Brain neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that act as communication agents between different brain cells. In chronic depression, these brain chemicals get out of balance. Fortunately, there are some safe and effective natural health options available to balance brain chemicals.
Of the 30 or so neurotransmitters that have been identified, researchers have discovered associations between clinical depression and the following three: serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. These three neurotransmitters function in the areas of the brain that regulate emotions, reactions to stress, and the physical drives of sleep, appetite, and sexuality.
In order to help your depression, you need to identify which ones of the neurotransmitters are out of balance. For each neurotransmitter, consider the following:
- What role in the body does it play?
- How do you know whether you’re deficient?
- What are pharmaceutical drugs used to treat the deficiency?
- What are the natural health options?
Serotonin, the “Happy” Brain Chemical
Serotonin is a powerful brain neurotransmitter, or chemical agent that helps relay messages from one brain cell to the next. It is one of the so-called inhibitory neurotransmitters that serves to balance any excessive excitatory (stimulating) neurotransmitter, like dopamine, firing in the brain.
With adequate serotonin levels in the brain and its proper functioning, you’ll be positive, happy, confident, flexible, and easy-going. With low levels of serotonin, you’ll become negative, obsessive, worried, irritable, sleepless and… depressed. Restoring serotonin levels in the brain and making sure it is working properly are critical steps in the depression recovery process.
Serotonin is a major player in mood regulation and depression—especially in women. Of the approximately 40 million brain cells, most are influenced either directly or indirectly by serotonin. This includes brain cells related to mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behavior.
Serotonin can also affect the functioning of our heart, muscles, and various elements in the endocrine system. Researchers have also found evidence that serotonin may play a role in regulating milk production in the breast of nursing moms.
The Serotonin/Depression Link
There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels may influence mood in a way that can lead to depression… but also possibly to other neurological problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, panic, and even excess anger. These are what scientist theorize because there is no way to measure serotonin levels in the living brain. And while blood levels of serotonin are measurable—and have been shown to be lower in people who suffer from depression—what doctors still don’t know for certain is whether or not the dip in serotonin causes the depression, or the depression causes serotonin levels to drop.
Why do serotonin levels get depleted in humans?
The answer is two-fold. The first part is that this and other neurotransmitters become depleted by various direct factors—for example, excessive stress, excessive carbohydrate consumption (especially sugar), adrenal glands dysfunction, or lack of deep restorative sleep, or because of prescription drug side effects.
The second part of the answer is that newly produced neurotransmitters are not being generated in adequate quantities by the body, and this occurs largely because of nutrient deficiencies or a combination of nutrient deficiencies and genetics. If your body has the proper raw materials (food nutrients), it can restore the brain chemicals to their desired levels.
But because our modern Western diet is often void of such key nutrients as omega-3 fats and B vitamins and amino acids, the body can’t build enough of the neurotransmitters back to prevent depression from occurring.
The way to address the neurotransmitter problem is to correct both facets of the deficiency:
- Correct the factors that are depleting the needed brain chemicals
- Make sure you’re getting the needed nutrients to enable your body to make its own neurotransmitters and thus restore them to adequate levels.
Do You Have Serotonin Deficiency?
Just knowing the role this brain chemical plays, as described in the previous section, gives you strong clues as to whether you’re deficient or not. Are you sufficiently positive, happy, confident, flexible, and easy-going? If not, you may have a serotonin deficiency. Consider the following questions:
➧ Is your depression negative in nature? That is, are your thoughts frequently pessimistic, gloomy, distrustful, and cynical?
➧ Are you a woman? Women have depression more often than men and when they do, serotonin deficiencies are more often a factor than in men. On the other hand, when men become depressed, they seem to more often have dopamine deficiencies where their depression is expressed as apathy or lack of interest or lack of the ability to focus. This doesn’t mean that men can’t have serotonin deficiency and women can’t have dopamine deficiency—they can—but the general tendency is the other way around.
➧ Do you crave sweets and starches? These are foods like breads and potato chips and any sugar-laden food. These foods temporarily raise serotonin levels and make you feel better so your body craves them.
➧ Do you have significant insomnia issues? This includes waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep and having to sleep in many different positions in order to feel comfortable.
➧ Do you have feelings of low self-esteem? That is, you’ve lost your confidence and sense of self-worth. You easily become critical of yourself or feel guilty about something you’re doing or not doing.
➧ Do you often feel worried or apprehensive? You might even have had anxiety attacks or panic attacks where your heart races and it’s hard to breathe.
➧ Have you had any of the following disorders: fibromyalgia (unexplained muscle pain), TMJ (pain, tension, and grinding associated with your jaw), migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, or asthma? Each of these have low serotonin levels implicated as an associated cause, and studies have shown where raising serotonin levels improves the condition severity.
Do these symptoms sound like you? If so, it is likely your body has become depleted of adequate levels of serotonin.
Serotonin Deficiency Meds
Pharmaceutical Options
If you have ever taken one of the antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and found yourself feeling better, that’s a sign that this particular neurotransmitter needs support. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Lexapro are the familiar brand-named SSRIs. They work to make serotonin more available to the brain cells during the message-delivery process that takes places millions of time per second in your brain. Common side effects of SSRIs include dry mouth, nausea, nervousness, insomnia, headache, sexual problems, and attention deficits.
Do not ever attempt to withdraw from one of these pharmaceutical drugs except under the guidance of a physician. They can have serious withdrawal symptoms, including violence, thoughts of suicide and even death—unless withdrawal is done properly.
Natural Health Options
Do you need serotonin support because your depression is accompanied by the typical serotonin deficiency symptoms—feelings of sadness, pessimism, low self-worth, worry, insomnia? What natural health options are available to prop up these levels?
Amino Acids
Amino acids are known to increase neurotransmitter levels. When your brain cells need to “manufacture” neurotransmitters for proper mood regulation, they use amino acids as the essential raw material.
You may recall that amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and there are 20 different amino acids that make up the protein our body needs. The brain uses the amino acid tryptophan as the source (precursor) for the production of serotonin. Tryptophan is one of the “essential” amino acids—that is, the body cannot make it on its own so we have to get it from our diet.
The way to increase central nervous system neurotransmitter levels is to provide proper amounts of the amino acid precursors. Protein-rich foods are one way to accomplish this, although foods alone generally do not have the therapeutic amino acid levels necessary to boost serotonin levels for someone experiencing clinical depression.
In fact, the many different amino acids in a serving of turkey or fish compete with each other in crossing the blood-brain barrier, and as a result don’t supply large enough quantities of serotonin to the brain to relieve excessively depleted levels. However, as we’re about to find out, taking a 5-HTP supplement on an empty stomach at adequate dosage levels has been conclusively shown to increase brain serotonin levels.
5-HTP
The recommended strategy for increasing serotonin levels in the brain is to take supplemental 5-HTP, which you can buy online or from your health food store. 5-HTP passes through the blood brain barrier into the brain far more easily than tryptophan, and it requires a much smaller dose than tryptophan to be effective.
Research indicates that when tyrosine, the amino-acid precursor for brain dopamine/ noradrenaline is given along with 5-HTP, the effect is even more powerful. This means that both 5-HTP and tyrosine can be administered simultaneously with the expectation of even more effective results.
Experiencing this result will largely depend on whether you have changed any of the lifestyle actions that caused your serotonin deficiencies in the first place. That is, are you getting plenty of lean proteins and low glycemic carbohydrates in your diet, are you getting regular exercise, are you getting out in the sun or else supplementing with vitamin D, and are you dealing with the stresses in your life with a proactive plan?
Serotonin: Other Supplements
There are a number of supplements that will increase serotonin levels in the brain. Everyone is different so some of these may work more effectively for you than 5-HTP. Also, some people find alternating supplements of similar purpose keeps the effectiveness higher than taking only one for the duration. Generally you would take either 5-HTP or one of these alternatives for a while and observe the effect that it has—rather than taking two or more at the same time. So in case 5-HTP doesn’t work for you, these are other possibilities.
➧ Tryptophan is the amino acid precursor which converts into 5-HTP and can be used as an alternative to 5-HTP. You do have to take a much larger dosage to make it work. So, a typical dose of l-tryptophan is 1,000 mg. taken between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. and again at bedtime. As in the case of 5-HTP, take it on an empty stomach with juice or a carbohydrate snack (like berries or apple). It doesn’t seem to have as much potential for digestive upset or headaches so that is a major reason some might prefer it over 5-HTP. The other precautions of 5-HTP also apply to tryptophan.
➧ Fish oil. Numerous clinical studies have shown that people who have clinical depression very often have low levels of the essential fatty acid omega-3, which can be found in fish oil. In fact, there is a sixty-fold difference in depression rates across countries from the highest omega-3 fat consumption (Japan and Taiwan) to those with the lowest (North America, Europe, and New Zealand).
Foods and Serotonin Levels: The Great Conundrum
Diet plays a huge role in serotonin uptake and the happy feeling that results. You would think that the foods high in the amino acid tryptophan would be the way to increase serotonin levels. Actually, they are not. It’s the high-carbohydrate foods that make you feel better, and that’s why many people (especially women) crave sweet breads or cookies or pastries.
High-carb, high-glycemic foods actually raise serotonin levels, giving a temporary feeling of improved mood. Thus, it may be much more than just lack of self-discipline that has you craving sweet foods. It may be a drop in serotonin—and your body crying out for ways to bump that serotonin level back up.
Why is it that carbs make you feel better? The amino acid tryptophan converts to serotonin. But when you eat protein in your meal, several other amino acids in that protein “compete” with tryptophan for transportation across the blood brain barrier and actually prevent most of the tryptophan from getting into the brain. However, if you eat a high-carbohydrate food, your body releases insulin. Insulin helps to clear the competing amino acids from your blood but has no effect on tryptophan. When this happens, tryptophan is free to enter your brain and then converts to serotonin.
The link between serotonin and sleep is one reason why some people feel tired after eating a high-carbohydrate meal. It also helps to explain why foods high in carbs are often described as “comfort” foods.
The problem is that even though that cookie or pastry makes you feel better for a while, that feeling is short-lived, and then you have to eat more and more to get that same good feeling. You know where that leads—obesity, diabetes, up-and-down energy levels…. So, a depression recovery program will need to strictly limit carbohydrates during the first three weeks. It’s too easy to get caught in a yo-yo blood-sugar/mood trap when you rely on carbohydrates to boost your mood.
Exercise and Serotonin
One of the best ways to safely increase brain serotonin levels is exercise, but we’ll go in-depth on that subject later in this report.
Dopamine: The “Focus” and “Motivation” Brain Chemical
What role does dopamine play in the in the body? In short, dopamine is the neurotransmitter associated with the “pleasure system” of the brain. It is primarily involved in the regulation of attention, motivation, pleasure, and reward.
Dopamine is one of the excitatory neurotransmitters, that is, it serves to stimulate the brain. In contrast, the inhibitory neurotransmitters such as serotonin are those that calm the brain and help create balance. Both are needed in the right proportions to feel energetic and motivated, but not edgy and anxious. It is interesting that dopamine can actually function as both an excitatory and inhibitory chemical depending on the need.
Dopamine is made from the amino acid tyrosine and can convert into norepinephrine and epinephrine. It is central to the creation of reward systems such as food, sex, positive social interactions, even humor. Nearly all drug abuse and forms of addiction, including heroine and other opiates, alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines involve dopamine neuronal systems. As a result, elevating dopamine levels can improve mood, alertness, libido, yet too much or an imbalance can lead to a tendency towards addictive behaviors.
Dopamine Deficiency Meds
Pharmaceutical Options
If you’ve ever taken a drug like Ritalin or Adderall and found you felt better, it’s a sign that the neurotransmitter dopamine needs support. Ritalin is used to treat dopamine deficiency and falls into the class of drugs called dopamine reuptake inhibitors (DRI). Research shows that Ritalin stimulates the release of dopamine, improving attention and focus in individuals with weak dopamine signals. Adderall is a psychostimulant medication (amphetamine) that also increases available dopamine levels.
Do not ever attempt to withdraw from one of these drugs except under the guidance of a physician. They can have serious withdrawal symptoms including violence, thoughts of suicide and even death—unless withdrawal is done properly.
Beware Coffee, Alcohol, Cigarettes…
Men are more likely than women to attempt to self-medicate their depressive symptoms via excessive use of such stimulants as coffee, alcohol, or cigarettes—or even driving a car too fast. These factors all bump up dopamine levels in the short run, helping you to feel better temporarily. Over time, these stimulants begin to have a diminishing-return effect, and larger and larger quantities are required to achieve the same “good feeling” effect. Finally, you reach a point where the excessive amounts of coffee or alcohol or cigarettes actually lower dopamine levels.
During the first three weeks of the recovery phase of a depression treatment program, complete elimination of coffee and alcohol is necessary to allow the other natural treatments to be effective in doing their work in raising dopamine levels. After neurotransmitter levels are balanced and the individual is feeling relief from depressive symptoms, coffee and alcohol can be readmitted into the diet, but only at moderate amounts.
Natural Health Options
Do you think you need dopamine support because your depression is accompanied by the typical dopamine deficiency symptoms—decreased motivation and interest, decreased attention and focus, and cognitive slowing? What natural health options are available?
Amino Acids
When your brain cells need to “manufacture” neurotransmitters for proper mood regulation, they use amino acids as the essential raw material. You may recall that amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and there are 20 different amino acids that make up the protein our body needs. The brain uses the amino acid l-phenylalanine as the source (precursor) for the production of dopamine. Phenylalanine is one of the “essential” amino acids, that is the body cannot make it on its own so we have to get it from our diet. Once the body receives phenylalanine, it can convert it to tyrosine, which in turn is used to synthesize dopamine.
One way to increase central nervous system neurotransmitter levels is to provide proper amounts of the amino acid precursors. Protein rich foods are one way to accomplish this although foods alone generally do not have the therapeutic amino acid levels necessary to boost dopamine levels for someone experiencing clinical depression. Therefore, to boost your dopamine levels sufficiently, supplementing with tyrosine is the recommended action. Tyrosine is also one of the 20 amino acids making up the protein the body needs.
Tyrosine
The bottom line here is that for those people whose depressive symptoms include clear evidence of dopamine deficiency—supplementing with the amino acid tyrosine will be an important part of your action recovery steps.
This is definitely a supplement that you’ll need to be aware of how it makes you feel and adjust the dosage accordingly. Ideally, tyrosine needs to be taken on an empty stomach one hour before a meal or two hours after a meal. This is true of most amino acid supplements. Tyrosine (and the other amino acids) cannot easily cross the blood brain barrier if there are many other competing amino acids in the blood stream which is the case after eating a meal. However, if your schedule just does not permit taking supplements except at a meal time, go ahead and take the tyrosine then but just increase the dosage accordingly.
Start off with 1000 mg taken on an empty stomach in the morning, at noon, and again between 3 and 4 p.m. Be aware this is a fairly stiff dose and although most depressive patients will tolerate it fine, some people are sensitive to tyrosine and they may experience anxiety, restlessness and rapid heart rate. If so, just back the dose off and start more slowly.
Some of the contraindications to be aware of regarding tyrosine use are in conjunction with MAO inhibitor drugs, those with a history of malignant melanoma or Graves disease or high blood pressure, and those who are bipolar, pregnant, suspect pregnancy, lactating, or taking two or more of the SSRI antidepressants.
How long will it take to see improvement? Many factors influence this. Some people begin to see mood improvement in as little as a week while for many it takes as long as six weeks or even more. The good thing about neurotransmitter balance (unlike hormone balancing) is that once your brain chemistry gets corrected and completely balanced and you’re feeling better (taking possibly up to nine months), you will likely be able to stop your amino acid supplements all together. This assumes you’re doing some things like an improved diet, exercise, and stress management in order to prevent you from reaching the total depressed state you became before.
Dopamine: Other Supplements
There are a number of supplements that will increase dopamine levels in the brain. Everyone is different, so some of these may work more effectively for you than tyrosine. Also, some people find that alternating supplements of similar purpose keeps the effectiveness higher than taking only one for the duration. Generally you would take either tyrosine or one of these alternatives for a while and observe the effect that it has—rather than taking two or more at the same time. So in case tyrosine doesn’t work for you, these are other possibilities.
Phenylalanine: Again, this is the precursor essential amino acid found in the brain and blood plasma that can convert in the body to tyrosine, which in turn is used to synthesize dopamine. Tyrosine supplementation is generally preferred over phenylalanine but some may benefit more from the later. Be aware there is a warning on the label of diet sodas that use the artificial sweetener aspartame that warns people who cannot metabolize phenylalanine (called PKG) that the soda does contain phenylalanine.
PKU is a very rare genetic disorder so the warning only applies to a very small group of people. Nevertheless, excessive amounts of phenylalanine or the isolated phenylalanine chemical found in the sweetener aspartame can cause emotional and behavioral disorders and thus should be avoided.
The same contraindications that apply to tyrosine listed above also apply to phenylalanine.
SAMe: pronounced “Sammy,” SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) is made in our bodies from methionine, one of those 20 amino acid found in protein-rich foods. It donates methyl groups and in the process helps regulate the action of various hormones and neurotransmitters, including serotonin, melatonin, dopamine and adrenaline. Scientific studies have shown it has a significant beneficial effect on depressive symptoms—possibly even severe depression. SAMe also has a significant anti-inflammatory effect in joint pain such as arthritis.
The problem with SAMe is that it is expensive compared to tyrosine and other supplements. But in spite of that it has become a popular natural therapy for those with depression and even those without who are just looking to improve their mood and attitude. It is worthy of a try—especially if you have joint pain in addition to depression.
Start with 1,600 mg of SAMe a day. If there is no response after three weeks at this level, SAMe will probably not benefit you. Some indications are that SAMe is effective for about 70 percent of those who take it. After you begin to experience the beneficial effect, cut back to the lowest effective dose which will require some trial and error. Some can lower their on-going dosage to as little as 200 to 400 mg/day and still get a beneficial response.
Individuals taking SSRIs, MAO inhibitors or with Parkinson’s, bipolar disorder, or manic depression should not use SAMe.
Rhodiola: a native plant of Russia. Rhodiola is one of those adaptogenic herbs and it serves to balance the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
Mucuna pruriens seed extract: one of the popular Ayurvedic herbs, is also known as velvet bean or cowhage. This herb contains the amino acid L-Dopa, a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine. This supplement is used not only to lift mood but often by those with sexual dysfunction who are looking to improve their libido. It might be a good alternative if your depression is accompanied by libido issues.
B Complex: Cofactors in the synthesis and proper function of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. A good multi-vitamin multi-mineral supplement is recommended for everyone which will generally provide sufficient levels of these and other dopamine cofactors.
Increasing Dopamine with Food
Food can definitely be beneficial in contributing to good dopamine levels. However, amino acids cannot easily cross the blood brain barrier if there are many other competing amino acids in the blood stream which is the case when eating a protein laden meal. (This is why supplementing with just 5-HTP or tyrosine on an empty stomach provides the most effective synthesis of the needed neurotransmitters.) But in spite of this, a dopamine diet is one that ensures that the body has enough raw materials for a steady supply of tyrosine and phenylalanine, the two amino acids that are precursors to dopamine.
The “Dopamine Buzz”—Increasing Dopamine with Exercise
Exercise seems to creep into almost any discussion of improving any function of the body, and raising dopamine levels is no exception. You can experience the benefits of dopamine surges by engaging in regular exercise, a key to long term relief from depressive symptoms.
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