I have watched most of day 1 of the Anti-anxiety Summit talking about the Gut/Brain Axis and wanted to share some highlights of it. It is a free summit hosted by Trudy Scott. There are experts on the free summit talking about anxiety and how to manage it. Some review for me is always good and I will share things that I think are helpful for my patients.

A review of amino acids for treating anxiety- for addressing low serotonin which you might have if you are a worrying type, if you ruminate and obsess about your past; if you have trouble falling or staying asleep- 5- HTP or Tryptophan may help your anxiety. Other things that may help include a full spectrum light as Seasonal Affective Disorder is common at this type of year and will help the winter blues. I will add exercise will increase neurotransmitters favorably. If you can, exercise at least 30 minutes everyday to increase serotonin and dopamine. Exercise in the morning when the sun is out to favorably influence melatonin production at night, 

If you have low GABA, you may experience more physical types of anxiety such as muscle tension, butterflies in your gut or you might reach for wine to relax or even stress eat. In this case, GABA or theanine might be your best option to treat your anxiety. You might also notice more digestive distress with low GABA levels- you may experience IBS or SIBO. The Gut and Brain communicate all the time so working on gut function often improves mood and cognitive function also. Lactobacillus rhamnosus as a probiotic can help with GABA production. 

Tyrosine is often used to treat low dopamine. Low dopamine is synonymous with lack of motivation and low energy. If you have too much dopamine, you might suffer from irritability or anxiety. Higher levels of clostridia in the gut bacterial population may inhibit the breakdown of dopamine leading to higher levels (in autism specifically this can happen). In this case, you might want to look at whether there is a COMT snp as well or measure dopamine levels with an organic acid test. 

Neurons need plasticity to be activated by doing yoga, coordinated movements via exercise (what are you bad at if you have balance issues- do that!) As mentioned, regular exercise is as effective for treating depression and anxiety as pharmaceuticals in some cases.

In terms of diet- autoimmune paleo, anti-inflammatory diets or even ketogenic diets can work wonders on reducing anxiety. It is important to eliminate the usual suspects that can interfere with mood- gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, soy, eggs. High flavonoid foods such as curcumin (turmeric), green tea or resveratrol can go across the blood brain barrier and favorably influence brain function. These are important antioxidants that reduce inflammation in the brain. 

Butyrate dampens brain inflammation. A combination of psyllium husks, hemp seeds, and ground flax seeds (1/2 tsp in H20) to promote butyrate is a good addition to your daily breakfast. Adding ghee to your diet will also be a source of dietary butyrate. Ghee is a better tolerated butter for those of you who have a sensitivity to dairy. Short chain fatty acids formed from the breakdown of fibre (think Mediterranean diet) help the genes in the brain to optimally express. This will decrease inflammation in your brain and support proper biochemistry in the brain.

Short chain fatty acids help your gut make neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Your gut bacteria deconjugate serotonin to make it more utilizable.This helps with peristalsis and gut motility.

Meditation calms your anxiety down, It increases the vagus nerve tone and helps with bidirectional communication between the gut and brain. Increasing sociability also helps vagus nerve activity. The vagus nerve is a main connector between your gut and your brain. Gargling for 3 to 5 minutes will activate the motor nerve component of the vagus nerve. 

(People that have anorexia have been found to have lower levels of short chain fatty acids and lower serotonin, chromium and zinc. )

Herbs that help with anxiety include chamomile because it increases GABA along with hops. Oatstraw is a nutritive nervine. Skullcap is another good nervine for anxiety.

Probiotics may help with production of neurotransmitters. Enterococcocus species may help increase production of serotonin; bacillus species may increase dopamine; lactobacillus rhamnosus may increase GABA; saccharomyces may increase norepinephrine; latobacillus plantarum may increase acetylcholine.

For help with anxiety and more specific information on using specific amino acids to treat anxiety, come in for a consultation with me at Parallel Wellness 4032321283. Tune into the Anti-Anxiety Summit which is on this week online. Until next time, ohmmmmm….

 

I had the privilege of doing a presentation at a downtown office this week on Emotional Freedom Technique. It is my favorite counseling tool that I use when dealing with patients. It does not have any negative side effects and is a tool that I can pass on to people so they can manage their own stress level. It is a combination of the east and the west. It draws on 5000 years of traditional Chinese medicine in the form of meridians. It taps into (metaphorically and literally) these meridian pathways to create energy flow. Any disruption in the meridian flow of movement registers potentially as negative emotion.
Meridians open up to the surface of the skin so this technique devised by Gary Craig, a former Stanford engineer is designed to tap on all the meridians so it does not matter what meridian is out of balance. There is no harm done by over-tapping.
The technique draws on Western psychology also drawing on exposure (remembering traumas, persistent thoughts, emotions) and cognitive restructuring, utilizing statements of self acceptance to help individuals feel better and accept their feelings. It is considered an energy psychology technique because it is working with a part of the body’s electromagnetic field (meridians) much like the aura or chakra system might be used in another way. The tapping process also targets the brain, specifically sending a calming signal to the brain when an otherwise stressful memory or situation is imagined. It is thought to target the amygdala which is where emotions are processed and memories can be stored. By remembering an event while tapping on these meridian sequences, it changes that previous negative memory into one that is now non threatening to the brain. You are creating a new neural pathway which is non-threatening. Essentially you are telling your brain to associate this memory, thought or emotion by stating repetitive statements utilizing self acceptance while tapping that this situation is a-okay now.
Research on EFT has shown a drop in cortisol (your main stress hormone) occurs during a session of EFT. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are stimulated by EFT. Therefore you feel immediately better after a session and emotional releases can occur leaving you feeling lighter as a result. And lastly, genes are thought to be regulated by EFT. Genes that lower inflammation and increase immunity in a positive way, for starters. Google Dawson Church or Gary Craig, EFT universe, or the tapping solution if you want some more information on the tapping sequence or current research studies. I find it to be a great counseling tool because EFT helps you get in touch with your intuition so you can solve your own problems once you know how to do it. I love to empower my patients! You can have an amazing effect on your mind, body, spirit! Believe it!!
To book a session with me come into Parallel Wellness or call 4032321283.

With the Western diet that is heavy in processed foods, sugar, preservatives, alcohol, fast foods, etc, we are not exactly feeding the microbial species which outnumber our human cells by a long shot. We need to view the bacteria, virus, and fungi that colonize our gut along with our good bacteria as symbionts that we can feed with our particular diet choices geared towards more whole foods eating. Simply eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains (black rice, brown rice, barley, oats, millet, teff, sorghum), and avoiding the processed foods will start to increase the generation of more anti-inflammatory compounds in the gut. Microbiota-accessible carbohydrates are the term given to these life sustaining foods for the gut. These are carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion but act as prebiotics for the gut microbiota which then metabolize MAC’s into beneficial compounds such as short chain fatty acids like butyrate, acetate, and propionate. Aiming for at least fifty grams of fiber will help you get these foods into your diet. Eating leafy greens like kale, chard, spinach, bok choy, romaine lettuce, etc will help you increase the fiber content in your diet. Eating more plant based foods in your diet in general will up your fiber content and help select for bacteria in your gut that will produce more anti-inflammatory compounds. Asparagus, broccoli, plantains, blueberries, sweet potatoes, tarot root, rutabagas, turnips, celery root, jicama, radish are just some foods to incorporate to make your gut bugs happy. Think less meat and more plant. Eating more of a meat based diet will generate more inflammatory compounds and toxic metabolites will be selected for. But it only takes a few days of eating plant based to shift your microbiota in the right direction. The microbiota produce a wide variety of compounds that influence the mucosal surface of the gut as well as distant organ health and function, not to mention neurotransmitters. The next time you get a craving for fast food as yourself if your gut bugs will be happy with your food choice. I think not.