Theanine

Jul

2014

Fibromyalgia Latin for “Muscle Fiber Pain”

The location of the nine paired tender points that comprise the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia.

The first thing I think about when I hear the dreaded diagnosis is something one of my professors in pharmacy school used to talk about at least once a semester. A diagnosis is a definition and not disease. What he meant was the nomenclature associated with some type of bodily dysfunction is nothing more than a moniker and designation. It tells nothing about what is occurring in the body or how to address it; it simply names it.
Fibromyalgia is the Latin term for “muscle fiber pain”. That means when you go to your doctor complaining of muscle pain and you leave with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, what your medical guru is basically doing is taking your complaint, translating it to a medieval dialect, giving you a pain medication or maybe an anti-depressant (!) and then billing you. This is a textbook example of how the medical model works. It can’t do anything real, but it can officiate your symptomology by sanctifying it with a Latin moniker.

It reminds me of the Wizard of Oz. As you’ll recall at the end of the flick, the scarecrow, with a head filled with nothing but straw, travels far and wide to find the magical wizard (doctor) who, it was said, could miraculously create for him a brain. As it turns out however, the wizard (doctor) is nothing but a fraud, and while he can’t deliver him any gray matter, he can give him something that, where he comes from, re-presents a brain. A diploma! In other words instead of giving his patient anything real, he gives him a piece of paper that supposedly symbolizes something real. Sounds a lot like the medical model to me!
So what to do if you are dealing with muscle fiber pain i.e. fibromyalgia? Well, as turns out you can actually do a lot. That’s because fibromyalgia represents toxicity, specifically blood toxicity. In 1990, Dr. John Couvaras, a fertility physician from Phoenix, discovered that women given an injection of the blood thinner heparin to improve circulatory problems associated with infertility reported that their fibromyalgia symptoms were dramatically reduced. He subsequently developed the “Hypercoagulation Theory of Fibromyalgia” that postulated that sticky, coagulated blood, following toxicity, results in the deposition of clotting proteins and other poisons in the muscle that eventually results in the classic pain syndrome associated with fibromyalgia. And where does that toxicity come from in the first place? Typically, the liver and the ultimately the small intestine. Here’s what happens:

The small intestine is the home of the “microbiome”, trillions of bacterial cells made up of many hundreds of strains. The numbers and types and exact proportions of these bacterial strains are tightly regulated. If there are long standing digestive health issues, especially in the processing of fats, over time these proportions get thrown off and the wrong types of bacterial strains can proliferate. Medical folks call this “dysbiosis” or “SIBO” (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth). Because these bacteria are constantly secreting waste material, eventually the body will mount an immune (defensive) response and an inflammatory reaction will ensue. As this progresses eventually the blood can become contaminated. And the major blood response to this kind of contamination is clotting.
To compound the problem the healthy microbiome is involved in estrogen metabolism. When dysbiosis occurs, estrogen is not broken down correctly and toxic byproducts can build up. Usually the liver can handle these byproducts, but under conditions of long term bacterial and estrogenic toxicity, this critical detox organ can become overload and even more poisons can enter into the blood. Thus fibromyalgia should be regarded as the final result of estrogenic and digestive system toxicity following long term dysbiosis.

So if you are dealing with the pain and misery of fibromyalgia here’s what you want to do: First of all correct digestive problems. Look for problem foods i.e. foods that cause any digestive distress (heartburn bloating cramps, loose stools, constipation etc.) and eliminate them. Get on a good probiotic supplement (I like Youngevity’s BioLumin Nightly Essence) and eat lots of fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kim chee and fermented beets. You can make your own fermented veggies pretty easily, basically by mashing or cutting up veggies and adding some bacterial starter and salt. And use a good probiotic supplement on a regular basis and make sure you use a product that has multiple bacterial strains. Use digestive enzymes and apple cider vinegar after all meals, especially ones that contain lots of fat. And, taking digestive enzymes on an empty stomach can have blood thinning effects that can improve fibromyalgia symptoms. Practice calorie restriction (eating less) and take a food holiday (fast) once a week or so. Use essential fatty acid supplements which can support estrogen metabolism. Consider estrogen balancing supplements like Vitamin A (20,000 iu a day), Vitamin E (400 iu a day) and pregnenolone (100mg a day). And applying a progesterone cream 5-7 days a week cream can be helpful too.
10 other interesting supplements that may help improve fibromyalgia symptoms:

Melatonin-4-6 mg at bedtime
Theanine-100-500mg daily
Magnesium Glycinate-2000mg daily
Vitamin C -1000-5000mg daily
N-Acetyl Cysteine- 500mg daily
Vitamin E-(mixed tocopherols) – 400 iu daily
Selenium-200-400mcgdaily
Cetyl Myristoleate -100-500mg daily
Malic Acid – 1000mg a day
Sam-E – 100-200mg daily

Jul

2013

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

– dedicated to Robert Y.

SUMMARY

· We have two nervous systems. One for handling stress (sympathetic) and one for relaxation (parasympathetic)

· Under normal healthy circumstances our body’s activities should be dominated by the relaxation nervous system based activity (activated upper digestion, relaxed lower digestion, lower heart rate and a sense of well-being)

· The signs of PTSD are the signs of an overactive sympathetic stress system

· Work mentally and emotionally first. Use hypnosis, visualization, religion, whatever it takes

· Deep breathing can be very effective. Stress and shallow breathing go hand in hand. Oxygenations the fastest way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system

· Nutrition and diet strategies can help too

By English: Cpl. Andrew Johnston [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

As if the trauma of war wasn’t horrific enough, upon cessation of battle and stateside return, many soldiers are destined to confront continued traumatic mental and emotional stress despite the absence of immediate emergency. The ensuing constellation of stressful symptoms, so called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), affects, according to the Congressional Research Service, 27 percent of soldiers returning from undeclared wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

And you don’t have to be war veteran to suffer from PTSD. The same constellation of symptoms that affects returning vets can occur with victims of violence, sexual abuse, or emotional battering and mental harassment. Concentration camp victims and survivors of accidents and natural disasters are also prone towards the symptomology of PTSD. In fact, according to WebMD, over 5 million people in the United States are suspected of having some of the symptoms of PTSD which can be grouped into three general categories:

Reliving-(hallucinations, flashbacks),

Avoiding- (sense of detachment and isolation)

Increased arousal -(anger, jumpiness, anxiety, insomnia)

To understand PTSD, we have to understand the nervous system or more specifically, the nervous systems. Plural, because we have two of them. One which regulates the stress response is called the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Constipation, oily, skin, insomnia, low sex drive and anxiety are all signs of an activated stress response nervous system. The second nervous system is called the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). It regulates the relaxation response. PNS activation is manifested by relaxed lower digestion, activated upper digestion, lower heart rate, high libido and a sense of well being.

Under normal circumstances the body operates in a PNS dominant state. It would like to always be in a PNS dominant state. The sympathetic nervous system is an emergency system and chronic activation is bound to create mental emotional and physical health havoc. PTSD is a classic example of an SNS running amok. Consequently the best strategy for dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is to return the body to a PNS dominant state.

Probably the most important therapy for dealing with PTSD and returning the parasympathetic to its rightful biochemical place as the dominant nervous system is to address the mental and emotional causes. Do not underestimate the importance of this component. Work with any mental and emotional strategies you can come up with. Meditation, visualization, hypnosis, Landmark Forum or God. It doesn’t matter. This is the most important component of dismantling of PTSD or any other emotional/mental health challenge.

Deep breathing can also be helpful. When the anxiety of PTSD kicks in the body tends to contract and breathing becomes more rapid and shallow. Contractions and rapid shallow breathing alert the adrenal glands to a threat and stress hormone kick in. This causes more shallow breathing and a further contraction old the muscles and connective tissue. Which causes the secretion of more adrenal stress hormones, which causes even more contraction and shallow breathing. The resultant downward spiral can continue unabatedly until it shows up as the chromic emergency type symptoms associated with PTSD. The key to breaking the spiral is to practice deep breathing. In fact, there is no faster way to activate the relaxation response than to deep breathe. For extra benefits, practice relaxing facial muscles on the exhale.

From a diet and nutritional standpoint, there are many strategies for activating the body’s PNS regulated response. Below are my Top 14 nutritional strategies for activating the relaxation response and dealing with PTSD:

1. Maintain stable blood sugar; eat more protein, less refined carbs. Refined food is also more likely to contain excitotoxins which can exacerbate anxiety.

2. Veggies and protein – Recipe for building serotonin, the body’s most important stress management biochemical. Starchy veggies and protein from whey and eggs can be especially helpful.

3. Lithium Oratate (5mg active elemental lithium) – mood stabilizing nutrient, used as prescription medicine, but available at a health food store, very relaxing.

4. GABA 100mg – (500 to 1000mg once or twice a day)-relaxing brain chemical, made by the body so there’s no toxicity.

5. Theanine (100-200mg 1-3 times a day)– an amino acid found in tea theanine has been shown in numerous studies to have psychoactive effects, thought to increase the brains levels of GABA, theanine may have excitoxicity benefits too. You can drink decaff green tea to bump up your theanine levels in the middle of the day.

6. Glycine (500 to 1000mg once or twice a day) -like GABA it’s a brain chemical and made by the body so there’s no toxicity. Whey protein is an excellent source of glycine.

7. Vitamin C (5-10 grams a day) – The quintessential anti stress vitamin. Deficiencies are common. The greater the stress the more you need. The more sugar you eat, the more you need. Take the powder and save money, 1teaspoonful = 5grams.

8. B-Complex (B-100 every few hours with water) with timed release niacin (100mg once or twice a day) – mood stabilizing, promotes serotonin synthesis.

9. 5HTP (100mg at bedtime) – precursor to serotonin, has anti anxiety and anti-depressant effects, take at bedtime.

10. Melatonin (3 mg at night)-major relaxation biochemical, anti-aging, supports immunity and digestive health as provides a sense of well being. Causes drowsiness, take at bedtime.

11. Beyond Tangy Tangerine – nutritional deficiencies =can trigger the symptom of PTSD. Sipping on Youngevity’s Beyond Tangy Tangerine all day long can prevent drops into nutritional deficiency status. [Buy Beyond Tangy Tangerine here]

12. Celtic Sea Salt – manna for the adrenal glands. Put a teaspoonful or two in a glass of water and sip on it, if it tastes delicious you’re adrenals are gonna love it! After a while, when it doesn’t taste as delicious you’ve had enough.

13. Magnesium (1200-2000mg a day glycinate form is the ideal.) Green veggies are a great source of magnesium. Involved in production of stress management hormones. Gall bladder or other digestive health problem may impair absorption. Take with apple cider vinegar, lecithin, digestive enzymes, bile salts, fatty meals to maximize absorption.

14. Inositol (500mg 2-4 times a day) – This vitamin-like substance improves serotonin’s stress management properties. High doses (18) grams a day shown to work as well as Prozac with no side effects.

May

2013

Sleep Better With Theanine

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

I wrote about about the relaxing properties of the neurotransmitter GABA, which can be taken as a nutritional supplement. Well, it turns out that many of the benefits of GABA can also be obtained by taking its precursor, a rarely heard-of nutritional supplement called theanine.

Theanine is an amino acid that is found naturally in the green tea plant and may be responsible for the improved sense of well-being and relaxation that aficionados claim they receive from the popular Asian beverage. Like GABA, it can improve the quality of sleep and can provide a calming effect for anxiety sufferers. Unlike its more well-known derivative however, theanine crosses the brain barrier and may thus have more significant effects on the nervous system. And, it’s an anti-oxidant too.

If you’ve tried GABA and have not been satisfied with the results, you may want to consider replacing it with theanine. It’s analogous to the amino acid glutamine, which provides comprehensive health benefits although it is unclear where or not these benefits may also be obtained via theanine supplementation. Theanine has been shown to improve the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is associated with feeling of reward and pleasure, and this may account for some of theanine’s reported positive effects on mood.

It may have beneficial effects on the immune system too. A study done in 2003 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that patients drinking theanine-containing beverages had up to 5 times higher levels of anti-bacterial peptides than those who didn’t drink the beverages.

The best bet on theanine for relaxation is 200 mg to 400 mg a day. There are not a lot of studies though, so the jury’s still out on exactly how much benefit it can provide in a real-life setting, but from a biochemistry standpoint theanine looks like it’s got some potential. If you’re taking GABA and not getting the results you want, or maybe if you want a little more relaxation or deeper sleep, taking a couple this little known nutritional supplement at bedtime might be something you’d want to try.