GABA

How do we motivate ourselves? Are some people simply more motivated than others? In this week's episode you'll learn the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and how can we tap into their benefits to fuel behavior, take action and do the hard things (like overcome procrastination). You'll learn more about dopamine and why it keep us coming back for more. We'll explore what makes motivation for health and eating a many layered issue. Then we'll look at how to harness change, take action and build motivation (even when there isn't any to be found).

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Ryan welcomes a panel from Japan's Tozen union to discuss working conditions at a prominent English school (eikaiwa) in Japan. A slew of bad policy decisions from Gaba Corporation including forcing instructors (treated as independent contractors by the corporation) into a qualified invoice system, has led to union action and recent strikes. Another new horrific policy announcement would see teachers fined per lesson if they become unable to teach, which could even result in a negative paycheck. In addition to demanding an end to the qualified invoice system requirements, Gaba Instructors, who have not received a raise since 2008, are fighting for a modest raise of 200 yen per lesson ($1.33 U.S. as of the currency exchange rate on 11/06/23). Ryan and the panel discuss the importance of unions, past victories Tozen has achieved for workers, and how Gaba instructors as well as counselors can join the union and strengthen bargaining power in the fight for fair working conditions. Tozen union panel guests include the Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Executive President Musashi Sakazaki, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union General Secretary Mitch Brown, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Member Paul Bowen, and Tozen Union Deputy Finance Officer and Organizer Louis Carlet.

In this episode, Dr. Aimie Apigian and Trudy Scott delve into the complex relationship between trauma, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry. Trudy Scott, a certified nutritionist and founder of the Anxiety Nutrition Institute, shares her expertise on how low levels of serotonin and GABA can significantly affect those with PTSD symptoms. The episode aims to answer the question: What to do about low serotonin and low GABA in trauma?

Want to learn more about this episode? Head over to our website to learn more!

Disclaimer:

By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Trauma Healing Accelerated, any guests or contributors to The Biology of Trauma podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Trauma Healing Accelerated be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast.

In this episode Maty and Carolyn talk about one of the most important things you can do to live a healthy life - Sleep!  Both of us have had our struggles falling asleep and staying asleep at some point in our lives.  We chat about strategies that have worked for us and allowed us to fall asleep and stay asleep for a peaceful night! 

Here are some notes from the podcast.

Maty mentions her @nutritiouslyeasy 60 day Spring Glow Challenge - Here’s the link. 

The six supplements we talked about to help you sleep
    1. Magnesium - A mineral
    2.  Melatonin - A Hormone
    3.  Amino Acids:
        a.  Gaba - helps decrease bodily tension
        b.  L-Tryptophan - calms an active mind
        c.  L-Theanine - helps you relax
        d.  L-Tyrosine - Helps you focus

Maty talks about her experience with weighted blankets for sleep

Carolyn gives her experience with black out shades and how they helped her

We talk about calming your adrenals and lowering cortisol levels with mindfulness, meditation and breath work

Taking hot baths and showers for sleep

These are the teas mentioned for help with sleep
    Valerian Root
    Chamomile Lavender
    Lemon Balm
    Passion Flower
    Magnolia Bark  

And remember - You Can’t Out-Nourish Your Pillow!

Your gastrointestinal tract contains around three pounds of microbes - some good and some bad. When your gut is healthy, the bad bugs are kept in check, and the good bugs serve as internal workhorses for digestion and short-chain fatty acid creation, they also release GABA and other neurotransmitters, and fend off pathogens. When things are out of balance, irritable bowel, leaky gut, gas, bloating, and disease can occur. Gastrointestinal problems affect as many as one in five people, so a happy belly is something we all need to cultivate. In this episode, gastroenterologist, Robynne Chutkan, MD, shares her latest research.

Listen and learn:

• About the risks of emulsifiers and stabilizers found in common foods
• How artificial sweeteners can contribute to or even cause gut dysbiosis
• Why most probiotic supplements are useless
• The difference between insoluble and soluble fiber in food
• The future of fecal transplants

Links

Robynne’s Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr Chutkan is a board certified gastroenterologist and author of the digestive health books: Gutbliss, The Microbiome Solution, and The Bloat Cure. Her most recent book is The Anti-Viral Gut: Tackling Pathogens From the Inside Out. She is on the faculty at Georgetown Hospital and founded the Digestive Center for Wellness.

Like the Show?

• Leave us a review
• Check out our YouTube channel
• Visit www.yogabody.com

Jerry Hickey, Ph. goes into depth about the benefits of adding magnesium to your daily supplement routine and how it can help reduce stress

Take advantage of an exclusive podcast offer today by visiting http://www.invitehealth.com/podcast.

For more information on the products or studies mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript of the audio, click here

You must listen to this podcast and learn how certain supplements have the ability to enhance our brain health even as we age.

Take advantage of an exclusive podcast offer today by visiting http://www.invitehealth.com/podcast.

For more information on the products or studies mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript of the audio, click here

In Episode 26, the ADHD Adults (Alex and James) discuss hyperkinetic movements, which include tics.   As usual, the three shambolic elements of psychoeducation, personal reflections and tips are covered.  Will Alex get back on track and score a point in  'What has James forgotten, lost or mislaid this week?"  As usual, we have some correspondence, probably including something from  'Robert from Kidderminster' as well as something that someone actually wrote and sent in. James welcomes our American listeners and Alex immediately annoyed them (he's good at that).

Written by James Brown and Alex Conner.

Produced by James Brown and JBHD Ltd.

Social media contacts: @theadhdadults

Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sessionz⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dr. Raghu Kiran Appasani is an Integrative Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist, and Social Entrepreneur focused on bridging the gap between western and eastern practices to create a wholesome society by taking a proactive approach to health. He was born and raised in the Boston area, living in rural India with his grandparents for two formative years when he was young. His father, a biochemist at Harvard Medical School, opened up his labs for him to do research before going to Wesleyan to study neuroscience. He graduated from The University of Massachusetts with his Medical Doctorate in 2018, where he received the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.  He is currently the Chief Resident of Integrated Care Services at LA County + USC Medical Center and in private practice taking a holistic integrative approach to care. Dr. Appasani is the Chief Medical Officer at PYM Health, which stands for Prepare Your Mind. Partnering with Robin Williams’ son, Zak Williams, PYM is the first neurotransmitter company focused on nutritional psychiatry through mood chews that target the body’s neurotransmitter and amino acid levels to decrease anxiety and stress.

Dr. Appasani is CEO of The MINDS Foundation, a mental health nonprofit he founded that has been globally recognized. Through his extensive scientific research, he’s published over 35 peer-reviewed articles, edited five books, and is a sought-after speaker and writer on mental health, entrepreneurship, global health, and consciousness. Throughout his medical career, he’s focused on the impact of mental health in physicians, developing initiatives at medical institutions to combat suicide and build resilience, working extensively with Graduate Medical Education leadership. 

Clinically, Dr. Appasani is trained in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma, Motivational Interviewing, Group Therapy, and Exposure Response Prevention. He’s currently a Health Equity Scholar in the MAPS MDMA Psychotherapy Program. His clinical interests lie in mood disorders (depression, bipolar), addiction, anxiety disorders, OCD spectrum, eating disorders, trauma, and personality spectrum conditions. 

His passion lies at the intersection of mental health literacy, consciousness, global psychiatry, mindfulness, digital health, personalized medicine, psychedelics, wellness, and social entrepreneurship. Dr. Appasani believes that we all have mental health and therefore believes that healing occurs through the integration of psychotherapy, medication management, supplementation with natural sources, nutrition, and physical fitness. Above all else, he believes building community is very important in his own and everyone’s healing journey.

SHOW NOTE LINKS:

MINDS Foundation 

PYM- Mood Chews

Dr. Raghu Appasani on Instagram

Dr. Raghu Appasani on Facebook

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Thank you! Your support means the world to me. Wishing you love, happiness, and good mental health always.

While the holidays are a time of great joy, they can also bring a lot of stress, with planning, traveling, shopping and more. The good news is there are nutrients that can help.

Take advantage of an exclusive podcast offer today by visiting http://www.invitehealth.com/podcast.

For more information on the products or studies mentioned in this episode, click here. 

On the first episode of WellBuilt, Jon had a meaningful conversation about mental health with Zak Williams, Founder & CEO of PYM.

PYM stands for "Prepare Your Mind", and Zak created the company after struggling with his own mental health and trauma after his father, the late Robin Williams, died by suicide. Their first product is a gummy with an amino acid formulation of Gaba, L-Theanine, and Rhodiola that helps promote neurotransmitter health.

Longer-term, Zak and his team want to create a global brand that stands for mental health advocacy. Building an open dialogue and creating greater access to products and practices that can help people feel better.

Enjoy this broad-ranging chat where Jon and Zak geek out on topics adaptogens and dopamine, Zak shares his advice to his 18-year-old self and more.

Tips for Balancing brain chemicals with supplements and vitamins- Dr. Jason Jones Elizabeth City NC, Chiropractor

Do you often feel kind of “off” or struggle with your mood? If you answered “YES,” then your brain chemicals may just be out of balance and need a tune up.

Your brain is the powerhouse that runs your life. When the function of your brain is intact, you tend to be energetic, thoughtful, and creative, but when it is out of balance, you may suffer serious problems with your mood, memory, relationship, anger, and work performance.  

There are billions of cells in your body connected one to another. These cells communicate through chemical signals or neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, dopamine, and GABA.

The balance of these brain chemicals is important for your mental, emotional, and overall wellbeing. Hence, there are some supplements and vitamins that contributes largely to the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Here are some natural supplements and vitamins that increases the brain’s supply of neurotransmitters as well as support brain balance:

Vitamin B6

This is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential in the production and function of neurotransmitters. This vitamin is essential for early brain development, and it is needed by over 100 enzymes that are involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acid.

It is the co-factor for enzymes responsible for converting L-tyrosine to norepinephrine and tryptophan to serotonin.

GABA (Gamma- Aminobutyric Acid)

This amino acid is often considered as the brain’s main “calming” chemical that helps to regulate the excitability of nerves in the brain. It has a muscle relaxer-like effect and it is mainly involved in the production of melatonin.

L-thyrosine

This supplement is essential for the production of the neurotransmitters epinephrine, dopamine, and norepinephrine. It is used up by the cells in the adrenal glands responsible for the production of these brain chemicals.

The adrenal gland work hand-in-hand with the brain to manage stress and improve mental and emotional health.

Your brain needs a good supply of this amino acid to promote mental clarity, especially in times when you’re highly stressed.

Vitamin C

This vitamin is a required co-factor for production of the brain chemical serotonin. It supports the conversion of 5—HTP to serotonin and prevent this conversion from happening in the GI tract.

L-Taurine

This is an important amino acid supplement that serves several regulatory roles in the brain. It stabilizes the electrical activity of nerve cells, and protect again calcium overload that is capable of killing brain cells.

Taurine mainly promotes the optimal performance of GABA and the glutamate transmitter systems.

 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

This supplement has been widely shown to studies to increase serotonin production in the brain, thereby reducing the risk of depression and anxiety. More so, it can improve your sleep/wake cycle.

You can add this supplement to your diet to maintain mental and emotional wellbeing, support behavioral self-control, and promote calm and relaxation.

5-HTP is also a powerful brain antioxidant.

Maintaining a balanced level of brain transmitters helps you feel happier, think clearly, and experience overall wellbeing. You can include these supplements and vitamins highlighted above in your diet to balance your brain chemicals, reduce stress, improve your mood, and better your mental health.

You can consult Dr. Jason Jones at our chiropractic office in Elizabeth City, NC to learn more about some natural supplements and vitamins that can help you maintain a balance in the amount of neurotransmitters in your brain.

Stress, the body's response and the adrenal glands- Dr. Jason Jones Elizabeth City NC, Chiropractor

Stress is one of the big problems facing our society today.  Oftentimes, most of us feel a level of stress or try to relieve it, or both.

What is Stress?

In simple words, stress is a physical and mental reaction to a potential threat. When you are faced with a potential danger, your body triggers the fight-or-flight response, and this helps to prepare you to deal with the danger.

For example, when attacked by a ferocious animal that’s trying to devour you, your body produces stress hormones that helps you deal with the danger.

This stress hormone is what triggers the fight or flight response. You breath faster, your heart races and your muscles are ready to take action. This stress response is designed to prepare your body to react quickly to an emergency. It is often beneficial for immediate, short-term situations.

But note that when your stress response keeps firing every day, it can take a toll on your health. Some symptoms of chronic stress include:

• anxiety
• depression
• headaches
• irritability
• insomnia

The adrenal glands and stress

You can’t talk about stress without mentioning the adrenal glands. Some people refer to these glands as “the party hats of the kidneys,” and that’s because these pointy shape glands sit atop each kidney.

Each adrenal gland has two parts: the internal medulla and the outer cortex. The medulla is made up of nervous tissues, while the cortex is composed of glandular epithelial tissue.

Different parts of the cortex produce different hormones, including cortisol, which is released during the late phase of stress response.

The medulla also produce hormones, including the epinephrine/adrenaline, which interacts with the nervous system in the initial phase of the fight-or-flight response.

So how does the adrenal gland support acute stress response? When you perceive a threat or danger, a part of the limbic system called amygdala sounds the first alarm which is perceived by the hypothalamus.

Then the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated, which signals the adrenal gland to secrete epinephrine into the bloodstream. This helps the body to respond to danger in different ways.

At this point, your lungs expand and the rate of respiration increases, allowing for more oxygen intake. Your heart beats faster, and this often leads to increase in blood pressure. All of these reactions is so your brain and muscles get all the needed blood to function optimally.

Some other physiological changes that takes place during the fight-or-flight response are increased tension in the muscles and dilation of the pupils. Your reproductive and digestive functions are suppressed at this stage.

If the threat or stressful situation persist after the first rush of epinephrine, a system known as the HPA Axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands) kicks in to help prepare the body for action.

The hypothalamus acts by releasing a hormone called CHR (corticotropin-releasing hormone), which signals the pituitary gland to release another hormone called ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic hormone).

This ACTH travels through the blood stream and signal the adrenal glands to release cortisol, known as the “stress hormone.” When cortisol is released, it helps to give the body the needed energy to stay at alert and it signals several organs in the body to make changes.

So how do you recover after the flight-or-flight response? Usually after the threat has passed, your body starts to calm down. Recovery from an acute stress response usually takes about 20 – 30 minutes. At this point, the cortisol level drops and the nervous system dials down its activity.

But if the body is not able to recover, it will eventually lead to depression, fatigue, and anxiety, which are chronic forms of stress.

You can consult Dr. Jason Jones at our chiropractic office in Elizabeth City, NC to learn more about stressful conditions and the role of the adrenal glands.

4 Things You Need to know about Brain chemistry as it relates to mental & emotional stress- Dr. Jason Jones Elizabeth City NC, Chiropractor

Mental and emotional stress are often expressed in form of depression, anxiety, worries, guilt, frustration, and moodiness, and these conditions are linked to an abnormal brain chemistry.

It is normal for you to feel stressed or depressed when you encounter a traumatic event in your life, such as loss of a loved one. But sometimes, you may not even know why you’re having mental or emotional stress, and it can be a function of the brain chemistry.

The amount of certain substances in the brain called “neurotransmitters” have a large influence on your mental and emotional stress levels.

What are neurotransmitters?

Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that carries messages in the brain. The nerve cells of the brain communicate with each other using neurotransmitters. The messages these chemicals carry play a role in mental and emotional stress regulation.

The key brain chemicals or neurotransmitters include:

• Dopamine
• Serotonin
• Epinephrine
• Nor-epinephrine

Restoring the balance of these neurotransmitters have been widely shown to help alleviate symptoms of mental and emotional stress.

Other neurotransmitters that can send messages in the brain include GABA, glutamate, and acetylcholine.

Dopamine

Dopamine is commonly known as the “feel good” neurotransmitter.” It helps create a positive feeling that motivates us to continue with an activity or task.

The level of dopamine in your brain can affect your mental and emotional state. Little wonder medications that affect dopamine system are often administered to people suffering from depression after other treatment options have failed.

Serotonin

Serotonin is another neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood. It is also a “feel good” chemical that is responsible for your feeling of happiness.

So when you are suffering from mental and emotional stress, serotonin is one chemical that is released to help you feel calm and emotionally stable. It also influences your sleep cycle and regulate your appetite.

However, low levels of this brain chemical can cause you to experience the following symptoms:

• Feeling bad about yourself
• Problems sleeping
• Feeling low
• Craving for sweet foods
• Memory problems
• Decrease in sexual desire

You may also suffer depression when you have low levels of serotonin. Hence, to improve your mental and emotional health, it is important to boost your serotonin levels. You can achieve this through natural methods like:

• Engaging in plenty of exercise
• Getting more exposure to sunlight
• Meditation and counselling

Epinephrine

Epinephrine or adrenaline is released by the medulla of the adrenal glands when you’re faced with a threat. It provokes stress response and triggers emotions like anger, fear, or amusement.

Too little amount of epinephrine has been associated with symptoms of mental and emotional stress, including depression, anxiety, and worries. Excessive amount can also lead to mood disorders like schizophrenia. So it is important to have a regulated amount of this hormone.

Nor-epinephrine

Nor-epinephrine acts as both a brain chemical and a hormone. It is mainly involved in the arousal system of the brain, and controls the respiratory rate, breathing and increase in blood pressure.

However, this brain chemical is mainly targeted at your body’s stress response. It helps to create the “fight-or-flight” feeling by working with the hormone adrenaline.

The imbalance in these four basic neurotransmitters or brain chemicals contributes to mental and emotional stress and it can lead to many conditions, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and autism.

Hence, if you want to enjoy improvement in your mental and emotional state, it is important to maintain a balance in these brain chemicals. You can achieve this through some methods, including exercise, diet, good relationship, etc.

You can consult Dr. Jason Jones at our Chiropractic office in Elizabeth City, NC to learn more about the brain chemistry and how to boost your level of neurotransmitters naturally to improve your mental and emotional health, as well as your overall wellbeing

Mental & emotional stress + 5 Things You Can Do About It – Dr. Jason Jones Elizabeth City, NC, Chiropractor

In today’s fast paced world, we are often overwhelmed with mental & emotional stress. You often get to think of how to manage your finances, watch over your kids, get busy at work, and cope with challenging relationships.

Stress is everywhere, and you’re not alone. It is actually okay if it is not too much, but when stress becomes chronic, it can wear you down and affect you both mentally and emotionally. You tend to experience the following symptoms:

• Agitation, frustration, and moodiness
• Difficulty relaxing and quieting your mind
• Feeling bad about yourself, worthless, lonely, and depressed
• Feeling like you’re losing control or need to take control
• Avoiding others
• Forgetfulness and disorganization
• Poor judgment
• Inability to focus
• Constant worrying
• Being pessimistic

When you get stressed always like many of us in today’s busy world, your body tend to get into a heightened state of stress all the time, and that can trigger serious health problems.

Apart from the mental and emotional consequence, stress can disrupt nearly every system in your body. It can upset your digestive and reproductive system, suppress your immune system, and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Besides, it speeds up your aging process.

Stress and Depression

When too much stress hormones are released in your body system, the byproducts can act as a sedative and contribute to a sustained feeling of low energy and depression.

Nurturing negative thoughts like you’re incapable of managing stress can increase your chance of becoming stressed.

While it is normal to face a range of moods in everyday life, it becomes a problem when depressing feelings linger for too long. It begins to interfere with your daily activities and ability to enjoy successful interpersonal relationships.

When depression persist for too long, it become major and you can begin to notice symptoms like self-hate, inability to concentrate, guilt, restlessness, and hopelessness.

You can also face depression as a result of suicidal thinking and actions, and this can make you vulnerable to developing mental disorders.

Stress and Anxiety

Being stressed may also lead to some outward signs of anxiety, such as tapping your feet, fidgeting, biting your finger nails, etc. When the stress hormones are activated for too long, it can contribute to severe feelings such as nausea, racing heartbeat, sweaty palms, etc.

Anxiety that persists for too long can also cause you to worry too much about upcoming events or situations, and that can lead to avoidance.

Stress and worry

When your mind is constantly dwelling on negative thoughts and uncertain issues, you tend to become stressed out.

For example, worries about being unable to pay your rent or performing poorly on an exam tends to stimulate your brain to think of a solution, but when you get stuck thinking about the problem, you become deeply stressed and worry stops being functional.

How to handle stressful conditions

For you to improve your ability to handle stress to protect your mental and emotional health, you need to:

• Get moving by improving on your activity level.
• Connect to others
• Eat a healthy diet
• Learn to relax
• Get your rest

Always remember that stress is a part of life and what matters is how you handle it. Know your stress symptoms and talk to your doctor about it.

You can consult Dr. Jason Jones at our chiropractic office in Elizabeth City, NC to learn more about mental and emotional stress, how to evaluate your symptoms and the best way to better handle your stress.

Many people suffer with anxiety and are not helped by psychiatric medications. If this is you, today's video lays out 2 physiologic mechanisms that may be involved in your case. If one or both of these are involved, there is a possibility that magnesium supplementation, in the correct form, could be a simple yet life-changing fix for you.