RileyTanaka
ill / failure
- Mar 20, 2020
- 264
Before chronic illness ravaged my life, I had longstanding battles with depression, mood instability, and hypersensitivity dating back to adolescence. Like so many here, I went through the obligatory merry-go-round of therapy and psychiatric medications. And while going through this legally sanctioned experimentation did have some marginal results, the symptoms of low energy, low mood, and problems relating to others persisted well into my late 20's. It's like playing on the slow setting of a game as you watch others around you progress in their careers, social lives, romantic lives, and wondering why you're indentured to living at a snail's pace with twice the effort.
There was only one thing that actually did work in a noticeable and concrete way that didn't damage me neurologically - amino acid therapy. This is something I first learned about from the book "The Diet Cure" by nutritionist Julia Ross. In the book, Ross explains how symptoms of serotonin/dopamine/norepenephrine deficiency occur as a result of nutritional deficiency and manifest as mental health issues. This is partially because our modern diet doesn't allow for easy bioavailability of nutrients that might otherwise balance out our neurotransmitters. But according to Ross, the safe supplementation of precursors like L-Tryptophan, L-Tyrosine, L-Glutamine, GABA and 5-HTP/L-Tryptophan can relieve some of the more incapacitating symptoms. After reading her book, I learned I was suffering most from serotonin deficiency. After 2 days of dosing with L-tryptophan before bed, the feelings of unhappiness, low mood, and sensitivity to others decreased by about 60-65%. It was far more effective than any psych meds I'd dabbled in before, and with virtually no side effects by comparison.
If you're interested, be sure to take her "Mood Type" quiz to see what neurotransmitters you're deficient in and how you'd need to supplement (see guidelines in the table below). Be sure to take these amino acids in isolation and not in a formulation, where it would be mixed with other substances. This will help you track your progress more efficiently and with less confusion. Not to mention it's safer. For those on psych meds now, I recommend only trying this therapy when you've titrated off so there is no possible interaction.
Obviously this is not a cure all so manage your expectations; this isn't a panacea but a form of symptom management. Give it a try for about 2-3 days, gradually increasing your dose at stopping at a reasonable amount (see guidelines below). Everyone will react differently, so take note of how your mind and body respond.
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor/psychiatrist, so please take my recommendation as anecdotal and not as medical advice.
There was only one thing that actually did work in a noticeable and concrete way that didn't damage me neurologically - amino acid therapy. This is something I first learned about from the book "The Diet Cure" by nutritionist Julia Ross. In the book, Ross explains how symptoms of serotonin/dopamine/norepenephrine deficiency occur as a result of nutritional deficiency and manifest as mental health issues. This is partially because our modern diet doesn't allow for easy bioavailability of nutrients that might otherwise balance out our neurotransmitters. But according to Ross, the safe supplementation of precursors like L-Tryptophan, L-Tyrosine, L-Glutamine, GABA and 5-HTP/L-Tryptophan can relieve some of the more incapacitating symptoms. After reading her book, I learned I was suffering most from serotonin deficiency. After 2 days of dosing with L-tryptophan before bed, the feelings of unhappiness, low mood, and sensitivity to others decreased by about 60-65%. It was far more effective than any psych meds I'd dabbled in before, and with virtually no side effects by comparison.
If you're interested, be sure to take her "Mood Type" quiz to see what neurotransmitters you're deficient in and how you'd need to supplement (see guidelines in the table below). Be sure to take these amino acids in isolation and not in a formulation, where it would be mixed with other substances. This will help you track your progress more efficiently and with less confusion. Not to mention it's safer. For those on psych meds now, I recommend only trying this therapy when you've titrated off so there is no possible interaction.
Obviously this is not a cure all so manage your expectations; this isn't a panacea but a form of symptom management. Give it a try for about 2-3 days, gradually increasing your dose at stopping at a reasonable amount (see guidelines below). Everyone will react differently, so take note of how your mind and body respond.
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor/psychiatrist, so please take my recommendation as anecdotal and not as medical advice.
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