 Stress & Mood
Byron J. Richards, CCN - When I design dietary supplement formulations one of my key focal points is seeking to support optimal function of your brain and nerves. The most fundamental principle of a good mental outlook is having energy. Your brain runs on energy. Superior energy-producing nutrition is your ticket to a brighter outlook.* Read more
Best Stress & Mood Supplements:
Learn more about Stress and Mood:Your Mind Runs on Energy (More on Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin)Nerve Inflammation and Stress (More on Stress Helper) Basal Metabolism and Mood ( More on Thyroid Helper) Sleep Rules Diet, Mental Energy, Cravings, and Mood Menstrual Struggles Mood Pain The Innate Need for Stability Wired for Stress All Wound Up -- The Substance P Revolution Your Mind Runs on Energy (More on Daily Energy Multiple)90% of the cells in your brain are called glial cells (or astrocytes); the other 10% are neurons that send signals using neurotransmitters like serotonin. For decades scientists had no clue what glial cells actually did, thinking they were just part of your brains structure -- but not function. The most dramatic breakthroughs in neuroscience are centered on a new understanding of the actual function of glial cells; discoveries that you can use to help improve your mind and mood. When your cells burn calories in their Krebs cycle engines they produce energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Like money in your wallet, ATP is your cells energy currency. It builds up in cells and can be spent as needed to do things. When you run low on ATP you get tired or fatigued. One major discovery is that glial cells use ATP to communicate, which is different from energy-related use. Another major discovery is that glial cells are the primary regulators of neurons; they must have ATP to tell neurons what to do. This means that your brain uses energy to communicate. If you run low on energy your brain doesnt communicate and your neurotransmitters dont flow in an optimal way. These discoveries are of fundamental importance, creating a new understanding of mental well being based on the now proven fact that your overall supply of energy (ATP) is the single most important factor determining the health of your mind and mood. Stress implies that there is an increased demand of a physical or emotional nature meaning that more energy (ATP) is required to deal with the issue. If you dont have enough ATP on hand you will feel irritable, tired, have a poor mood, and it will seem like the burden of stress is causing wear and tear. You can condition your body to have more ATP by exercising. Exercising turns on genes that produce greater amounts of ATP. A person who is fit has more ATP at rest (like having a well-charged battery), more ATP that can spring into action to meet demands, and a better ability to keep making ATP to keep up with ongoing needs and pressures. This is why refreshing exercise is so beneficial to mood and vital for anyone whose mental frame of mind is not up to par. Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin is formulated to rapidly produce ATP in cells. It uses co-enzyme B vitamins, which are already in their energized state, and needed to power your Krebs cycle cellular ATP-producing engines. Plain B vitamins are not biologically active, meaning they require ATP to digest them and ATP to energize them into their coenzyme forms -- a process that does not work so well if you are already tired.* Daily Energy Multi is also formulated with special Krebs bioactive cofactors, such as malic acid, which are needed to produce ATP and offset fatigue. The malic acid is bound to magnesium, another vital nutrient for ATP production. There is no other multiple vitamin like this on the market today -- I made it this way specifically so that you could feel an energetic difference, including improved mental energy.* A variety of other nutrients will work synergistically with Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin for the production of ATP -- but all other nutrients play off the foundation provided by our Daily Energy Multi. This is the starting point for anyone to boost energy and mood. Some people under very high stress require large amounts of B vitamins to keep nerves energized. One strategy is to boost Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin from 2-3 a day up to 6 a day. Another strategy is to use our Super B Complex, which can be used in conjunction with Daily Energy Multi or even by itself. Many individuals take extra B vitamins on days they known they have more to do or days that will be more challenging in some way -- lowering the dose on subsequent days that are not as demanding.
Nerve Inflammation and Stress (More on Stress Helper)Glial cells turn out to be the main player in your brains function. In addition to telling your neurons what to do, they are also taking to your immune cells and other stress management hormones like cortisol. Glial cells are the communication broker in your brain; helping your subconscious brain understand what is going on in the rest of your body -- which is why keeping them energized is so important. When stress pressures start to rev up, numerous systems in your body start to respond. This heightened rate of metabolic demand naturally produces more inflammatory trash as a byproduct. Like a power boat speeding through the water, the wake (inflammatory trash) is based on how fast you are going. If you are already low on ATP then your power boat is already sputtering. In this case your engines can pour out a lot of black smoke even though you arent going very fast. Too much inflammatory trash along with too little ATP is a recipe for mood stress. Your body seeks to buffer these demands by making extra cortisol (produced by your adrenal glands). Cortisol is like oil in a car engine the faster you go the more you need so that your engine doesnt overheat (get too inflamed). The nutrients in Stress Helper (pantethine, acetyl-l-carnitine, and carnosine) are designed to offset the inflammatory burden of stress on your nerves -- as well as facilitating a higher level of ATP production. The dual role these specialty nutrients play can dramatically help to offset wear and tear and reduce mental friction.* Pantethine directly supports the function of your adrenal glands, helping you to naturally produce cortisol as needed. At the same time pantethine produces Co-Enzyme A (CoA), an essential molecule that helps your body metabolize fats and carbohydrates to produce ATP. Pantethine also assists the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a nerve compound that significantly helps mood and relieves the feeling of wear and tear.* Acetyl-L-Carnitine has a general affect on improving the energetic function of brain cells, supporting the flow of all neurotransmitters, and acting as a nerve antioxidant to help buffer stress. It has been shown to promote the natural process of new nerve fiber growth. It has been well studied for its beneficial effects on memory and mental task performance. It directly helps cells make energy by enhancing how cells use oxygen to burn calories in the Krebs engines, enhancing the function of a vital enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase.* Carnosine is a powerful protector of nerves from friction. It is one of the very best anti-irritation nutrients known. It has a general anti-aging and anti wear and tear function on numerous systems in your body -- especially nerves.*
All three of the nutrients in Stress Helper are also available as individual supplements. One capsule of Stress Helper provides 350 mg of acetyl-l-carnitine, 150 mg of pantethine, and 50 mg of carnosine. The stand alone products contain 500 mg acetyl-l-carnitine per capsule, 300 mg pantethine per capsule, or 500 mg carnosine per capsule. Some people take 2-3 Stress Helper per day and then use one or another individual product to boost the amount of a particular nutrient, like pantethine, into a higher range. Some people simply take higher amounts of Stress Helper (up to six per day). And others simply use one of these individual nutrients for a specific purpose. Acetyl-L-Carnitine in the range of 1500 mg to 2000 mg a day is used specifically for memory support and higher levels of nerve wear and tear (see Substance P section). Pantethine in the range of 600 mg to 900 mg a day is used for adrenal fatigue and/or supporting the healthy metabolism of triglycerides and cholesterol. Carnosine in the range of 500 mg to 1500 mg a day is used for a high level of nerve protection and general anti-aging nutrition.*
Basal Metabolism and Mood (More on Thyroid Helper)Thyroid hormone sets the pace for energy (ATP) production in all your cells. If the pace is too slow you wont have a basic supply of energy needed to properly run your metabolism and mood. In addition to having the energy to make thyroid hormone in the first place (T4 -- thyroxine) your body must have the energy and capacity to convert T4 to the metabolically active form known as T3. Using Thyroid helper and Iosol Iodine (see below) provide the basic nutrients to help your body make thyroid hormone and activate it.* When your body runs low on thyroid-boosting nutrients then T4 levels start to rise (because T3 isnt being formed). Thyroid hormone is managed differently by your brain than everywhere else in your body, and this rise in T4 tends to interfere with the metabolic pace in your head disrupting ATP production and causing your head to feel heavy or tired setting the stage for poor mood. This head grogginess is often most pronounced in the middle of the afternoon, and is one of the first symptoms of sluggish thyroid function. Under ongoing stress your thyroid system must work harder to maintain the core supply of energy (ATP) your body and mind need. Activities within the thyroid gland (T4 production) and liver (the main site of T3 activation) are turned up to a faster pace, which means more sparks fly as increased energy demands are met. It is vital to have thyroid hormone-related antioxidant function to buffer this increased demand -- as is provided by Thyroid Helper working synergistically with other antioxidants.* A specific high stress event, or ongoing daily stress, produces higher amounts of wear and tear compounds that directly interact with thyroid hormones and reduce the conversion of T4 to active T3. This is why natural thyroid support is a key aspect of stress and mood management. If thyroid systems begin to sputter it is certain that the energy required for optimal brain function will be reduced.
Sleep Rules (More on RelaxaMag)Disturbances in your sleep pattern, either not being able to get to sleep or not being able to stay asleep, are a key sign that stress friction is affecting your nerves. Poor sleep results in poor recovery leading to a reduced energy level and more fatigue the next day. This means even less energy to deal with stress. This nasty de-energizing catch 22 can cause your mood to plummet. Anything you can do to keep your energy up and more stable during the day will help you to build up less friction by the end of the day and you will sleep better. This is why the use of Daily Energy Multiple Vitamin, Stress helper, and Thyroid helper not only boost your mood during the day but help you set the stage for better sleep.* Getting high quality minerals and related amino acids into your nerves at bedtime can significantly promote more restful sleep. RelaxaMag is our most popular product for this purpose, followed closely by Tri-Cal. Melatonin is also useful to help round out an effective sleep support program. If quality of sleep is an issue it simply must be improved to give daytime mood a fighting chance.*
Diet, Mental Energy, Cravings, and MoodWhen you eat has a profound affect on your energy and mood. There is a tremendous amount of information on this website about leptin and The Leptin Diet, as I am the original author and national leading expert on diet-related information and leptin. Leptin is a hormone that comes from your stored fat, travels to your brain, and tells your metabolism how fast it can go -- setting the energy production policy for your entire body. In fact, leptin tells your thyroid how fast to set its energy-producing pace. If you snack between meals, eat meals that are too large on a regular basis, or eat after dinner at night you cause leptin problems that are sure to foul up your energy and mood. Another hormone coming out of your fat is called adiponectin, a hormone that helps leptin do its job properly, especially regarding your blood sugar levels. When you have leptin problems (being overweight = too much leptin), your adiponectin levels start to drop and you crave sweets and carbohydrates. To make matters worse, low adiponectin levels are associated with a really bad mood. This is most likely associated with unstable ups and downs in blood sugar leading to irritability.* Following the Five Rules of The Leptin Diet is the foundation for solving this problem. Additionally, nutrients that support more stable and natural blood sugar function can really help out your mood. The tip off you may need some help is an expanding waist line, sugar cravings, excess food or carbohydrate consumption -- and trouble staying positive, especially between meals.*
Menstrual StrugglesThe menstrual cycle is one of the most energy-demanding functions in the female body, requiring the energy output of 8 hours of construction work a day for the week prior to it starting -- on top of everything else that has to be done. Because your menstrual cycle is about survival of our species, its energy needs will take priority over any other energy needs you may have -- including having enough energy for healthy brain function. The mood issues that many women feel at this time are primarily about entering into this time of the month without enough energy reserves to have it run smoothly. Any improvements made in any of the previous sections will help. For example, I often see menstrual strains disappear when following The Leptin Diet -- as energy efficiency is improved and this leaves more energy to run the cycle smoothly. I have also designed a product, Female Plus, which assists the whole menstrual cycle to run smoother. This product is especially important if the menstrual time is not a pleasant mood experience each month.*
Mood PainWhen nerves drop below a certain level of energy uncomfortable feelings are experienced that can be lumped into the general category of nerve-related discomfort or pain." It is a fundamental urge of survival to avoid feeling such pain (agitation, irritation, grumpiness, etc.) By following the advice given in the previous sections you can have more energy so that you can rise above this issue -- protecting yourself against a falling energy level that enters the irritation zone." It is unfortunate that many people have weak nerves and fall into this irritation zone too easily. Once in it, the feeling can spread -- leading to even worse mood. This is often the case with those who have a poor family history of mood issues, who had a rough time while in the womb (parental stressors), had an unstable childhood, and/or had poor nutrition while growing up. Such individuals have to be very careful about doing things right as they have less inherent tolerance before dipping down into nerve-related pain. In response to such nerve pain individuals often come up with solutions that feel good in the short term but arent really helpful. These include stress eating, excess sugar consumption, smoking, drinking -- even street drugs. In fact, any addiction is rooted in this mechanism of getting a pleasure burst that will solve a lower state of mood. The only real solution is to have a much better level of overall energy and nerve-energy in particular. Consistent exercise, adequate sleep, enjoyable constructive activities, stress management, good diet, and nutrients as discussed so far all help address the source of this problem by boosting and managing your supply of energy. There are no short cuts or quick fixes -- but there are real solutions. While many of the suggestions given so far will boost your mood energy to help keep your head above water, here are two more options that many people have found helpful -- especially individuals who have the poor family history or find it hard to stay positive.*
The Innate Need for StabilityEveryone needs some type of stability in their life. Food, clothing, reproduction, and shelter are core survival principles that relate to all mammals. All mammals have a subconscious brain limbic system that takes these issues very seriously. In the machine language of the subconscious brain stability is all that matters -- and the feeling that things are too out of control or unpredictable is enemy number one. Internal feelings of anxiety or panic, in their various shades of grey, are thermometers on your subconscious brains sense of stability and consciously how well you think you are solving problems. It is rather obvious that some people have considerably more tolerance for chaos or unpredictability than others and can handle more pressure before these feelings set in. It is important to strengthen the structure of core nerves and brain cells in general if you are prone to being anxious, feeling too unstable, are hesitant to do new things or get involved, or feel that circumstances go out of control too easily. This is regardless of the facts and circumstances in your life. This is all about having stronger nerves. The best physical exercise for this is repetitive use of your hands doing things you like to do. This could be a hobby, a craft, playing a musical instrument, gardening, etc. The only rule is that you use both hands in mostly repetitive motions and you like what you are doing. And then do it for at least an hour -- every day if needed. The reason this works is because it sends positive signals to the motion control center of your brain called the cerebellum. In turn, your cerebellum feeds this positive message into your core subconscious brain telling it everything is just fine. It is like using machine language to tell your brain to chill. Another effective angle is to build stronger brain cells and core nerve networks. It is interesting that the action of crawling stimulates core brain circuitry to form in babies. Many adults prone to being anxious did not crawl long enough. In general, your brain needs energy (ATP) to function and anything you can do to help this out, which has been the primary theme of this Stress and Mood health topic, will help you to stimulate new brain cell formation and new nerve networks to form. Of course it helps if you do activities with your brain that challenge or exercise it. There are two critical nutrients that are required for the health of brain cell membranes, and thus their electrical potential and overall energetic health: DHA and phosphatidylserine.
Wired for StressAwakeness is tied to an arousal thermostat that directly senses the degree of stress in your environment. If you are under high stress or ongoing stress then this system may have its volume knob turned up so that you are more vigilant and prepared to deal with issues. Obviously, this is a survival mechanism. Problems come about when the extra vigilance disturbs your sleep, in turn making you more tired and more susceptible to a poor stress response on the following day. Many individuals have experienced stress-related fetal programming or early childhood programming. This means that the stress felt while in the womb and/or the stress of early life, while nerves are in a developmental phase, has programmed the arousal thermostat to be too vigilant as a baseline. It is as if these early lessons thought that your body needed to be too on. This will make it more difficult for you to handle stress as an adult, too easily flying off the handle or obsessing on details all part of a wired system for dealing with life. This often leads to cravings for food or behavior around other bad habits. The more healthy things you do in your life that you find relaxing and enjoyable directly help this issue. It is interesting that you have to have a relaxed foundation in order to have normal energy. This relaxed foundation is like oil in your car engine. Any of the nutrients in the sections just before and after this one are likely to help by improving your brains ability to cope and by helping to rewire your arousal thermostat so that it is not set so high. The single best product to take during the day, which produces relaxing alpha brain waves within 40 minutes, is Sleep Helper. Dont let the name fool you, this is also a great daytime stress management nutrient that can help you keep your composure while helping to focus your attention (it will not make you drowsy).
All Wound Up -- The Substance P RevolutionSubstance P is a neuropeptide that is a common regulatory compound within your nerves. It is released primarily in your brain stem and in nerve endings. It is released in small amounts on a regular basis as part of normal function of nerves. It is also released in larger amounts as the main way your body processes physical pain and intense stress. Under routine stress, your body simply turns up the volume knob on nerve activity and energy production and when the stress is over everything is supposed to recover. If not, your body enters a wear and tear trend. Substance P is not used as a basic coping mechanism for low-grade stress. However, extra substance P kicks in when stress is more intense. This could be an acute high level of emotional stress, physical pain, injury, an accident, or ongoing stress of an energy-depleting emotional nature. Substance P is highly inflammatory by nature, a natural method of helping to deal with acute stress but problematic if stress is ongoing. Because substance P is also processed in your brain stem, it cross-talks to the glial cells of your brain in turn interfering with thyroid function, stress hormones (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), as well as directly mucking up the flow of neurotransmitters -- all three factors can be significant mood challenges. Signs of too much substance P include disrupted sleep, poor stress tolerance, ongoing fatigue, anxious or hostile feelings, restless legs, increased general aches or pains, skin-related issues, respiratory stress, and/or digestive inflammation. Too much substance P can make you feel wound up inside, like a cat on a hot tin roof. Its like sitting at a stop sign with your foot on the gas and the clutch pushed in going 60 miles per hour nowhere. It is an uncomfortable wired energy often accompanied by odd nerve and skin sensations -- and fatigue. Substance P can be released in the brain stem or from any nerve ending. Once it is released it triggers mast cells to release more histamine, which in turn promotes more substance P release by more nerve cells. This means that if you get stuck in a substance P rut in can be self-sustaining and somewhat hard to get out of. Substance P issues underlie many difficult to manage stress issues. The two best nutrients that help modulate histamine release from mast cells are quercetin and carnosine. Other nutrients like calcium AEP and acetyl-l-carnitine helps the nerves tolerate substance P better. This combination of four products can certainly come in handy to help nerves calm down. These products are typically taken during the day, and used in combination with the sleep support nutrients (listed above) taken before bed.
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