|
|
|
|
Neurological Nutrition |
|
Nerve Nutrition |
|
GETTING THE BODY TO
MANUFACTURE NEUROTRANSMITTERS
"The composition of each meal could have a
direct effect on the production of chemical
signals in the brain." (The New York Times, January 9, 1979) Rather than give a
synthetic drug to
block or mimic the body's chemical nerve messengers (neurotransmitters), it
is possible nutritionally to encourage the body to make its own natural
ones. If we are what we eat, then
our nerves also depend on what they are fed. Here is tremendous
potential for the alleviation of depression, anxiety, neuroses, panic attacks
and sleep disorders. NOREPINEPHRINE L-phenylalanine (from
protein foods) -> L-tyrosine (made in the liver) -> dopa
-> dopamine -> norepinephrine -> epinephrine This process looks
complex but actually is readily accomplished, particularly if the body has
plenty of vitamin C. Since one's dietary supply of the first ingredient,
L-phenylalanine, is usually adequate, it is more likely to be a shortage of
vitamin C that limits production of norepinephrine. Physicians giving
large doses of vitamin C have had striking success in reversing
depression. It is a remarkably safe and inexpensive approach to
try. ACETYLCHOLINE Your body will make its
own acetylcholine from choline. Choline is available in the diet as
phosphatidyl choline, found in lecithin. Lecithin is found in egg
yolks and most soy products. Three tablespoons daily of soya lecithin
granules provide about five grams (5,000 milligrams) of phosphatidyl
choline. Long-term use of this amount is favorably mentioned in The
Lancet, February 9, 1980. Lecithin supplementation has no known
harmful effects whatsoever. In fact, your brain by dry weight is almost
one-third lecithin! How far can we go with this idea of simply feeding
the brain what it is made up of? In Geriatrics, July 1979,
lecithin is considered as a therapy to combat memory loss. Studies at MIT show increases in both
choline and acetylcholine in the brains of animals after just one lecithin
meal. Supplemental choline has even shown promise in treating Alzheimer's
Disease. (Today's Living, February, 1982) Your body can make much
of its own lecithin. Ample amounts of B-complex vitamins, especially B-6
(pyridoxine) must be present for this to occur. B-6 deficiency is very
common in Americans, and that "deficiency" is measured against an
already ridiculously low US RDA of only two milligrams. The amount of
B-6 needed for clinical effectiveness in, say, rabbits is the human dose
equivalent of 75 mg daily. That is over 35 times more than the
RDA! Really enormous doses of
B-6 taken alone have produced temporary neurological side effects. It
usually takes between 2,000 and 5,000 mg daily for symptoms of numbness or
tingling in the extremities. Some side effects have been reported as low
as 500 mg daily, but these are very rare indeed. Therapeutic doses
between 100 and 500 milligrams daily are commonly prescribed by physicians
for PMS relief. A few hundred milligrams of individual B-6, especially if
taken in addition to the entire B-complex to ensure balance, is very safe
indeed. SEROTONIN Your brain produces
serotonin from the amino acid L-tryptophan. L-tryptophan is one of the parts
of protein essential to life. Chicken, nuts, beans, and dairy products
are everyday sources of this natural and necessary substance. (http://www.doctoryourself.com/prozac.html) You can buy L-tryptophan,
but is expensive. There is little, if any, justification for this continued priceyness
for L-tryptophan supplements, for it is put in liquid feedings for the
elderly and is in all infant formulas. The good news is that
your body can relax sooner thanks to inexpensive, readily-available vitamin
B-3, niacin. L-tryptophan is broken
down into niacin by a 60 to 1 ratio. That means you need a lot of
tryptophan to make a little niacin, and a lot of tryptophan is difficult to
come up with nowadays. It also means, however, that only a little niacin
(1/60th as much) can go a long way. Niacin does not make serotonin, but
may spare it by way of a parallel biochemical mechanism. The amount of
niacin needed to help relax you for sleep (50 to a few hundred mg) is
substantially less than the dose routinely given by cardiologists to lower
serum cholesterol levels (several thousand mg/day). Body saturation of niacin
is indicated by a warmness of the skin and blushing or "flushing"
sensation. At this point, most persons will also experience a feeling of
relaxation and ease. Unlike pharmaceutical tranquilizers, niacin simply feeds
the body what it needs to internally and naturally provide relief. Niacin (or L-tryptophan)
has also been effective in treating obsessive-compulsive neurosis (Let's
Live, September 1979) and even schizophrenia. Drs. David Hawkins and
Linus Pauling have written a 670-page textbook on the subject entitled Orthomolecular
Psychiatry (1973). This is a comprehensive work and well worth your
investigation. For more information
about niacin therapy for mental illness, please do a search for
"Hoffer" using the "search" box on the home page. REFERENCES: Galenberg, A.
"Tyrosine for the Treatment of Depression," American Journal of
Psychiatry, 147:622, May, 1980
Growden, A.
"Neurotransmitter Precursors in the Diet," in Nutrition and the
Brain, Wurtman and Wurtman, Eds., 117-181, Raven Press, 1979 Hawkins, D. and Pauling,
L. Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia W. H.
Freeman, 1973 Hoffer, A. and Walker, M.
Orthomolecular Nutrition, Keats, 1978 Huemer, R P. "Brain
Food: Neurotransmitters Make You Think," Let's Live, December,
1981 Lilliston, L. Megavitamins,
Fawcett Publications, 1975 Nutrition News, Vol 2, No. 9, 1979 Passwater, R. Supernutrition,
Pocket Books, 1975 Pauling, L. How
To Live Longer and Feel Better, W. H. Freeman, 1986 "Choline and
Lecithin for a Better Memory," Today's Living, February,
1982 I have also written more
on the specifics of employing niacin therapeutically in my books, FIRE YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html
) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html
) For ordering information, Click Here .
|
|
|
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This page is not in any way offered as prescription, diagnosis nor treatment for any disease, illness, infirmity or physical condition. Any form of self-treatment or alternative health program necessarily must involve an individual's acceptance of some risk, and no one should assume otherwise. Persons needing medical care should obtain it from a physician. Consult your doctor before making any health decision. Neither the author nor the webmaster has authorized the use of their names or the use of any material contained within in connection with the sale, promotion or advertising of any product or apparatus. Single-copy reproduction for individual, non-commercial use is permitted providing no alterations of content are made, and credit is given. |
|
|
|
|
| Home | Order my Books | About the Author | Contact Us | Webmaster | |
