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GABA

GABA protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride and reduces anxiety

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GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a calming amino acid that when taken as a supplement (ideally sublingually) works to relax, calm, ease anxiety and social anxiety, quiet the mind, help with sleeping challenges, reduce neck and other body tension, remove uneasiness and worry, and give hope.

It’s one of the main amino acids I use with my anxious clients and they see great results. We are seeing more and more research that this amino acid does work and yet I still get weekly questions about GABA: “I’ve been told it won’t work unless I have a leaky blood brain barrier.” This is a myth I’m trying to dispel and cover this topic in great detail in my GABA talk on the last Anxiety Summit.

GABA also protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride

Because of all this I’m always excited to see new research on the benefits of GABA and this recent study is no exception. It was an animal study and the authors report that GABA also protects against hypothyroidism caused by fluoride: γ-Aminobutyric acid ameliorates fluoride-induced hypothyroidism in male Kunming mice.

The mice that were injected with sodium fluoride were found to have decreased blood levels of T4, T3 and thyroid hormone-binding globulin (TBG) and damage to the thyroid:

fluoride intoxication induced structural abnormalities in thyroid follicles.

The fluoride-exposed mice that were subsequently treated with GABA were found to have improved results for T4, T3 and thyroid hormone-binding globulin (TBG levels) and healing of the structural abnormalities in thyroid follicles that were observed after fluoride exposure.

The authors conclude with this statement, reporting that GABA acted as a natural antioxidant:

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to establish the therapeutic efficacy of GABA as a natural antioxidant in inducing thyroprotection against fluoride-induced toxicity.

If you can’t get access to GABA, a paper published earlier this year reports similar results with taurine, an amino acid that promotes GABA production: Taurine Ameliorates Renal Oxidative Damage and Thyroid Dysfunction in Rats Chronically Exposed to Fluoride.

Added to our water supplies, fluoride affects the thyroid

Although this post is about GABA I recognize that I also have to address the fluoride aspect which I know is a controversial topic! We all know that fluoride has been added to our water supplies in an attempt to try and prevent tooth decay. Izabella Wentz, author of the new book Hashimoto’s Protocol, writes about what she calls the Fluoride Conspiracy:

However, most people don’t know that fluoride was used as an antithyroid drug that suppressed thyroid activity in people with overactive thyroids before the invention of antithyroid drugs.

A dose of 2 to 5 mg per day was typically found to be effective for suppressing an overactive thyroid. If you’re following directions and drinking your eight cups of water each day, chances are, you are taking in enough fluoride to suppress your thyroid if you live in the typical fluoridated community!

While most Westernized countries have rightfully rejected fluoridation without any apparent consequences on tooth decay, the United States, Canada, and parts of the UK continue to fluoridate their water.

In research that was way overdue, a 2015 British study reported that medical practices in a fluoridated area of the UK (West Midlands vs. those in a nonfluoridated area, Greater Manchester) were twice as likely to report a high prevalence of hypothyroidism in their patients! Furthermore, analysis of different parts of the UK found that the rates of hypothyroidism were statistically matched to the rates of fluoride in the local water supply!

Medications and other sources of fluoride

Izabella also lists some of the most commonly used medications that contain fluoride in this blog post: Fluoride And Your Thyroid

  • Prozac®, Lexapro®, Celexa®, Paxil®: used for depression, anxiety, or OCD
  • Prevacid®: used for acid reflux
  • Diflucan®: an antifungal used for yeast infections.
  • Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro®, Levaquin®, Avelox®): used for UTIs and other infections
  • Celebrex®: used for pain
  • Lipitor®, Zetia®: used to lower cholesterol

Other common sources of fluoride are fluoridated toothpastes and dental preparations, processed beverages and foods, pesticides, tea, mechanically deboned meat, Teflon pans and exposure in the workplace. You can read more about these sources from The Fluoride Action Network (FAN), an organization that seeks to broaden awareness about the toxicity of fluoride compounds among citizens, scientists, and policymakers alike.

The GABA and taurine hypothyroid-fluoride research is too new to have made it into Izabella’s book but since anxiety is a common symptom in hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and based on this research, using either GABA or taurine shows promise for helping both the thyroid to heal after fluoride exposure (via water, medications, diet or workplace exposure) AND to help reduce the physical anxiety symptoms.

It seems to be a two-way street because we’ve always known that the amino acids will be effective for addressing low GABA and low serotonin levels ONLY when thyroid health is optimal (and not many people are aware of this).

I also can’t help but wonder if a small amount of GABA (or taurine) wouldn’t be helpful after known exposure to fluoride sources and certainly while you are working to reduce fluoride exposure – even if hypothyroidism is not a problem. I look forward to future research in this area.

If you’d like an overview of how I use GABA and the other amino acids with my clients you can read all about it here.

I’d love to hear if you have observed an improvement in thyroid health since using GABA for your anxiety? And how dedicated you are to avoid fluoride?

Anxiety, depression, GABA and cortisol: effects of Lactobacillus ingestion

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We now know that good bacteria or probiotics have the potential to alter brain chemistry and have an impact on anxiety and depression. You may recall my interview with Professor Ted Dinan on a prior Anxiety Summit – Microbes in the gut and psychobiotics as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression. He shared his paper and this definition of Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic.

…we define a psychobiotic as a live organism that, when ingested in adequate amounts, produces a health benefit in patients suffering from psychiatric illness. As a class of probiotic, these bacteria are capable of producing and delivering neuroactive substances such as gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin, which act on the brain-gut axis.

Research published by Dinan, Cryan and their teams also found benefits of Lactobacillus rhamnosus on stress, anxiety and depression type behaviors in mice. This is older research (published in 2011) but it’s the first time I’ve shared it on the blog. I talk about this paper in the upcoming Microbiome Medicine 2 Summit so I like to share study excerpts and links to the study.

The write up in Science Daily is a good one – Mind-Altering Microbes: Probiotic Bacteria May Lessen Anxiety and Depression

…mice fed with Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 showed significantly fewer stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviours than those fed with just broth. Moreover, ingestion of the bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone.

The part that I find fascinating is the effects of Lactobacillus on GABA receptors in the brain (GABA is your main calming neurotransmitter):

The researchers also showed that regular feeding with the Lactobacillus strain caused changes in the expression of receptors for the neurotransmitter GABA in the mouse brain, which is the first time that it has been demonstrated that potential probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry in normal situations.

In this paper the authors discuss the vagus nerve and the three-way communication:

…the vagus nerve is the main relay between the microbiome (bacteria in the gut) and the brain. This three way communication system is known as the microbiome-gut-brain axis and these findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the communication between the gut and the brain, and suggest that certain probiotic organisms may prove to be useful adjunct therapies in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

What is even more fascinating is this:

the neurochemical and behavioral effects were not found in vagotomized mice

What does this mean? When the researchers severed the vagus nerve in the test mice – removing the communication between the gut and the brain – they found that the behaviors and stress hormone levels reverted back to the way they had been i.e. the vagotomized mice were more anxious, more stressed, more depressed and had higher corticosterone levels.

You can find the abstract of the paper here: Ingestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve.

What does this mean for you? It means that good bacteria in your diet could well improve your anxiety and depression symptoms and even have an impact on your adrenals and cortisol levels. This could be in the form of a good probiotic and should always include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yogurt and kefir (if dairy is tolerated), water kefir (if dairy is not tolerated).

Have you observed an improvement in your anxiety and stress levels since adding a probiotic or fermented foods into your diet?

GABA for children: ADHD, focus issues, irritability, anxiety and tantrums

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Is GABA safe for children with symptoms of ADHD? I was asked this question after my interview on anxiety on the Diabetes Summit. I shared the question and my answer on facebook:

I’ve used GABA (and theanine) very successfully with children with physical anxiety symptoms and ADHD. I’ve also used tyrosine for the attention/focus issues. Plus I always consider gluten, blood sugar control (animal protein at breakfast often makes the biggest difference), colors/additives, low iron, low zinc and candida (this list is not inclusive but is a good starting point)

Jenny is a mom in my facebook community and responded to the above post, sharing that a friend of hers recommended GABA for her daughter after reading some of my posts. She shared this wonderful feedback:

My daughter hasn’t been diagnosed with ADHD but has a lot of ADHD qualities. We were having a huge amount of behavior problems as she is getting older (she’s 11). I did some research and went to the health food store and bought a bottle. At this point I was mentally exhausted from all the fighting and drama at home and at school. I was desperate and didn’t want to put her on any hard medication.

She has had amazing behavior at school and at home since giving it to her. She’s almost like different child. GABA has truly changed our life. She’s been taking it for almost 2 months.

What wonderful results! I’m thrilled for Jenny and her daughter. I asked Jenny to share what her daughter’s symptoms/behaviors were before they used the GABA and which symptoms improved. This is what Jenny shared:

…before the GABA she was irritable, she was fighting with her teacher and schoolmates, she couldn’t focus and was distracted by anything and everything, she was constantly disrupting the class and she was throwing major tantrums over ridiculous stuff (like her hair didn’t do what she wanted), she was mouthy and everything was a fight.

We are not seeing 99% of those behaviors at all anymore. She of course is still your typical pre-teen but if I say “no you can’t have that” our “no you can’t go there” her reaction is OK. Before it would have been a major fight or meltdown. Her teacher is reporting to me every day about her wonderful days.

I love hearing this feedback and it’s not unusual for children to act out when they have low GABA levels. Adults may identify with being anxious, but children may appear irritable, unfocused and distracted, may have tantrums and meltdowns, and all the while not be able to articulate how they are feeling.

Long–term use of GABA and root causes of low GABA

Jenny also posed some additional questions about GABA:

I do have some questions – I can’t really find anything online saying that it’s OK to give to kids. I mean, I’ve seen the results but it still worries me. She takes one 25 mg pill a day – do you think that’s OK?? Should I give her more or less or keep it the same? Just wondering your opinion?

I shared some of this feedback on the facebook thread and have elaborated on it here on the blog.

There is no research on children and the long-term use of amino acids but plenty of clinical evidence showing they can be used safely for 3-12 months. But I am also always working with my clients to find out why there is the deficiency in the first place and addressing that. This could include any or all of the following:

  • low zinc/vitamin B6/low iron which are all co-factors needed to make GABA (and then I’d want to know why are these low)
  • dysbiosis, parasites and/or candida (we make GABA in the gut and we may have GABA-eating bacteria in the gut – such as gabavorous)
  • too much stress at school, playing sports and/or at home
  • not getting enough sleep
  • not eating animal protein at breakfast (this affects blood sugar control and can stress the adrenals and impact cortisol, sex hormones and brain chemicals)
  • gluten sensitivity (gluteomorphins in gluten can impact mood and gluten can damage the gut leading to nutritional deficiencies)
  • low animal protein intake and/or eating a low-fat diet
  • low stomach acid (so you can’t digest the protein you’re eating)
  • toxin exposure (like pesticides or BPA)
  • low total cholesterol (caused in part by low levels of enzymes for fat digestion or a low-fat diet)

I shared these 60+ Nutritional and Biochemical Causes of Anxiety on my closing call of the The Anxiety Summit season 3.   I use this to help put the puzzle pieces together for my clients to resolve their anxiety and related issues like ADHD, insomnia, sadness, irritability etc.

When Jenny saw some of the root causes for low GABA she shared that she’s going to be making an appointment with her doctor. Keep in mind that in this instance it will need to be a functional medicine doctor or nutritionally trained doctor or a doctor who is open to learning about all this. I always also suggest taking a copy of my book The Antianxiety Food Solution to share with the doctor too!

What GABA product?

I typically have clients start with Source Naturals GABA Calm which contains 125mg of GABA. I was curious to know which 25mg GABA product she was using. It turns out to be a sublingual product by KAL.

  

 

You can find the other GABA products I use and recommend here and the precautions with using GABA here. Typically it’s an amino acid that has the least issues, unless too high an amount is used.   I often hear that 500mg or 1000mg was used and caused dizziness or breathlessness – these are clues it’s too much!

As mentioned, one product I use and recommend is Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges. It’s a good low dose of 125 mg and is convenient and effective because it’s a sublingual lozenge.

Now GABA Powder is another product I use and recommend. It does need to be measured out to provide a 125 mg typical starting dose or less (as needed). I have clients use a handy mini measuring spoon like this one (my Amazon link) and share more about how to measure out GABA powder on this blog).

For Source Naturals GABA Calm lozenges and Now GABA Powder:

Somnium GABA Cream is another option that could be considered especially for children and those with special needs. It is available in the US and elsewhere with international shipping. Read more about the product and who else may benefit from using a cream, and grab my coupon code to save 15%.

Why does GABA help in a situation like this?

These results are exceptional and it’s seldom just low GABA that needs to be addressed but in this instance it was. The low GABA type of ADHD is a bit different than low dopamine or low ferritin ADHD. With low GABA, it’s the anxiety that is causing the spinning, lack of focus, irritability and tantrums.

This blog post and study explains some of it – Oral GABA supplementation allows better prioritizing of planned actions: new research. GABA provides a better ability to handle tasks (complex and/or planned tasks) with less spinning and feelings of overwhelm, and prioritization of tasks is improved.

In addition to addressing low GABA, we also typically address the diet, gut health, toxin exposures (cosmetics are a big issue at this age), screen-time/EMFs (also a big issue at this age), and any other nutritional deficiencies.

Resources if you are new to using GABA as a supplement

If you are new to using GABA as a supplement, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see all the low GABA symptoms).

If you suspect low levels of GABA or any of the neurotransmitters and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with.

There is an entire chapter on the amino acids and they are discussed throughout the book in the sections on gut health, blood sugar control, sugar cravings, self-medicating with alcohol and more.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the amino acids that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

If, after reading this blog and my book, you don’t feel comfortable figuring things out on your own (i.e. doing the symptoms questionnaire and respective amino acids trials), a good place to get help is the GABA QuickStart Program. This is a paid online/virtual group program where you get my guidance and community support. There are many moms in the program who are having much success with their kids.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. This is also a paid online/virtual program with an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

Have you noticed that your child (or even you personally) has seen improvements in these symptoms after using GABA: ADHD, focus issues, irritability, anxiety and tantrums?

Does it seem like it gives them (or you) a better ability to handle tasks (complex and/or planned tasks) with less spinning and feelings of overwhelm? Is prioritization improved?

If you are a practitioner are you seeing results like this with your clients/patients?

If you have questions please share them here too.

I asked Jenny if I could share here to give other mom’s hope and inspiration and practical results so they can help their children – and I really appreciate her being willing to do so.

Thanks for sharing Jenny! Happy mama and happy daughter – it warms my heart to hear stories like this!

Anxiety, phenibut, toxins and cold showers for detoxification

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Anxiety, phenibut, toxins, cold showers for detox and more. All of this and more is being covered on the upcoming online Diabetes Summit.

Starting Monday March 20th

I’m really pleased to be a speaker on this summit this year. I cover the anxiety diabetes connection. Anxiety is very common in diabetes – some research shows it’s as high as 25%, and women with diabetes are twice as likely to be affected with anxiety and depression. I also cover how and how GABA helps reduce physical anxiety AND how new research shows GABA is also a promising treatment for diabetes!

Dr. Mowll asked me about using phenibut instead of GABA:

I’ve seen a number of papers that talk about tolerance. I’ve talked to practitioners who’ve said they’ll rotate. They’ll have people be on Phenibut for five days, two days off. And I’ve seen some really scary drug forums where people are using Phenibut as a sort of mood enhancing and performance enhancing drug. They are using very high doses and there are protocols on how to safely taper off Phenibut.

So when I see things like that it concerns me. I’ve had a handful of people, who’ve had some pretty bad side effects from Phenibut. So with someone who’s going through anxiety I just don’t want to add anything else into the mix that may cause problems.

The concern is it does seem to work really well for anxiety and sleep, so that’s why I think a lot of practitioners are drawn to using it. And it may be that they’re not recommending the GABA/ Gamma Amino Butyric Acid sublingually. And they may not be doing a trial to find the optimal dose [so that’s why they are not seeing the results they’d hope to see]. So I would steer clear of phenibut.

We also cover the following (all relevant if you have diabetes AND if you don’t have diabetes):

  • doing a GABA trial and the blood brain barrier controversy
  • benzodiazepine tapers and nutritional support during a taper
  • rooibos tea for metabolic support and adrenal health

On day 2 of the summit, Razi Berry shares this about the toxins in our environment and the impacts they have on our health:

Out of the 80,000 chemicals that we have in our world, we have barely studied any of them. A couple presidents ago, the Environment Protection Agency was supposed to study the first 300 of these 80,000 chemicals. And so far they’ve only studied one, which is BPA. And BPA is all around us

She had to get rid of the toxins in her environment to help her fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

I had to stop using the body sprays that I love from Bath and Body, and the perfumes

I got rid of everything fragrant. And I didn’t use essential oils at first either because you still want to use them judiciously and in the right way. So I switched to everything unscented. And I found a lot about beeswax candles. Beeswax candles are so not only beautiful, and they have this honey like scent to them, but they actually neutralize odors and toxins in the air. They don’t just cover it up. So you actually can clean the air by burning beeswax candles. For centuries churches could not burn tallow or paraffin. They could only burn beeswax.

She covers tons of other everyday toxins we are exposed to and how we can safely avoid them. And then importantly, how we can detoxify from these toxins. One approach she covers is hot and cold showers or hydrotherapy (very powerful and very easy to do at home):

Hydrotherapy is a really old technique. It became really popular in the last turn of the century, the late 1800s, early 1900s. And it’s this use of water and/or temperature to help prime your body to get rid of toxins.

So one of the ways that you can do hydrotherapy at home is through what’s called a constitutional hydrotherapy shower. And it’s basically taking a hot and cold shower where you alternate. You start with the water as hot as you possibly can handle it. And you do that for like 12 seconds. Then you turn it to as cold as you can take it.

And the first switch from hot to cold is the most important because it really creates this pump in your lymphatic system, the hot, cold, hot, cold, and really helps to move toxins through your body so it can be eliminated by your kidneys, by your liver, through your respiration.

As you can see there’s plenty to learn from these experts!

Here are just a few of the topics being covered (general topics and applicable if you have diabetes):

  • How food allergens can trigger blood sugar problems, and how to detoxify the body safely
  • Understanding the stress continuum and how children trauma, adverse life events, and daily stressors can lead to diabetes (all of this is applicable to any health condition)
  • Natural strategies to balance blood sugar including new supplement recommendations, essential oils, and using food as medicine
  • Breaking down various eating strategies including the ketogenic diet (vegan diets and raw food diets are also addressed but I must add that I don’t endorse this way of eating if you do have anxiety)
  • Menopause and blood sugar issues (insulin, cortisol and oxytocin)
  • How to get your sleep right to balance insulin and blood sugar

And some topics taking a deeper diver into very specific diabetes areas (if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes):

  • Developing a deeper understanding of peripheral neuropathy – how to test for it and how to treat it, naturally and effectively
  • Important strategies for those dealing with type 1 diabetes in themselves or a child 
  • Autoimmunity and diabetes

I hope you’ll join us to learn from these experts on the online Diabetes Summit.  My friend and diabetes expert, Dr. Brian Mowll, is hosting this life-changing event for the fourth year, and this year’s event looks amazing.

You can register for this online event here.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

 

Anxiety: when to use GABA and tryptophan and how much to use

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When you have anxiety it can be confusing trying to figure out the root cause. I like to start by assessing for low GABA and low serotonin because when you address these with targeted individual amino acids you typically see results right away and feel hopeful (and now have time to look for other root causes like gluten issues, high cortisol, gut issues, dietary changes etc).

But there may still be some confusion about when to use GABA and when to use tryptophan and how much of each of these amino acids to use.

I’d like to share a question I received on this blog: I am on 5-HTP for anxiety and I am wondering about trying tryptophan instead and my response so you have a clearer understanding of this:

I have started with Source Naturals GABA Calm 125 mg, 2 on awakening and two in mid-afternoon, and 2 GABA Relaxer at bedtime. It has taken some anxiety edge away from me, but I still feel some anxiety on and off, not so severe as before. I used to feel very anxious on awakening. I want to improve more.

Today, I ordered Lidtke L-trytophan 500mg and am expecting to receive it in a week. I plan to take 2 Gaba Calm on awakening and 2 in mid-afternoon, then add one 500mg Trytophan mid-afternoon and one 500 mg trytophan at bed time.

Is this a good plan? Or shall I have 2 GABA Calm on awakening, 2 trytophan mid-afternoon and 2 trytophan at bedtime.

It’s an excellent question and this is my feedback (with some additional information here for this blog post)

Firstly I’m so pleased to hear the GABA products has taken some of the anxiety edge away.

I would expect this when someone has the low GABA type of anxiety and hear this all the time despite the fact I continue to be asked the blood brain barrier question and does GABA really work as a supplement.

There is also no specific formula to be followed because each person is different and when I’m working with someone we’re figuring out what is working and why and adjusting accordingly. If something is working we continue with that until no additional benefits are seen.

Ask yourself what low GABA anxiety symptoms (this is the physical anxiety) have improved with the GABA and how much (rate each one before – out of 10; and what are they now – out of 10).

From your question it sounds like they could improve more – so if we were working together I’d continue to increase GABA before adding something new. I’d do this until the low GABA symptoms are resolved or until no additional benefits are observed.

Remember when it comes to brain chemical imbalances and anxiety we have 3 anxiety types

  1. Low GABA anxiety type (physical anxiety, more stiff and tense muscles)
  2. Low serotonin anxiety type (mental anxiety, ruminations, negative self-talk, worry)
  3. Low blood sugar anxiety type (physical anxiety, but more shaky)

You need to figure out which type of anxiety you are experiencing and address that. It can be different for each person but it’s not uncommon to experience all of the above.

Once that has been done and we have the ideal amount of GABA and no more low GABA anxiety symptoms I’d then check what low serotonin symptoms my client has (these are the busy mind, ruminations type or worry anxiety).

If she does have some of these symptoms, we pick one or two symptoms and do a trial with 1 x 500mg tryptophan opened on to the tongue (or less if she’s super sensitive). She rates the symptoms out of 10 before the tryptophan trial and then after the trial. Depending on how she responds on the trial, we’ll decide if she needs 1 or 2 x 500mg mid-afternoon and evening. The bedtime dose also depends on how bad the insomnia is. We continue to increase as needed based on symptoms until she has no more low serotonin type symptoms or until no additional benefits are observed.

All the while we are starting to make other changes – like diet, eating for blood sugar balance (this and using glutamine helps with the low blood sugar anxiety type), no caffeine, no sugar, looking for high cortisol, no gluten, looking at gut health and for other nutritional deficiencies.

Here are some links to additional resources related to the above:

I’d love to hear your feedback – do you/did you have the low GABA type of anxiety or the low serotonin type of anxiety or the low blood sugar type of anxiety or all three?

And feel free to share the before rating (from 1 to 10) and the after rating (from 1 to 10) once you’re taking the corresponding amino acid.

Anxiety and the thyroid: how to make the amino acids more effective

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Did you know that thyroid disease can be a root cause of anxiety? In fact, most of my anxious clients have thyroid issues.

Having an excess amount of thyroid hormone can make us extremely anxious, irritable and on edge. This is one symptom that is commonly attributed to Graves’ disease but can also happen in Hashimoto’s.

In the early stages of Hashimoto’s, the thyroid is under attack by the immune system. Thyroid cells are broken down, and they release thyroid hormones into the bloodstream. This causes thyroid hormone surges or a transient hyperthyroidism.

I know how awful anxiety can feel, I had anxiety, panic attacks and pyroluria (social anxiety) in my late 30s, together with an underactive thyroid, adrenal issues, gluten sensitivity, heavy metals, low progesterone (I call it my perfect storm!).   

I’m excited to share that there is a way out and that you don’t have to feel this way forever. Everyone is different, but two of the things that worked wonders for me and now work for my clients are nutrition and targeted individual amino acids (like GABA and tryptophan).

But are you aware that the amino acids will be effective for addressing low GABA and low serotonin (in their typical quick manner, often providing relief in 5 to 10 minutes) ONLY when thyroid health is optimal (not many people know this!)

And by optimizing your thyroid health, I don’t just mean taking thyroid medications….

Dr. Izabella Wentz, the Thyroid Pharmacist, is a personal friend of mine – we’re both members of Mindshare, a collaboration of like-minded functional medicine practitioners. 

Magdalena Wzelaki, Niki Gratrix, Izabella Wentz, myself and Julie Matthews

I adore Izabella and love how she is connecting all the dots with the research and the feedback she receives from her community.  She is trailblazing and always focused on the why of how a condition develops.

She has found that thyroid disease is triggered by a combination of food sensitivities, nutrient depletions, intestinal permeability, chronic infections, toxins and also a faulty stress response.

The thing about thyroid disease, just like anxiety, is that it’s a sign of a bigger imbalance in your body – while thyroid medications and glandulars can certainly help, they do not get to the underlying root cause of the condition, and thyroid conditions, which are usually autoimmune in nature, may progress to other types of autoimmune disorders.

Hashimoto’s, a condition that affects up to 27% of the population in the United States has 5 stages to it. Out of the 90 million or so people that have it, close to 80 million don’t know that they have it. Often, they are in the earlier stages that are missed by conventional tests.

Hashimoto’s is the primary cause of hypothyroidism, accounting for 95% of cases of hypothyroid in the United States. This condition occurs when the immune system recognizes the thyroid gland as foreign invader and launches an attack against it, eventually destroying enough of the thyroid to produce hypothyroidism.

The five stages of Hashimoto’s are:

1) In the first stage, for all intents and purposes, you will just have the genetic predisposition

2) In the second stage, you start developing an autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland – at this stage, you will also have thyroid symptoms (the most common one is anxiety), but the TSH test will still be normal. Only the thyroid antibodies will be elevated at that point, and at this stage people are often misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression

3) The third stage is when the thyroid gland starts to have more damage than it can repair, and begins to fail. More symptoms are seen, but doctors often miss this stage as well because the TSH is only “slightly” elevated according to their reference ranges

4) The fourth stage, we see overt hypothyroidism. At this page a person has had a significant amount of thyroid damage, and their thyroid fully loses its ability to compensate and create thyroid hormone

5) The fifth stage is the scariest, this is when a thyroid condition progresses to another autoimmune condition. The immune system finds another target to attack, and person may end up with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s or even multiple sclerosis.

The only treatment that is offered by conventional medicine is thyroid hormones, which is prescribed in stage 4. When that can help of course, it doesn’t address most people’s symptoms and doesn’t stop the progression of the condition and autoimmunity. There is no conventional treatment for stopping or reversing the progression, but luckily we have functional medicine and nutrition to the rescue!

A shocking thing that Izabella has shared, is that it takes people on average of 10 years to get diagnosed, and this is also the time it takes to get from stage 2 to stage 4 of Hashimoto’s! Izabella was actually misdiagnosed with anxiety and chronic fatigue for almost a decade before she got the Hashimoto’s diagnosis, and many people are told that they have intractable infertility, lifelong anxiety that they are told they will have to “manage” forever or even told they have treatment-resistant depression, or that they are simply overweight and lazy.

I know that many of my clients with anxiety are likely still in the earliest stages of Hashimoto’s, and there is hope that you can eliminate your symptoms, AND you can actually prevent the damage to the thyroid gland if you intervene at this point.

Izabella created the Thyroid Secret documentary series to help you connect the dots of your own thyroid condition, so that you can rebuild your health and eliminate your symptoms (and potentially your health conditions). She shares her latest research in overcoming thyroid disorders, and interviews the top experts who share their best strategies as well.

I was so excited when Izabella asked me to join the Thyroid Secret as an expert – in fact my interview was the very last thing I did in the United States, before I moved to Australia! This topic is so important to me (and so key for my clients and you to know about) that I did the interview in an empty house, with just a few chairs and our almost-packed suitcases, and just a few hours to spare before we got on the plane!

Here are a few pictures (I was ironing my clothes on a spare table in the mostly empty study!):

The Thyroid Secret covers not just the symptoms of thyroid disease (like anxiety) that can masquerade as mental illness, but also the triggers that can cause both conditions, and the solutions and protocols you need to recover your health.

When your thyroid is working as it should be, the amazing amino acids like GABA and tryptophan are truly effective in 5-10 minutes – so you really can say they are amazing!  You will see incredible results – anxiety relief right away – and a feeling of hope while you dig deeper for root causes that can take longer to address.

I wrote this blog for everyone using amino acids and not seeing results.  And also for everyone with a thyroid condition or if you have unresolved symptoms that could be related to your thyroid.

I do hope you’re already signed up and are enjoying watching, listening and learning as much as I am.

If you haven’t yet signed up you can still join as my guest to view the entire series at no cost (it started March 1). Just use this link to register.

We’ve come together in this Thyroid Secret documentary to give you this information because you deserve to feel on top of the world again!

Got questions or feedback? Your favorite speaker and some takeaways?

Did you find that GABA, tryptophan and other amino acids were more effective once you addressed your thyroid health? If you’re a practitioner do you see this with patients/clients?

Please share in the blog comments below.