Is Happiness a State of Mind or a State of Brain Chemistry?

Safe, Natural Ways To Help Elevate Your Mood, Re-Establish Good Sleeping Patterns, And Give You A Positive Sence Of Well-Being And Energy. 

We all think about going to the gym to keep our bodies fit, but many of us don’t know how to keep our brains fit and healthy too. There are natural supplements that may help to support the body, and also the brain.

How Does The Brain Work?

Did you know 50% - 60% of the brain’s overall weight is pure fat? Since the brain is mostly a fatty organ, oils are important for proper brain functioning. The brain has the consistency of hard whipped butter and the fatty tissue of the brain insulates and protects billions of nerve cells called neurons. These neurons control bodily functions by sending information along super speedways in the body. They tell the lungs to breath, the heart to pump, and the stomach to digest. Some are brain chemicals called neurotransmitters are Serotonin, Gaba, and Tyrophane. They regulate sleep, mood, energy, sex drive, concentration, and memory and much more. The brain is a highly complex organ and until recently very little was known about how the brain actually works,

Men and women nearing and over 40, experience subtle changes in reproductive, endocrine, and sex hormones. There are many sex and adrenal hormones but some of the most important hormones are progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and dhea. These hormones not only affect fertility and reproduction, they also affect the total amount of body energy, sexual energy, brain functioning and mood and sleep. The decline of these hormones is part of the natural aging process of the body and they also have an affect all fatty tissue in the entire body as well as the brain. These hormones also have a very intimate connection with neurotransmitters. For instance, if you are going to bungee jump off the side of a cliff your heart rate goes up because the fear response signals many hormones. Hormones and brain chemicals signal back and forth to each other constantly. This signaling goes on all day in many subtle ways. Another example would be when you want to go to sleep at night, certain chemicals in the brain calm down to start a chain of events allowing sleep to happen. Deficiency in neurotransmitter and hormones may dramatically affect mood, sleep, anxiety, fatigue and depression.

While some of the western drugs can be very effective for serious clinical conditions, they may have many side effects and can be very hard to withdraw from. Many natural products, Chinese herbs, amino acids therapy and acupuncture are proven to be a very effective way to heap deal with some of these types of symptoms Natural products and herbs may also be able to rebuild these systems that are deficient and that can be causing the symptoms to begin in the first place.

Natural Products That Really Work:

Essential Fatty Acids:

All oil from seeds nuts, vegetables, fish are essential fatty acids. All oils break down and help to make all sex and adrenal hormones. They are the good fats that help stabilize and make hormones and enhance brain functioning.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5HTP):

5HTP is an amino acid that makes serotonin. Seritonin is one of the most important feel good hormones that help to regulate sleep and mood.

Taurine:

Taurine is an amino acid that can be used during the day as it can have a very calming effect on the nervous system and support a feeling of well-being.

Theanine:

Theanine is an amino acid that is naturally found in green tea and has been well documented for its calming affects. It can be used during the day and also at night to aid with sleep.

Tyrosine:

Tyrosine is an amino acid that stimulates energy, elevates mood, and stabilizes blood sugar helps support some thyroid hormones.

Melatonin:

Melatonin controls and sleep cycles. It can be used at night to help with sleep.

Dhea:

Dhea is produced by the adrenal glands and makes many other adrenal hormones. It may help with total amount of body energy, fatigue, and some studies have shown that it may have an effect sexual energy.

Progesterone:

Progesterone has been described as the “feel good” hormone. It is very effective in treatment of sleep, anxiety, pms, and irritability.

Chinese Herbal Formulas:

There are many famous Chinese herbal formulas used for mood, energy, depression and sleep and should be prescribed by a licensed practitioner who will decide which formula is best for you.

Hormones and amino acids can now be tested though saliva, blood and urine. It helps to take the guesswork out what the body needs. Some of the top labs will also make suggestions as to which supplements are recommended according to lab test results. A healthy life style, with lots of attention paid to proper diet and exercise are some of the best way to regulate body and brain functions. there are safe, natural substances that can be tested and used to help with some of these acute and chronic problems. In my practice I have found that monitoring and regulating these substances make the natural treatment of mood, sleep, and energy, highly successful.