The Science Behind Amino Acid Therapy

Amino acid therapy involves a lot more than taking a bunch of pills. To truly understand why this process works, you need to understand what is going on behind the scenes. The science behind amino acid therapy may not be a great read (except for you health-junkies!) but once you understand how and why it works you begin to understand why we can achieve such amazing results.

Use the navigation outline on the right to learn more about how and why amino acid therapy works. If you want to know it all, start at the top and work your way down (be sure and take a break and let the information sink in if you start to feel a little overwhelmed). Alternatively, go to the part that most interests you and start there. We have provided this information because there wasn’t a good, concise explanation of how this therapy came about and wanted to provide our clients with a resource they could use as well as a place they could refer their health care providers.

If this approach makes sense to you, please contact us – we’d love to help you achieve your optimal neurotransmitter function and eliminate your symptoms!

37 Comments

  1. Paula Threlkeld

    Could I talk to someone about my “familiar tremors?”

    Reply
    • Derek Killin

      Hi Paula,

      I use AAT and Dr. Chad. He is good, very good! Drop me a line if you want first hand experience of it or you can read my recommendation on Dr. Chad’s site

      Regards,

      Derek

      Reply
  2. Luther N Oliphant

    I am very interested in getting started trying to control my parkinsons. Were you trained in Amino Acid Therapy by a Dr. Marty Hinz? Do I have to come in to be evaluated or can this be done by telephone? Where are you located? Thank You Very Much

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Luther – thanks for contacting us; I have been working with Dr. Hinz since 2001. You do not need to come into the clinic; we can conduct your consultations via phone or Skype.

      We are located in Madison, WI; here is the contact information to set up an initial consultation: http://naturalpathhealthcenter.com/contact-us/

      I look forward to speaking with you –

      Sincerely,

      Dr. Chad

      Reply
  3. Leo M.

    How does Amino Acid therapy help Parkinsons Disease sufferers?

    Reply
  4. Anita Davy

    having trouble finding doc in my area that can test and prescribe amino acids for MIGRAINES – please help

    Reply
  5. Anita Davy

    having trouble finding doc in my area who can test and prescribe amino acids for MIGRAINES from hell

    Reply
  6. Kathy

    I have tremors in both my hands, particularly my thumbs and index fingers. I’ve had them for over 20 years and they’ve gotten worse over time. Using my hands for extended periods of time for sewing and holding a phone makes the tremors worse. Holding ones hands in one position for a long time cause stiffness or tremors in general. I’m concerned that the amino acid therapy will not work if I continue to do these activities. I would prefer to continue sewing as it’s something I enjoy.

    Reply
  7. Kathy

    I have had hand tremors for 20+ years with them worsening over the years. I do lots of sewing and other hand work. I’m wondering if the therapy will work even if I continue with this hand work? I’ve noticed that my tremors worsen when I do lots of hand work and return to “normal” when I rest my hands for a couple days. Have you worked with patients in similar situations? Thank you

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Kathy – thanks for your comments. Amino acid therapy would certainly be worth a try, as it sounds like your muscles are fatiguing quickly which can lead to a tremor. If the cause of the tremor is neurotransmitter dysfunction, your tremor should improve (and/or the time it takes for the tremor to worsen should lengthen) allowing you to continue with your sewing and other hand work as long as you’d like:)

      I look forward to speaking with you –

      Sincerely,

      Dr. Chad

      Reply
    • Angela Edwa ds

      Could I have more information. Have Parkinson’s Disease.Im 58.

      Reply
  8. Betty

    hi my mother was diagnosed for parkison’s for about 6 months now. I would like to know if she could be a candidate for this therapy. How shall i proceed? and how could i get your email address or skype address

    Reply
  9. Lydia Richardson

    I have ADHD. Would u be able to help with that.

    Reply
  10. sherry

    I’ve been on Effexor xr for 16 years now. I recently asked my doctor to up my dose to 150mg because of my depression and anxiety returning. I still feel this dose isn’t working. I was wondering if I can use these supplement while on Effexor?

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Sherry,

      This is a great question and one that we are often asked. You can use the amino acids while taking SSRI/SNRI medications. The amino acids will help the body produce more neurotransmitters which will ultimately increase the neurotransmitters in the system and give the drugs more amino acids to work with. In essence, they can help the medications work better.

      Hope that helps!

      Dr. Chad

      Reply
  11. Stephen A. Spodnik (914) 646-1785

    I was diagnosed with PD DEC of 2013 I am taking Rasagiline 1 mg once a day and I wear a nepro patch 8 mg just upped from 6 mg 10 days ago. I am very interested in your therapy please contact me in Yonkers NY

    Reply
  12. Diane

    Dr Chad,
    My daughter is going through a very rough time currently feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and related issues. She has seen her PCP and they are starting her on SSRI. Can her treatment be augmented with supplements or is that not advised? We have a very strong family history of anxiety and addiction disorders. Wondering if OCT testing would provide any answers. Do SSRI’s affect the test results?

    Thank you

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Diane,

      Thanks for the comment/questions. She can use amino acid therapy in conjunction with SSRI medications; just be sure she works with a provider with experience in this area (you can find a provider by contacting NeuroResearch at http://www.neurosupport.com). OCT testing is not significantly affected by SSRI use and will still be necessary to optimize dosing.

      Good luck!

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply
  13. Java Bento

    Hello,
    I am Java, I have a hashimoto hypothroide problem since 7 year. Last year for the first time I took 10 kilos… And i am suffering with articulations and water in my body.Even if I practice sport everyday. I am so sad about not knowing what to do to stop this process. I am 43 years old. Could someone help me ?
    Thank by advance.

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Java -thanks for contacting us. I would suggest you find a naturopathic doctor in your area that can do the requisite testing to help you determine how to proceed. It is very likely they will be able to help.

      Good luck!

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply
  14. Heidi

    Would this therapy be helpful with Huntinton’s Disease?

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Heidi,

      I do not know of any applications of amino acid therapy with those diagnosed with Huntington’s disease; however, you could inquire with the folks at NeuroResearch to see if they have anyone in their database: http://www.neurosupport.com.

      Good luck!

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply
  15. James Shepherd

    Is this effective against lung cancer?

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi James – I have seen no evidence that amino acid therapy would be helpful for addressing or managing lung cancer.

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply
  16. Dena DeVore

    Hello there Dr. Chad,

    I will be having my mom with Parkinsons contact you and some other Hinz trained docs. In the meantime,
    I have a genetic diagnosis of narcolepsy and I am thinking maybe my mom and I can do this together. As I have been researching natural Parkinsons therapies for my mom, I am wondering if this Amino Acid therapy may help my issue. It is a hypcretin/orexin deficiency in the brain stem. It seems that alot of the other things that go along with it, have been helped by the Amino Acid therapy. What do you think?

    Thank-you
    Dena

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Dena – thanks for the comment. I have only worked with one previously diagnosed case of narcolepsy; although we were able to help this person using amino acid therapy as one part of a multi-faceted approach, an N of 1 is just that, 1 case. I would suggest you contact NeuroResearch and see if there are any other docs that have more experience, as it is certain plausible that amino acid therapy could be part of a solution: http://www.neurosupport.com.

      Good luck!

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply
  17. Ken Swanston

    Hello:
    My wife and I live in Richmond British Columbia, Canada. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease over 20 years ago and it has progressed to stage 3. It has been treated at UBC initially by Dr. Donald Calne (now retired) and subsequently by Dr. Martin McKeown.
    Q1. I’ve read Dr. Heinz’s article indicating an increase in the death rate of PD patients since the introduction of Carbidopa and wonder if the Amino Acid Therapy has been used in enough PD patients to record a statistically significant (hopefully positive!) difference in lifespan?
    Q2. After reading the article I’ve convinced her and Dr. McKeown to have her recently arranged to stop using Carbidopa but (not having found this site until today) the only medical alternative available (Prolopa – “Levodop/Benseraz”) has been started but it is not available with a Controlled Release formula.
    Q2a. Does the “Benseraz” portion also negatively affect vitamin B6 metabolization in the brain?
    Q2b. Have PD patients that have switched to the Amino Acid Therapy regimen have similar ‘controlled release’ issues?
    Q3. Are there AAT trained folks in Vancouver/Richmond British Columbia, Canada that can assist with the Amino Acid Therapy?

    Thanks!
    Ken and Paulette Swanston

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Ken and Paulette – thanks for contacting us. I’ll send you directly to NeuroResearch to answer your questions: http://www.neurosupport.com. They may also be able to find you a provider in your area. If not, please contact Parkinson’s Clinics as they are currently accepting new international patients.

      Good luck!

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply
  18. Amy

    I have a question about amino acid supplements. Can you take a supplement with 20 amino acids in it and if you don’t need them, will they be excreted out of your system or absorbed and can become toxic?

    Reply
    • aatadmin

      Hi Amy,

      Amino acids are utilized for many processes in the body and will generally be utilized in some fashion. However, depending upon the amount taken and need, some amino acids may have undesired effects in excessive doses (either from supplements or supplements + dietary intake).

      With that said, if the supplement you are taking is balanced and you do not take in excessive amount of protein in your diet, you are likely at low risk of adverse events.

      I hope that helps!

      Sincerely,

      Dr Chad

      Reply

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