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GABA is calming for me, doesn’t work for my daughter’s anxiety and makes my son sleepy

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I’m sharing this question I received on my GABA Calm blog to illustrate how different people respond to GABA and how some people may not even have the low GABA type of anxiety. Here is the question this mom posted:

I have used GABA (several brands, just open capsule and sprinkle small amount under tongue) for years now, with calming results within minutes. It was recommended to me by 2 family members, both bi-polar, who were tested by Dr. Amen. I have also used it with my children (now adults); my daughter says it doesn’t work for her. (She has anxiety issues and occasional panic attacks, and Rescue Remedy helps her.) It does work to calm my 3 sons, but one says it makes him sleepy, and lasts into the next day, so he won’t take it. Trudy, have you heard of this reaction? It seems extreme for such a small amount used. He is a college student and ‘medicates’ with caffeine, if that makes a difference.

She shared that she uses 500mg or 750mg capsules of GABA, and get several doses from a single cap (so maybe 100mg per dose).

This is what I shared with her: we are all biochemically different and one form of GABA (or GABA combined with other amino acids/nutrients such as GABA Calm) may work for one person and not another. Also one person may need more and another may do fine with much much less. Also anxiety has many underlying causes, with low GABA only being one of them.

If I was working with your daughter I’d have her trial higher amounts of GABA for the anxiety and panic attacks. I’d also look into low serotonin and a trial of tryptophan too especially if her anxiety is the worry, ruminating anxiety with insomnia and the blues, with increased afternoon and evening cravings for carbs and chocolates.

If I was working with your son, because it does work to calm him, I’d start by having him trial just 25mg of GABA and increase slowly from there, monitoring how he feels. His anxiety may also be related to his caffeine consumption – which can also affect sleep and the fatigue he feels in the morning could be related to that.

Note: She did ask this question on the GABA Calm blog and was planning to have them trial this form of GABA. I typically don’t have clients use GABA Calm at night (because of the tyrosine) but it’s certainly worth a trial especially with her son.

If you’re completely new to the amino acids for anxiety here is an overview with questionnaire, precautions and how to do a trial.

Anxiety and how it affects women and the heart: Gaiam TV interview

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GAIAM TV home page trudy regina 2

About 18% of the US population has anxiety, it’s increasing, women are affected more than men, women make less serotonin than men, men tend to not talk about being anxious, and anxiety puts a big strain on the heart.  Listen and read to get the details in this 5 minute clip from my recent interview by the wonderful Regina Meredith on The Healing Matrix show on Gaiam TV.

  • I worked in the clinic of nutritional psychologist and amino acid pioneer Julie Ross, MA, author of The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure. I learned so much from her and the clients who came to the clinic. Julia’s expertise is in the area of amino acids
  • The amazing amino acids! which ARE miracles for ending anxiety and stopping sugar cravings
  • When I wrote my book The Antianxiety Food Solution, I wanted to pull from the expertise of Julia Ross and all the other wonderful people doing this type of work 
  • About 18% of the US population has some kind of anxiety disorder, be it generalized anxiety, panic disorder or social anxiety (and others).  The numbers are likely even higher than this because if you haven’t been diagnosed you haven’t been included in this number
  • The incidence of anxiety is increasing and there are higher numbers in Western countries because of the junk food we’re eating
  • Women are also affected at twice the rate that men are.  This may be due to the fact that woman are caretakers, taking care of those around them but not of themselves. Women also make less serotonin and have the effects of hormonal changes
  • Serotonin is often associated with depression but low serotonin can also cause anxiety – the anxiety in the head, with ruminating thoughts and worry.
  • Anxiety may be more of an issue with men than we realize. Men often don’t seek help, often don’t talk about the fact that they are anxious, and tend to under-report their symptoms
  • A gentleman I’m working with at the moment, wants to help other men who have anxiety!  [how inspiring is that!?]  Now that he is talking about his anxiety, his friends are opening up about their anxiety.
  • Persistent anxiety has physical effects on the body and we need to take it seriously.  It puts a huge strain on the heart and increases our risk of heart disease and stroke.
  • Anxiety raises cortisol, increases blood clotting and messes with hormonal balance
  • Don’t tolerate your anxiety and stress! Don’t wait until you have a panic attack! 

Enjoy this GAIAMTV “Healing Matrix” preview where Trudy Scott is interviewed by Regina Meredith.

You can watch the hour long interview on the Gaiam TV site: Trudy Scott on the connection between anxiety and nutritional deficiencies. (You can either join Gaiam TV for a monthly fee or you can get a 10 day free trial subscription if you’re not already a member. Just click on “Start Your Free Trial Today” on the Gaiam TV page.)

You can also view another sample from the interview here where I talk about the “80% of my clients” gluten-mood connection and sugar and more

And here is the blog with an overview of the whole interview: red meat, liver, sugar, coffee, chocolate, leaky gut, GABA, tryptophan and much more.

It’s all powerful stuff and backed by plenty of science-based research and clinical results! 

I wish you a calm, relaxed, stress-free, no-overwhelm, no-panic, anxiety-free and fear-free life! You deserve to feel great and making these food and nutrient changes can make this happen!

If you need more resources to help you on your journey you can find this special Gaiam TV offer here.

PS. Enjoy a good chuckle at my expense….did you notice my funny face right at the start and then again at the end of the video?  I hadn’t just eaten a lemon and I wasn’t even whistling! Funny isn’t it!?  Laughter is good for us so I didn’t have Gaiam TV edit it out.

PPS. Thanks to my darling sister Wendy who went shopping with me when I was visiting South Africa in December. She helped me pick out the jacket!  

Antianxiety Food Solution: caffeine, gluten, sugar and real food

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 gaiamtv trudy scott 5 aafs

I was thrilled to have been invited by Gaiam TV to be interviewed by the lovely and visionary Regina Meredith. The interview was an hour long and aired for the first time on January 30 at 5pm mountain time, as part of The Healing Matrix show.

In this sample video you can hear me talk about food and mood, how some people tolerate feeling anxious, the “80% of my clients” gluten-mood connection, that caffeine has to go (yes! it does!) and the toxic effects of sugar. I share this amazing fact: ‘If we address nutritional deficiencies and balance brain chemicals i.e. we address these neurotransmitter imbalances, then the desire for sugar just goes away”, and no willpower is required.

Enjoy this GAIAMTV “Healing Matrix” preview where Trudy Scott is interviewed by Regina Meredith.

You can watch the hour long interview here: Trudy Scott on the connection between anxiety and nutritional deficiencies.

You can either join Gaiam TV for a monthly fee or you can get a 10 day free trial subscription (if you’re not already a member). Just click on “Start Your Free Trial Today” on the Gaiam TV page.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I spoke with Regina Meredith about the very powerful food mood connection, my story with anxiety and panic attacks and why I am so passionate about helping people overcome anxiety.  We discussed why grass-fed red meat and liver are so important and how I love sardines. We had a discussion about vegetarianism and why many people with mood problems do better with animal protein. I also talked about giving up chocolate and coffee (yes! really!), the toxic effects of sugar, and why gluten may be making you anxious. A healthy digestive system is imperative for good health and good mood and we discussed leaky gut and stomach acid at length. Finally I wrapped up with an overview of the incredible and amazing amino acids that end anxiety, worry, depression, and stop sugar cravings in their tracks, so zero willpower is required! It’s all powerful stuff and backed by plenty of science-based research and clinical results!

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed doing it!  And I hope you find solutions to your anxiety, worry, fears, overwhelm and panic attacks.  You deserve to feel great and making these food changes can make this happen!

If you need more resources to help you on your journey you can find this special Gaiam TV offer here.

The S3xy Younger You series

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I’m loving the SYY series hosted by Robin Nielsen, NC, and Dr. Anna Cabeca. I’m getting gems from everyone!

Do you want to learn from 25 leading health and relationship experts (including yours truly!) who will teach you how to reclaim a healthier, more vibrant and s3xy you—at any age!

Do you jump out of bed with tons of energy and feel on top of the world every single day? Or are you starting to feel your age? Creaky? Aches and pains? More tired and less vibrant? Blah? More stressed and anxious? Have hormonal imbalances? Are moody? If you answered yes to any of these, then you must join us!

Here are a few gems from some of the speakers I’ve heard so far:

Liz Lipski, author of Digestive Wellness, spoke on the importance of digestive health and she said “Food is the most intimate contact we have with our external environment”. She also talked about the digestive benefits of eating umbeloshi plums and how they help increase low stomach acid.

Jonny Bowden, the Rogue Nutritionist and author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, talked about our need for good quality supplements. He said “we don’t NEED indoor plumbing and do we want minimum-wage health or optimal health?” Jonny had a lot of good stuff to say about heart disease and cholesterol. “If you are taking statin medications, add CoQ10 right away!” and that “red yeast rice must also be taken with CoQ10.” But he ended by saying “I don’t think lowering cholesterol is important, rather worry about inflammation”. I’m so on board with this approach.

Leanne Ely said “Cooking a meal for someone is an act of love”. She shared great information on the dangers of GMOs. She also talked about her very affordable hard clay water filtration system that makes pond water potable. It’s called the Berkefeld, was created during World War II and lasts years and years! I’m definitely going to look into this one!

Dr. Alan Christianson is author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease and his interview about thyroid health was so informative! Something that I found so interesting was this: if you have an underactive thyroid, too much thyroid support can actually lead to worse symptoms. There is a delicate balance for you to feel ideal.

There are still many great speakers yet to come so please do join us. The best part is this – if you listen live (or listen to the 24 hour replays) there’s no cost to attend. If you’d like to purchase recordings or transcripts, you have this option too.

It’s happening right here, on your computer or telephone. And you can participate from anywhere in the world.

Click here to learn more and reserve your spot

This series is top-quality cutting-edge health advice from amazing practitioners and everyone needs to hear this information! I am thrilled and honored that Robin and Dr Anna have asked me to be one of their 25 expert speakers. I’ll be sharing how to overcome midlife anxiety with a nutritional and lifestyle approach – so you can say goodbye to anxiety, stress, overwhelm, panic attacks, mood swings, depression and sugar cravings.

Nine Ways to Stop the Worry Wheels in the Sacramento Magazine

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Here are Nine Ways to Stop the Worry Wheels. These were featured in the July edition of the Sacramento Magazine. I’m thrilled to have contributed to this super article and I am happy to share it with you here! I hope you enjoy it and find these nine ways helpful for stopping your worry wheels and anxiety.

  1. Put your worries in a (mental) basket
  2. Consider your locus of control
  3. Exercise
  4. Adopt an antianxiety diet
  5. Practice mindfulness
  6. Tune in to the five senses
  7. Connect with others
  8. Cognitive behavioral therapy
  9. If all else fails, medication

I really like that this fits in perfectly with the holistic approach that Richard and C.R. Zwolinki advocate on their Therapy Soup blog on Psychcentral

(Click on each image below to enlarge.)

Yet again, writer Cathy Cassinos-Carr has done an excellent job with this article. You can read another of her great articles here: Sweet Misery: Seven spoonfuls of wisdom about sugar

If you’d like more information on the antianxiety diet, a great resource is my book The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings, available in major books stores, at Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com