Amino acid therapy entails determining and providing the body the necessary amino acids and accompanying cofactors needed to restore proper neurotransmitter function. Basically, we need to give the body what it needs to (a) replenish deficient stores of neurotransmitters and (b) reestablish proper balance between key neurotransmitters. Each person requires their own unique blend of amino acids and precursors to achieve optimal neurotransmitter function (and thus, eliminate symptoms associated with neurotransmitter imbalance). This is where the use of specific laboratory testing, clinical experience and proper training come into play.
Having a background in chemical engineering, I generally like to perform baseline testing to determine where we are starting from. In most areas of health, this is a valid and straight-forward process. With amino acid therapy, however, baseline testing is of no clinical value. The reason is that without being put into competitive inhibition (something I’ll expound upon in a minute) by taking a set amount of amino acids, neurotransmitter output is not constant. Instead, it fluctuates wildly day to day. I have actually done testing on myself on several different days while not taking amino acids; every test was different. Since the testing isn’t providing us a useful number, baseline testing without first taking amino acids is a waste of time and money.
Therefore, we will put the body into competitive inhibition by providing precursors for both serotonin and dopamine. We will use a combination product, such as NeuroReplete or D5, which contains 5-HTP and L-tyrosine (as well as L-dopa in the case of D5) to put the body in competitive inhibition.
Picture from Marty Hinz, MD.
Competitive inhibition means that precursors of serotonin and dopamine compete for enzymes to be made (and excreted). In this competitive inhibition state, we can get an accurate measurement of the function of certain “gates”, called Organic Cation Transporters (OCT) that are responsible for neurotransmitter flow and function. It is the function of these OCTs that we are trying to optimize.
With the assistance of specialize urine testing, we can determine each person’s need for various amino acids. Then we can use other formulas, such as D5 Mucuna 40%, RepleteExtra, TyrosineReplete, CysReplete and D5 Extra to deliver the unique combination needed be each person to restore proper function of the OCTs, thereby correcting neurotransmitter dysfunction and alleviating symptoms.
