photo credit: Hljod.Huskona
In the first part of Natural Anxiety Treatments for trichotillomania, I discussed what happens when the body takes a medication called a reuptake inhibitor, which essentially traps neurotransmitters in the chemical synapse.
If you need a review, check out How Natural Anxiety Treatments Work on Neurotransmitters Part 1.
Enzymes release, neurotransmitters deplete
At this point in our story, the neurotransmitter is trapped in the chemical synapse.
The body produces a constant supply of enzymes. The big players are monoamine oxidase MAO and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). These break down neurotransmitters in the synapse to keep equilibrium.
The longer a neurotransmitter stays in the synapse the greater chance there is that it will be destroyed by these enzymes.
The body, at this point, senses the presence of extra neurotransmitters in the chemical synapse. It knows it has enough neurotransmitters in the post-synaptic nerve cell, and it thinks it has enough neurotransmitters in the pre-synaptic nerve cell, after being unwittingly duped by the reuptake inhibitor.
It thus sends out enzymes to destroy the neurotransmitters and keep the balance in the system even.
Neurotransmitters under siege
In addition, most drugs only work on one neurotransmitter (either serotonin or dopamine or norepinephrine), which creates the glut of those particular neurotransmitters in the synapse.
The body doesn’t know this, however, and it uses the same enzyme systems to degrade all neurotransmitters.
Therefore, the reuptake inhibitors not only cause a depletion of neurotransmitters, they are causing a relative imbalance in neurotransmitters as well. (All will be destroyed, only some will be destroyed in higher quantities.)
Eventually, the neurotransmitters in the synapse run low, and the reuptake inhibitor is no longer effective. The inhibitor is designed to work on neurotransmitters, but it can’t if there are no longer any neurotransmitters to work on.
At this point, the body won’t help. Duped by the reuptake inhibitors, it’s lowered its supply. There’s nothing more for it to send.
This is what we mean when we say that the reuptake inhibitors work, but only for a short time. Eventually, they will cause the neurotransmitter supply to dwindle. That’s when problems like trichotillomania return.
Supplements – a natural anxiety treatment
Our approach is to rebuild the natural supply of neurotransmitters, and then eventually work to achieve a better balance of excitatory and inhibitor neurotransmitters.
To do this, we use amino acid supplements that supply the necessary amino acids and precursors (other nutrients involved in the biochemical formation of neurotransmitters from their specific amino acid precursors). These help restore the necessary amino acids and co-factors the body needs, and help produce more neurotransmitters.
What we’re trying to do is not trick the body, but work with it. That’s why our approach has proven to be so effective in the past, and why it can work for you in the future.
Take the first step toward recovery. Contact us for a consultation and discover how to stop pulling hair out.
What enzymes are helpful for this condition?
There are no systemic enzymes that are known to help with trich. However there are many nutrients, including amino acids and many vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that have been shown to help. The trick is determining your unique needs and providing you with the exact formulation(s) for your situation. Please call us 866-888-6721 and we can schedule an appointment to discuss your situation in detail.
Your brain processes emoiotns, thoughts, impressions, physical sensations by releasing chemicals. Saying that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance is an oxymoron; your whole body relies on it’s own internal chemistry to regulate everything: we are chemical! When you are happy your brain releases endorphins, which is a chemical that makes you feel good. When you are depressed your brain sends signals to you in the form of chemicals to tell you, you are unhappy.Look at it this way. If your tooth aches because of a cavity and you take Advil or some other pain supressant, this chemical stops the signal of pain. But it won’t take care of the cavity. Keep taking pain killers everyday and you won’t feel a thing but that does not mean the cavity is going away.If you are depressed that means you are not happy with something. By just taking medication you are stopping the signal, but you’re not taking care of the real cause.Taking the medication helps you stop feeling depressed, but if you don’t examine your situation then you’re not really dealing with whatever is causing that depression.
Hi Duygu – thanks for you comment. You are right on target – most medications only help mask the underlying problem but fail to provide a lasting solution. This is certainly the case with SSRI and like medications used for neurotransmitter-related disorders such as depression and trichotillomania; they fool the body into thinking there is more of specific brain chemicals than there actually are while making the problem worse over time.
Amino acid therapy is different. By taking the right combination of amino acids a person can actually correct the neurotransmitter imbalances that lead to these disorders. This addresses and provides a lasting solution for the underlying brain chemistry imbalance(s) present which eliminates the symptoms.
This isn’t to say that by taking these amino acids a person is completely free from their previous malady, be it depression, trich, anxiety, insomnia or over-eating. They may still have one or more behavioral, environmental, emotional and/or psychological issues to deal with. However, once proper neurotransmitter function is restored they will be in a much better position to deal with these other underlying causes, which makes resolving them much easier and straight-forward. Amino acid therapy is a vital piece of the overall puzzle of optimal health.
Thanks again for the comment –
Dr. Chad