The first post in this series discussed what ‘neurotransmitter testing’ actually is and what it is measuring. This post will cover when neurotransmitter testing is indicated and how it is used in practice. (more…)
We have discussed neurotransmitter testing at length on the amino acid therapy blog and on the website. Here we will provide a brief overview to understand when neurotransmitter testing is used and how to use the results. (more…)
From a biological perspective, the sensation of hunger is a pretty complex physiological response that involves the brain decoding messages about blood sugar, fat stores, energy needs and nutrient availability. However, there is a common denominator to hunger – and that is the messages themselves, or more specifically, the chemicals that are responsible for relaying all those messages. Those chemicals are called neurotransmitters. Mountains of clinical evidence and research have shown that we can control hunger by altering the levels of key neurotransmitters in the brain using amino acid therapy. (more…)
We work with a lot of people that experience symptoms of neurotransmitter imbalances, including migraines, depression, anxiety, insomnia, addiction, OCD, ADD/ADHD, cravings, trichotillomania, restless leg syndrome and Parkinson’s disease; before finding us, some of these people experiment with taking various amounts of different amino acids, including 5-HTP, L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, DL-phenylalanine, gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and L-theanine. Some people see a benefit with these experimental doses, but most experience no or negative effects, especially if they take only one amino acid, such as L-tryptophan or 5-HTP. In addition, it is likely that all of these people will cause further imbalance over time, as it is nearly impossible to determine the exact right dosing of amino acids that each person needs without proper testing and guidance. (more…)
Methylation is a biochemical process whereby one molecule delivers a methyl group to another molecule; this process is extremely important in a number of biological systems, including gene expression, detoxification, homocysteine metabolism and cardiovascular health. Methylation also plays a critical role in neurotransmitter balance. (more…)
I receive questions every week regarding neurotransmitter testing in regards to the use and clinical validity of the results. There is a lot of confusion out there about the use of testing neurotransmitters and/or neurotransmitter metabolites in the urine when trying to optimize neurotransmitter status. Rather than rehashing information that is already out there, I direct you to the following pages to learn more: Neurotransmitter Testing and OCT Assay Interpretation. (more…)
