Neurotransmitter Imbalance

Neurotransmitters affect every cell, tissue, and system in your body. And because neurotransmitters are functionally integrated with the immune system and the endocrine system (including the adrenal glands), neurotransmitter imbalances can cause widespread health problems such as:

  • Brain fog – loss of mental focus, ADD, ADHD, impaired memory, poor decision making
  • Fatigue
  • Insomnia – difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both
  • Pain – migraines, fibromyalgia
  • Obesity – metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and diabetes
  • Mood disorders – depression, mood swings, irritability
  • Anxiety – panic, obsessions, PTSD
  • Behavioral disturbances – addictions, binge eating, compulsions impulsivity, gambling, autism
  • Hormonal imbalances – PMS, estrogen dominance, low testosterone, hypo-thyroidism

Neurotransmitter Deficiencies

Dopamine

Symptoms of Impaired Dopamine Activity

  • Inability to self-motivate
  • Inability to start or finish tasks
  • Feelings of worthlessness
  • Feelings of hopelessness
  • Lose temper for minor reasons
  • Inability to handle stress
  • Anger and aggression while under stress
  • Desire to isolate oneself from others
  • Unexplained lack of concern for family and friends

Supplemental Support for Dopamine

  1. Mucuna pruriens
  2. Beta-Phenylethylamine (PEA)
  3. Blueberry Extract
  4. Selenium
  5. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
  6. N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
  7. D, L-Phenylalanine (DLPA)
  8. N-acetyl L-tyrosine
  9. P-5-P (Vitamin B6)
  10. Methyl Folate

Acetylcholine

Symptoms of Impaired Acetylcholine Activity

  • Loss of visual and photographic memory
  • Loss of verbal memory
  • Memory lapses
  • Impaired creativity
  • Diminished comprehension
  • Difficulty calculating numbers
  • Difficulty recognizing objects and faces
  • Slowness of mental responsiveness
  • Difficulty with directions and spatial orientation

Supplemental Support for Acetylcholine

  1. L-Huperzine A
  2. Alpha GPC
  3. Acetyl L-carnitine
  4. Pantothenic Acid

Some individuals may find the “crash” when supporting acetylcholine activity causing intense fatigue or other symptoms. This is due to the neurons being too close to threshold and not able to make enough energy to function properly. Although your brain may need acetylcholine support, it could be so fragile that just a little bit of support sends it over the edge, fatiguing both your neurons and your entire body.

Another issue that has been reported is that the additional neurotransmitter support can actually support negative plasticity. For example, if a person has tight calf muscles from training or poor postural tone, the acetylcholine support may stimulate her muscles to cramp before it’s able to impact her brain chemistry for memory. Taking acetylcholine support impacts all synapses in the body, not just those in the brain.

Another common adverse reaction in people who have failure in communication between their brain and gut is they immediately feel nauseous or even vomit when taking low doses of acetylcholine support. In these cases, the strategies to improve brain health and support the gut-brain axis should be considered seriously.

To address these potential issues you should use lower dosages, while paying attention to issues of brain inflammation and oxygenation.

If the individual is using nootropics (racetam) then their acetylcholine requirements will be increased further. More details given on this under Neuroscience Section.

GABA

Symptoms of Impaired GABA Activity

  • Feelings of anxiousness or panic for no reason
  • Feelings of dread
  • Feelings of inner tension and inner excitability
  • Feelings of being overwhelmed for no reason
  • Restless mind
  • Hard to turn your mind off when you want to relax
  • Disorganized attention
  • Worry about things you never had thought of before

Supplemental Support for GABA

  1. Valerian Root
  2. Lithium Orotate
  3. Passion flower extract
  4. Lemon Balm
  5. L-theanine
  6. Taurine
  7. P-5-P (Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate – B6)
  8. Magnesium
  9. Zinc
  10. Manganese
  11. GABA (Liposomal delivery method)

Serotonin

Symptoms of Impaired Serotonin Activity

  • Loss of pleasure in hobbies and interests
  • Feelings of inner rage and anger
  • Feelings of depression
  • Difficulty finding joy from life pleasures
  • Depression when it is cloudy or when there is lack of sunlight
  • Loss of enthusiasm for favorite activities
  • Not enjoying favorite foods
  • Not enjoying friendships and relationships
  • Unable to fall into deep restful sleep
  • Supplemental Support for Serotonin
  1. 5-HTP
  2. Tryptophan
  3. St. John’s Wort
  4. SAMe
  5. P-5-P (Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate – B6)
  6. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
  7. Magnesium
  8. Methyl B12
  9. Methyl Folate