benzodiazapines

The Anxiety Summit – Histamine-containing Foods: their Role in Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia

May 13, 2015 By Trudy Scott 81 Comments

Yasmina Ykelenstam, the Low Histamine Chef, was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Histamine-containing Foods: their Role in Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia

What is histamine
Yasmina’s anxiety story and how she discovered the histamine connection
How histamine can cause symptoms of anxiety: high-histamine foods, low levels of DAO or HMNT enzyme, neuroinflammation
The histamine and depression/ schizophrenia connection and possible links to pyroluria
Histamine disorders: allergies, histamine intolerance and mast cell activation
The difficulty in diagnosing a histamine intolerance
High histamine foods and factors that cause histamine to be released
High histamine foods with anti-inflammatory properties
How to eat when you have a histamine intolerance: the “histamine-balanced” diet
Histamine interaction with psych medications such as valium and why this can be problematic for many doing the Ashton benzodiazepine taper protocol
Histamine interaction with other medications and dyes in medications

Here are some snippets from our interview:

Histamine is the gluten of the intolerance world

Histamine is a neurotransmitter and plays a role in mood disorders

Here is one of the recent studies I mentioned: The human histaminergic system in neuropsychiatric disorders

The histaminergic system is involved in basic physiological functions, such as the sleep-wake cycle, energy and endocrine homeostasis, sensory and motor functions, cognition, and attention, which are all severely affected in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Here, we present recent postmortem findings on the alterations in this system in neuropsychiatric disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntington’s disease (HD), depression, and narcolepsy.

Histamine can cause symptoms of anxiety:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Shortness of breath and gasping for air
Pounding heart
Dizziness and feeling faint

Here is the complete list of Histamine Intolerance Symptoms on Yasmina’s blog

Yasmina’s blog is a wealth of information. Here is a post on The Histamine Mast Cell Depression link

According to a growing body of research, by Dr Theoharides and others, shows that pro-inflammatory brain cytokines are implicated in depression. In English: mast cells cause inflammation in the brain, which causes depression.

In short, neuroinflammation, involving mast cells, can manifest in many different ways. In some people it can cause disorders involving a loss of speech (autism) or psych disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar, major depression), or demyelination disorders like Multiple Sclerosis

We didn’t discuss this paper, but I’m sharing it because it’s the most recent study by Dr. Theoharides: Mast cells, brain inflammation and autism

brain MCs [mast cells] may be involved in the pathogenesis of “brain fog,” headaches, and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which worsen with stress

I did bring up “whole blood histamine” testing and the work of Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and Dr. William Walsh but we’ll have to take a deeper dive into this in a subsequent interview. You can read more about this here: Methylation and anxiety: histadelia and histapenia

We did also briefly talk about this in my interview with Dr Ben Lynch: How Methylfolate can make you Feel Worse and even Cause Anxiety, and What to do about it

Our discussion around the benzodiazapines was fascinating and very concerning:

Many people doing a benzo taper are often switched to Valium which is a DAO blocker and further prevents histamine from being removed from the body

Dye are also triggers…the pink Xanax can be problematic

In general I have real concerns with benzodiazapines being prescribed and you can check out my interview with Dr. Katherine Pittman on season 1 of the Anxiety Summit here: Benzodiazepines Risks vs Benefits

Be sure to get Yasmina’s ebook Taster of My High Nutrient Diet

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

Nutrients for dementia: could they help during benzodiazepine withdrawal?

September 19, 2014 By Trudy Scott 29 Comments

Half Coconut and Flower on Bamboo Mat

Could certain nutrients help with memory and cognitive issues, and the “pseudo-dementia” symptoms so many people experience when withdrawing from benzodiazapines?

In a recent article I shared the new research on benzodiazepines being linked to increased Alzheimer’s risk and other serious concerns.

Alison, who was featured in the Boston Globe story, commented on the above blog post:

I am only 29 years old, and I developed what I refer to as pseudo-dementia once I developed a tolerance to benzodiazepines and it got worse once the drug was stopped. From what I have seen from others recovering from and in tolerance to benzodiazepines, cognitive functioning and memory can get hit hard and actually mimic dementia. I wonder if the symptoms these elders are experiencing are true Alzheimer’s, or a side effect/withdrawal effect.

This really got me thinking. She makes an excellent point. It may well be that the symptoms they are seeing in the study are a side effect/withdrawal effect, rather than true Alzheimer’s disease and may be reversible. It surprises me that the study authors have not commented on this since cognitive effects are well documented in the literature.

Here are a few examples I found:

“Benzodiazepines revisited—will we ever learn?” Published in Addiction in 2011

“The review noted a series of adverse effects that continued to cause concern, such as cognitive and psychomotor impairment. In addition, dependence and abuse remain as serious problems. Despite warnings and guidelines, usage of these drugs remains at a high level.”

“Benzodiazepine harm: how can it be reduced?” Published in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in January this year (2014)

“Adverse effects comprise sedation subjectively and cognitive and psychomotor impairment objectively. Complex skills such as driving can be compromised… Withdrawal and dependence have excited particular concern, and even polemic. Perhaps a third of long term (beyond 6 months) users experience symptoms and signs on attempting to withdraw – anxiety, insomnia, muscle spasms and tension and perceptual hypersensitivity.”

I was not able to find much in the literature on pseudo-dementia. I did see it listed on the benzo.org.uk site but not elsewhere in relation to benzodiazapines.

I did find this paper “Pseudo-dementia: A neuropsychological review” which is presumably something different (as it refers to depression/dementia). This part may be applicable: “ ‘The pseudo component’ which denotes the actual lack of the neurodegenerative dementia” and the fact that it can be reversed.

This all inspired me to do some digging on dementia. If what they are seeing in participants of the British Medical Journal is not true dementia, it’s very encouraging to think that recovery is possible.

There are some very powerful foods and nutrients that help certain people with dementia and I wonder if they would also help with the benzodiazepine-induced pseudo-dementia:

Not all of the above would work for everyone because of biochemical individuality, and there are mixed results in the literature, but it’s worth assessing for possible deficiencies and addressing overall nutrient status.

It would be wonderful to think that benzo recovery can be improved in the areas of cognition, memory and “pseudo-dementia.”

Interestingly, many of these above nutrients are also factors in anxiety and/or depression and may be related to why someone sought help and was prescribed benzos initially.

P.S. There nutrients are great for overall brain function so anyone could benefit from one or more of them. I actually take 20mg of lithium orotate a day and it helps keep my post-menopausal brain sharp and focused.

P.P.S. I have recently learned that many people in benzo withdrawal do not tolerate supplements so please USE CAUTION and work with your health practitioner. I will do a part 2 follow up to this blog listing foods high in these nutrients in case you feel more comfortable and do better with a food based approach.

The Anxiety Summit: Benzodiazepines Risks vs Benefits

June 18, 2014 By Trudy Scott 54 Comments

This is day 10 of the Anxiety Summit. Dr Catherine M. Pittman, Ph.D., Clinical psychologist, psychology professor, and co-author of Extinguishing Anxiety is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Benzodiazepines in the Treatment of Anxiety: Weighing Risks and Benefits

benzodiazapines: how they work and some of the benefits
side-effects, tolerance facts and withdrawal effects
survey results from members of the Benzobuddies.org online support group:
what sort of questions should we be asking about benzodiazepine prescriptions

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs primarily used for treating anxiety.

I heard Dr. Pittman present on this topic at The Anxiety and Depression Association of America annual conference in 2012 and really wanted to share this with you.

Dr Pittman very kindly gave me permission to share a link to her PDF of the presentation she did at the ADAA conference.

During the interview we discussed the Ashton taper protocol which can be found at www.benzo.org.uk.

During the interview I incorrectly stated that this is the site of Professor Ashton. Colin, the owner of BenzoBuddies kindly contacted me and informed me that “this site is actually owned and operated by Ray Nimmo, a benzodiazepine survivor. With Prof. Ashton’s permission, Ray has published the ‘Ashton Manual’ and some of her other writings at his website. benzo.org.uk is a personal website, containing all kinds of articles and writings which interest Ray and which he feels would be of interest to others going through benzodiazepine withdrawal and recovery.”

Julia Ross, author of The Mood Cure, presented earlier in the week on “Eliminating Anxiety: Amino Acid Therapy and Adrenal Balancing” and acknowledged the work of Professor Ashton. She emphasized how imperative it is to taper extremely slowly per the Ashton protocol. Julia also shared that the missing piece in getting off benzos is the use of GABA and often high doses of vitamin C (possibly even intravenously). I support this wholeheartedly.

If you are currently taking benzodiazapines:

please do NOT stop cold-turkey
do not make any changes to your prescription without working with your doctor
know that not everyone is affected to the same extent
and apologies if this is upsetting and scary

If you need support from people who have lived the benzo hell do check out www.benzobuddies.org. I’d like to acknowledge this group for being willing to participate in Dr. Pittman’s survey and want to let you know that we are doing our best to get this information into the hands of those who so need it.

Dr. Pittman shared some of the benefits of benzos and Dr. Kelly Brogan (in the opening interview “”Misunderstood and Mistreated: Reinventing Psychiatry”) shared how she only uses them for postpartum psychosis.

Dr. Pittman said: “benzos can cause physiological dependence in 4-6 weeks.”

This is not acceptable.

I strongly believe we should BAN BENZOs completely

this is my belief, not Dr Pittman’s
we have better options and should be using them
GABA is one fabulous option
and so are all the other approaches shared in this summit

~~If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com~~

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com – See more at: https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-summit-rooibos-a-functional-food-in-the-management-of-stress/#sthash.DxVLSzXs.dpuf

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts + interview highlights and listen when it suits you