Neurotransmitters: What's Your Internal Influence?

Let's Talk About Imbalances Within the Body For A Moment

Hormonal Imbalance?  

In today's world we have people who's appetites need suppressing, sleep initiated, weight loss induced, energy gained, or contraceptive organs ignited. People continue to use hormones (other than their own) as the answer to these imbalances of the body.  

But, is there a better way?

Yes!

We were each born with a unique biochemistry.  

This biochemistry brings us great harmony in our lives when balanced, and can cause disruption when imbalanced.  Our biochemistry is greatly influenced by tiny chemical messengers called hormones and neurotransmitters.

Our body maintains homeostasis (stable) with the help of the central nervous system (through neurotransmitters), endocrine system (through hormones) and our amazing immune system (through antibodies and specialized cells).

It's really super amazing how easily the body works together with all these complex parts...you should hear me SPEAK about this stuff! 

Hormones and neurotransmitters are two separate chemical messengers with some molecules acting as both hormones and neurotransmitters.  When a neurotransmitter is running low, we see hormones coming to bat for our health.  

Thus, if we can balance our neurotransmitters, our hormones can often regain balance!

Neurotransmitters transmit signals from one neuron to a target cell across a synapse. (Think live wire with an electrical current running through it.)

From one neuron to another, these tiny chemicals transport trillions of commands across the seas of synapse throughout your body each minute.  These sparks tell your heart to beat, lungs to breathe, stomach to digest, body to rest, and can affect your mood, your concentration, and your weight.

The brain is only able to divide and make new cells (neurogenesis) during fetal development and for a few months after birth, with only one exception.

The hippocampus is the only area of the brain where neurogenesis has been shown to continue throughout our lifetime.  This is where memory encoding and storage is shown to happen.

Thank GOODNESS for that!

The brain cells that produce our neurotransmitters are built to last a lifetime.  We MUST take care of them to keep them sparking!

The average human brain has around 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) and many more neuroglia (glial cells) which support the billions of neurons. Each neuron can form links with up to 10 thousand other neurons at one time.  

With a typical neuron being able to fire 5-50 times a second, we can create up to 1,000 trillion synaptic connections a second!

Talk about spark!

Neurotransmitters generally fall into two categories: Inhibitory and Excitatory.  

• Excitatory neurotransmitters are what stimulate your brain.

• Inhibitory neurotransmitters calm the brain and balance your mood.

When your excitatory neurotransmitters get too excited, or overactive, it depletes the inhibitory transmitters.

Example: 
When I present a class in front of a room full of people (20 or 200 or 2000), my brain seems to go through a million thoughts per minute. (That is dopamine at work.)

And when I am done – I literally CRASH. (My GABA was all used up!)  

I literally crawl into bed……with a salad and asparagus….and a BioMat!

Stress, poor diet, biocides, neurotoxins, drugs (recreational and prescription), alcohol, dissolved solids in our water supply, endocrine disruptors such as xenoestrogen, cholesterol lowering medications, and caffeine usage can cause neurotransmitter levels to be depleted.  

A staggering 86% of Americans have suboptimal neurotransmitter levels. 

Personally I believe all dis-ease is neurotransmitter related.

At a very young age, I became GABA deficient.  My parents did not know, and the doctors didn’t know, as little study was being done on our “sparks” at this time.  

My childhood and young adult life were speckled with seizers.  

Epilepsy was the title given to the dis-ease, along with three medications.

My involvement in natural health when I was 20 and lead me on a course where I was able to increase my GABA levels with food, and completely reverse my epilepsy.  

I am happily seizure free now for almost 30 years!

Many people are born with neurotransmitter imbalances, which often lead to a host of complications.

Let's focus on four of our neurotransmitters:  

• Dopamine (DA)

• Acetylcholine (Ach)

• Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

• Serotonin (5-HT)

Each of us make these neurotransmitters, and we each have a dominant neurotransmitter.  We also may have a deficiency in one, or all.  

Listed below you will find traits of those well balanced, and symptoms of deficiency.

You can take a urine test if you have access.

Now Let's Dive In Understanding More About the Four

Dopamine

Dopamine is both an excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter.  Dopamine can help with depression as well as increase focus. 17% of the population is dopamine dominant.

When balanced one is motivated, tireless, fast on their feet, self-confident, highly rational, more comfortable with facts than emotions, focuses intently, strategic thinking, masterminding, inventing, problem solving, envisioning, functions under stress.

Symptoms of depletion include the blues, insomnia, poor focus, forgetfulness, Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, social anxiety, drug abuse, ADD, MS, depression, PMS, and more.

It was Arvid Carlsson, a Swedish neuropharmacologist, who discovered that the precursor to dopamine (called L-dopa) could alleviate some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2000 for his work.  

Drugs like cocaine, opium, heroin, nicotine, alcohol and medication for ADD/ADHD increase the levels of dopamine.  BUT stimulating dopamine can actually lead to the depletion of dopamine. Ouch!

Acetylcholine

Acetylcholine is most often excitatory, but can become an inhibitory depending upon the receptor on the adjoining cell.  Acetylcholine is responsible for much of the stimulation of muscles.  

When balanced one is highly creative, quick thinker, social, works with senses, authentic, adventurous, romantic, optimistic, creative, spontaneous, intuitive, enjoys anything involving words, ideas, and communication.  

Symptoms of depletion include panic disorder, bipolar disorder, hyper/hypo thyroidism, hyperglycemia, ADD, narcolepsy, diabetes, muscle pain, Alzheimer’s, and more.

Doctors find up to a 90% loss of acetylcholine in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s.

Side note
Plant poisons such as curare and hemlock cause paralysis by blocking the acetylcholine receptor sites in muscle cells.  Another poison, botulin, has a derivative that is used by millions to temporarily eliminate wrinkles – Botox.  

Goodness me!  Purposely inhibiting our acetylcholine…now that is just plain scary! 

Gamma-Amino Butyric acid (GABA)

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter.  

GABA acts as the emergency brake for the excitatory neurotransmitters that lead to nervousness or anxiety.  50% of the population is GABA dominant.

GABA contributes to motor control, vision, and many cortical functions.

When balanced one is stable, consistent, prompt, social, calm, objective, levelheaded, practical, organized, focused, team player, sensible, believes in traditions and institutions.

Symptoms of depletion include dizziness, phobias, tinnitus, severe heart arrhythmia, migraines, violent temper, facial pains, tachycardia, anxiety disorders, epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, and more.

Serotonin

Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is strongly involved in emotion and mood. Serotonin resynchronizes the brain while sleeping so you wake with a fresh start.

If you have a serotonin dominance, you are among 17% of the population.  

When balanced one is responsive to sensory input, thrives on change, physically coordinated, resourceful, great at trouble-shooting, love excitement, passionate, cheerful, optimistic, easygoing, intensely loyal, love independence.

Symptoms of depletion include vaginal dryness, IBS, delayed sexual response, insomnia, loner behaviors, RA, alcoholism, sleeping disorders, depression, anger control, obsessive-compulsive disorder, suicide, increased appetite for carbohydrates, migraines, fibromyalgia, use of hallucinatory drugs, and more.

So now that we know about the four neurotransmitters, what can be done to balance those what are out of balance?

Next Steps!

There are numerous ways to clean our blood and cell receptor sites so our nervous system can communicate with its neurotransmitters again and for endocrine organs to start producing enough hormones, but that's for another article!

But I don't want to leave you hanging.

Here are FIVE TIPS you can implement today to help balance your neurotransmitters.

1. EnJOY 2 quarts of water by 2 pm

2. EnJOY B vitamins, zinc, CoQ10 and iodine (most people are very iodine deficient)

3. EnJOY more living raw food than cooked (this can be delicious! and fun!)

4. EnJOY exercise, walking, dance Nia, just Move to the Grove each day!

5. EnJOY FORGIVING OTHERS! (A heart that cannot forgive cannot heal.)

It is my hope to inspire you and your clients to re-establish hormonal and neurotransmitter balance naturally.  

There are foods and supplements that can increase each of our neurotransmitters.

Likewise, there are foods that act as kryptonite for each as well.  

If I may add my political opinion, The Third “New Deal” should be bringing balance to our lives, communities, and governments through natural health!

Sorry, I am not running for president…

Hmmm…….. my Dopamine mind is thinking about that!

Enjoy your sparks!

Amazing Health? It’s a Cell Thing!