{"id":6705,"date":"2017-09-20T16:52:53","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T23:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/?p=6705"},"modified":"2025-09-11T13:43:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:43:25","slug":"dpa-weepiness-pain-comfort-reward-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/dpa-weepiness-pain-comfort-reward-eating\/","title":{"rendered":"DPA for weepiness, pain and comfort and reward eating"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today I\u2019m reviewing DPA (or d-phenylalanine) for weepiness, pain and comfort and reward eating. This amino acid is a favorite with so many of my clients because it helps with the above by boosting your endorphins and when you open a capsule onto your tongue you feel like you just got a big hug. It\u2019s a really good feeling!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also sharing some additional resources for you on DPA.<\/p>\n

DPA and endorphins<\/h2>\n

DPA is an amino acid that destroys the enzyme that breaks down endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good chemicals that you experience with an endorphin rush when you go for a run or when someone gives you a big hug, when you show kindness to someone or someone does something nice for you. Taking the amino acid, DPA, helps to raise your endorphins.<\/p>\n

Low endorphins and weepiness<\/h2>\n

With low endorphins you\u2019re very weepy. You may be overly emotional. If you watched a TV ad or you watched a really sad movie, you may be more prone to crying than the average person.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also known as the break-up pill and is very helpful when going through a relationship split.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also extremely helpful after a stressful event. I spoke with a friend who was impacted by Hurricane Harvey and recommended DPA for the weepiness she was starting to feel a few days after the clean-up efforts. It\u2019s one of the amino acids I recommend in my blog: Nutrition solutions for psychological stress after a natural disaster<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Low endorphins and pain<\/h2>\n

As well as being sensitive to emotional pain (the crying and the weepiness), you also tend to be sensitive to physical pain when endorphins are low.<\/p>\n

We know acupuncture raises your endorphin levels and eases pain. Using DPA helps physical pain in a similar way. Pain can be caused by low GABA and low serotonin, an inflammatory diet, a high oxalate diet or nightshades, something physical like a fall, osteoarthritis or an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. If there is also a low endorphin aspect to your pain, DPA can provide some pain reduction.<\/p>\n

Low endorphins and comfort\/reward eating<\/h2>\n

Another symptom of low endorphins is comfort\/reward eating. You may relate to the term emotional eating. It often goes like this: \u201cThis is my reward. This is my treat. I absolutely deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when you consume those carbohydrates – that bowl of ice cream, that bowl of cereal, that chocolate chip cookie, that chocolate cup-cake – you feel like \u201cthis is my reward, this comforts me.\u201d When you use DPA you can literally take it or leave it. Really!<\/p>\n

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DPA is one of the amino acids that help you easily quit sugar without having to use massive willpower and without feeling deprived. The best way to figure it out is to do the amino acid mood questionnaire<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is a summary to help you figure out which brain chemistry imbalance is driving your sugar cravings (and mood issues):<\/p>\n