Some Natural solutions to balancing depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
Neurotransmitters are those little chemicals that make us who we are. They influence or even control the way we act, think and respond to different stimulus.
Want to change who you are or how you act, feel or think? Gotta change your neurotransmitters.
There are approximately 100 BILLION (pinky finger in mouth) neurons in the body.
Each neuron communicates with the neuron next to it with neurotransmitters.
At the time of this blog it was estimated that there are over 100 different neurotransmitters in the body that control neuron communication. They don’t know exactly how many there are because the human body is such a complicated system. But, we do know that approximately 10 of them do 99% of the work.
Thats why the majority of mood altering medications focus on only a handful of different neurotransmitters. You get the biggest bang for your buck. But those drugs don’t come without their risks and side effects.
Thats why I always recommend taking a less invasive approach BEFORE taking medication. Often time my patient can either avoid medications all together or at least reduce the dosage needed if they so choose.
In my previous post I discussed one of the best ways to test the levels of neurotransmitter in your body. This will give you a base line and guide you in the right direction. For that post check out this link.
So onto the meat and potatoes. What are the best ways to alter neurotransmitters in a natural way?
There are 3 possible categories that we use to address neurotransmitter imbalance. Amino acid precursors, Cofactors and nerving and adaptogenic herbs.
The Three possibilities below fall into the category of Amino acid precursors. In part 2 and part 3 of this post I will cover the other 2 categories. Stay tuned.
1. Phenibut 250 - 1000mg bid - this is a derivative of GABA that can actually cross the BBB (blood brain barrier), as opposed to GABA which cannot cross the BBB in those that have a health intestinal system. CLINICAL PEARL - if you have taken GABA and noticed a difference in mood that means that you do NOT have a health intestinal system because the GABA crossed the BBB. Good for your mood! Not good cause there is something wrong.
2. Mucuna prurient 200-800 mg qd This is a seed that actually contains small traces of l-dopa which is a precursor to dopamine. interestingly this has also bee proven to be effective of the symptoms associated with parkinson’s.
3. St. Johns Wart 300mg tid. - This one most people probably already know about and its an old but a goodie. Studies on St John wart have been proven to be comparative to SSRI’s in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Thats HUGE! Im sure the pharmaceutical companies don’t like to hear that. Keep in mind that St. Johns Wart is one of those supplements that have the most amount of side effects. Be very careful taking this one. I generally don’t recommend it unless you have really done your homework or you are under the care of an integrative functional medicine practitioner.
There you have it. 3 Solid choices to help in your battle to depression, anxiety and many other mood disorders. Remember, these tend to affect the body in different ways and influence different neurotransmitters. I always recommend getting tested first to determine where you are. If you don’t know where you are, you can’t know where to go.
All my readers are invited to order any and all supplements through Healthwave. It’s about 20% below MSRP and Amazon. Free shipping over $50.
Keep it healthy,
Dr. Craig Mortensen
