Episode 6: Amino Acids Part 4 DLPA for Emotional Pain
Welcome to Part 4 of 4 podcasts about Amino Acids and more specifically, the book written by Dr. Julia Ross called The Mood Cure. The information contained in this little book, published in 2004 by Penguin books, was such a game changer in my life. It taught me I didn’t have to accept the “hand” of emotional missteps my body handed to me, on a regular basis. I didn’t have to be that weak person who, once a month, not only suffered PMS but huge self doubt about myself and my abilities to handle anything “stressful”. And of course the burden of the whole world’s problems would overwhelm me on any given Sunday (or any day, for that matter!), how could I possible take on any more while I worry about the starving children in Africa… Along comes this book, The Mood Cure, – and a couple of others like Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life, by Wayne Dyer and The Seven Habits of Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, and I am cured of all that ails me! Well almost!
Have you been accused of being “way too sensitive!” Do you often feed sad for no real reason? Do you crave pleasure foods – sugar, chocolate, sweets, baked goods, dairy (cheese please!)?
Do you know someone who is so “bah humbug” that they do not find joy in simple pleasures like sunsets, a beautiful day or lovely meal out (and someone else cleans up!)? These are sure signs of being deficient in the feel good chemical “endorphins”. Endorphins are natural comforting substances that transmit enjoyment, contentment and even euphoria! Hallelujah!
What could make someone such an unhappy Scrooge like character that is hooked on simple carbs and cheese? Or alcohol or drugs? Could it be they were just born that way? Well genetics does play a part in this. There is a bio-chemical pre disposition to having too little endorphins that runs in families (the ones who ALL seem miserable? All the time???). Then if you are born female versus male, you are more likely to have lower endorphin levels than your brother. If you have Premenstral Syndrome (PMS), you won’t have the usual uptick of endorphin levels mid cycle. You stay low throughout. And of course, there’s menopause – when endorphin levels sag. As estrogen levels drop, so does levels of endorphins. Estrogen actually runs the show here! It’s the director that is responsible for releasing endorphins (and serotonin) in the brain. WOW – challenges on every front if you are a typical woman! And they accuse us of being too emotional, too sensitive and easily upset… well, now we know why – often, we couldn’t help ourselves! Until now!
What else can cause persistent depleted state of endorphins? Prolonged stressful circumstances. These circumstances can be emotional distress or physical pain. Chronic pain can have concrete biochemical repercussions. Prolonged stress from upset, injury sickness or just being scared, taxes the endorphin levels.
As part of the emergency response team, endorphins come in after adrenaline. The endorphins are the chemical that keeps the pain at bay until an all clear signal from the mind. This is why some people don’t feel the pain of a broken bone or other injury until an hour later, maybe. Endorphins also signal the cortisol to start dropping. So that you can calm down as the emergency has passed.
A traumatic loss like the death of someone close, causes the endorphin levels to rise in the brain and stay high. Or at least the body tries to maintain the high level. When someone says the pain comes in waves, it is the endorphin levels rising and falling as the body is trying to maintain the high levels required to see you though this. At some point, the endorphin levels descent for good. If the level is not enough to anesthetize, people turn to alcohol, drugs, food, sex, exercise or anything else that will stimulate their endorphins. I swear that people get tatoos to get the endorphin rush of the pain management - that’s just my theory, but I hear the “I feel so good when I get a tatoo…. Seriously??” I always say I could beat them up a bit and they would get the same endorphin rush – for free!
We can’t talk about endorphins without mentioning the help that sugar and chocolate have in adding and abetting the “endorphin rush”. Certain foods will have a drug like effect, partly because of what they are made of, and partly because they are an “assault” on the body that then goes into emergency repair mode – bringing out the endorphins to deal with the injury caused by the perpetrating food item: so for the gluten intolerant, it would be wheat products like fresh bread. For dairy intolerant – cheese. The ingestion of a particular food that you “crave” will trigger an allergic response in the digestive or the respiratory tract, to which endorphins come to the rescue…. To soothe you and aid in the pain management. So the vicious circle of pain and pleasure is repeated over and over again. And most people are unaware of the damage they are doing to their systems – the digestive and the neurological mood regulators.
Sugar on its own, forces a spike in endorphins. It’s the ultimate pleasure drug food. And chocolate is in a category all on its own because it not only has sugar in it but 5 other druglike substances that all either stimulate endorphins or create an opiate like response – making it extremely addictive!
One of the problems with endorphin level management – is that you need a “starter” amount, much like yeast starter for yogurt, to be able to make more endorphins with. If you are born with too little “starter” material or have let your stores be so depleted, you will have trouble restarting your endorphin making machinery. In comes PHEYLALINE. An amino acid that comes in two forms – D and L. Usually a combination is recommended by Dr. Ross for her patients with the short form DLPA. The two forms, have synergistic benefits in the pain prevention department. The L form helps amplify pleasure sensations. The D form is an endorphin booster that acts by neutralizing enzymes in the brain, that set out to destroy endorphins.
Dr. Ross cites studies done on DLPA. One showed that some forms of depression respond very well to DLPA – in fact better than to some antidepressant pharmaceutical drugs. Traditional drugs that take a while to ascertain whether it is the right one for you. In another 95% of depressed patients showed significant or complete improvement in their condition. The last one quoted, had 2/3rds of patients discharged symptom free of depression after just 20 days of using a low dose DLPA.
In a case she cites on page 107, a patient lost her husband. Six months after losing her husband, she was still not able to function. She quit her job, turned to food, chocolate and wine for comfort. Within 15 minutes of taking 2 DLPA capsules, she started to feel better. Before she left the office she exclaimed “I haven’t felt this good since before my husband died.” After only 4 months, she didn’t need the supplement anymore. She got a new job and was feeling herself again. Sometimes you just have to give the body a helping hand.
DLPA also has a role to play in assisting in physical pain management. In 1985 Arnold Fox, MD wrote about using DPA and DLPA in his work. He confirmed that these aminos significantly relieved the pain of arthritis, migraines and cancer. He cites a French study that shows how powerful endorphins are at relieving lifes emotional and physical pain. Patients with severe pain were given a low dose of DPA for 20 months. Most never needed any other pain relievers ever again!
Painkilling D-phenylalanine with energizing L-phelylalanine will give you an energetic boost as well as drive your depression (or other pain) away, for good! Dr. Ross says if you are the kind of person who has a lot of nervous energy, you will want to skip the energizing L component and just do DLP. Especially if you have sleep problems.
To summarize this chapter from the Mood Cure book entitled “Too Sensitive for Life’s Pain”
Level One – The Magic Fix
DLPA – combination of potent D and energizing L phenylamine. You can get relief in one day. If you have nervous energy, you can use just the D form – DPA
Add more aminos that aid in the production of endorphins: Try getting a blend that has at least 9 such as: histadine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalinine, threonine, tryptophan, valine
Boost serotonin levels at the same time:
Take DLPA first thing in the morning, then mid morning
Take 5 HTP afternoon and evening (before bed)
Take L-Glutamine to cut the carb and alcohol cravings.
All of these recommendations should be discussed with your health care team. Functional medical professionals or anyone else that is trained in these chemical reaction in the body. Every body is different and you are your best advocate for what you need to make your life better!
Level Two – Support the Magic Fix
Eat more quality protein regularly.
Hug more!
Take vitamins!
Multi vitamin
Vitamin B Complex – Vit B is known to relieve physical discomfort
Help restore endorphin function and regenerate damaged nerves in as little as a week!
Magnesium – neutralizes body’s pain provoking chemicals (also good for migraines and PMS)
Vitamin D and Calcium
Vitamin C increases endorphin levels. Think Sunshine! How uplifting it is! Everyone crawls out of their “holes” to take advantage of the sun! It’s practically a spur of the moement holiday when the sun comes out after long periods of gloomy weather in Canada! Vitamin C even reduces discomfort from withdrawl from painkillers like heroin.
Omega 3 oil – promotes effective production of all mood enhancing brain chemicals
Zinc
Vitamin E
See Chapter 10 in the Mood Cure Book or the show notes from Episode 5.
Level Three – Keep the Magic Fix Going Forever!
Eat 20-30 g of protein three times a day! Fish, eggs, cottage cheese, chicken. Only animal protein contains all 22 aminos
Eat fresh vegetables and good fats! The brain needs fats to produce endorphins so Dr. Ross says eat the egg yolks and the chicken skin! (organic preferably!).
Don’t everdo exercise. Exercise moderately. Too much depletes endorphins.
Get your rest! Burning the candle at both ends – well, it just generally burns you out!
Take the time to find a good functional medical professional to help you with this journey, or call Jr. Julia Ross’s clinic for virtual appointment. The mood assessment questionnaire is on the clinic website and is a great place to start. I’ll leave the URL in the show notes on our website:
https://www.thewisewomansway.com or short version http://www.annerad.com will redirect you to it.
Dr. Julia Ross’s Website. Find access to her clinic and her questionnaire to determine what your “false moods” are and how to start fixing them!