful.

Both of these – the oils and Rescue remedy – helped initially but it seems it was the GABA that gave him the most effective calming relief.

Thank you Katie for sharing on Facebook and giving me permission to share your son’s GABA dentist story here. Well done for getting your dentist on board with both the essential oils and GABA.

Anxiety nutritional solutions resources for dentists

Going to the dentist can be stressful at the best of times and downright terrifying in some instances and I want kids and adults alike to know they have options like this.

Now, let’s get my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution, into the hands of all dentists so they can help their anxious and fearful patients with GABA and other nutritional approaches!

And let’s also talk to the dentist about diffusing calming essential oils in the treatment and/or waiting rooms or at least encouraging their patients to bring their own blends.

Keep in mind that serotonin support with tryptophan or 5-HTP should also be considered if there is a phobia and fear that is so intense, the child won’t even go to the dentist. Katie mentions her son has OCD-like tendencies too and serotonin support helps with these symptoms as does a gluten-free diet in many children (as illustrated by this case study).

Have any of the above helped your dental anxiety? Or helped with anxiety your children have experienced going to the dentist?

More about my IMMH GABA presentation

In case you’re curious and missed my other emails and blogs about on my Integrative Medicine for Mental Health presentation, the topic was “GABA for anxiety, ADHD, autism, addictions & insomnia: New research and practical applications” and here is some of the lovely feedback I received:

  • I am a GABA believer!
  • Trudy Scott could be a keynote with all the data she contributes.
  • Would have given Trudy Scott an “excellent” rating if she had gotten her slides in on time.

Oh dear on that last one but I will own being late delivering the slides. But I had 3 spider bites on my finger, then my laptop was ruined by water on the plane and then I sprained my ankle (GABA helped her too). And believe it or not, the backup box of the printed presentation was not delivered to the hotel! You really can’t make this stuff up!

I really loved having this opportunity to educate enthusiastic and knowledge-hungry integrative practitioners on the wonderful benefits of GABA and the other amino acids!

It’s a great conference. In fact, it’s the best conference on integrative medicine for mental health!

As a practitioner, do you want to learn more about how to incorporate GABA and the other targeted individual amino acids, tryptophan/5-HTP, DPA, glutamine and tyrosine, into your work to help your clients/patients with sleep issues and anxiety? I invite you to check out my new online practitioner training here: Balancing Neurotransmitters – The Fundamentals. I’m extending the $100 discount offered at IMMH (use coupon code immh2019).

When using GABA for anxiety does tolerance increase and which amino acid to use for a low mood?

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gaba and tolerence

Today I’m sharing some great questions I’ve received about GABA and serotonin support for anxiety and low mood, and my feedback to give you some ideas on what to look for as you use the amino acids for your own issues (or with clients/patients if you’re a practitioner).

I cover possible reasons for ongoing low GABA levels, long-term use of the amino acids, low mood associated with menopause, problems with mainly sugar- and gluten-free, the role of the adrenals and thyroid, the amino acids I’d start with for low mood, how lithium orotate may help, how to know if collagen is causing a low mood and making you more anxious, and some resources for you.

GABA tolerance has increased

Gaba has been a lifesaver for my anxiety! I also use taurine sometimes for anxiety too, and that has helped too. Right now, I take 1000 mg [of taurine]. As for GABA (I now take 1000 mg of that also) I have noticed that my tolerance for it has increased.

Here is my feedback: I’m really pleased GABA and taurine are helping ease your anxiety. I have not seen tolerance to be a factor with my clients using GABA and I’m not aware of any research on this topic. I would look into what could be depleting GABA at a faster rate so you seem to need more and more.

This could be caused by:

  • increased stress which lowers zinc and increases cortisol
  • poor gut health and dysbiosis (there is a bacteria in the gut that may consume GABA – it’s called gabavorous)
  • low zinc and low B6 (which are needed to make GABA and other neurotransmitters)
  • toxin exposure (we’re now seeing that GABA has a protective effect – this blog covers have GABA is protective of the thyroid after fluoride exposure)
  • thyroid problems (the amino acids are less effective in this instance)

Keep in mind that long-term use of the amino acids is not the plan. Once the diet is addressed and the other underlying biochemistry, nutrient deficiencies, toxins etc. are addressed they should no longer be needed. At most, an occasional “top-up” may be needed.

Low mood associated with menopause

Which amino acids would you recommend for low mood associated with menopause? No panic attacks but a crashing low mood for 24hrs or more before slight recovery, a few easy days and then the cycle begins again. Diet is mainly sugar- and gluten-free. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thank you

Here is my feedback: When I hear “diet is mainly sugar- and gluten-free” with mood swings I always look into gluten exposure and blood sugar dips. Keeping a food mood log is an easy first step to see if the low mood is tied to what is being eaten and when.

I would recommend the complete removal of gluten and sugar. Gluten can trigger depression, anxiety, OCD and lead to many psychiatric symptoms. Blood sugar swings can cause both depression and anxiety. The amino acids make it easy to quite sugar and gluten – no willpower required and no feelings of deprivation. Do the questionnaire and do a trial of the amino acids that apply. Based on the above symptoms I’d suspect tryptophan and tyrosine may help and are always a good first step while everything else is being figured out.

I would also look at adrenal function as they take up the slack in menopause and rule out Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves (as you can get mood swings with both as the thyroid levels shift).

Low lithium can also cause mood swings too and lithium orotate can help to keep an even mood, allowing the amino acids to be more effective.

Finally, I’d want to know if collagen, gelatin or bone broths have recently been added to your diet and are being consumed in an on-an-off pattern that correlates with the low mood. Certain susceptible individuals find that it lowers serotonin and increases depression and anxiety, and causes insomnia.

Next steps are a full workup looking at sex hormones, low zinc, low B6, low magnesium, the gut, EMFs, sleep and other dietary factors like salicylates, histamine, glutamates etc. We look at all the possible 60+ nutritional and biochemical root causes and address them or rule them out.

It’s also important to have a good support system in place for those very low days – friends and family members, being part of a community and even keeping a mental health support line number close at hand.

And of course, I always say this: get out in nature, get some exercise, hug someone and have a good laugh.

Resources for you

  • My book The Antianxiety Food Solution (my Amazon affiliate link) has an entire chapter on the amino acids GABA, tryptophan, tyrosine, and DPA (and how to use them), a chapter on blood sugar balancing and glutamine and a chapter on gluten issues (and much more). Read it and become a savvy health-advocate for yourself. Become someone who is well-informed about the amino acids, the precautions and nuances, and all the nutritional approaches for anxiety-relief. Share a copy with your doctor and point out the references.
  • If figuring it out alone or reading my book feels overwhelming to you, or you’re afraid to use the amino acids on your own, my home-study Amazing Aminos for Anxiety program walks you through a step-by step approach on how to figure out which symptoms are tied to which neurotransmitter deficiency, and how to trial each respective amino acid. Stay tuned for a special upcoming launch with live Q and A calls so you can get your questions answered. (If you have recently purchased the homestudy ONLY version we will be contacting you to invite you to participate.)
  • Here is a blog to read if you’re new to GABA: GABA for the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety
  • Here is a blog to read if you’re new to tryptophan: Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety (it’s a blog about low serotonin anxiety but applies to low-serotonin low mood too)
  • Here is a blog to read if you’re new to tyrosine: Tyrosine for focus, motivation, energy, a good mood and possibly even anxiety
  • You can find the amino acids in my supplement store here.

Can you relate to either of these questions? And are you good at playing a detective to figure out why something may not be working as expected?

What has worked for your anxiety and/or low moods?

Feel free to post questions in the comments too.

And let me know if you’re interested in the homestudy program with live Q and A calls. (If you have recently purchased the homestudy ONLY version we will be contacting you to invite you to participate.)

Sjogren’s syndrome: tryptophan and GABA for anxiety, and moisturizing for dry skin and inflammation?

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sjogren's syndrome

A few weeks ago I blogged about a new pilot study about the use of a skin moisturizer twice a day reduced inflammation in older adults. I use the inflammation research to question if this may be applicable and helpful for you if you suffer from anxiety, extrapolating that it may well be given the added benefits of touch and an oxytocin boost.

I received a number of great questions about how to apply this information and have decided to share a question from someone with both Sjogren’s syndrome and anxiety, in order to illustrate how I’d work with someone like this.

Here is the question I received:

I would like to know how much of one’s body needs to be moisturized, and if it is also necessary to be done twice per day? Such a simple but effective way to help with anxiety. Will be slathering a lot more in the future! I have Sjogren’s so everything is dry – skin, mouth, eyes, hair. I have been trying to keep my face much “moister” and I am sure my wrinkles have lessened. I find rice bran oil is also quite good.

I’m going to address her moisturizing question below and share more about anxiety in Sjogren’s syndrome and some nutritional solutions, but first let me explain what Sjogren’s syndrome is.

An overview of Sjogren’s syndrome

Let me explain what Sjogren’s (SHOW-grins) is in case you’re not familiar with this condition. It’s an autoimmune condition and is described as follows on the Mayo Clinic site:

often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In Sjogren’s syndrome, the mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of your eyes and mouth are usually affected first — resulting in decreased tears and saliva.

Although you can develop Sjogren’s syndrome at any age, most people are older than 40 at the time of diagnosis. The condition is much more common in women.

The site goes on to say that other than dry eyes and mouth, some people experience joint pain and stiffness, swollen salivary glands, skin rashes or dry skin, vaginal dryness, persistent dry cough and prolonged fatigue. It’s worth a read to learn more about complications like more dental cavities, yeast infections, vision issues, problems in the lungs, kidneys or liver, the risk of lymphoma and peripheral neuropathy.

My feedback about moisturizing

In the study, moisturizing was done twice a day. I’m not sure how much of the body needs to be moisturized but if everything is dry, I’d want to moisturize as much as possible.

Given that chronic inflammation is a major factor in Sjogren’s and other autoimmune conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus, it’s feasible to expect similar benefits in terms of reduced inflammation. Hopefully we’ll see research on autoimmune conditions in the future.

When it comes to anxiety, I do want to make it clear that I was and still am extrapolating from the research on inflammation and measuring reduced anxiety was not part of the study. Moisturizing may or may not help with anxiety and I certainly wouldn’t only use this intervention.

Anxiety in Sjogren’s – low serotonin and GABA?

You may not be aware that anxiety/depression is very common in Sjogren’s. In one study they

found 33.8% patients with anxiety, and 36.9% had depression, which were significantly higher than controls.

I use a comprehensive nutritional and lifestyle approach to help my clients ease their anxiety and as I mention above, I would not only rely on moisturizing.

I would use the serotonin questionnaire to determine if low serotonin is contributing to the anxiety (the worry-in-the head and rumination type of anxiety) and do a trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP.

Interestingly, a number of studies suggest the involvement of the serotonin system in the development of Sjogren’s, with one study reporting

Significantly lower platelet levels of serotonin in Sjogren’s patients as compared to healthy controls.

They didn’t find a correlation between the levels of serotonin and how severe the Sjogren’s symptoms were, which falls in line with what we know about biochemical individuality and why doing a trial of tryptophan or 5-HTP (to find your ideal dose) is the best approach for serotonin support.

I would use also the GABA questionnaire to determine if low GABA (physical tension type of anxiety) is a factor, and do a trial of GABA.

If you recall, in the Mayo Clinic description above, stiffness is a common symptom of Sjogren’s and GABA eases stiffness.

I haven’t found any research on GABA in Sjogren’s, but one case study reports that a patient experiencing athetoid movements (a movement dysfunction, characterized by involuntary writhing movements), reported symptom improvement with hydroxychloroquine, pilocarpine, gabapentin, and clonazepam. The latter two medications work on the GABA system.

You can find the tryptophan and GABA products I use with my clients here.

Poor sociability in Sjogrens – could this be related to pyroluria?

A study published earlier this year is reportedly the first study to conclude that patients with Sjogren’s score “high on neuroticism and anxiety and low on sociability.”

If social anxiety is a concern, I’d have her do the pyroluria questionnaire and address this if needed.

If you recall, in the Mayo Clinic description above, joint pain and dental cavities are common symptoms. These are also very common with pyroluria, so using a nutritional approach helps ease the social anxiety, and improves joint issues and mouth health.

The other factor that makes me suspect pyroluria may be common in Sjogren’s is that it’s considered a systemic connective tissue disorder, together with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. You can read more about pyroluria and connective tissue disorders on the pyroluria prevalence blog and the Ehlers Danlos/joint hypermobility blog.

Poor mouth health is also common with histapenia/low histamine so I’d want to look into this too.

You can find the pyroluria supplements I use with my clients here.

Sjogren’s and the Autoimmune-Paleo diet

Since Sjogren’s is an autoimmune condition, following an Autoimmune-Paleo (AIP) diet is key too. Here are some books that are well-worth making part of your library, even though they are not specific to Sjogren’s syndrome they offer support for autoimmune conditions (and many individuals often have more than one autoimmune disease)

Here is one more resource for you: The Autoimmune Masterclass which airs online this weekend It’s a similar format to online 7-day summits but runs for 2 days instead and is no-cost to attend during these two days.

I haven’t dived into the research on all the other autoimmune conditions and the above connections (low serotonin, low GABA and pyroluria) but it’s highly likely similar connections exist. So, if you have any autoimmune condition and anxiety this could all apply for you too.

If you have been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome please share if GABA and tryptophan have helped ease your anxiety, and if the pyroluria protocol has helped you with social anxiety?

And let us know if moisturizing is helping your dry skin and possibly reducing inflammation and anxiety too?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feel free to post your questions here too.

I have chronic insomnia and I started getting headaches with GABA, 5-HTP and melatonin

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A combination of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) can often improve sleep duration more than the use of either of these two amino acids alone. I blogged about this and the supporting research published in 2016.

Eve asked this question about her chronic sleep problems and headaches that she suspects are being triggered by the supplements:

I have chronic insomnia and I have been using 100mg 5-HTP, 250mg GABA and 1mg melatonin during the night for a week but the second day I used them I started getting a headache. Do you have idea what happened and can you please help me?

I shared this feedback about each person having unique needs and that I trial one amino acid at a time to find the ideal dose and then once we have a good baseline with good results and no adverse effects, we add the next one if needed. With 3 new supplements being started at once, we don’t know which one may be helping and which one (or more) is causing headaches.

A reminder I give all my clients is NOT to push through with the amino acids when you are experiencing any adverse effects. Headaches are more common with tyrosine rather than 5-HTP or GABA but too much of any one of the amino acids may cause a headache and with some folks, even a small amount can cause a headache especially if it’s not needed. At the first sign of a headache my advice is to stop the latest supplement added and see how you do. If 3 where started at one time, as in this situation, stop all 3 and add them back one at a time, watching for headaches and benefits.

Eve didn’t say which GABA product she was using. Source Naturals GABA Calm is the one I most often recommend, and the small amount of tyrosine could be causing her headaches. If this is the case, a switch to a GABA-only product or a GABA-theanine product may be what is needed.

It’s always important to also review the amino acid precautions before use. If you have migraines, tyrosine may make them worse.

But I do want to also add that some folks cannot tolerate 500mg tyrosine at all and yet they do just fine with the 25mg of tyrosine in the GABA Calm product (and sometimes up to 75mg of tyrosine when three GABA Calm lozenges are needed at once).

It’s also good to be aware that some folks do better on tryptophan versus 5-HTP so if it is the 5-HTP that is the problem I’d consider a trial of tryptophan. The best way to do that is to replace the 5-HTP with tryptophan (and I recommend Lidtke 500mg tryptophan).

You want to also look carefully at each of the products in case there are fillers that could be causing the headaches.

If it turns out that none of these are working i.e. the problem with sleep isn’t because of low serotonin and low GABA, then we ask these questions and address them:

  • is there a gut issue i.e. is there candida, parasites and/or dysbiosis?
  • is night-time cortisol high?
  • is gluten or other grains an issue? or was there accidental gluten exposure?
  • is caffeine or alcohol consumption a problem?
  • is there EMF and WiFi exposure?
  • are there medication side-effects?
  • has there been mold exposure or some other environmental trigger?

Have you had issues when trialing amino acids for sleep or anxiety and then figured out what the problem was?