Anyone have any info. on neurotransmitters?

[jlarson]

After 40+ years of doing things the "drug & surgery only" way, and getting nowhere, I've been digging into the more natural route and trying to find the root cause of my seizures and work with my body to heal things that way. The N.D. (as opposed to M.D.'s which in my experience never want to get into anything outside the box) that I'm starting to work with wants to do an I.G.G. (I.G.A.? I forget which one) which is a food sensitivity test and a neurotransmitter test. I'm a bit hesitant because I don't understand much about these. There are tons of things on-line that downplay neurotransmitter tests because some claim that what is in your bodily fluids (blood, etc.) doesn't reflect what's really in your brain, that these transmitters can change throughout the day, making tests unreliable, that the transmitters in your brain don't actually travel anywhere else (also making fluid tests unreliable) because they never cross your blood brain barrier, and several other things. But, if this (and more) is totally wrong, first off, you'd think the doctors and labs that do this kind of testing would be shut down by the F.T.C. and F.D.A. Second, how did they ever discover neurotransmitters to put them in medical literature to begin with? Could it be, in all fairness that the articles downplaying these things were written or backed by drug companies (wanting to protect THEIR business)? With everything that neurotransmitters do that I've read about, you'd think that doctors (especially neurologists) would have MUCH more understanding of them and work with them more -especially when drugs don't work, and surgery isn't an option. But it seems that these things are looked at (unfairly in my opinion) as snake oil (or next to it) because no M.D. I talk to does anything with testing this stuff, and neither do insurance companies.
Does anyone have ANY information or experience with these kinds of things?

 

[Porkette]

Hi jlarson,

Before I had surgery to reduce my seizures my Epileptologist and neurosurgeon told me to have a wada test by doing
this test the Dr. will give a person a shot in the groin and half of the brain goes to sleep during this time the Drs. are testing
you asking you to read simple sentences along with a few more things. The test is being video taped also. Once they put one
side of the brain to sleep and you come around then they do the other side of the brain and by doing this they can pinpoint
the cause of a persons seizures.
If you have never gone to a Epilepsy Center and seen a Epileptologist that's where you may want to go. I've seen many neuros
over the 51 yrs. I've had epilepsy but I got the most help from an Epileptologist.

I've noticed over the yrs. that during the fall and winter I have more seizure than in the spring and summer and my Epileptologist.
calls them "seasonal seizures" and this happens because in the fall and winter there's less serotonin this time of the yr. compared.
to the spring and summer.
Another thing that can cause more seizures is when a person goes through their change in life because the hormones are changing
and that in turn can cause more excitement for some people and in turn it can lead to more or fewer seizures.
To find the correct medication ask your Dr. to do a DNA test on you by doing this the Dr. will be able to see the amount of enyzmes
in your liver and also see your body chemistry and then by looking at that they can find the best seizure med for you with the least
side effect or it will show if you are drug resistant. When I had my DNA test done I found out I was drug resistant so my Epileptologist
told me to start using the medical marijuana and I was amazed at how my seizures decreased.
I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You,

Sue

 

[Bernard]

The Cleveland Clinic published a page with a lot of info on neurotransmitters:

Neurotransmitters: What They Are, Functions & Types

Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules that carry messages or signals from one nerve cell to the next target cell. They’re part of your body’s communication system.

my.clevelandclinic.org

Whether the tests you are considering are valuable measurements or not I do not know. However, if the test were to indicate an imbalance, it seems to me that it would be simple enough to try experiments with supplements to boost one or more of them and see what happens. Most of these neurotransmitters are available over the counter at any grocery store or vitamin shop.

 

[Bernard]

Follow up - You can restrict glutamate from your diet. That's part of the G.A.R.D. diet. Some info on GABA here:

gaba

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com

 

[jlarson]

Follow up - You can restrict glutamate from your diet. That's part of the G.A.R.D. diet. Some info on GABA here:

gaba

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com

Can I post a link to a site that I found? Some sites for some reason, seem to not like that. It might help to describe what I'm looking into and where I'm getting lost. I'm not sure who else to ask....if this is an M.D. thing, or a pharmacist thing, or someone else.

 

[Bernard]

Can I post a link to a site that I found? Some sites for some reason, seem to not like that. ...

Yes, you can post a link appropriate to the discussion.

 

[jlarson]

Yes, you can post a link appropriate to the discussion.

Here's 1.....

Balancing Neurotransmitters to Take Control of Your Life

An imbalance of neurotransmitters can lead to problems with mood, memory, addictions, energy, and sleep. Learn how this happens and what to do about it.

bebrainfit.com

I just typed in "how to tell if your neurotransmitters are out of balance" on what used to be altavista (I think it's yahoo now...?). As usual, got several million results. The one I copied above entitled "Be brain fit. Better mind. Better life." seems to claim that all neurotransmitter tests are a waste of time & money because they constantly change throughout the day and that you can tell what you need just by taking a look at how you feel, among several other points it cuts on. I've been into Natural/Eastern/herbal medicine for 35 years and this is confusing to me, given HOW it's explained and the detail used -not just the standard "this herb may interact with some drug you're on" or "There aren't any major studies proving this works." or other such brief statements often used when sites are trying to invalidate herbal or Natural ways. Granted, there's a part that says some company was fined like $16,000,000 for fraud of some kind involving this stuff, but if this whole thing was a lie the F.T.C. or F.B.I. or F.D.A. would be all over things like this. I'm just trying to find out who the appropriate one would be for more information on this.

 

[Andrew]

Hi jlarson, you may be interested in reading some of the links within my posts to CWE:

I have post within the following thread: https://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/threads/metabolic-neurology.29068/

within my replies to the "metabolic neurology" thread (see the above link) are links to my story "40 years on vitamin B6" (now, it has been over 53 years on vitamin B6). I have also included a link to a thread named "Autism & Epilepsy & General Epilepsy Experiences" which I have replied to more than once regarding neurotransmitters and various enzymes.

**DO NOT ALTER ANY MEDICATION WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR'S CONSENT**

 

[Bernard]

The BeBrain page lists a lot of easy, natural ways you can experiment with to try and boost various neurotransmitters. You can try experimenting with them (one at a time!) to see if it has any noticeable effect for you.

 

[gigi]

It looks like I need to become more proactive in my treatment after fifty something years of dealing with this. My treatment here in the states has been based off of the insurance coverage, or lack there of. I went for several years without coverage. The epilepsy foundation provided medication, for which I am grateful for.
Now in my sixties, I am on Medicare, with limited resources on treatments. For profit healthcare provides limitations. I have never had a PCP or Neurologist do bloodwork for vitamin deficiencies in relation to my epilepsy. I did find out I was anemic, for which I did my own research on. It’s not just about meditation, but trying to engage in a conversation with a doctor about this turns futile.