Amino acid therapy is used to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions including depression, insomnia, ADD, anxiety, memory loss, weight gain, and addictive disorders. Your body uses amino acids as building blocks to build proteins, tissues and muscle. Amino acids are the precursors for your neurotransmitters. Your body uses twenty different amino acids. Nine are considered essential because they cannot be synthesized and must be consumed in your diet.
NT’s or neurotransmitters are chemicals in your brain. They control your emotions, thoughts, energy, memory, sensation and movement. There are inhibitory and excitatory NT’s and the balance between the two is critical for your optimal body and brain functions. There are amino acids that can act as NT’s. Aspartate and glutamate are excitatory and GABA and glycine are inhibitory. The area with the most clinical significance is the glutamate-GABA system.
The catecholamines including norepinephrine and dopamine and serotonin are your brain’s main neurotransmitters. Your NT functions and amino acid precursors have different purposes. Serotonin, 5HTP and tryptophan control your memory, appetite and mood. Dopamine, L-Dopa and L-Tyrosine are responsible for motivation, reward and pleasure. Norepinephrine is your energy, concentration and alertness.
Amino Acid Therapy
Under normal circumstances, your body receives all the necessary amino acids through your diet. For a lot of conditions, the diet is not capable of providing the large quantity of amino acids necessary for a balanced and full NT production. This is when amino acid therapy becomes an important treatment. The main focus of the treatment is the serotonin-catecholamine system. When balanced, this system balances and controls the glutamate-GABA system.
Amino acid therapy is a lot more complicated than just providing a dosage of amino acids. The natural breakdown and production of NT’s in your body share enzymes to trigger different reactions. If too much of an amino acid is given, this can cause a depletion of the amino acid-NT pathways. A good example is 5HTP. This will cause the body to increase serotonin production, but can deplete both norepinephrine and dopamine. This is why L-Tyrosine must also be provided. The key is supplying the right amino acids in the correct amounts.
An analysis of the OCT-2 transporters is critical for properly guiding amino acid therapy. The majority of patients do very well on their initial dosage. Urinary testing becomes important if the patients are not showing any kind of improvement after one to two weeks. If you feel amino acid therapy at Androgenix in North Palm Beach, FL may be pertinent for your situation, contact us today to schedule your consultation!
