Getting Back to the Basics – Start at the Beginning

You have the urge to pull. You can resist the urge, but it can take a lot of effort to do so. If you give in, you may or may not like what you feel after you pull (exhilaration, pleasure), but you probably don’t like how you feel (guilt, shame, despair) or the end result of pulling (i.e., bald spots, thinning or non-existent hair, eyebrows or eyelashes, etc.). You feel out of control and powerless to change it.

This is a typical scenario and when it comes down to it, we have to start at the beginning – with the urge to pull. If we can eliminate the urge to pull, we can eliminate everything that comes after it.

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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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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.

“Miraculous” – A Client Testimonial

This was a direct quote from a woman that I met with last week in regards to her experience with amino acid therapy in regards to her trichotillomania. Betty (her name has been changed at her request) had a history of other illnesses, including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, osteoarthritis and most recently Crohn’s disease in addition to trichotillomania and was on a mountain of medications to deal with her pain. She also reported extreme sugar cravings and sleep problems. She was diagnosed with trichotillomania in 2004 and “started to pull a lot from the under region of the head”.

After just a week on the full initial dose of amino acids, she reported “much less restless sleep and decreased insomnia”, as well as a decreased compulsion to pull, although she admitted that she still caught herself pulling out of habit 2-3 times/week. However, she said that unlike any time before, she could chose to stop herself from pulling when she noticed she was doing it and not think about it again.

Based on Betty’s progress, we adjusted her amino acid dosing and when we spoke a couple weeks later she reported that she was doing very well. In fact, she said she no longer had any urge to pull and that she even tried pulling to see what would happen; she proudly reported that it “was not as gratifying anymore”.

She also reported that her sugar cravings were much better. She described it like this: “Before I was like an alcoholic looking for a drink. Now, I can say ‘no’ to myself.” She also said she only had desserts 1-2 times a week now, where she would have 1 or more desserts every day before starting the amino acids. She said,” I no longer ‘have to (have a dessert)’, now I do it because I ‘want to’.”

Here are a couple more quotes from Betty’s last visit:

• “I could not believe the change”
• “I thought it would take so much more than this.”
• “This was quick and easy for me!”
• “This change has been miraculous.”

Betty’s experience is typical of many people that we have helped eliminate the urge to pull through amino acid therapy. While not everyone experiences these results this quickly, many do.

Betty now no longer thinks about her trichotillomania. In addition, she no longer feels like a “slave to food/sweets” and she is sleeping better than anytime she can remember. If you’d like to see if amino acid therapy can get you to your goals, please call us. We’d love to help you eliminate the urge to pull and get you on to the rest of your life.

Amino Acid Therapy: The What’s, How’s and Who Cares: Part 2

Once your neurotransmitter levels are rebalanced, your symptoms will disappear. This is like a ‘light-switch’; you either have enough or you don’t. When you do, you will wake up one day and your symptoms will be gone. It often seems miraculous, but it is actually just a sign of balanced brain chemistry. You will be back in control and able to function optimally.

Once this happens, you will stay on that dose of amino acids for 6-9 months while your body replenishes its stores of neurotransmitters. After that time, we will work with you to steadily decrease the amino acids to the minimum dose necessary to keep your symptoms under control. Many people can eliminate the need for the amino acids altogether with the proper dietary and lifestyle adjustments.

There are four reasons why someone would need to take amino acid products ongoing in order to control their symptoms:

1. Head trauma – this can cause permanent nerve damage and the need for continual amino acid therapy
2. Neurotoxicity – this is caused by environmental and/or other toxic exposure that permanently damages neurons
3. Genetics – a person can have impaired ability to create or maintain proper neurotransmitter imbalance from birth
4. Continuation of dietary or lifestyle habits that cause neurotransmitter imbalances

The first three are permanent states and people with these impairments will need some amount of amino acid therapy to remain symptom free. However, the amount needed long-term is often much less than the amount needed to establish proper neurotransmitter balance. The fourth cause is completely correctable and we will work with you to establish the dietary and lifestyle habits to help you maintain neurotransmitter balance.

Note: you cannot substantially increase your neurotransmitter levels through diet or lifestyle alone, but you can maintain your neurotransmitter levels using diet and lifestyle. This is because in order to achieve proper neurotransmitter balance, you need specific doses of specific nutrients at specific times to maximize absorption and conversion of the raw materials into neurotransmitters. Even though the raw materials used are normal components of food, they are administered in much higher amounts and in different combination than those found in food.

Also note: many medications can cause depletion of neurotransmitters, including all anti-depression, anti-anxiety, migraine and sleep medications. If you have taken or are currently taking medications that deplete neurotransmitter levels (including all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) medications), you may want to consider taking the following to restore proper nutritional status:

CoQ10 (100 mg) – 1 gelcap daily with food

Glycogenics – 1 tablet twice daily with food

In addition, taking a low level of amino acid therapy along with these medications will help stop further depletion of neurotransmitters and will help improve the effectiveness of anti-depression, anti-anxiety, migraine and sleep medications (including all SSRI and SNRI) medications.

For more information, please visit our websites (www.naturalpathhealthcenter.com, www.optimalbodybalance.com or www.stoppullinghairout.com ) or www.neuroassist.com.

Amino Acid Therapy: The What’s, How’s and Who Cares: Part 1

Neurotransmitter imbalances have been associated with many conditions, including food cravings, increased appetite, binging, addictions (food, alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.), trichotillomania, obsessive-compulsive tendencies and disorders, depression, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes and obesity. Restoring proper neurotransmitter balance is essential to managing, eliminating and overcoming these conditions.

Amino acid therapy involves giving the body the nutrients it needs to rebalance neurotransmitters. This begins with using two formulas NeuroReplete or D5, and CysReplete (depending upon your condition). These formulas provide the necessary amino acids and cofactors the body needs to bring up the two primary neurotransmitter systems (serotonin and the catecholamines (which include dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine)) in a balanced manner.

It takes 3-5 days for the body to reestablish its new level of neurotransmitters. Therefore, after 7 days of taking your recommended supplements exactly as directed, if you are still experiencing symptoms, your amino acid dosing needs to be adjusted. Your new dosing level will be determined at your next appointment. If need be, a simple urine test can be run to help determine the proper amino acid dosage.

In order to eliminate your symptoms as quickly as possible, it is imperative that you take the amino acid products as recommended and follow up after being on a new dose for 7 days if you are not where you want to be. There is no point in waiting longer to see if they will ‘kick-in’; this just delays you reaching your goals.

There is only one known side effect when beginning amino acid therapy and that is nausea. This occurs when a person’s serotonin levels are exceptionally low. If this happens, it is a sign that a person needs the amino acids, but we must slow down the dosing schedule to allow the body to adapt to the increased neurotransmitter levels. When serotonin levels are very low, taking the amino acids cause nausea because the body converts the 5-HTP in the supplements into serotonin immediately in the gut, which you experience as nausea. The solution is to discontinue taking the amino acids during the daytime and follow a protocol (that we will provide to you) where you slowly introduce the amino acids, beginning with just one pill before bed.

It is very important that you take the recommended doses of each supplement every day. If you miss a dose, you need to take it as soon as possible to avoid fluctuations in neurotransmitter levels. Missing even a single dose of amino acids will cause your neurotransmitter levels to drop and it will take 3-5 days to get back to the level you were at before missing the dose. This means that you will have a higher probability of experiencing symptoms during that time.

You can quickly see that missing doses regularly will mean that you will never be able to rebalance your neurotransmitter levels, so establish a routine and stick to it. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. One good trick is to always have a small bottle of whatever supplements you are taking with you at all times (or keep the bottles in your purse, at work, at home and/or where ever you regularly find yourself) so you are never in a situation where you miss a dose.

My Own Miracle

We see and hear every week from clients that are having success eliminating the urge to pull and conquering trich using targeted amino acid therapy. Just last week, I spoke with Jessica (name changed); here is her story in her own words:

“I believe I actually started “pulling” to a very minimal extent as a teenager.  I loved to find the really coarse, kinky hairs to pull out, but then I was able to stop.

Around 2005, I had an increased level of stress at my job, so I guess I soothed myself by pulling, but I still had some control over it, so it wasn’t obvious to anyone but my husband.  Just to note, I’ve always, until 2005, thought of my head of thick reddish brown hair as one of my best features.

As my stressors increased (from 2005) so did my pulling.  I had surfed the net long and hard, dismissing some treatments as too involved or difficult to access due to their being in another area of the country, or seeming like a gimmick.  Then, early this year (2011), I found articles about Dr. Chad and amino acid replacement therapy for trich.  I took a few days to read everything about it, also finding other sites to verify it, had my husband read some of the material, checked out Dr. Chad on the Madison BBB (Better Business Bureau), and then made my first phone appointment.

Once I spoke with Dr. Chad the first time, I really allowed myself to have hope that this therapy could work.   After starting the supplements, I noticed within a week that I was much less restless at night, and I was sleeping better.

After my second phone appointment with Dr. Chad, I was noticing that I would start pulling, but it was more out of habit than anything, and I would question myself, “Why am I pulling, I don’t feel the compulsion to pull”  and most importantly, I could stop.  I found that it helped to keep my hands busy during that time, so I did a lot of needlework.

Now that I am a few more weeks into treatment, I can happily report that I no longer have any compulsion to pull, though occasionally I will pull a hair or two out of habit.

My hair is growing back in very nicely; even my husband checked it and seemed pleased.  If you are looking for a wonderful treatment for your trich, you have very little to lose by trying Dr. Chad’s therapy.  It’s easy, based on sound science, and very effective.  Dr. Chad and the amino acid replacement therapy have been a Godsend to me, my own miracle.”

Jessica’s hope turned into her “own miracle”. She wanted to share her story in the hopes that others may benefit from it. If you or someone you know would like to stop pulling once and for all, please look around this site and do whatever research you need to. Once you are ready, give us a call and we’ll get you started; you can eliminate the urge to pull, and we can help you do it.

Amino Acid Therapy and How It Relates To Trichotillomania

We have covered a lot about the science of amino acid therapy and how it relates to trichotillomania.  Here is the next in a series of posts:

Monoamine Neurotransmitter Synthesis from Amino Acids

Figure 3: The synthesis of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine from amino acid precursors.

The synthesis of serotonin and the catecholamines (i.e., dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) is illustrated in Figure 3. Note that the same enzyme catalyzes the conversion of 5-HTP-to-serotonin and L-dopa-to-dopamine everywhere in the body. The implications of this fact are profound.¹⁰ The administration of only 5-HTP or L-dopa will compete with and inhibit the synthesis of the opposite precursor (dopamine and serotonin respectively) at the enzyme. This means that if you take only 5-HTP (serotonin system) or only L-dopa (dopamine system) you will decrease the synthesis of the other system (dopamine or serotonin respectively).⁵⁷. This is why it is so important to have properly balanced amino acids when you are attempting to increase neurotransmitter levels. If you take only one amino acid precursor, the administered amino acid precursor will dominate the enzyme and compromise proper synthesis of the other system’s neurotransmitters, creating further imbalance.

Amino Acids and Neurotransmitter Metabolism

In the same manner, the same two enzymes –  Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) and Catecholamine-O-Methyl Transferase (COMT) – metabolize both serotonin and the catecholamines (i.e., dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine).The implications are equally profound.  When neurotransmitter levels are increased, enzymatic activity also increases.^{14,23, 24, 25, 26} That means that the levels of these two enzyme systems are not static; they fluctuate in response to changing neurotransmitter levels.

If you administer L-dopa or 5-HTP, the activity of MAO and COMT increases due to the increase in dopamine or serotonin levels respectively. The problem is that when L-dopa is administered without 5-HTP, both dopamine and serotonin will be subjected to increases in metabolism by these two enzyme systems. However, serotonin will not experience an increase in production (because none was taken), which leads to further depletion. The same rule is true of 5-HTP administered without the use of dopamine precursors. The bottom line is that the administration of 5-HTP or L-dopa that is unopposed or improperly balanced with the amino acid precursors of the other system will deplete the other system as a result of the increased metabolism of MAO and COMT, decreased synthesis, and uptake competition.

This means that a person has to take these amino acids in the proper balance to obtain long-term balance in neurotransmitter levels. This is complicated further due to uptake competition, which we will cover in future blog posts.

14. 5-HT immunoreactive hypothalamic neurons in rat and cat after 5-HTP administration. Brain Res Bull. 1984 Jun;12(6):721-33. Sakumoto T, Sakai K, Jouvet M, Kimura H, Maeda T.

23. Platelet MAO-B Activity and Serotonin Content in Patients with Dementia: Effect of Age, Medication, and Disease Neurochemical Research June, 1998: 863-868 Zsuzsa Meszaros, Dora Borcsiczky, Monika Mate, Jozsef Tarcali, Tamas Szombathy, Kornelia Tekes and Kalman Magyar.

24. Effect of L-dopa administration on islet monoamine oxidase activity and glucose induced insulin release in the mouse. Pancreas. 1991 Sep; 6(5): 522-7 Lundquist, I : Panagiotidis, G : Stenstrom, A.

25. Monoamine metabolism in human brain. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1977 Jan;34(1):89- 92. Robinson DS, Sourkes TL, Nies A, Harris LS, Spector S, Bartlett DL, Kaye IS.

26. Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Inhibition Improves Set-Shifting Performance and Elevates Stimulated Dopamine Release in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex Journal of Neuroscience, June 9, 2004, 24(23):5331-5335 E. M. Tunbridge, D. M. Bannerman, T. Sharp, and P. J. Harrison.

Amino Acid Supplement Dosing

When should I take my amino acid products?
The general recommendation for most of the amino acid products we recommend is to take them away from food, ideally 30-60 minutes prior to a meal. The reason has to do with absorption and utilization of the amino acids.

It is well documented that amino acids compete not only for access into the bloodstream, but also for access into the brain. Taking the supplements away from food improves the gastrointestinal absorption of the specific amino acids in the formula(s), since the amino acids in the supplements do not have to compete with amino acids from foods.

Furthermore, once amino acids get into the bloodstream, they must then compete for transport across the blood brain barrier (BBB) in order to get into the brain. There are special transporters in the BBB that specifically bind to several amino acids in order to shuttle them into the brain where they can be made into their respective neurotransmitters. The trick is, the transporters are not specific to just the amino acids we are trying to increase, such as tryptophan and tyrosine.

The transporters that carrier these amino acids into the brain also carry all large neutral amino acids (LNAA) across the BBB. These include phenylalanine, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, valine, methionine and histadine in addition to tryptophan and tyrosine. Therefore, these amino acids compete with one another for access into the brain. By taking your amino acid supplements away from food, especially protein (because proteins are rich in amino acids), you can substantially reduce the competition between the LNAAs and substantially increase the impact the supplements will have on brain chemistry.

So the ideal time to take most amino acid supplements is away from food. However, it is much more important to take the recommended doses of the amino acid products than to not take them, regardless of whether they be with food or not. If circumstances arise when you cannot comply with the recommended dosing guidelines (such as sensitivity to the product, inconvenient timing, etc.) then the products can be taken with food. The most important thing is to get in all the recommended doses as close to the recommended dosing times throughout the day.

Is Trich an Addiction?

I read a post recently that related trich to an addiction.

In the article, ‘It’s Trichy’ thought about the similarities between trich and an addiction, such as alcoholism. There are many similarities, but the most pressing is the very real chemical imbalance that is often at the core of many obsessive-compulsive and/or addictive behaviors. What is known is that imbalances in brain chemistry can create a psychological (and many times physiological) need for or to do something. Most of the research in this area has looked at the ‘pleasure-centers’ of the brain and the chemicals that affect them, including dopamine, norepinephrine and glutamate, which are all neurotransmitters.

Interestingly, we have found that by achieving proper neurotransmitter balance, we can very often reduce or eliminate the ‘urge’, whether that is to pull in the case of trichotillomania or drink in the case of alcoholism (or any other substance in the case of other drugs of abuse). In many cases, once proper neurotransmitter balance is achieved, an immediate response is achieved, often described as a ‘light-switch’ going on. In these cases, there is an immediate and complete release from the compulsive or addictive behavior.

This makes sense if you think about this in terms of brain chemistry – if neurotransmitter imbalance is the cause of the compulsive or addictive behavior, once balance is achieved, the behavior should be dramatically impacted.  Thankfully, it usually takes only weeks to months to optimize neurotransmitter levels and achieve this release from the urge, compulsion or addiction. Then, a person is in a much better position to institute behavioral therapies and support groups to help them beat the habits they have developed. Of note, once people achieve proper neurotransmitter balance, they are much better able to distinguish between the urge to pull and the habit of pulling, which goes a long way to determining what behavioral modifications can help break the habits involved.

Trichotillomania does share many common traits with addictive-type behavior, and thankfully, amino-acid therapy is often successful at addressing the underlying cause that is at the heart of these behaviors.