How to balance your brain naturally
 Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that help
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relay information throughout the body.
They transmit information through nerve cells called
neurons.
In its most basic form a neuron has two ends
(although either can have multiple branches): an axon
and a dendrite.
A neuron communicates with other neurons by
sending neurotransmitters from its axon to a dendrite
of another neuron.
The space between the axon and the dendrite is called
a synapse; this is the space across which a
neurotransmitter must cross.
Signal Messengers
 Neurotransmitters are stored in in little packages
called synaptic vesicles.
 They are released if an appropriate charge is sent down
the axon. They cross the synapse to dock with
receptors on the dendrite of another neuron
 If enough neurotransmitters dock with the receptors, a
signal is sent down that neuron and the message
continues on.
 If not enough neurotransmitter docks with the
receptor, then the message stops.
Electric Communication
 Electricity going through a wire.
 Turning up the voltage will cause more electricity to go
through the wire.
 The NTs act like electricity – if we have enough
electricity, the lights will come on and things will run
smoothly.
 If we don’t have enough electricity, things just don’t
work like they should.
 Once the neurotransmitter is released from the
receptor, it is either taken back up into the synaptic
vesicle of the axon by a neurotransmitter reuptake
pump/transporter or it is destroyed by enzymes that
are present in the synapse.
 If the neurotransmitters are taken back up into the
pre-synaptic neuron via the reuptake transporters,
they are protected and can be used again.
 If the transporters are blocked (SSRIs), the
neurotransmitters are eventually destroyed and
cleared from the system by enzymes.
 Bundles of neurons run from
your brain to every organ and
system in your body.
NTs help to control and regulate most of your
body’s functions including:
Mood
Memory
Heart rate
Hunger
Cravings
Pain
sensation/tolerance
Breathing
Hormone balance
Sleep
Focus
Body temperature
Learning
Binging
Digestion
Coordination
Concentration
Pleasure
Arousal
Addiction
Breathing
Blood pressure
Weight
Kidney function
Behavior
2 Basic Types
• Most neurotransmitters are classified in one of two
types – inhibitory and excitatory.
• Inhibitory neurotransmitters slow down the flow of
information by calming and reducing the activity of
neurons; they help to bring balance to the body.
• Excitatory neurotransmitters generally increase the
flow of information.
• It is the balance between the inhibitory and excitatory
neurotransmitters that has the greatest effect on your
body functions.
Inhibitory
 There are several inhibitory neurotransmitters in the
body, but the two that are thought to have the greatest
and widest reaching effects are serotonin and GABA
(gamma amino butyric acid).
Serotonin
 Most people know of serotonin in relation to mood
and a class of drugs known as selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
 Most people do not know that most of the serotonin in
the body is produced and found in the intestine
(approximately 90%) and the remainder is mostly
found in the brain and central nervous system.
 Serotonin helps to regulate appetite, sleep, memory,
learning, temperature, mood, behavior, muscle
contraction, cardiovascular function and hormone
balance.
GABA
 GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps
with reducing anxiety calming the mind and releasing
tension.
 Some anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines
and barbiturates as well as many sleep medications
work primarily by increasing the amount of GABA
released in a neuron.
Excitatory
 The main excitatory neurotransmitters in the body are:
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Epinephrine
Glutamate
Dopamine
 Dopamine plays a number of important functions in the
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brain. Reward system whereby we feel pleasure, achieve
heightened arousal and do much of our learning.
Every type of reward that has been studied increases the
level of dopamine transmission in the brain.
Highly addictive drugs, including cocaine and
amphetamines (i.e., methamphetamine, “speed”, Adderall,
Vyvanse, Dexedrine) act directly on the dopamine system.
Dopamine also helps with focus, concentration and
memory as well as motivation.
Several important diseases are associated with dysfunctions
in the dopamine system, including Parkinson’s disease,
schizophrenia, restless leg syndrome and ADD/ADHD.
Norepinephrine
 Norepinephrine is made from dopamine. This & epinephrine
are responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response to stress, which
increases your heart-rate, increases blood sugar and increases
blood flow to the muscles to allow you to act or react to stressors.
 Norepinephrine also affects blood pressure and heart rate,
although it’s most widely known impact is on alertness, arousal,
decision making, attention and focus.
 Several ADHD medications, such as (Ritalin/Concerta),
amphetamines (Adderall, Dexedrine) and are used to increase
norepinephrine levels in the brain in an attempt to help improve
focus and concentration.
 Other classes of drugs seek to modulate norepinephrine in the
brain to improve depression, including venlafaxine (Effexor),
duloxetine (Cymbalta) and bupropion (Wellbutrin).
Epinephrine
 Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) is released in
reaction to stress and is partially responsible for the
“fight-or-flight” response.
 It affects a number of important functions, including
heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. Imbalances
in epinephrine can lead to “adrenaline junkies”, a term
that is often used to describe people that seem to enjoy
stress and stressful activities.
 They also usually suffer from constant need for
urgency, have trouble relaxing or sleeping and keep
‘the pedal to the medal’ as they race through life.
Glutamate
 Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory
neurotransmitter in the human brain.
 It plays key roles in cognitive functions like learning
and memory.
 Imbalances in glutamate levels are associated with
Alzheimer’s disease, seizures and forms of autism.
 Glutamate is also used as a flavor enhancer in the form
of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
How Are Neurotransmitters Made?
Catecholamines
 Dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine,
collective known as the ‘catecholamines’ are key
excitatory neurotransmitters.
 These control most of the other systems and functions
in the body.
 Cortisol synthesis, hormone synthesis and the
sympathetic nervous system are all controlled by
norepinephrine; mood, body temperature and sleep
are regulated by serotonin and norepinephrine; and
focus, concentration, memory and fine-motor skills
are controlled by dopamine.
Anxiety
 Neurotransmitter systems are partially controlled by
the serotonin-catecholamine systems.
 GABA-glutamate neurotransmitter system is
associated with control of anxiety and panic attacks.
 Rx to treat anxiety and/or panic attacks work on GABA
receptors; these drugs include lorazepam (Ativan),
clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium) and
alprazolam (Xanax).
 These drugs may help reduce the feeling of anxiety in
the short-term, but do not provide lasting relief and
can lead to dependence and withdrawal reactions.
Long Term Relief
 Serotonin and catecholamine neurotransmitter levels
are brought to proper levels, anxiety and panic attacks
usually resolve.
 This indicates control of the GABA-glutamate system
by the serotonin-catecholamine system
 How?
Amino Acid Therapy
 Best amino acids to control symptoms of anxiety are
not GABA or glutamate as they work with the
secondary system.
 5-HTP (or L-tryptophan) and L-tyrosine
 Influence the primary serotonin-catecholamine
system.
 Restores proper functioning by getting to the root
cause and provides a long-term solution.
Competition
 If you take only 5-HTP or L-tyrosine they will compete
with and inhibit the synthesis of the opposite
precursor because they compete for this enzyme.
 This means that if you take only 5-HTP (to increase
serotonin) or only L-dopa or L-tyrosine (to increase
dopamine levels) you will decrease the synthesis of the
other neurotransmitter .
 This will lead to or increase the neurotransmitter
imbalances present.
Imbalance Symptoms
 When imbalances in neurotransmitters occur,
information is not relayed optimally in the brain which
causes symptoms.
Depression
Insomnia
Low pain tolerance
PMS
Weight gain
Anxiety
Cravings
Hot flashes
Sleep difficulties
Poor weight loss
Migraines
Increased appetite
Mood swings
Poor memory
Hormone
imbalances
Poor mental focus Poor concentration Restless legs
Fibromyalgia
Fatigue/Chronic
Poor thyroid
fatigue
function
Parkinson’s Disease ADD/ADHD
Trichotillomania
Addictions
Binging behavior
Eating disorders
Obsessive thoughts Compulsion
Crohn’s disease
What Causes Imbalance?
Genetics
Stress
Toxic burden
Head or neck trauma
Nutritional deficiency Digestive imbalances
Sleep disturbances
Alcohol use
Chronic pain
Food hypersensitivities Illicit drug use
Medication use, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety, sleep and migraine
medications
Bringing Back Balance
Turn up the Voltage
 As we discussed earlier, the only way to increase
neurotransmitter levels in the brain is to take amino
acids (along with the necessary cofactors) which can
cross the blood brain barrier where they can then be
made into neurotransmitters.
 Increasing neurotransmitter levels through the
neurons is analogous to increasing the voltage in an
electrical wire, where by turning up the voltage you get
more electricity out the other end of the wire.
Overcoming Nerve Damage
 Even if 50% of the neurons in a nerve bundle are
damaged or destroyed, if we give the remaining
neurons more amino acids (in the right dosages), the
remaining healthy neurons will manufacture more
neurotransmitters, effectively alleviating symptoms
and restoring normal function.
Why diet isn’t enough..
 Diet alone can’t make up for specific neurotransmitter
imbalances because the uptake of amino acids by the
body is not selective.
 Foods contain an array of amino acids and no food
contains just the precursors needed to specifically
affect only serotonin and/or dopamine.
 When you eat food, your body takes up many different
amino acids at random, making it impossible to target
just the neurotransmitters we are trying to affect.
Precursors
 Amino acid precursors of serotonin and dopamine
have two primary applications.
 Keep drugs that work with neurotransmitters from
depleting NTs
 This is the situation when someone is taking a
reuptake inhibitor that ‘stops working’.
 When we provide such a person with balanced amino
acid therapy, we give the body what it needs to make
the necessary neurotransmitters, which increases
neurotransmitter levels.
Enhance your Rx’s
 Drugs that work by shuffling around
neurotransmitters (such as SSRI, SNRI and other
medications) have more neurotransmitter to work
with under this scenario so they can appear to start
‘working’ again.
 Continue to use the medication without fear of further
neurotransmitter depletion due to the drug.
 Amino acid therapy helps the drug do its job more
effectively and efficiently.
Finding Balance Naturally
 Proper use of amino acids can also serve as a stand-alone
method to manage disorders related to neurotransmitter
imbalance.
 Most disorders are not due to a drug deficiency; they are
due to a nutrient deficiency or improper neurotransmitter
function.
 By supplying the body the nutrients it needs to produce the
correct balance of NTs, we can often restore proper
function.
 AA therapy can provide a viable option to restore optimal
NT function, eliminating symptoms without the need for
medication.
Co-Factors Needed
 Tyrosine
 5-HTP
 Cysteine
 Cofactors needed for neurotransmitter synthesis
 Vitamin C
 Vitamin B6
 Calcium
 Selenium
 Folic acid/Folate
How to test?
 Test the Precursors: Tyrosine, Tryptophan, Glutamic
Acid
 Look at the NT’s breakdown products in urine
 Assess Vitamin Status, B, C, Selenium, Folic Acid
 Most people exhibit more than one of these conditions
but fail to make the connection between them.
 This connection is not made because most health care
professionals don’t know much about brain chemistry
or how to use amino acid therapy to correct the
underlying neurotransmitter imbalances.
Hormonal Imbalance
 Hormones represent another class of chemical
messengers.
 Balancing the serotonin-catecholamine system as a
first course of action (serotonin and dopamine)
symptoms associated with hormone imbalance (e.g.,
hot flashes, mood swings, irregular menses) often
resolve or are reduced.
Take home note….
 The important thing is to keep looking upstream to
find the root imbalance so we can achieve a lasting
solution.