SEROTONIN
THE CHEMICAL CORE TO ALL OF LIFE AND PRODUCTIVITY IN LIFE!
DO THESE, AVOID THOSE
Eat a balanced diet, get enough B vitamins. Avoid all insulin spikes so that it can normalize the transfer of tryptophan (from which serotonin is produced) from the circulator system into the brain. You can stop doing the depleters of overexercising, not eating enough (or regularly enough) or artificially restricting carbs! Take B vits, calcium magnesium, and considering the supplements listed below (but always see a doctor to be sure that these are not adversely affecting something else).
But with balance, we can create an ongoing condition of a good level of serotonin - and a stable life.
Be sure you understand how it gets generated, but also practice doing all of the generaters, commiting them to memory so that you live by them - as they are central to all of life!!!
THE OTHER COSTS OF OUT OF WHACK SEROTONIN
Attempting to alleviate the problem inappropriately always leads to some sort of problem and can even cause huge long term problems and affect one's longevity.
There is a huge cost is in not having a balanced or good mood. You experience life as not so good and your productivity plumments, causing more "feel bad" feelings.
And then things are worsened, as part of the downhill spiral, by its affect on insomnia, deficit disorder in children
Its symptoms can cause one to be misdiagnosed (or at least confuse things) with regard to one's thyroid.
HOW SEROTONIN GETS GENERATED
If we binge on carbohydrates or use stimulants, insulin levels rise causing a rapid release of serotonin from the "storage depot" (which is pretty small and needs to be replenished fairly often). We get an excessive (and temporary) rush, which quickly depletes into a worsening of the problem (since the body always attempts to correct the excess state, and often overcorrects it past the balance position). In the latter case, then, we "must" solve the shortage problem, desperately, as the body says "hey, we need some and we're way out of balance and I must have balance." And then you're sitting down there with your willpower being no match for it or you're completely mindlessly going for the next "hit" - usually from "comfort foods" and/or stimulants (coffee, wine, cigarettes...).
You must intake the materials to build serotonin (and any hormone). If you are on a low fat diet, you are restricting the absolutely essential building block of fat. Plus, you've got to have sufficient protein.
STRESS HORMONES STIMULATE SEROTONIN, BUT...
While stress hormones cause the release of serotonin, one must understand at least two key factors here. The body only evolved to handle the levels (and frequency) of stress experienced in the Caveman days. Consequently, the normal supply of the stress hormones is rather limited, which means that they are soon depleted and no longer available to temporarily stimulate serotonin. In other words, it isn't reliable.
SUPPLEMENTS
These will have to be increased, but then readjusted downward to normal levels as balance is "felt". These supplements are consistent across the experts in the field.
B vitamin supplement
Essential Fatty Acid supplements, 1000 mg 2x/day
L-trytophan (250-500mg, 3x day) - Precursor to serotonin
or 25-50 mg 5 HTP
250-500 mg magnesium with 1000 mg calcium before bedtime.
St. John's wort in morning, then work up to three times a day if needed (250 mg each time)
All of these elements are used up when people take stimulants! (Please don't do one of the worst depleters of all - high energy drinks - bad effects and massively toxic to your system.)
Remember that it is recommended that you consult with your doctor before making any changes that could affect your health!
INTERESTING - WHAT ANTIDEPRESSANTS DO AND DON'T DO
I "kinda" knew a few of the facts, but I didn't put it all together.
You can have "low serotonin states", which are often called depression (since they do fit into the symptoms list).
The SSRI drugs are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. With a limited supply of serotonin, the supply will get depleted relatively quickly when it is "reuptaked" in the normal process of hormones and hormone receptors. But we need it to hang around longer so the brain can feel good, so we keep it available to the brain by preventing its reabsorption (reuptake), which takes it out of the available supply in the blood stream.
If, however, you have really wiped out your supply, there is little to prevent from being reuptaken - so you will notice little, if any, effect from the ssri.
The problem of course is that by prescribing a pill, which may be appropriate for short term management, we will not solve the original cause of the problem. Only rebalancing of the body will cause that to happen. (See Solve The Cause, Not Just The Symptoms!)
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TOP FOODS TO INCLUDE IN DIET
Green tea (antioxidants, amino acids)
Almonds (magnesium, selenium)
Salmon (omega 3), other fish
Dark chocolate (1-1.5 oz.)
Eggs
Banana (tryptophan, tyrosine)
Avocados (healthy fats, tryptophan)
Blueberries (antioxidants)
Spinach
Asparagus (tryptophan)
