Nutrients and Amino Acids in Enhancing Mental Health with Dr Koby Taylor, PharmD

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello and welcome to the WhatReally Makes a Difference
podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Becca Whittaker.
I've been a doctor of naturalhealth care for over 20 years
and a professional speaker onhealth and vitality, but
everything I thought I knewabout health was tested when my
own health hit a landslide and Ibecame a very sick patient.

(00:22):
I've learned that showing up forour own health and vitality is a
step by step journey that wetake for the rest of our lives.
And this podcast is aboutsharing some of the things that
really make a difference on thatjourney with you.
So grab your explorer's hatwhile we get ready to check out
today's topic.
My incredible guest network andI will be sharing some practical

(00:45):
tools, current science andancient wisdom that we all need,
no matter what stage we are atin our health and vitality.
I've already got my hat on andmy hand out, so let's dive in
and we can all start walkingeach other home.

(01:06):
Hey, and welcome to today'sepisode.
I am really happy to talk withDr.
Kobe Taylor, but I'm even morehappy to introduce you to him.
We had a really interestingconversation that I think you'll
enjoy.
Dr.
Kobe has been a pharmacist forover 20 years and in That
profession, you already find alot of really intelligent

(01:26):
people, especially regardingbody chemistry, but he has taken
it to a whole new level.
Like so many of us, he thoughthe knew a lot about health until
he had his own health challengesand learned there was a lot
more.
So when his health challengeshappened, he really started to
dive into the actual chemistryof our body.

(01:48):
One part I find reallyinteresting about our
conversation is he says the sideeffects of most medications are
actually because of thenutrients that those medications
contain.
bind to and deplete from ourbodies.
So he began to look atmicronutrients and amino acids
and what we need to actuallybuild up the nutrients and the
absorption of those nutrients inour bodies.

(02:11):
And he focused specifically onmental health.
So we talk aboutneurotransmitters.
Those are the chemicals thathelp run our brains and bodies
that help us feel connected,happy.
Loved, and give us drive,really.
We talk about digestion, and wetalk about perspective, and
healing.
It's a fascinating conversation,and I think it'll be worth your

(02:33):
time.
And for this episodespecifically, and the episode
before, I would like to thankyou for your patience in putting
up with some of the sounddifficulty that I was having.
Welcome to tech.
Ha ha ha! The microphone that Iwas using in this episode.
came partially unplugged and itmade the sound a little tricky
to help.
I thought the conversation wasso valuable that even though the

(02:55):
sound hurts my pride a little,I'm still releasing it.
So thank you for your patienceand we'll all learn together.
Welcome to the show.
Dr.
Coby Taylor, I am So happy tomeet with you today.
I know we've been discussing alittle bit before we started
about what we can talk about.
And I feel like I'm a kid in aplayground.

(03:17):
So for those who have not comeacross your work, Dr.
Kobe is a pharmacist.
And he works in southern Utah,but he is not your average
pharmacist.
So most pharmacists I, Iactually really look forward to
talking to if I need to take amedication because I feel like
they really know the ins andouts of the medication.

(03:39):
Um, perhaps even better than thedoctors that prescribed the
medications.
I mean, it is your job to knowthe chemistry of the body.
But what you have donedifferently is instead of
pushing or talking about onlythe drugs, it seems like you
have really switched yourpractice.
Into looking at the chemistry ofthe body in what is deficient in

(04:01):
nutrients, in amino acids, inabsorption to help the, help
them, the vitality of the body.
So fewer medications areactually needed, and I know that
has got to have a story.
So can you tell me how mm-Hmm.
you went in the process.
from, you know, graduatingpharmacology school, setting up

(04:22):
a pharmacology practice intowhat you are teaching now, which
is nutrient and amino aciddeficiencies.
Yeah, absolutely.
So it's been, yeah, it's been ajourney.
Uh, and it's really my ownpersonal health.
So, um, it's been almost 10years ago that I, Um, I ended up
in the ER with a blood pressureof 225 over 185.

(04:44):
I felt awful, impending doom.
Um, I thought I was having aheart attack.
I had a lot of stress, um, goingthrough divorce.
I had, uh, I wasn't doing all myown business then.
I was working for somebody and,you know, 12, 14 hour days and
lots going on.
Um, And I didn't eat vegetables.
I didn't eat healthy.

(05:05):
I drank a lot of Mountain Dew.
I love Dairy Queen.
So I, my, the ways I was copingwas mostly sugar and caffeine.
And I just didn't realize theimportance of nutrition.
It wasn't taught.
I had no classes in pharmacyschool.
I had some that talked aboutfood and drug interactions.

(05:25):
But most of my information onnutrition didn't happen until I
was very, um, young.
And so, or, like, right, I was afreshman in high school.
And so I just did it, you know,and even in college I got a
little bit.
But you're Um, I went there, mypotassium and magnesium, you

(05:47):
know, were some of the lowest,one of the doctors that he'd
ever seen.
And so it made me think like,well, if I really low on these
things, what is it I reallyneed?
What's my body really lookingfor?
Cause you know, you're, you havean often we crave things, you
know, sometimes we crave saltyand then I would say that
craving really probably isaccurate.
I really need that.
But if I'm craving a bowl of icecream, is that what my body

(06:09):
really needs?
Or a donut or a Coke.
We all know there's not really awhole lot of nutritional value
in some of those things, and yetthat's what we crave.
So as I started to dive in, somy very first thing was like,
just asking a simple question.
It was like, if I need toincrease my potassium, how would
I do that?
And so I started looking at, andthere's prescription meds, but
what I realized is what I reallyneeded was more potassium.

(06:32):
And the government shows that 99percent of Americans don't eat
the recommended amount ofpotassium.
Most people say a banana 99 andit's included on all food
labels, but most of us justdon't know about it.
And so we skip that line.
We look at the carbs and we lookat the sugars and we might look
at some of the ingredients, butwe're not really looking at some
of these micronutrients orelectrolytes to say, you know,

(06:55):
and your body doesn't function.
And it's a crisis.
If you're low in potassium,you've got a headache and high
blood pressure and anxiety andjittery You don't feel good,
your muscles can't contract, youdon't function correctly, uh,
your heart can stop, you know,and so there's real things, your
blood pressure goes up, and sothere's real things that are

(07:16):
happening, and often that's notwhat we're talking about, and so
I realized that, you know, asingle, say a banana, so a
banana's got 450 milligrams, aswe age you have to go clear up
to like 4, 500 milligrams ofintake of potassium, and so I
mean, if you're at that level,that's 10 bananas and so per day

(07:37):
to maintain.
And so no one would, no one's,no one would ever do right.
And there's other things.
So an avocado has got almostdouble, triple that, you know,
so the banana lobby has done agood job of getting people to
think banana.
But, you know, we do, even ourkids, we give them Gatorade.
Gatorade's got, you know, 35 to50 milligrams of potassium, and

(07:58):
that's a long way away from like4, 000 milligrams of potassium.
So a lot of people have figuredout in working out different
things that they feel betterwhen they have an electrolyte.
You know, coconut water's got500 to 800 milligrams.
They don't always taste, youknow, like a Gatorade per se,
but The dyes and sugars we knowaren't great.
And there really isn't that muchof a new key nutrient, even near

(08:19):
blended salts.
I tell people all the time, I'mlike, if you're having a
headache, you're not ibuprofendeficient.
And it doesn't mean thatibuprofen doesn't have an
effect.
It does, you know, and I stillthink there's a place for
medicine and I don't necessarilywant people to just stop all
their medicine.
I want you to figure out why orhow to do those things.
And so, um, but I think it's.

(08:42):
So I just started adding thatinto my diet and started eating
more and started eliminating thethings that were taking it out.
A lot of soda pop actually bindswith minerals and pulls them out
and so make increase yourdemand.
And then you look atprescription medicine.
You know, there's tons ofmedicines that actually cause
nutrient deficiencies.
And the side effect of the drugis actually the deficiency it

(09:03):
causes.
So you don't get side effect dayone or day two, you get it six
months down the road when thenutrient is depleted.
And we don't, because we've beenon the drug for so long, we kind
of.
Don't think it's the drug andyet you can look at the package
and sort of kind of go backwardsand look at those things and
start to find that most diseasesare associated with nutrient
deficiencies.
And there is quite a bit ofresearch around those things.

(09:26):
So that was a piece, you know,and then shortly after that, as
I started looking at nutrients,you know, as you start reading
and things, it's like, I don'tknow, the powers that be start
knowing those things.
And so this platform came up andI read, um, Julia Ross's book,
Mood Cure, that talks aboutamino acids.
And I ended up doing a coursewith a lady that's been doing it

(09:47):
for 20 years.
And I started using that in mypractice with patients.
And so when we eat a protein,there's lots of things that have
to happen.
And so we need enough stomachacid in the gut to denature the
protein.
So you have to open it up.
And then the enzymes from thepancreas, your proteases, bind,
you know, go to that and chop itup.
So if I don't have enoughstomach acid, I don't de nature

(10:10):
very well, if I didn't chew myfood very well, it's harder for
those enzymes to get in andbreak it up.
So you got a big chunk of meatin your stomach, it, you just,
it, you're not going to get asmuch out of that.
So simply just simple things,you know, chewing your food, uh,
possibly adding apple cidervinegar in to lower the pH and
help break up stuff.
You're just replacing what's notthere.
And as we age, we make lessstomach acid.

(10:33):
Um, ultimately, yeah, go ahead.
I'm just going to say, I'm goingto pause you real quick to break
a few of these things downbecause you're saying incredible
things.
So, number one, I love what yousaid just going back to that the
side effects of some medicationsare actually those medications

(10:54):
depleting our body of someminerals.
I have never made thatconnection before and it seems
so obvious now that So, I mean,common side effects are pain,
muscle cramping, muscle fatigue,migraines, other infections, and
all of those things.
Our immune system depends onminerals.
Our muscle system depends onminerals and absorption, amino

(11:16):
acids, all of the things that weuse to repair.
So, before we move on from that,can you tell me what are some
common medications that peopleare on that they might not know
are depleting their mineraldeficiencies.
I'm thinking right off, there'sgot to be proton pump inhibitors
or antacids that do that.
That's right.
Because if you're talking about,if your stomach acid isn't

(11:38):
potent enough to break down thefood that you're bringing in,
you can be bringing in reallyhealthy food with tons of
protein, but if you can't breakit down, You are not getting,
you're not getting the part andyou see people, yeah, they go on
these diets and they're on over12 weeks.
They get frustrated becausethey're eating so much salad and
they think, ah, I've been onthis paleo diet for 12 weeks.
I don't really feel any better.

(12:00):
You know, but yet we haven'treally looked at the nervous
system and the stress and thefight or flight and the gut
health.
To really understand are theygetting those parts and even
labs, you know, when we talkabout nutrients, it's, we're
really deficient.
Everybody said, well, what labswould I run?
And I'm like, well, I wish Icould tell you because there's
not even really, you know, inresearch base there, you can go

(12:20):
look at some amino acids, butthey're not standard of care.
So we're not even testing.
We might test potassium andmagnesium and, you know, now we
test like vitamin D.
You know, you can run a B 12,you can run an iron, but, you
know, and based on symptoms,sometimes the doctor will run
those things, but they're notstandard, they're not like part
of your basic thing that yourun.

(12:41):
Some are, but for the most part,there's thousands of stuff that
we need to run with.
And we don't do that.
So yeah, protumpin and averagerabsolutely look, change the pH
of your stomach.
And we do that.
It helps with ulcers and helpswith healing.
It helps you changing the pH.
So, you know, like H pylori candie or go away, but we should,

(13:03):
if we do that drug, say wehaven't got an ulcer, I want to
do it for 12 weeks.
A lot of people just stay on itand it's very effective at
getting rid of heartburn, but itdepletes calcium and folic acid.
Um, magnesium and all thesedifferent minerals because your,
your pH is changed in thestomach and you don't absorb
them now.
And so I think for people toknow, especially if they're

(13:25):
pregnant, um, I mean your fetusis building its bones based off
the structure and its nervoussystem.
And if you're completing somefull of gas.
I feel like it should come witha warning.
Protein filled containers, likeantacids.
I also saw a study when I was ata conference, I cannot remember

(13:47):
to reference it correctly, butit was talking about how it
increased your risk of gettingthe nasty kind of COVID, like of
being a super spreader, and ofnot recovering well from it.
It was so high, I can't rememberthe words.
It was like 200 percent orsomething crazy thing.
So I can't quote it correctly,but it basically really affected

(14:10):
your ability to recover fromCOVID as well.
And I would argue that zinc,zinc.
So when you lose your taste andsmell, it's a zinc depletion.
And you'll have signs of that,you know, you can see it, your
nails, you know, how brittleyour nails are.
My hair is falling out.
You'll have like marks on yournails.

(14:31):
So there's things in Easternmedicine that providers
recognize and can see.
And then you go to a, um,traditionally trained Eastern
practitioner and they look atyour eyes and they look at your
tongue and they look at yournails and pinch your skin and
they're like, Oh, you're irondeficient and they can just see
it.
But we, we've kind of lost adisconnect and we're not

(14:52):
trained.
This doesn't mean that yourproviders don't want to do those
things.
They just don't know.
And there's an assumption inAmerica that no, we're not
hungry.
So we're well fed, but we'remissing these key nutrients.
And even the government knowsthat we have these deficiencies.
We know like 80 percent ofpeople are deficient in
magnesium, um, which comes withcramping, but it's small in 300

(15:16):
biochemical functions.
So your ability to maketestosterone and progesterone
and, um, Make cholesterol, um,can all be impaired in all of
your neurotransmitters run withmagnesium.
So if I'm low, I could be, Icould not sleep.
I could.
And then my body stress.
So then I, my cortisol goes upand it shuts off your digestion,

(15:37):
only making things worse.
So I'm either in fight or flightor I'm in rest and digest.
If I'm in fight or flight andfreeze, My body's not putting
energy to digestion.
It takes a lot of energy tobreak out food.
And so it's like, it's justtrying to keep you safe so you
can run away from the threat.
Um, and we just, you know, ourbreathing's impaired.

(16:00):
Our, you know, there's so manythings that are connected that
we just don't talk about.
That's this cascade of eventsthat leads to inflammation.
And so those key nutrientsmatter.
Sorry.
Go ahead.
Yeah.
I keep thinking.
Um, you are exactly on my veinof thinking.

(16:22):
So you're talking about being infight or flight or being in a
stress response.
I feel like nervous systemregulation is like the top tier
thing that makes a difference inour health and in our vitality.
But let's break this down alittle bit more since you're an
expert here.
So if we, if we are stressed,it's A lot.
You're talking about the energythat digesting takes and it's

(16:46):
interesting to pause a moment onthat.
It takes a lot of energy todigest.
Your liver has to be functioningand pumping out the right things
to break down food.
Your gallbladder has to befunctioning and pumping out
things to break down the fats.
You have to have the stomachacid that you need at the
potency that you need to breakdown the fats.
The proteins.

(17:07):
And then all this stuff has tochurn in your gut, it has to be
added and worked upon by thebacteria in your gut, both the
ones that help us and the onesthat make our life more
complicated.
It has to go through all thiswhole process.
It is a complicated thing.
It deserves, um, a moment tothink about, wow, when we are

(17:27):
eating.
We need to try and have ournervous system in a state that
can handle the food that we'reputting in there.
Correct.
Because what happens to the foodif we are super stressed and
we're pounding in our MountainDew and our, like, granola bar
as we're going to work, and wearen't really letting our system
do that?
What happens to the nutrientdeficiencies?
What happens to the food thathits the stomach and the gut?

(17:50):
And a lot of those things thatare simpler to process, they get
digested.
And so, but the chemical loads,so your dyes and sugar
substitutes now are foreignchemicals.
And so processed foods are fullof those things.
And a lot of these dyes are evenbeen mis appropriately labeled,
meaning The manufacturer istrying to get you to eat these

(18:11):
things and if you look at thechemicals are the reason, you
know, like some of these softdrinks are banned in other
countries and there's even likeblack box warning in Mexico on
soda drinks of the ills ofhealth, just like in this pack
of cigarettes.
So the data is there, theresearch is there, but you're,
you know, and some of theflavors are different around the
world because the chemicals thatwe use in America are banned.

(18:34):
So a lot of countries don'tallow mind altering substances,
and so the red dye in a drink oryellow dye in a drink hits a
neurotransmitter.
So when I drink it, I do get aneffect.
I definitely feel a buzz.
This is why somebody who's, youknow, would say, I'd rather you
cut my arm away off than takeaway my soda.
And I'm like, well, is there anynutritional value?

(18:56):
And everybody's like, well, no,but I'm like, but I do feel
better.
And when you're in fight orflight, Your, your logical part
of your brain turns off, you'renot thinking, you can't, you
don't advocate for yourself.
So if you're like in a panicattack, like the last, you're
just trying to get out of thepanic attack, like, and you're
going to do anything, whateverthat is to try to get that.

(19:18):
And so usually we pick somethingthat hits faster and I wish
asparagus and you know, broccoliand Brussels sprouts hit.
But they don't.
And if I told you in a panicattack, just eat some asparagus,
you'd be like, I don't doanything.
And that's a part that you don'trealize is that the good food
you eat and the small choicesyou're making on a daily basis

(19:41):
is preventing anxiety tomorrowand next week.
Some of our nutrients are storedfor months, B12s in your system
for months.
And so we don't realize that adecision even to stop a
multivitamin today might preventme from having.
Um, having symptoms six monthsdown the road, you don't know
what you prevented.

(20:01):
We're not real great atpreventative medicine or talking
about how to do those things.
And that's generally why thosethings are there.
You mentioned bacteria too.
Good bacteria are good becausethey, they'll take, they
generally like fiber and theylive on fiber and they let you
keep the magnesium in the B12and they help you reabsorb your
estrogens and they might evenrelease dopamine and serotonin.

(20:23):
There's no reason for them to dothat.
But they're trying to help youfeel better and bring balance
bad bacteria like Candida andLyme and some of these things
still nutrients like a crazy,they literally sit inside your
gut waiting for you to do allthis work to digest what you
are, and then they still, andthen they release other
chemicals that make things moreinflamed and more some poke

(20:45):
holes in your gut and do otherthings that just increases your
cascade of events.
So it's it's a Thank you.
That's part of the thing iswe're getting more and more
research indicating how toidentify what's missing.
But I've, and I've had reallygood success just looking at
symptomology and being reallyhonest, like anxiety is such a
common thing today, but it isnot a normal state and nobody

(21:09):
likes it.
No one wants to be in a state ofanxiety.
And so I'm going to game onlineshop, binge, um, sex, porn.
I might go to harder things.
I might do caffeine or nicotine,even harder heroin, cocaine and
meth, all of which hits thosethings.
But what a lot of people don'tthink about is the processed

(21:30):
foods.
These manufacturers put thesesugar substitutes and dyes in
there because it temporarilygives you relief and then you
cycle back through at adeficient state.
And so the anxiety is worse andwe're literally just.
It's going from drink to drinkand you'll see like in an
autistic kid, they're supersensitive to dyes.
The moms are like, Oh yeah, donot give them red dye or do not

(21:54):
give them a sugar substitutebecause they cannot glutamate,
they cannot process it, theycannot handle it.
And so they've got differencesin their genetics.
And so it's like, how do wereally get those parts in to his
farming?
We've changed the way we farm.
And so.
Even our quality of our food,like when I was a kid, we were
supposed to eat three servingsof fruits and vegetables.

(22:15):
We're currently at seven to getwhat's recommended.
And again, that's probably justthe sufficient amount.
Like how much is it?
Do I need, if I'm optimal or howmuch is it I need, say I've got
cancer.
Some of the studies go clear to20 servings.
You try to eat 20 servings offruits and vegetables and
they're just not as nutrientdense.
If the farmer hasn't thoughtabout how to get those nutrients

(22:37):
in.
Then it doesn't happen.
And most of the nutrients areput into the fruit or vegetable
right at vine ripened.
And so if it wasn't grown localand it was, you know, we buy an
orange that came from SouthAmerica that was picked a week
early.
It doesn't taste as good.
And the nutrient content is halfor a third of what it is when

(22:57):
you're eating an orange that waspicked vine ripening and buy it
from a guy on the corner street.
And so your kids today don'teven know foods have seasons.
They don't know.
They might even know what a goodfood even tastes like.
We really were designed torotate through foods and eat
through different things.
And so it's, how do we get, youknow, how do you really, how do

(23:21):
you get the parts in?
And if somebody is really sick,their nervous system is messed
up and they live in fight orflight.
That's where supplementation forme can have a huge difference
because if I put things in, in abroken down state or in an
activated, you know, methylatedor active forms, I don't have to
worry about digestion or whetheror not there's genetic issues or

(23:42):
whether or not they're going toactivate their nutrient.
The part goes in and then peopleare like, uh, how is it that I
feel better in 24 hours whenI've been on prescription meds
for weeks and months?
Chasing my thing and I don'treally feel a big difference or,
you know, it's helpingmarginally, you know, and that's
the part that's interesting is,you know, like 40 percent of

(24:02):
what I dispense is serotoninbased.
Um, so all of myantidepressants, my anti
psychotics, my migraine meds, mypain meds all work on serotonin
to some level.
If I'm not supporting what Ineed to make serotonin, how can
I reuptake it?

(24:23):
And so sometimes I see peoplereally depressed or anxious that
are on this huge drug load andthey're new, they don't realize
that their nutritional demandhas gone up because of all the
drugs they're on because inorder to clear Prozac, you use
B6.
So if I'm already strugglingwith a B6 deficiency and I add a
drug in now that's, I've got touse B6 to chemically clear

(24:47):
Prozac from my body, mynutritional demand is actually
more.
And I didn't really get to theroot cause of what's really
causing the problem.
So putting in an activated formof B6 in a supplement, you know,
and do I need supplementsforever?
No.
Hopefully it guides somebody tosay, Oh God, I probably should
eat better.
But I, it's hard to advocate andget somebody to eat better when

(25:10):
they're in panic.
Because when I'm in panic, I'mgoing to drink a coffee.
I'm going to drink it.
And it's not that all thosethings are necessarily bad.
It's just understanding we asAmericans, our chemical load is
off the charts insane.
And it's because in my opinion,the government is not doing what
they're supposed to do.
FDA's jobs, right?
Safe and effective drugs, butthey're not looking at it that

(25:31):
way.
And even how they measure it.
There's other countries that arelike, You know, they're not
doing it the way we're doing it,and they're actually have a lot
more thought about their foodsand how they're growing their
foods, and you're seeing a lotof people go back to where they
are growing their own things, ortrying to buy local, or you're
in co ops, or you're ranching totry to get better nutrients.

(25:52):
We know we feel better.
But, you know, I think when westart talking nutrients, we
start to see the real why, whyis this making a difference and
it shifts and changes those gutbacteria and ultimately down
regulates the nervous system,getting rid of cortisol so that
I can sleep.
And so I can, um, breathe,right?
Because when I'm in fight orflight, I start to breathe

(26:13):
through my mouth.
And so I contract and I, and itjust makes things worse.
Now I'm in this, you know,inflammatory.
And there's really interestingstudies, even on mouth breathers
of how they fill.
So I think I'm throwing a lot atyou, but I'm just going to pause
you so I can fire some questionsfrom back at you.

(26:35):
Okay.
Um, you're talking a lot aboutfarmers and foods, which I love.
So I actually just interviewedsomeone named William DeMille,
who is coming up in the lineupafter you, and a few people
after him, to be released.
And, um, through him I learned alot about what is in the soil
and then, If there are notnutrients in the soil, you

(26:56):
cannot pull the nutrients outinto the plants.
Into the plant.
I know we digest food thatplants have already digested,
right?
But we, the plants, thebacteria, the bacteria in the
soil, we all have a kind of apart to play in this ecosystem
that ends up giving these littlebuilding blocks to us that we
need to break down our food.

(27:16):
So, his work will be coming, andif listeners are interested,
that is a fascinating interview.
But, I did see a study, I knowyou referenced it in some of
your work, so I wrote it down,but I'm going to find it really
quick.
That's what it was.
Vegetables and fruits, um, had a5 40 percent decrease in

(27:37):
protein, calcium, phosphorus,riboflavin, and vitamin C
between 1950 and 1999.
That is huge! 5 40%! But when Isaw that, I was also thinking,
that's just until 1990.
Yeah.
Now, think about what we, like,now the chemicals that are on
the ground that are also bindingthe nutrients or killing the

(28:01):
nutrients, they're killing the,um, bacteria in the soil that
break down the nutrients.
So even worse now.
So I've heard other people saywe are always hungry.
But not often very fed in thiscountry.
That's right.
That is very true.
Um, so what we're looking forare the nutrients.
So just to say here here onthat.

(28:23):
It's something that's alsofascinating to me.
But I'm wondering, um, Twoquestions from what you said.
Number one, how does drinking asoda or eating the sugar
actually short term help ouranxiety?
And then what does it cost?
We were talking about how whenwe're in a panic attack we will
do Whatever it takes to do, tosolve a panic attack, and I do

(28:47):
know people, I'm, I'm one thatwants sugar, or crunchy things,
fast, when I'm super stressedand I don't know what to do, and
I know I'm not alone.
So I'm wondering how that helps,and then, I also have a question
about, uh, something after that.
So I'll answer that, and thenwe'll circle back.
So how does it actually help,and then what does it cost?

(29:10):
So the red dye in different dyesdo different things.
But so specifically red dye hitsserotonin.
So it actually causes a littlebit of release of serotonin
sugar.
Uh, whether it's a dye or, uh,or a sugar substitute or sugar
itself, um, will also canrelease neurotransmitters.

(29:30):
Sugar binds to fourneurotransmitters.
And so it obviously can have aneffect in calming regardless of
what's missing.
So whether it's serotonin ordopamine or endorphins, um,
GABA, it has an effect on thosesystems.
And so it temporarily makes youcalm down.
Once I calm down.

(29:51):
I will get your frontal lobekicks back on and I start to
logically think, but we're veryreactionary.
If you look at animals, theydon't have frontal lobes.
They basically live betweensympathetic parasympathetic
sites.
And so they're moving through,um, different pieces of those

(30:11):
stages.
And so, you know, like ananimal, um, It's really
interesting that I've done somework with horses, but you, you
can watch them when they getspooked and they go on a fight
or flight and then they pee orpoo so they can run faster, get
away.
Sometimes they freeze, butusually they'll bolt and start
jumping, running, moving, andthen you watch them.
They'll come back down.

(30:32):
They'll actually move their earsand they'll.
Yawn and they go back in theirbreathing changes and they go
back into and they selfregulate, but because they are
the logical part of brain, theydon't necessarily know what
triggered it or how to worktheir way out of it.
So they're caught in a fence.
They just keep fighting andfighting and fighting until they
hurt themselves.
Where we could, if we had alogical part, we can logically

(30:55):
work through and say, how am Igoing to do that?
And so that's where we makethese patterns where we get PTSD
or we get these other patternsthat we're stuck with in this
fight or flight space.
When I sit around in highcortisol.
All day long, and you could bethere totally because you're
just off on magnesium orpotassium.

(31:15):
It can be triggering thosethings.
Um, sometimes our sugar levelwill be that way as well, so
that sodas will hit sugar.
Uh, the sugar system or insulinsystem.
And so they'll release a littlebit of insulin.
Even diets will do that.
And those can Regulate things aswell.
And if I have a dysregulationI've got hypoglycemia and

(31:38):
different things like that, Imight drop down and then trigger
anxiety, like a rebound anxietyjust from that cycle.
So the food manufacturers havehired neuroscientists and
they're, we think that they careabout flavor when in reality,
most of them are actuallylooking at how can we get people
to be more addicted and kind ofin the cycle of looping with our

(32:00):
food.
And so the chemical load isreally high, so we have
thousands of chemicals inAmerica that we use, um, that
are just not even in othercountries.
And so this is where you see ahuge difference.
So because our chemical load isso high, our nutritional demand
is really high because in orderto clear chemicals, my body's

(32:23):
putting all these resources withmagnesium B6, vitamin C, B12 are
all being used to clear thingsand get rid of things.
Okay, so how it helps, you know,if we can think it through, our
frontal lobe, perhaps outside ofthe panic attack, then we can
maybe help break it down intowhat we may be missing to look

(32:44):
at what it is.
Because if I know, okay, incertain states, actually a soda
really helps me feel better fora second.
You know, that can be, okay, Imight be depleted in
neurotransmitters like serotoninand I'm going to have you talk
about neurotransmitters in a bitbecause I loved how you teach
it.
So we can be depleted in someneurotransmitters that we
require to help make us happy orwe could be having a problem

(33:05):
with our blood sugar that alsohas to do with some, can have to
do with some amino acids, um, orwe have a food addiction that,
uh, that it's matching theaddiction, we get a little Pop
of dopamine because we actuallygot our fix and then it goes
down.
So it's like, okay, why?
It could be any of these thingsthat are making me feel better.

(33:26):
And then we can experiment withwhat it is that we actually
need, which is not the soda.
Right.
But what it is we actually need.
Right.
And, but what it can be costingis as we are increasing our
chemical load.
It's actually taking more ofwhat we may already be depleted
in.
Our body needs those nutrientsto detox.
It needs those nutrients to bindthem.

(33:47):
It needs those nutrients tobalance everything else.
And if we're using it all to getrid of what was our quick fix,
then we are putting ourselves ina hole further and further.
Further and further.
More and more soda, which meansit's And you can replace soda
for cookies, or for Cheetos, orfor all kinds of stuff with dye.

(34:08):
Or sugars that are reallyaddictive.
That's right.
Such a good point.
So, um, before we move toneurotransmitters though, I did
have a question based on, orbefore we moved to
neurotransmitters, I will sayone thing you talked about was
if people are alreadystruggling, if you already have
a chronic illness, or youalready had depression, or you

(34:30):
already had something else, andyou're trying to get off of the
medications, It can be a reallytricky spot because if you
already were depleted, and thosemedications were further binding
them, and now it takes more ofthe nutrients to release them
from your system and processthem.
That is a tricky place, and I'djust like to kind of give a
little more pause and credit tothat.

(34:51):
A lot of people that I know whenthey're trying to get off of
medications, if they do go intoa slump, like I think of it as a
neurotransmitter slump, adepression or Frustration or
feeling like none of this iseven going to work anyway.
I think it's important to knowthat can be part of what's
happening.
Like you're coming into yourdeficit and this is when we

(35:12):
nourish it.
A lot of times when we feeldepressed we, a lot of people I
know can stop eating.
Stop eating.
Very much or just eat the thingsthat are easy to eat because you
don't have a lot of energy.
When I was at my sickest and Iwas working with a functional
medicine doctor, I met with himevery week or two.
Um, online, that was one thinghe was just adamant about was

(35:35):
that I eat and I'm like, but ittakes so much energy, energy to
get up and to do that.
So I'm like prep and buy and doall those things.
Yeah.
I'm like, I'll just have agranola bar.
He was like, no, you will havefrozen butternut squash in your
freezer and if you can't doanything else, you're just going
to put it in a skillet, put alittle seasoning on it and eat

(35:55):
butternut squash.
That's right.
He's like, if you don't giveyourself the nutrients.
And I just, honestly, so Iwouldn't get in trouble with my
doctor, started to eat morecalories per time, but to make
it real food and it did help meget through those slumps better.

(36:16):
Plus, if you're eating the realfood, then it helps your gut to
detox, right?
You're not giving it as manychemicals to work through, but
you're also The foods with lotsof fiber, uh, really like fiber
that absorbs a lot of water, notjust the bristly fibers, like
squash, apples, other stuff.
If it can move through your gut,that's helping get your chemical
load out.

(36:36):
Right.
One of your key detox systemsand so you have to be having a
bowel movement and you have tobe moving and so if you don't
understand, you know, I talked,I quit asking the question.
Are you constipated?
Because I found that peoplewould mark.
No, but then you would ask howoften they had bowel movements
and they'd say, well, every 4 to5 days because my mom or sisters
are that way.
And I'm like, You're notdetoxing.

(36:59):
You can't go.
You're like, and, and you don'trealize how much damage does
that do.
And then of course, bacteria,bad bacteria, they don't want to
be gone.
They don't want you to excretethem.
And so they're slowingeverything down.
When you're low in serotonin,you don't feel satisfied and
full.
Your gut's not moving.
A lot of them, a lot of thereceptors, serotonin receptors
are in the digestive tract and alot of your, even your vagal

(37:22):
response is heavilycommunicating back with the
brain between the gut based offof what your serotonin levels
are.
And so you're not, and, anddepression, you know, Um, it can
be serotonin, but there's allthese other pathways that
actually we know are havedepressive states, but we don't
really have great prescriptionmedicines and so we don't talk

(37:45):
about those pathways and they'renot as well mapped out in the
literature, but we don't.
If you have a deficiency, if youhave too much glutamate, you can
be depressed.
If you have imbalances to theGABA, you can be depressed.
You can have.
Um, even other enzymes whereyour amino acids ability to
convert.
So it's like, you know, we,there's 20 amino acids in the
body and nine of them areessential and all of your

(38:10):
neurotransfers come from anamino acid.
And so if I'm not digesting it,um, because I'm stressed and, or
I'm not eating it or I didn'tchew it well, um, I don't have
the building block and you'llsee, you know, like, um,
Oftentimes, people will get, uh,feel really great on vegan, but

(38:31):
over time, they start to depletein amino acids.
If they're not consciouslythinking about eating the right
kinds of things, you know, youhave to eat a lot of beans to
get enough amino acids.
And if I've eliminated eggs andmeat, those are some of the key
things that have, um, haveprotein and have those things.
And so, We run a lab, you know,doctors do run a poaching lab,

(38:54):
but the normal range, in myopinion, needs to be a lot
tighter and a little bit higheron the skews.
What I find, especially inchronic illness, if you want
somebody to feel bettermentally, You have to give them
those amino acids becauseyou're, you're serotonin and
dopamine in GABA's system areall based on, endorphins are all

(39:15):
based on amino acids and kind ofhow some of those things are
rolling.
You are going exactly where Iwanted to go.
So for those of us in, aslisteners that don't know what
amino acids are, can you helpbreak it down?
How do we get them?
How, how do we take them in andthen what needs to happen for us
to digest them and have them touse?

(39:35):
And what do they mean?
So ideally you would take, andit's interesting, different
meats have different blends.
And so, um, a lot of people eatwhey protein, for example, whey
protein is not considered acomplete protein.
It's actually really low intryptophan.
Tryptophan is the essentialamino acid that we need to make
serotonin.
Um, we've heard that it's highin Turkey and it's actually

(39:58):
really high in dark chocolate.
And so when somebody is cravingdark chocolate.
The acid of the cocoa bean isactually broken down some of
the, of the amino acid already.
And so when I put that in, in mycheek, I'm absorbing tryptophan
and it's often really high inmagnesium too.
So one of the cofactors to runthat pathway.

(40:19):
So within 15 minutes, mom got apiece of chocolate and she went
from a kind of an anxious,overwhelmed state to a more calm
state.
I like that chocolate because atleast it has real things in it.
Your Coca Cola.
It doesn't have any, there's nonutrition.
If anything, it's net negative.
So the carbonation is nowbinding with the magnesium and

(40:39):
iron and Some of the very thingsyou need to make serotonin.
Um, it temporary releases your,your stores, but it didn't
replace it.
So if I don't eat anything toreplace it or fix it, I'm going
to go back to anxiety in fourhours.
And I'm going to want to drinkanother Coke.
Um, I'm going to pause you for aminute.

(41:01):
Because I have to giggle.
Because I know dark chocolateis, has good things in it.
I hated dark chocolate when Iwas little, right?
Because it's more bitter thanthe milk chocolate I liked.
But my mom always had a littlestash of dark chocolate.
And we were like, fine, mom, youhave it.
And she would feel better.

(41:23):
But the thing that's making megiggle is I was separated from
my husband for a while, and itwas a stressful time.
And I started to be a darkchocolate little hoarder.
I cleaned out.
My mom was, I lived at herhouse.
And my mom was helping me cleanout the little bedroom and she
found all these little bags ofdark chocolate with things

(41:44):
missing and she said, Becca,what is happening with you?
I thought I knew dark chocolatewas high in magnesium.
So I thought it was because Iwas stressed and I needed
magnesium, but I started takingmagnesium supplements and it was
not the same.
A little bit, and not if I wouldchomp it, but if I would put
exactly like you said, a littlebit in my cheek, breathe and

(42:05):
relax, like, so it's the, yousaid it was healthy and And so
you get a little bit of it andsometimes the caffeine, not more
natural, but that binds to thedopamine.
So you get a little bit of acoverage, um, of some of those

(42:26):
key things, but you, you'vereplaced it versus depleted it.
And so you're, the longtermeffect is a little bit better.
with some of those things.
And so it's, for me, it's likeyou, we get amino acids from
protein.
And when I eat protein, it's,you know, so you eat a steak or

(42:46):
chicken, how well I chew it isone big piece.
So we, we, you know, studiesshow you should chew it 30
times.
Well, if you've ever chewedsomething 30 times, it is not
chunky.
It is like a, yeah, you don'thave to really think about it,
but it creates this chyme.
We in America, we drink a lot offluids with our meals and often
soda.

(43:06):
And so we're, we take a bite, wechew it a couple times, we take
a big gulp of water or somethingwith it and we swallow leaving
this big chunk in the stomach.
Well, your stomach doesn't wantthings to move until it's in
this liquid chyme state.
And so it could take hours toLet the acids kind of ball
around and you've got this chunkof meat rolling around in there

(43:29):
and eventually a lot of itdoesn't get broken up So and I
need I need stomach acid one ofthe key things that you need to
make stomach acid is folic acidso in America Folic acid is in
It's been fortified in wheat.
So we've put it into our wheatsupply.

(43:50):
The problem is, is there's nonatural source of folic acid.
It's actually folate that youfind in fruits and vegetables.
Um, and then some cases we stillhave to methylate.
So if I have MTHFR, our geneticcondition, where I cannot
activate my folate, I'm takingfolic acid in and I can't do
anything with it.
It's actually causinginflammation and toxicity.

(44:11):
And some people think, I can'teat wheat.
And they think it's the glutenissue.
Very likely it's because it'sinflammatory, but the other part
that you don't maybe realize isthe folic acid that's in it
that's actually causing thistoxicity.
And if I don't have enough folicacid, I don't make enough
stomach acid.
If I don't make enough stomachacid, I don't denature proteins.
If I don't denature proteins, Ican't use my protease enzymes

(44:33):
from my pancreas to break up toget the amino acids out I need
to make my neurotransmitters oreven build muscle.
So you're, we, and it's atrillion dollar industry with
pre and post workouts.
And those people have heard ofaminos like to make me build
muscle and look good in themirror.
And so a lot of us will do that.
And a lot of those products willleave tryptophan out because it

(44:55):
is extremely bitter.
It tastes horrible.
And so that's part of the reasonwhy dark chocolate's bitter is
because it's got a higher amountof tryptophan and has that, that
bitter taste.
And so supplements that leave itin really struggle to mask it.
And so you do see products outthere that are more of a blended

(45:15):
thing, and that's just adifferent way to put it in as a
supplement.
If you can buy it in where theamino acids are already broken
down.
Now I don't have to worry ifI've got stomach acid or
pancreatic enzymes, I can justallow it to absorb.
And that's where people, youknow, eat a single amino acid in
a capsule or in a supplementform.

(45:36):
And they think.
Oh my gosh.
Like my anxiety went away.
Is that possible?
And I'm like, yeah, if that's,if you find out what's missing,
your body does that, but So youcould be taking aminos, but be
low in tryptophan.
That's correct.
Because you're not getting theright blend.
There you go.
And they're competitive, too.
So some of them use the samereceptors and even some of the

(45:58):
same enzymes to convert.
And so if a person, there'sgenetic conditions where
people's enzymes, some of thesame enzymes that convert
tryptophan to serotonin are thesame ones that convert L
phenylalanine to dopamine.
So if, say, one person's eatinga whole bunch of L phenylalanine
in a supplement, they inherentlycould cause their serotonin

(46:21):
levels to go down.
So it's a competitive system.
So if I'm bulking up and I'meating all these bars and shakes
and things like that, I couldactually be worsening my mental
health.
I might look good in a mirrorbecause I got the amino acids to
build muscle, but if I'm noteating a balanced diet, That I
might be offsetting those thingsand that's probably where
medicine like 3.

(46:41):
0 where we want to customizestuff Really comes in where
we're not all the same and sodifferent people like different
proteins and different meats andfeel better with different
things and That's some of thenuances with your genetics and
the bacteria in your gut and allthese factors that influence
those things but ultimately Youhave to eat protein, chew it

(47:02):
better, and then make sureyou're getting all the parts.
So I need folate or methylfolate, um, B6, B12, magnesium,
zinc, vitamin C, iron, all tomake serotonin.
So if I'm, and those are themost common deficiencies in
America is right.
So we know iron deficiency iscommon.

(47:23):
Magnesium is even more common.
Uh, folate issues with MTHFR is44 percent of the population.
So the issue is not so much forme, what I think a lot of people
and what I dispense medicine forto a lot of people are serotonin
deficiencies.
So if I just ate the 13 thingsyou need to make serotonin, I

(47:45):
know if, you know, and there'sstill people that they're have
genetic issues and they justwon't go down that pathway and
they still may need aprescription drug.
But I found a lot of people.
They're just not supporting whattheir body really needs.
So the drug just makes what youdid make last a little longer or
work a little better.
Um, but sometimes you see peoplewhere they're on these things

(48:06):
and they're still depressed andhave tons of anxiety.
And I would argue maybe youdon't have serotonin.
We used to be able to compoundserotonin.
There are labs out there thatyou can run that will actually
tell your serotonin level.
But that is not a mainstreamthing and a lot of doctors don't
know that.
So they're not running thosetests.
They just.
Basically try things.
You come in depressed, you'regoing to get suggested to be on

(48:27):
a Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, youknow, an SSRI.
And if one doesn't work, they'lltry a different one.
Um, but there's no talk.
Not, you know, I would saynever, but a lot of people have
never had a conversation about.
What is it that I need to makeserotonin and how do I increase
that?
And so you have to eat thosefoods.

(48:48):
So beautiful.
Just so beautiful.
I'm so grateful you're payingattention and aware and can
further this news because Ithink that's so true.
And when I think about thethings you're eating that help
you have those parts to make theserotonin, um, those are things
that help other systems also.
So, I don't, I know you're morefamiliar with the nutrition that

(49:11):
has specific amino acids than Iam, but I'm guessing, in
general, if you're eating avariety of colors, and if you're
eating leafy greens, and eggs,because they have like
everything, but healthy,healthy, free range, organic
eggs, if you can find them, thataren't so expensive, but eggs,
good meats, from like happyanimals, So the more you can

(49:35):
source from local farmers orfrom other people, it doesn't
have to be as expensive if youwork with local people, I've
learned.
You know, hunters, sometimesthey need to get rid of their
meat also.
So there's that.
And I'm guessing if you're doingthings that are fibrous, like
the squash, the apples, all thisstuff, that's helping your detox
system.

(49:56):
It's helping you digest.
It's feeding your healthybacteria.
It's creating neurotransmitters.
It's doing things that actuallyhelp you in your day and help
you age better.
That's right.
So, instead of just taking amedication to try and give you
some of the pieces, but that maytie up other pieces, eating that
way helps you now, helps youthen, and if we can find ways

(50:17):
that make it less expensive andeasier to do, then that's a
lifestyle choice that has to bemade.
That's right.
And so small little things thatmake a huge difference and it
takes time like your cortisol isnot gonna, you know, your gut
and cortisol didn't breakovernight and they don't
generally just magically fixovernight.

(50:39):
So for me, that's the piece I,you know, a lot of people say if
you're sick, you know, start inthe gut.
I think there's a lot of wisdomin that, but I usually start
with some just.
I mean, no acids because I andsome key nutrients because I'm
like, and I want them in anactivated form so that I can get
somebody out of panic, out ofthat anxiety, out of the cycle.

(51:00):
Because if you're have morelogic now, I'm more motivated to
go for a block or to go eatfruits and vegetables or, you
know, cause if I'm justruminating and cycling through,
it's really hard to make thechoices.

(51:20):
I think that is valuable wisdom.
Because it does take energy tomake your food, to shop healthy,
to find a farmer, to do all ofthose things.
But, yeah, you're right.
It's that slump right beforethen that needs some help.
And that's when people finallyare like, okay, fine, I will
take it on today.
I'm not a big fan ofantidepressants or anti anxiety

(51:42):
because I can't think ofanything else.
But if that can deplete thenutrients further then you have
further to clean out.
Doing what you're doing whereyou can help people get out of
that while building the systemis just, that's beautiful.
Uh, when I was thinking of itwas when you were talking about
getting people out of the panic.
So I know some people that haveworked with you.

(52:02):
And you have been on my, on mylist to work with for a long
time.
My husband's as well.
We keep saying, we need to getdown to St.
Down to the city where youpractice to, to have an
appointment.
Life's just busy.
But the people I know that haveworked with you, I, I have known
a couple very close to me thathave come in with very serious

(52:24):
depression, suicidal ideation,um, real difficulty,
concentrating problems with bigaddiction.
Um, And I, a friend of mine thatwent to see you.
She came back and she haddifferent amino acids and, um, I
just went to visit her to dropsomething off and I was talking
to her about what massiveproblems I was having with sleep

(52:46):
and stress and she showed meyour intake form and I thought
it was so fascinating when youhad to like check the boxes on
the symptom list that you justasked right away like, Okay.
Addiction to sugar, addiction toalcohol, addiction to whatever.
Not, not as like a guilt thing,but as a, if you're low in this
thing, it will make thesethings.

(53:08):
Let's look at how many of thesesymptoms you have that relate to
this amino acid.
I thought that was sofascinating because it took the
like guilt or shame out ofhaving things like suicidal
ideation, like anxiety, like allof those to look at like, Whoa,
I could be.
Deficient in this nutrient andthere's 10 symptoms and I have

(53:30):
10 out of 10 in that.
Like, give me this little pillthat has no side, no negative
side effects.
If I, if I take it in thedosage, you said That's right.
I know you said we they can'tcompete for receptors.
Yeah, I, I was interested inwhat you were saying about the
L-glutamine receptors because Lglutamine I have had prescribed
to me quite a few times to helpmy gut right.

(53:51):
Help.
But, sometimes in very highdoses, and when I was on a very
high dose of alpha glutamine, Idid notice I struggled more with
regulation.
It's kind of a tricky, it is,and it's, you know, bad bacteria
can convert glutamine to sugar.
And so for some people, they'vegot a lot of overgrowth, you've

(54:11):
got to fix the gut before theglutamine works.
Right.
Cause now it's being stolen andthat's, and so if somebody has,
uh, yeah, their symptoms getworse or they start to get itchy
or they start having issues andI'm like, Oh, we need, we need
to back up.
We need to work on SIBO and workon clearing some of these
overgrowths.
So that the glutamine canactually get absorbed and be

(54:32):
used, uh, you can usually dosmaller doses for mental, but
you'll see curving.
Your sugar cravings will goaway.
Somebody who's low on glutaminewill be hangry.
Um, if it's a five star alarmthat someone needs to be fed and
everyone knows that everyone'sday is not as happy if that
person is not.
Mr.
Mill, you know, you have a kidthat's like, oh my gosh, they've

(54:54):
got to eat and it's like we dropeverything to try to find them
food because it's, they'reirritable and nobody wants to be
around it.
That's generally a glutamineissue.
And glutamine is converted toglutamate, which is converted to
GABA.
So if you look at the GABAsystem.
We use Valium, Xanax, all yourbenzos are binding to GABA

(55:18):
receptors, but your Ambien,Lunesta that are sleep based are
GABA based, and when I'm low inGABA, which we know is low in
fibromyalgia and irritablebowel, it's, uh, and it's in
really healthy foods too, butWhen that's low, I'm gonna, I'm
overwhelmed.
I'm stressed.
I ruminate.

(55:38):
I'm thinking about, I'm morelikely to be stuck in the past
or thinking about the future,but my mind is just ruminating,
ruminating, ruminating, and Ican't go to sleep because I
can't turn my brain off.
You just talked about two thirdsof the women that I know closely
to me right now.
So it's crazy as a supplement,you can go buy GABA and it's

(55:59):
usually paired with theanine andsometimes magnesium.
And the reason it works isyou're just putting back in that
nutrient and, and someone willsay, well, the CNS isn't
supposedly have receptors forGABA to cross because it's made
in the brain.
But I'm like, people must haveleaky brains because I sell a
lot of bottles with a lot ofcysts.
And because it works so fast,like you take it in like 15, 20

(56:21):
minutes of your overwhelmedstress, your muscles loosen and
your mind starts ruminating andyou think, uh, is this possible?
And I'm like, yeah, it's again.
And it's not absolute.
It's not like a, you know, itdoesn't work for everybody
because not everybody's, youknow, it's, it's hard.
Somebody's symptomology, likeanxiety, could be any nutrient.
And so sometimes it takes alittle bit of work to figure out

(56:44):
going down in the weedssometimes to try to figure out
what's missing.
And it can change from day today.
So it's like, you know, one dayI ate really good.
And so tomorrow's better.
And it's just hard because a lotof your mental state.
Is about what's going to happentomorrow with what I did today,
and that's sometimes we don'tthink that way.
We like to see results reallyfast and things.

(57:07):
Gabba sells itself because itworks so fast and so if it's
off.
You can have it.
So some people will have ADDissues.
Most of your autistic kids aredeficient in that system.
It's broken.
Um, some of the, the GAD enzymespecifically, if that's off, you
know, and then you can bedepressed from those things.
And so some people will findthat they start to use alcohol.

(57:30):
Alcohol binds to GABA receptorsand say, when I'm overwhelmed
and I just need to calm down, Idrink a glass of wine.
And so.
Um, it's just understanding thatit's an imbalanced system.
I'm not alcohol deficient.
I am, um, really GABA deficient.
And so if you put the part in,you know, cause you'll see if
somebody uses a lot of alcoholnow they have paranoia and their

(57:53):
anxiety is worse.
And so they're like, and somepeople will drink wine and
they're like, Oh my gosh, itmakes me anxiety so horrible.
I can't drink it.
I'm like, well, that's why it'sbecause your systems, you're out
of balance, you're too low.
And so you just need to get thepart in.
They've got to go down thatpathway.
So clarify for me, that'sfascinating.
Clarify for me what you mean byalcohol binds the GABA receptor.

(58:16):
So alcohol, it binds the GABAreceptors and temporarily calms
the system.
So it's an inhibitory thing.
So it brings down this, youranxiety level will calm.
Sometimes my body thinks it hasGABA because it's bound the
receptor.
That's correct.
So it is not going to go throughand continue all the lovely
things GABA has?
Correct.

(58:38):
Temporary placeholder.
That's correct.
And sometimes people will pairit with a meal.
So they go and they eat a morenutrient dense meal.
And then the nutrient dense mealhelps replace and push those
things where they maybe don'tcycle.
If I skip food, right, and Ijust did the alcohol, and I
drink a lot of it, now I'm morelikely to maybe be up all night.

(58:59):
Pacing, anxiety, ruminating whenthe inhibitory state wears off
in about four to six hours.
And so you're just understandinghow things fit in to your big
scheme of stuff.
And it's, and we all do it.
We're all craving things.
We're chasing neurotransmittersall the time.
So your kids that are fortnightgaming or Instagram or Netflix

(59:22):
scene or.
We're just trying to sue theirbrains and trying to bring us
back to balance.
And so people find things thathelp them.
Um, they just don't realize.
Marijuana, THC, hits fourneurotransmitters.
And so it, it absolutely has aneffect.
But my kids that are smoking itthree times a day are going from

(59:45):
anxiety attack to anxiety attackand are paranoid and not able to
focus.
Their drive's down because theirdopamine is so depleted.
They don't connect.
And one of your main symptoms ofdopamine depletions is apathetic
depression, which is adisassociated from other people.
You distance yourself.
So you see a kid who's gamed forsix hours and they're not the

(01:00:06):
same kid.
They don't want to talk to you.
They don't want to hear you.
Their frontal lobes notfunctioning.
They don't make eye contact.
Their ears are turned off.
Their dopamine depleted and whatthey really need is L
phenylalanine or tyrosine to gettheir systems back up to
baseline so that their frontallobe comes back on and they can
have a conversation.

(01:00:26):
But usually we're trying to havea conversation with somebody
who's in panic.
We pull them off the game.
They're mad.
They just want to get back tothe game because they don't
understand what's happening totheir brain.
They just want their screens andthey want, you know, you take
away their phone and they gohave their, you've taken away
their mechanism to self soothe.
And so a lot of us are, wechoose those things, but it's

(01:00:48):
heavily hit with dopamine, anatural way to get dopamine is
to hug or to do cold plunging,or to do things that again,
bring back balance to thosesystems and increase our
capacity to maintain our storesso that we don't trip into these
things because when I trip intothat thing, I'm going to drink
the energy drink.
I'm going to eat my talkies, myDoritos, my, Food that just

(01:01:12):
temporarily give me relief, andbecause they hit harder, a lot
of kids, that's what theygravitate or pick.
Oh, that's such a good point.
I know exactly what it lookslike when you're talking about
that.
I call it the tech haze.
I'm like, what has just happenedto you?
Who are you?
Yeah, exactly.
So people, so just making sureas I'm summarizing it correctly.

(01:01:35):
So, if they're in a depletedstate, they'll be more likely to
reach for Tech or talkies orenergy drink.
That's right.
And that further depletesbecause it hits our dopamine
system.
We actually get the dopamine bydoing those things.
Mm-Hmm.
But it depletes it further.
Or some of those things maybind, keeps you in the cycle

(01:01:57):
receptors.
That's right.
But then we're lower and we'relower and then we're lower, so.
So if you have a child or youknow it's you or someone you
know that gets to these cycle.
So the better ways would be tohave an analysis to see if you
are low on certain amino acids.
And if you're in a state whereyou know, you're cycling like

(01:02:18):
that, then it's a valid thing togo straight to getting some of
the amino acids.
That's right.
Right off the bat.
So how do I get the part in,right?
Yeah.
So evaluate.
So you have the, the mechanismsyou need to start fixing the
engine.
I think of it like, hand me the,Wrench, hand me the thing, and
it's pretty hard to do withoutit, right?

(01:02:38):
Right.
So if you, if you have the partsyou need to start fixing your
system, then you can do that.
Right.
And also do things like dopamineand natural dopamine, things
like hugs, conversation,connection.
Connection.
Really showing up.
And then while you're doingthat, start making some good
food.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Okay.
Before we, uh, wrap up realquick, I just wanted to Make

(01:03:03):
sure that I have covered, so theneurotransmitters that we are
really looking for in America,endorphins, which help pain,
serotonin, which helps us feelgood.
I mean, you can add habit Lene,which gives us drive and, and
connection focus.
Right.
So deficiencies in dopamine or aDD and restless leg.

(01:03:25):
Okay, perfect.
I know, GABA we just talkedabout.
Help me, I know I'm missing too.
Uh, you've got, um,norepinephrine is in the same
pathway and so you sometimes Igo with Wellbutrin and some
things, mental health things,and it's just further down the
dopamine pathway.
So it's kind of, you'resupporting that as well.
Your L phenylalanine andtyrosine go down to that

(01:03:46):
pathway.
And then your insulin is kind ofthe other one that has some
neurological effects and thingslike that.
Those are the main things thatamino acids help create.
They're some of the main thingswe are missing in America.
They come from protein.
So, a lot of people I know thatare sick start to eat just a

(01:04:06):
vegan diet.
But, what I have seen is there'sa lot of good results at first,
but I almost wonder if thosegood results are mostly from
dropping the processed crap andstarting to eat real food.
That's right.
You are not careful to get inthe protein.
And I would say that's right.
Then I do see within a fewmonths, some of those systems

(01:04:29):
start to break down.
That's right.
And it's usually more mentalissues, which is directly
related to the amino acid pieceyou can get.
So beans and rice is a completeprotein.
Um, in combination in thirdworld countries, that's
primarily what they're eating.
Eggs have all nine.
They're complete.
Quinoa is complete.

(01:04:49):
Um, soy, which you have to becareful with in men, the
estrogens and things like that,is a complete protein.
So you can do it in vegan land,but you've got to be eating a
significant amount of thosethings.
So you're like, well, I don'tlike beans.
Well, you can't, how are yougoing to do that?
So it's like, and that's fine,but then you need to supplement.
If I'm not going to eat thepart, um, Then I've got to be

(01:05:10):
able to figure out how am Igoing to get that in.
So you've got a girl who's irondeficient, I can almost
guarantee she's likely dopaminedeficient.
She's, iron is one of the keythings to run that pathway.
And she's not eating meat.
She's like, I don't like meat.
I'm not going to be able tofocus, I'm going to have ADD.
And so it's just supportingthose things.

(01:05:32):
And sometimes.
Systems, you know, some thingswill fix faster.
ADD sometimes takes a little bitof time.
Um, and it's, there's differenttypes and there's different
deficiencies.
And there's some enzymes things.
So there, you know, it'ssometimes a little bit more
tricky to figure out.
But there's, but I'm veryconfident that, you know,
nothing else.

(01:05:52):
There is a path to wellness.
There, there is a way and whatyou do matters.
What you're eating matters.
And so.
It's just breaking that cycleand breaking those loops and
giving yourself enough runwaybecause your gut health, your
bacteria takes about, you know,at least 21 days to really see a

(01:06:12):
noticeable shift in labs ofthings I'm doing
neurotransmitters and some ofyour brain things is about 21
days before you can actuallystart to see the chemical
things.
And that's where a lot ofpeople, they get fed up with the
system.
They're like, I'm going to justgo off all my antidepressants
and all my prescription meds.
But they didn't do anything totry to support their body
through that process.

(01:06:33):
And so they'll go into a severewithdrawal and feel miserable.
But if you look at drug rehabs,they use IV amino acids.
That's one of the key things.
They charge thousands of dollarsfor that.
Um, and a lot of us could do alot more.
If somebody's really, reallysick and there's gut, it's just
nothing.
Nothing's getting absorbed.

(01:06:53):
IV makes sense.
Again, I'm just putting inparts.
But for most of us, If we justneed to eat it, you know, and
even if I can eat it in a brokendown form, so I love a product
called perfect amino.
It's got eight of the nineessential amino acids.
They leave out histidine onpurpose because it's converted
histamine and some people havetoo much.
And so it's a really balanced,quick way to put in these amino

(01:07:16):
acids and be like, well, I'mjust gonna eat more protein.
And I'm like, that's fine if youchew it.
And you get your digestionworking and you recognize it's
going to take some time.
You're not going to see theresult as fast as you are if you
take it in a raw, broken downform.
So, uh, Perfect Amino byBodyHelp, um, is really, like,

(01:07:36):
really great success.
Or you can do individual aminos,but that one is, it hits lots of
things for lots of people.
And, and a lot of people arethinking like, You know, they do
it and they think, is this forreal?
And it is, it has a, it's alittle bitter because of the
tryptophan, but I'm like,they've done an amazing job of
masking it better than at most.
Um, cause a lot of stuff, whenyou look at it, a lot of things

(01:07:57):
leave that out because it's soyucky.
Okay.
So just as we wrap things uphere, I'm wondering.
First, if you can tell peoplehow they can work with you,
because that would be one of myquestions if I didn't already
know.
So, how can they do that?
Whether they are in Utah, orwhether they are Yeah, so I talk

(01:08:18):
to people all over the US.
We have a website calledFusionSpecialtyPharmacy.
com.
Uh, you can go on there and youcan book an appointment with me.
It doesn't really matter whatappointment you book with me.
Uh, you can book onespecifically on aminos or
general health.
Um, we go through assessments,ask questions.
It's about an hour of collectiontime and questions.
And then I work to make a planwith you.

(01:08:39):
Um, If somebody wants to do moredeeper dives, things like that,
we can do programs andstructures and kind of meet, you
know, uh, whatever your need is.
It kind of depends on the personhow much handholding you may
need and helping people tounderstand.
I'd like to educate because Iknow if you understand the why,
you're more likely to stick withthe program.

(01:09:00):
So but you can call the pharmacydirectly, uh, Fusion Specialty
Pharmacy, and they'll usuallypush it back to the website to
book with me.
So the best way is just to go onand book an appointment and then
kind of connect that way.
Um, I do virtual consults andthings all over the U.
S., so.
Okay.
And I will put the link for thatin the show notes.

(01:09:22):
And you also work with all ages.
I do.
I think kids are, I love kids.
I think it's, it's, you know,obviously we're working with
parents and dynamics of that.
Sometimes it's tricky to getthem to eat the things they need
to eat, but ultimately, um, itcan be really impactful.
They, their guts aren't asmessed up.
And so they generally flipfaster.

(01:09:43):
So you'll see results and someof those things quite quickly.
Um, I think it's good to know,because most people I know that
have teenagers right now, theteenagers are really struggling
with anxiety or depression, orADHD, or concentration.
And this is just another tool inthe toolbox.
To kind of help get otherthings.

(01:10:03):
Obviously, I still love breathwork and emotional support and
therapy and things like that.
With some of those pieces andhelping them find their way, um,
through those, you know, throughlife, trying to figure out what
matters.
But I think you can do that alot more effectively if you're
physically balanced.
Say it's like, um, yeah, well,find, find ways to be calm.

(01:10:27):
Ultimately trying to get peopleto sleep and sweat and detox,
you know, so you're having bowelmovements, you're going to the
bathroom.
Things are online working.
Those are all positive signs,so.
Exactly.
And again, things that make abig difference in making life
better now and in the future.
That's right.
So, in wrap up, I have a fewwrap up questions for you just

(01:10:51):
so we can get to know you alittle bit better and lead with
some of your wisdom.
So, two questions.
Yeah.
The first is, what book is onyour side table?
Or what book have you been drawnto reading?
Yeah.
Um, I, I love a book calledLiving Untethered or Untethered
Living by Michael Singer.
Um, it's been super impactful atpointing me toward, uh, who I

(01:11:16):
really am looking at kind of theguilt, shame, and just letting
go.
That is right.
It's his second book.
Same guy.
His second book is really has alot of techniques and the, it
does, I think he does a betterjob of describing who we are
with apical ways to actuallyshift and let go of things.

(01:11:39):
So basically if someone'striggered, um, it's a great way
to kind of recognize that it'ssomething in me that I need to
look at.
So if something's triggering me,it's not the other person's
fault that I'm triggered.
It's something that I think,well, why am I so triggered by
that person in this conversationor in this situation?

(01:12:01):
And then it's like, what, howcan I let that go?
How can I, you know, not let itaffect me?
Because oftentimes the otherperson is not even meaning to do
something intentionally andwe're taking that on.
And so it's helped me realize alot of stuff that I've picked up
from a kid.
Um, I don't know.
That's been a really fun book.

(01:12:23):
Last question.
Oh, sorry.
Yeah, go ahead.
Last question would be, can youtell me about a decision that
you have made or that you wouldencourage other people to make
that's really made a differencein the vitality in your life?
I think, um, I call myself aseeker of truth, and so it's

(01:12:49):
being open to the idea that youmight believe something or know
something you think this is anabsolute and to just be open to
the idea you That maybe there'sa different lens or perspective
so that if you can look at asituation and see it through
someone else's eyes or through adifferent perspective or lens, I

(01:13:09):
might, it doesn't necessarilymean I have to get rid of the
belief.
But I can certainly reframe thator see that in a different way.
So it's like I struggled formost of my life, locked into
memories and thinking that theseare absolute things.
And I've learned that if I canchange my perspective of the
memory and I'll let go of thememory, traumas and things like
that, I'm finding that there'spurpose in those things.

(01:13:31):
And so it's allowed me to findor seek truth.
And so I've gone to lots ofdifferent places.
People and books and knowledge,um, and found a lot of, um,
peace and calm by just unwiringor rewiring some of the things

(01:13:51):
that I just thought wereabsolute and most of them led to
guilt and shame.
And so it's like, all thingsthat purpose.
I've tried a lot of stuff.
So I do, uh, magnesium soakingor, uh, sound bowls or, um,
breath work for me is justphenomenal in helping shift or
get into other States and like,we didn't even get into a lot of

(01:14:15):
altered state stuff that we kindof talked about, but you're,
there's a lot of ways to getinto space where I can find
peace and calm.
Um, and let things go.
And I've been yoga or qigong.
There's so many differentmodalities out there and really,
you know, talented people thatcan kind of help with some of
those things and just being opento the idea of just trying some

(01:14:38):
of that.
Thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Okay.
Have a good one.
Goodbye.
So now you can see why I wasexcited for you to get to hear
from Dr.
Kobe.
Thank you for your patience withthe sound once again.
I thought it was such a valuableconversation that I released it
anyway.
If I could think of A summaryfor our conversation.

(01:15:01):
It would be that what we putinto our body.
And that can either be giving usnutrients through the healthy
foods that we eat or throughsome of the medications or other
foods that we eat can be bindingour nutrients.
Healthy food, um, greens, eggs,proteins, vegetables, fruits,

(01:15:22):
they are so much more than justa picture on your Instagram
plate.
Or so much more than justsomething that takes a little
extra time to eat.
They literally give us thebuilding blocks.
for feeling good.
I have thought often that it'sIt's interesting, sad, but
interesting that when we feelsuper stressed, we often eat

(01:15:43):
while we're super stressed andmaybe eat things that don't give
us as much help in our bodies,which then can make it worse.
Or if we are feeling depressionor just really sad or lethargic,
often we eat things that arefaster and easier, perhaps more.
processed that don't have thesame amino acids or nutrients.

(01:16:05):
And then our bodies can't buildback those neurotransmitters
like serotonin and dopamine thathelp us feel good and give us
drive.
So we feel like we're in a holeand then we push ourselves
further into that hole.
But that's why we have theseconversations, right?
Is because then the next timewe're faced with that, we can
have Dr.
Kobe's voice in our minds thatremind us if we want to have

(01:16:27):
those neurotransmitters.
We build it up and we feel theeffects of what we have eaten.
Even up to the weeks or monthswith what nutrients we have to
build our own health.
I think that's just such avaluable perspective to share.
For next week, I am really happyto introduce you to Dr.
Tom Michaud.

(01:16:47):
He is one of the foremostdoctors in the country in
treating lower extremityproblems.
He works with Olympic athletes.
He is a chiropractor that hasjust done so much for research
in the profession.
And you will find out straightout of the gate, he's a super
intelligent guy.
We talk about plantar fasciitis,about orthotics versus

(01:17:08):
minimalist shoes, about um,exercise.
And more than that, it's theresearch showing exercise.
He's a research junkie, so wetalk about the reps and the
weights that you can do that aredifferent than you may have
heard before.
And they end up keeping yousafer, there's much fewer
injuries, and you get the samemuscle gains as if you were to

(01:17:29):
do really heavy weight.
low repetitions.
So we also talk about a key topreventing falls and a way that
you can get huge gains inbalance and athletic
performance.
Even a 1 percent increase instrength of this overlooked body
area can give you a 7 percentdecrease in fall risk.

(01:17:51):
Really, 1 percent increase instrength can do so much.
So if you want to find out whatbody part we are talking about
and to learn safer, better wayto exercise, whether you are
sick and can't do very much orwhether you're wanting big
gains, follow us for theresearch and we'll see you next
time on what really makes adifference.

(01:18:11):
Have a good day.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Nutrients and Amino Acids in Enhancing Mental Health with Dr Koby Taylor, PharmD

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

All Episodes

Nutrients and Amino Acids in Enhancing Mental Health with Dr Koby Taylor, PharmD

Stuff You Should Know