Natural suggestions which may help mild LIMBIC SYSTEM symptoms

[tcmgpt13]

There may be some supplements which can be taken by those mildly effected by emotional problems (bipolor, depression, anxiety) which do not involve the use of psychotropic drugs, which I will post here from a very interesting Chinese acupuncture site and originate with a Western doctor. Dr. Amen has written many books about brain function. His work involves the use of SPECT to diagnose and treat many brain disorders:

http://www.compassionateacupuncture...._Disorders.htm

"CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT BASED ON THE WORK OF DRS. AMEN AND ROUTH

Drs. Amen and Routh have divided mental-emotional disorders into seven categories based on abnormalities found in the five areas of the brain together with the symptom clusters associated with each. Although I do not subscribe to everything they say, I find their ideas thought-provoking and presented from a fresh perspective. The following is a summary of the description and treatment of the seven categories as described in their book Healing Anxiety and Depression:

1. Pure Anxiety – is based on excessive activity in the basal ganglia.

· Symptoms of this category include: Frequent feelings of nervousness or anxiety; panic attacks; avoidance of places for fear of having an anxiety attack; heightened muscle tension; periods of heart pounding, nausea or dizziness; tendency to predict the worse; multiple, persistent fears or phobias; conflict avoidance; excessive fear of being judged or scrutinized by others; easily startled or tendency to freeze in anxiety-provoking or intense situations; seemingly shy, timid and easily embarrassed, and bites fingernails or picks skin.
· Treatment for pure anxiety includes medications for moderate to severe cases and nutritional supplements for mild cases. Useful supplements for mild cases include:

o Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) functions as a neurotransmitter in the brain and helps stabilize nerve cells by decreasing their tendency to fire erratically or excessively.

o Vitamin B-6 supports the action of the enzymes that convert the amino acid L-glutamine to GABA in the brain. Anxious people may not have enough L-glutamine or they may have vitamin B-6 deficiency.

o Valerian is a well-recognized herb with anti-anxiety properties. It appears to work by enhancing the activity of GABA. CAUTION: Do not take valerian with alcohol, barbiturates or benzodiazepines; or during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

2. Pure Depression – is based on excessive activity in the deep limbic system.

Symptoms of this category include persistent sad or “empty” mood; loss of interest or pleasure in activities that are usually fun including sex; restlessness, irritability, or excessive crying; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism; sleeping too much or too little, early-morning awakening; appetite and/or weight loss, or overeating and weight gain; decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed down”; thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts; difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions; persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain; persistent negativity or chronic low self-esteem; and persistent feeling of dissatisfaction or boredom.

· Treatment for severe pure depression is with antidepressant mediations. Mild cases may be treated with supplements. It is also very important to incorporate the use of other interventions such as therapy, diet and exercise, education and support groups. Useful supplements for mild cases include:

o D-L phenylalanine (DLPA) is the amino acid precursor for norepinephrine. A number of studies show norepinephrine and epinephrine are low in patients with depression. CAUTION: People who have phenylketonuria should not take DLPA because they do not have the enzyme that metabolizes it.

o L-tyrosine is an amino-acid building block for dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. It helps to boost energy levels, mood and metabolism. It may also increase motivation and improve concentration.

o SAMe is involved with the production of several neurotransmitters. When a person is depressed, the synthesis of SAMe from methionine is impaired. SAMe is one of the best natural antidepressants, and in a number of recent studies it has performed as well as conventional antidepressant mediations. It has been found to increase the neurotransmitters that are low when people have depression.

3. Mixed Anxiety and Depression – is based on excessive activity in the basal ganglia and the deep limbic system.

· Symptoms of this type are a combination of both pure anxiety symptoms and pure depression symptoms.

Treatment is best done with psychological interventions targeted at both anxiety and depression such as biofeedback, interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive therapy as well as antidepressant medications or supplements that have a calming effect on the basal ganglia and the deep limbic areas. A combination of SAMe and GABA is often helpful for these types of patients.

4. Overfocused Anxiety/Depression – is based on excessive activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus, the basal ganglia and/or the deep limbic system.

· Symptoms include at least four items from the pure anxiety and/or pure depression checklists, plus at least four of the following: Excessive or senseless worrying; upset when things are out of place or don’t go the way you planned; tendency to be oppositional or argumentative; tendency to have repetitive negative or anxious thoughts; tendency toward compulsive or addictive behaviors; intense dislike of change; tendency to hold grudges; difficulty seeing options in situations; tendency to hold on to own opinion and not listen to others; need to have things done a certain way or you become very upset; others complain that you worry too much and a tendency to say no without first thinking about the question.

· Treatment is best done with interventions that increase the neurotransmitter serotonin. Treatment can include medication, such as SSRIs and antidepressants, behavior therapy, dietary changes, intense aerobic exercise and supplements such as 5-HTP and St. John’s wort.

o St. John’s wort may be the most potent of all the supplements at increasing serotonin availability in the brain. CAUTION: Do not use St. John’s wort with antidepressants as it may overload the system with serotonin.

o L-tryptophan and 5-HTP are amino acid building block for serotonin therefore taking these supplements can increase cerebral serotonin. L-tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid found in milk, meat and eggs. One of the problems with dietary L-tryptophan is that a significant portion of it does not enter the brain.

o 5-HTP is a step closer in the serotonin production pathway. It is also more widely available than L-tryptophan and is more easily taken up in the brain. Seventy percent is taken up into the brain, as opposed to only 3 percent of L-tryptophan. 5-HTP is about 5 to 10 times more powerful than L-tryptophan. Decreased serotonin levels in the brain have been correlated with depression, aggressive feelings, and violence. 5-HTP boosts serotonin levels in the brain and helps to calm anterior cingulate gyrus hyperactivity. CAUTION: Because 5-HTP increases serotonin, you should not take other medications concurrently that also increase serotonin such as St. John’s wort, L-tryptophan or prescribed antidepressants.

5. Cyclic Anxiety/Depression – is based on focal (a discrete area) increased activity in the deep limbic system and/or in the basal ganglia. Cyclic disorders such as bipolar disorder, cyclothymia and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, along with panic attacks, fit in this category because they are episodic and unpredictable.

· Symptoms include at least four items from the pure anxiety and/or pure depression checklists plus at least four of the following: Periods of abnormally elevated, depressed or anxious mood; periods of decreased need for sleep, feeling energetic on dramatically less sleep than usual; periods of grandiose notions, ideas or plans; periods of increased talking or pressured speech; periods of too many thoughts racing through the mind; periods of markedly increased energy; periods of poor judgment that lead to risk-taking behavior (separate from usual behavior); periods of inappropriate social behavior; periods of irritability or aggression and periods of delusional or psychotic thinking.

· Treatment is best accomplished with mood stabilizers such as lithium or anticonvulsant mediations. Psychological interventions can also help decrease the stressors that may trigger an episode. Antidepressant therapy may be necessary, but this needs to be very closely monitored because of the risk of triggering mania. The following supplements may be helpful:

o Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation can be helpful. An insufficiency of omega-3 fatty acids has been linked to depression and mood instability. In a study done at Harvard and reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, supplementation with high-dose purified fish oils provided a statistically significant improvement in bipolar disorder.

o Taurine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which stimulates the neurotransmitter GABA. It has a calming effect on the nervous system.

6. Temporal Lobe Anxiety/Depression – is based on increased or decreased activity in the temporal lobes and increased activity in the basal ganglia and/or deep limbic system.

Symptoms of this type include at least four items from the pure anxiety and/or pure depression checklists, plus at least four of the following: Short fuse or periods of extreme irritability; periods of rage with little provocation; often misinterprets comments as negative when they are not; periods of spaciness or confusion; periods of panic and/or fear for no specific reason; visual or auditory changes, such as seeing shadows or hearing muffled sounds; frequent periods of déjà vu; sensitivity or mild paranoia; headaches or abdominal pain of uncertain origin; history of a head injury or family history of violence or explosiveness; dark thoughts that may involve suicidal or homicidal thoughts; and periods of forgetfulness or memory problems.

· Treatment is best accomplished with a combination of anticonvulsants and antidepressant medications. Psychological interventions, such as interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive therapy can be helpful. Useful supplements for this type include the following:

o Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA): Many individuals who have temporal lobe symptoms also struggle with temper control, irritability and anxiety, and GABA produces a calming effect in these cases.

o Phosphatidyl serine is useful in cases of memory problems. There are 18 double-blind studies supporting the effectiveness of phosphatidyl serine supplementation for memory issue complaints. Low levels of phosphatidyl serine are associated with memory problems and depression in the elderly.

o Ginkgo biloba has been shown to improve energy, concentration, focus and memory.

7. Unfocused Anxiety/Depression – is based on decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex and increased activity in the basal ganglia and/or deep limbic system. This type is often seen in conjunction with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

· Symptoms of this type include at least four items from the pure anxiety and/or pure depression checklists, plus at least four of the following: Trouble staying focused; spaciness or feeling in a fog; overwhelmed by tasks of daily living; feeling tired, sluggish, or slow-moving; procrastination, failure to finish things; chronic boredom; loses things; easily distracted; forgetful; poor planning skills; difficulty expressing feelings and difficulty expressing empathy for others.

· Treatment is best accomplished with stimulating antidepressants such as Wellbutrin. Intense aerobic exercise is also helpful, as is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. Useful supplements include the following:

o D-L phenylalanine (DLPA) is the amino acid precursor for norepinephrine. A number of studies show norepinephrine and epinephrine are low in patients with depression. CAUTION: People who have phenylketonuria should not take DLPA because they do not have the enzyme that metabolizes it.

o L-tyrosine is an amino-acid building block for dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. It helps to boost energy levels, mood and metabolism. It may also increase motivation and improve concentration.

o SAMe is involved with the production of several neurotransmitters. When a person is depressed, the synthesis of SAMe from methionine is impaired. SAMe is one of the best natural antidepressants, and in a number of recent studies it has performed as well as conventional antidepressant mediations. It has been found to increase the neurotransmitters that are low when people have depression.

o Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful in that they boost cellular transmission.

There are additional suggestions to treat common mental disorders which may help limbic system function, including herbs, acupuncture treatments, foods, on this same page. The web page above is quite extensive and if interested in some alternatives to improve mood and brain function it has many other natural suggestions.

Some simple suggestions to improve limbic system funtion involve the use of aroma therapy:

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/products.htm

Roman, Chinese, Egyptian, --- made use of aromatic plant materials in religious ritual and to promote physical and mental wellness. Aroma therapy is a specific science and a deeply complex art. When inhaled, essential oil component molecules enter the nasal passages where they stimulate the olfactory nerve, sending messages directly into the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system is the seat of memory, learning and emotion. The inhalation of essential oils triggers changes within the limbic system which in turn can stimulate physiological responses within the body via the nervous, endocrine or immune systems.

http://theherbgatherer.com/index.php...d=16&Itemid=37

Incense, Herbs and Aromatherapy

Incense has quite rightly been called the forefather of modern Aromatherapy, and its use as the earliest form of healing based on scent is undisputed. Today, there has been resurgence in the use of essential oils and the burning of incense and herbs as tools to employ the power of Aromatherapy, which is now recognized as being able, via the stimulation of the olfactory nerves, to produce physical, emotional and psychological effects independent of the thinking process.

As we smell scents, our mind is busy working on a subconscious level, deciding whether we like it and determining whether we recognize it. These responses are created in the limbic system, or more accurately, the information is sent via the nerves to the olfactory epithelium, which is part of the limbic system in the brain. Data is then transmitted to the conscious parts of the brain. The limbic system is the oldest and most primitive section of the brain. It stores information about every scent ever smelled, and provides responses and reactions to various stimuli. It is considered the seat of memory, and as such is a powerful mood affecter.

All smell is molecular. In other words, when we smell a scent, we are registering a physical molecule that disconnects itself from its carrier and drifts in the air, arriving through the nose to the mucous membrane which has millions of odor-receptor cells and cilia to catch and identify scent molecules in the air. Unlike our other four senses, the nerve system for smell is directly exposed to its source of stimulation. This explains the immediate, unthinking effect of scents on the nervous system. Scent can cause an instant and overwhelming reaction, either pleasant or unpleasant, in a way that no other sensation can.

In addition, our ability to learn and our capacity for sympathy are also located in the limbic system, hence the often close link that feelings of sympathy and antipathy often have with smells. The limbic system is also responsible for creativity, inspiration, and all non-thinking, automatic life processes such as heartbeat, hormone regulation and respiration. Scent can affect all of of these powerful bodily processes.”

Perhaps some of these suggestions may help the emotional symptoms which often accompany morgellons.

best, tcm

[curious]

Very interesting post, thanks.