Having a proper balance of Serotonin and Dopamine can have a positive influence on many things in both body and mind.
Some mental factors are: energy, attention, mood, excessive appetite (brain can crave aminos in food), memory, thinking ability, etc… Boosting serotonin and dopamine is used to treat nerve damage and head-trauma, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Anxiety, ADHD/ADD, of course Depression, obesity, and excessive appetite, Chromes Disease, etc…
Serotonin and Dopamine
Serotonin is synthesized from HTP. Dopamine is synthesized from Tyrosine. The two act as competitors; when you raise one the other gets pushed down (and vise versa). Therefore, to avoid a depletion of one, these two are always taken together. Dr Martin Hinz (the inventor of an amino acid program) has access to 75,000 lab tests on 7,500 patients and spent 7 years to develop a process of supplementing patients with amino acids. Dr Hinz tells providers that they should not attempt to adjust this initial ratio, it will be counter-productive. This doses of HTP and Tyrosine are always given in a 1:10 ratio.
I’m praising Dr Hinz because his methods are working for me. His information is freely available and uses standard easy to obtain amino-acids. Dr Hinz’s research may be used independent of his products. Finally, the volume of free material published by Hinz and his associates is impressive. It is enough to keep me very busy for quite some time.
MAX DOSE
Both Dr Hinz and Dr Kalish publish recommended Max doses that do not require a lab test. Dr Kalish does some public speaking to non-medical persons. He is also trained and in contact with Dr Hinz about the amino acid program.
Dr Kalish’s, in a radio blog interview (2), gives what he calls a conservative maximum of 300 mg HTP and 3000 mg Tyrosine per day.
Cofactors for 5-HTP and or L-Tyrosine (per day per 300 mg of HTP and 3000 mg Tyrosine):
Vitamin C 1000 mg
B6 75 mg
Calcium Citrate 220 mg
- I’m not concerned about dividing these down as much as I am about making sure they are included in the minimum amounts. The cofactors are just as important as the precursors (htp/tyrosine). They team-up with the pre-cursors rather than compete.Dr Kalish’s Interview
Here are my a few take-away-points from the Dr Kalish interview (2):Dr Kalish has been studying the brain for 8 yearsLow Serotonin & Low Dopamine
- Excessive Appetite (Food Cravings)
- crave sweets but protein is needed
- Weight Gain
- Depression
- Feeling better after overeating
- Low Dopamine
- Focus Concentration
- Low Serotonin
- Unduly Sad
- Overly Sensitive
- Anxious
Dopamine acts like a dimmer switch (over time) while serotonin acts like a light switch (sudden changes)
Neurotoxicity caused by chemicals (and pesticides) dumped into the environment eventually making their way to the brain.
- L-cysteine HCL (cysteine)
Dr Hinz starts all patients with L-cysteine and cofactors (3). In Dr Hinz’s research, L-cysteine is added to compensate for L-tyrosine-induced depletion of sulfur amino acids. Dr Hinz’s doses for L-cysteine are also used for lab-testing purposes. If I divide down the doses for L-cysteine to match the recommended 500 mg per day on the bottle sold in the USA, I get the following really small doses for the co-factors:
Selenium 45 μg
- Folic Acid (folate) 45 μg
Dr Hinz’s packages L-cysteine in a trademarked product called CysReplete. These exact ratios above are present in each pill. Each pill contains:
1500 mg, Selenium – 134 mcg, Folate – 133 mcg
I take between 2 and 3 pills of l-cysteine a day. I will adjust this up or down based on how I feel and may increase to satisfy any substance craving I might have. I may decrease or increase either the htp/tyrosine together (keeping the 1:10 ratio) or decrease/increase the l-cysteine based on how I feel. Due to the 1/wk adjustment period, I’m more likely to leave the primary treatment does for htp/tyrosine alone and change the dose of the l-cysteine. These issues lessen as I get use to the dose and are replaced by enhanced mood and energy.
Drink L-cysteine with a big glass of water.
Dr Hinz uses the HCL form of L-Cysteine. Whole-foods carries a different form called N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). Although this may have higher bioavailability, I choose to stick with the HCL form used in the research. The HCL form is about half the price of the NAC.
Here is an example the HCL form:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-ajipure-l-cysteine-pharmaceutical-grade-500-mg-30-caps
So, that is great news, this is the HCL form used in Dr Hinz’s CysReplete brand.
There are other benefits with L-cysteine including its ability to remove heavy metals from the body and it being an anti-oxidant.
Info about cysteine (4):
Supplemental cysteine may also be prescribed to reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.
- detoxifying heavy metals and chemical
- protecting cells from free-radical damage
- breaking down excess lung mucous
-
Deficiencies may decrease your body’s production of cysteine, such as
- methionine,
- vitamin B6,
- vitamin B12,
- s-adenosylmethionine known as SAMe, and
- folic acid
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — Maryland Health Center 600 milligrams taken twice daily may prove beneficial
HIV or AIDS, you may as high as 4,000 milligrams cysteine per day
WARNING: if your body can’t metabolize cysteine you could suffer neurodegeneration
If you are concerned about loose hair follicles (see the Reference 1) you should investigate L-lysine. Notice, the doses of L-cystine in reference 1 are much greater, so L-lysine may not be needed.
Interactions with:
- Nitroglycerin ( headaches and even cause you to faint)
- Activated charcoal
- Side Effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergic reactions, low blood pressure, heart beat irregularities, breathing problems, and even death
- asthma sufferers experiencing L-Cysteine side effects due to accidental inhalation of the supplement powder
Other Ingredients: Cellulose, gelatin, magnesium stearate, medium chain triglycerides, silica.
This is the TwinLabs version brand in the dark uv-protectant glass bottle. Also says “Well tolerated by the most highly allergic individuals.”
Dr Kalish says that lab test are required for anyone under 18-16 years of age. He says Children respond wonderfully to the treatment and that they are extremely sensitive to the dose.
References
Relative nutritional deficiencies associated with centrally acting monoamines
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355850/
Notes:
“At the initial visit it is recommended that the following adult amino acid dosing values be initiated: L-cysteine 4500 mg, L-tyrosine 3000 mg, vitamin C 1000 mg, L-lysine 500 mg, 5-HTP 300 mg, calcium citrate 220 mg, vitamin B6 75 mg, folate 400 μg, and selenium 400 μg. The pediatric dosing values (<17 years) are half the adult dosing values. A full discussion of the scientific basis for each of these amino acid and cofactor nutrients is covered in previous writings by the authors. A brief overview is as follows:
L-tyrosine and 5-HTP are dopamine and serotonin precursors, respectively. Vitamin C, vitamin B6, and calcium citrate are cofactors required in the synthesis of serotonin and/or dopamine. Folate is required for optimal synthesis of sulfur amino acids. Selenium is given in response to the ability of cysteine to concentrate methylmercury in the central nervous system. L-lysine prevents loose hair follicles in a bariatric medical practice. L-cysteine is administered to compensate for L-tyrosine-induced depletion of sulfur amino acids.3,4,6,12”
Dr Kalish’s interview http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2011/12/02/brain-drain-with-dr-dan-kalish
NEUROTRANSMITTER TESTING GUIDELINES by Marty Hinz https://docs.google.com/document/d/17cVmXgFSRaEDjHVR2kGS1HSZIYsyHRj2kUhy7gkaG5o/pub
http://www.livestrong.com/article/281794-role-of-cysteine/
A collection of all documents related to this topic: http://goo.gl/JwgbO
More notes…
You need a sulfur amino that works as a methyl donor (like Cysteine HCL or SAMe). NAC is safer but does not work for this purpose. Cysteine is more cost-effective. This is why Cysteine and L-5-MTHF must be taken together to achieve this safely without raising Homo-cysteine (easily tested) levels too much. Dr Chad Oler can explain this much better than I can.
Also google Dr Mercola on Dopamine Depression Parkinson
Eat these foods for your brain:
- Seaweed
- Egg Whites
- Cottage Cheese
- Salmon
- Turkey
- Pumpkin Flesh
- Pork
- Mustard Greens
- Chicken
- Buffalo
- Cod
- Tuna
- Sesame Seeds
- Kidney Beans
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Banana
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Contact Motherhealth Inc for bayarea caregivers for homebound seniors 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com
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Pain and itch are influenced by two chemicals , Serotonin and Dopamine. Eat the following whole foods to balance Serotonin, Dopamine and Endorphins and do get a hug too. Hugging can increase the production of dopamine in your brain. Endorphins are endogenous opioid neuropeptides and peptide hormones in humans and other animals. They are produced by the central nervous system and the pituitary gland. Scratching an itch causes minor pain, which prompts the brain to release serotonin. But serotonin also reacts with receptors on neurons that carry itch signals to the brain, making itching worse. It has been observed that the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine stimulates this brain center to feel pleasure in “peak experiences,” such as from solving a difficult problem.
