I’m Pulling MORE – What’s Going On?

“I started following my program and I’m pulling MORE – what’s going on?!”

The urge to pull that is so prevalent in trichotillomania is caused (in most people) by an imbalance in neurotransmitter function. To correct this imbalance, we have found a combination of amino acid supplements that provide the body the exact nutrients it needs to be remarkably effective. In fact, we have been able to help over 86% of the people that come to us with trich completely eliminate the urge to pull.

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Can Skimping on Sleep Make Trichotillomania Worse?

As you read through the numerous articles and research on this blog you will quickly see that we have found that imbalances with certain neurotransmitters (which are brain chemicals that control most of the body’s functions) can lead to a great many disorders, including trichotillomania and the urge to pull, depression, anxiety, compulsive and/or obsessive thoughts and behaviors, food cravings, binging behavior, addictions, migraines and many others, including sleep disturbances. Therefore, it would not be surprising to find a relationship between these seemingly varied imbalances.

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The Importance of Using Balanced Amino Acids

I have been many emails asking how to achieve proper neurotransmitter balance using amino acid therapy. It seems that many people are attempting to take their own mixture of amino acids in an attempt to alleviate their urges to pull. This trial-and-error method is bound to fail in most cases and can lead to greater imbalances. This is because taking amino acids that are not properly balanced for each individual will cause depletion of competing systems over time.

Amino Acid Synthesis

I believe the reason for so much confusion comes from the fact that the synthesis of monoamine neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine, seems so straightforward:

From an intuitive standpoint, taking 5-HTP would seem to be the perfect way to increase serotonin and taking L-tyrosine or L-dopa would seem the ideal way to increase levels of dopamine. Unfortunately, this is one instance where the simple answer doesn’t play out in practice.

Synthesis Interactions

A thorough review of peer-reviewed literature shows several interactions occur in the actual synthesis of neurotransmitters from amino acids:

As you can see, giving only 5-HTP, L-dopa, L-tyrosine or L-tryptophan can deplete the monoamine neurotransmitters along with their amino acids, making the overall situation worse. Based on this data, the odds of a person obtaining the correct balance of amino acids to achieve proper neurotransmitter function are virtually zero. Once more, the probability of a person using trial-and-error to try and establish proper neurotransmitter function causing further imbalance is incredibly high. This highlights the need for professional guidance in regards to establishing the optimal amino acid dosing for each person.

Professional Guidance

Although resolving this situation isn’t as easy as it seems, a solution does exist. The science of amino acid therapy has grown by leaps and bounds over the past six years, due in large part to the work of Marty Hinz, MD and his staff at NeuroResearch, Inc. Dr. Hinz’s work has shown that with proper training, achieving optimal neurotransmitter function is possible using properly balanced amino acid therapy along with functional testing as needed. We have been using this approach for almost a decade with tremendous success and can help you achieve the resolution you are looking for.

Amino Acid Therapy and RepleteExtra

A large minority of people (~30%) using properly balanced amino acid therapy will achieve a complete resolution of symptoms using only NeuroReplete and CysReplete at the proper dosage. However, many others will require the addition of other formulas to increase the amounts of serotonin, dopamine or both in the system. One of the formulas often used in this process is RepleteExtra.

RepleteExtra was formulated to be used in addition to NeuroReplete when it is desired to increase both serotonin and dopamine in a balanced manner. RepleteExtra contains only L-tyrosine, 5-HTP and folic acid. It does not contain the basic cofactors (vitamins and minerals) that are found in NeuroReplete, highlighting the need to use these products in combination with one another.

By providing L-tyrosine and 5-HTP in a balanced ratio, RepleteExtra works with NeuroReplete to increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin, respectively, in a balanced fashion. Using clinical experience and functional testing when needed, a trained health care professional can help a large number of people (~80%) achieve a complete resolution of symptoms using only these formulas in the proper dosage. If testing indicates the need for additional cofactors, other formulas such as TyrosineReplete, D5 Mucuna or 5-HTP may be employed. We will explore each of these formulas in other posts.

A Novel Way to Improve Trichotillomania

We talk a lot about using amino acid therapy to help correct underlying neurotransmitter imbalances to help people overcome trichotillomania and other disorders related to neurotransmitter imbalance, such as depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD/ADHD, migraines, obesity, fibromyalgia and insomnia. However, recent research has shown that you may be able to fine-tune your neurotransmitter levels by using the right combination of probiotics.

Probiotics – good for your (brain) health

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria that normally reside in your gut. It is known that if  these bacteria become imbalanced in some way (due to illness, improper diet or toxin exposure), a condition called “dysbiosis” results, which can have many dire consequences including decreased immunity, improper immune function, food allergies, inflammation, indigestion and numerous other physical disorders. However, until recently it was not known that these bacteria can also generate neurotransmitters that can also affect your brain, impacting your mental and emotional states.

Researchers at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center found that the following bacteria can produce neurotransmitters in the gut:

This could mean that the microbial balance in your gut could be a key player in improving and maintaining your neurotransmitter levels, and therefore alleviating the urge to pull. It also provides more scientific evidence for something that we routinely see in the clinic – that many people with gastrointestinal disorders develop or have one or more disorders related to neurotransmitter imbalance and that correctly the underlying gastrointestinal disorder is imperative to long-term recovery. Think of it like this – the gastrointestinal disorder (like IBS, Crohn’s disease, food allergies or Celiac’s disease) is like a hole in a bucket, causing neurotransmitter levels to decline (or become imbalanced). In order to fill the bucket back up (using amino acid therapy) over time, you have to first fix the whole.

Certain gastrointestinal disorders create neurotransmitter imbalances through inflammatory, immune or genetic influences. This research provides another potential way to explain, and address, the resulting neurotransmitter dysfunction. Obviously, more research needs to be done to define just how this can be useful in real life, but for now, it seems logical that anyone that suffers from trich or other disorders associated with neurotransmitter imbalance must heal any underlying gut issues while restoring proper neurotransmitter balance using amino acid therapy to achieve long term success.

Amino Acid Therapy and Trichotillomania

Amino acid therapy can be very effective at restoring proper neurotransmitter function and alleviating the insatiable urge to pull that some many people with trichotillomania experience. There are really two ways in which amino acids are used for people with trichotillomania. The first is to use n-acetyl cysteine, or NAC, which has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the urge to pull in about 56% of people that use NAC (see our post entitled N-acetylcysteine and Treatment of Trichotillomania for more information). NAC is thought to work by increasing the concentration of glutamate (an excitatory neurotransmitter) in a part of the brain that reduces compulsive behavior and hair pulling. Glutamate works in conjunction with GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) to control many functions in the body. Thus, NAC provides a safe and moderately effective strategy to use amino acid therapy to decrease the urge to pull associated with trichotillomania.

However, we have found that a more effective way to implement amino acid therapy in regards to trichotillomania is to address the serotonin/dopamine system.  By providing the brain the proper proportion of the necessary amino acid precursors and cofactors necessary to achieve optimal serotonin and dopamine function we have had an 86% success rate with eliminating the urge to pull, as opposed to just reducing the urge to pull.

This increased success rate is attributed to the fact that dopamine exhibits control over the release of glutamate and GABA in certain parts of the brain. Therefore, the imbalance between glutamate and GABA that leads to trichotillomania in most people is likely to be caused by an imbalance with dopamine and serotonin (as they are farther upstream). By optimizing serotonin and dopamine function, all the systems downstream, including glutamate and GABA normalize as well. When this happens, the urge to pull disappears.

Another key distinction between using NAC or this balanced amino acid approach is the ability to remain symptom free once the amino acid(s) have been discontinued. With NAC, the urge to pull often returns once the supplement is discontinued (this provides further evidence that NAC may not be addressing the root cause of the imbalance). However, with balanced amino acid therapy we have found that once optimized neurotransmitter function is established and maintained for a period of time, most people can reduce or eliminate the amino acids and remain symptom free utilizing dietary and lifestyle factors to maintain optimal neurotransmitter status.  This means that it is very likely you won’t have to take these supplements forever and you can remain trichotillomania-free. This occurs because we are addressing the underlying root imbalance that seems to lead to the urge to pull for most people with trichotillomania. By correctly the underlying neurotransmitter imbalance with balanced amino acid therapy you effectively eliminate the problem, which allows you to stop pulling your hair out.

A Touching Story

Lacey was at wit’s end with trichotillomania. She had pulled for 28 years, with no end in sight. She had constant, uncontrollable urges and could not stop pulling hair out. She thought she was mentally ill, and worse, she feared that she’d pass along trich to her 4 year-old son.

Then she met Dr. Chad Oler, and everything changed. Listen to her story, and find out how she learned to stop pulling hair out.

Lacy’s Podcast

When Lacey found Dr. Chad, she discovered a way to stop pulling hair out that’s surprisingly easy, has produced dramatic results, and is ready for you to start IMMEDIATELY.

Treatments for Trichotillomania – What Works and What Doesn’t

A search of the internet for ‘treatments of trichotillomania’ brings back over 335,000 results. This can make the search for a viable treatment option very difficult, if not downright impossible.  However, upon closer investigation, you will find that there are really only a few treatments for trichotillomania that have any scientific evidence behind them, although even within this select group of therapies, results are highly individualized.

Treatments for Trichotillomania

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavior therapy attempts to alter behavior by identifying environmental factors that trigger hair pulling and then helping a person learn skills to interrupt and redirect their responses to those triggers. Used over time, the new behavior replaces the old (i.e., pulling). CBT should be performed by a therapist trained in this method, ideally with experience in the treatment of trichotillomania. Certain methods of CBT such as Habit-Reversal Training and the Comprehensive Model for Behavioral Treatment of Trichotillomania have shown to be the most successful CBT treatments for trichotillomania, so be sure to ask your provider if they use or have been trained in these therapies.

Medications: many medications have been tried as a treatment for trichotillomania. Unfortunately, the results have been disappointing (see other posts on this site for more information on drug treatments for trichotillomania). That said, some people do benefit from drug therapies, either alone or in conjunction with cognitive-behavior therapy or amino acid therapy. The effect, however, is almost always temporary because drug therapies cannot address the underlying cause of trichotillomania in most people. In addition, the use of medications for the treatment of trichotillomania in children or adolescents brings additional concerns. Very few drug trials involve children and to date there have been no studies of the use of medication for the treatment of trichotillomania in children.  Due to the limited evidence supporting these medications effectiveness, as well as concerns about the long-term effects of medications on the developing brain, several groups, including the Trichotillomania Learning Center’s Scientific Advisory Board have advised that “for most children and adolescents with trichotillomania, medications should not be used as a treatment of first choice.”

Amino acid therapy: Amino acid therapy involves providing the body the nutrients it needs to optimize neurotransmitter balance in the body. One of the main underlying causes of trichotillomania for many people is an imbalance in one or more neurotransmitters. The ONLY way to correct this for the long term is to supply the body the amino acids and co-factors it needs to restore proper neurotransmitter balance, which will eliminate the urge to pull, allowing you to stop pulling.  Once the urge to pull is gone, other therapies, like Cognitive Behavior Therapy are much more effective as a treatment for trichotillomania in order to address any remaining behavioral and/or habitual triggers to pull.

It can be a confusing and frustrating experience for people searching for treatments for trichotillomania. However, after looking at the scientific and clinical evidence, only two have shown reproducible results – cognitive behavioral therapy and amino acid therapy – for people with trichotillomania.

Trichotillomania Cures

I am often asked if our approach ‘cures’ trichotillomania. The simple answer is ‘it depends’.

The word ‘cure’ or ‘curing’ are used and strictly protected as medical terms, only to be used by medical doctors and other health care professionals that are licensed to practice medicine. Judging by the number of law suits against integrative, complementary and alternative practitioners who have mistakenly used this term in regards to what they do, I’d say that it is strictly enforced. As I am a naturopathic doctor and do not practice medicine, I am not entitled to use the terms ‘cure’, ‘cures’ or ‘curing’ in relation to what I do or to describe the effects that what I recommend may have on or for a person.

Interestingly, the general public often use these terms without recourse. I even had one client look up the word ‘cure’ and forward me the definition: ‘A cure or remission is the end of a medical condition’, so they stated that because we helped them eliminate the urge to pull their hair out, we helped them ‘cure’ their trichotillomania and should therefore be listed in any list of ‘trichotillomania cures’.

While I am glad this person feels better, this discussion brought up a couple additional points that are important to keep in mind (not only for a person considering amino acid therapy, but also for me as a complementary health care practitioner). In addition to the above discussion about the use of the words ‘cure’, ‘cures’ and ‘curing’, we are not specifically addressing any medical condition(s), including trichotillomania using amino acid therapy. What we are doing is looking for and addressing fundamental root imbalances in body or brain chemistry and addressing them using natural methods if at all possible. These imbalances can manifest themselves in conditions that are diagnosed by medical professionals as trichotillomania. However, they can also manifest themselves in other ways that prompt people to seek medical help; these diagnoses can include depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD, ADHD, insomnia, migraines, fibromyalgia and numerous other sets of symptoms labeled as ‘diseases’ by the medical profession.

We don’t concern ourselves nearly as much with what a group of symptoms is called by the medical profession as we do with figuring out what imbalances created these symptoms and addressing those underlying imbalances. By addressing the underlying imbalances, our clients often see a reversal of many previously diagnosed medical conditions, not just the one(s) they are seeking us out for. That is why when you read the many testimonials and background information about amino acid therapy throughout this site, you see that many, many conditions can be corrected through the proper use of amino acid therapy. We cannot say amino acid therapy ‘cures’ trichotillomania or any other diagnosed medical condition as I am not a medical doctor; I am a naturopath.

But what really matters is that by finding and addressing the underlying neurotransmitter imbalances that a person with trichotillomania has, they can eliminate the urge to pull. If they want to find out if they are ‘cured’ or if this ‘cures’ trichotillomania, they just need to ask their medical doctor if no longer having the urge to pull means that they are ‘cured’.

Stephanie’s Story

We just did a post on Stephanie’s story with trich and how amino acid therapy helped her ‘beat trich’ in her words. I wanted to follow up with a couple points regarding Stephanie’s story to point out a few things that we see often when working with people with trich.

First, many people see results in just a month or two, just as Stephanie did. In fact, about 80% of people can completely eliminate the urge to pull in that time frame. For those 20% that don’t, additional testing is used to help them eliminate the urge to pull.

Second, once we find the right dose of amino acids that a person needs, they need to take them about 6-9 months before we can start tapering the dose without the recurrence of symptoms. If a person misses a dose or multiple doses, the urge to pull will often return within a few days and will persist until a person gets back on the recommended supplements for about 3-5 days. This means that the person continues to need the amino acids to eliminate the urge to pull.

Third, eliminating the urge to pull does not mean that a person automatically stops pulling. We’ve talked in other posts about the difference between the urge to pull (the compulsion) and the behavior of pulling. Once the urge is gone, a person can still find themselves pulling when they get triggered by certain events (the most common one is stress). When this happens, they may find their hands playing with or pulling their hair before they even realize what is happening. The difference is that once they become conscious of it, a person on the proper dose of amino acids and stop pulling and not think about it anymore. This is where other therapies, such as stress reduction, exercise and Cognitive Behavioral therapies can be a big help.

Fourth, exercise, lifestyle and dietary recommendations can often decrease the need for amino acids. If a person addresses the day-to-day reasons for neurotransmitter imbalance, they can often substantially reduce the amount of amino acids they need over time to eliminate the urge to pull.

And finally, just like Stephanie, many people can reduce and eliminate the need for the amino acids and still have no urge to pull. Most of the time, these people have taken the amino acids as recommended for at least 6-9 months and have incorporated other strategies to help deal with the behavioral and environmental component of pulling (we help guide them through this process as well). This provides them the life skills that they need to function as they want to without the need for the amino acids. This doesn’t always happen, but it happens a great deal of the time, and it’s so wonderful to see the confidence, the pride and the relief in the people that ‘beat trich’ as Stephanie did.

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net