The Strongest Neurotransmitter in the World is NOT Dopamine or Serotonin - Dr. Scott Sherr MD

Summary

In this informative discussion, Dr. Scott explores the critical role of GABA, a neurotransmitter responsible for relaxation and balance in the brain's neurotransmission. He delves into the causes of GABA deficiency, such as stress and poor diet, and its symptoms including anxiety and sleep disorders. Offering practical advice, Dr. Scott suggests lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, and herbal supplements to support GABA production and overall mental well-being. He also introduces his collaboration with Thrive Market on a nut butter product line and shares insights on optimizing sleep and reducing stress through natural compounds and a holistic approach to health.

Takeaways

• 🧠 GABA is a crucial neurotransmitter responsible for relaxation and making the brain calm, accounting for 20% of the brain's neurotransmission.
• 🔄 The balance between GABA and glutamate is essential for mental health; glutamate is the excitatory neurotransmitter, while GABA is inhibitory.
• 💡 GABA deficiency can lead to various symptoms such as depression, anxiety, stress, poor sleep, and even severe issues like tremors and mood swings.
• 🤯 Stress and infections are common causes of GABA depletion, highlighting the importance of stress management and overall health maintenance.
• 🥜 The guest has collaborated with Thrive Market to create a nut butter product line, emphasizing high-quality, natural ingredients without fillers.
• 🌿 Natural ways to enhance GABA production include meditation, breathwork, yoga, and certain supplements like valarian and kava, which act as positive allosteric modulators of the GABA receptor.
• 🍄 Certain compounds like agarin from the Amanita muscaria mushroom act as GABA agonists, directly binding to the GABA site and promoting relaxation and sleep.
• 💊 Pharmaceutical substances like benzodiazepines and alcohol bind to the GABA receptor but carry risks of tolerance, withdrawal, and side effects due to their high affinity.
• 🛌 Sleep is significantly impacted by GABA levels, and optimizing GABA function can improve sleep quality and architecture, avoiding disruptions like vivid dreams or waking up frequently.
• 🥗 A balanced diet rich in nutrients like magnesium and vitamin B6, along with glutamine-containing foods, can support GABA production and overall brain health.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the channel discussed in the transcript?

The primary focus of the channel is to dive into topics that hold the most promise, particularly cutting-edge subjects that are upcoming and of interest to smart viewers who are keen on understanding future trends based on current literature and developments.

What is GABA and what role does it play in the brain?

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for relaxation in the brain. It makes up about 20% of the brain's neurotransmission, counterbalancing the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, which accounts for 60%. Together, they maintain a balance crucial for relaxation, excitement, and recovery.

What are some symptoms of GABA deficiency syndrome?

Symptoms of GABA deficiency syndrome can include depression, anxiety, stress, poor sleep, and in severe cases, tremors and difficulty urinating or with emotions and mood regulation.

How can one become depleted in GABA?

One can become depleted in GABA due to chronic stress, infections, or other factors that deplete stressed neurotransmitters. High levels of stress can lead to an imbalance between glutamate and GABA, resulting in a deficiency.

What is the significance of glutamine in relation to GABA?

Glutamine is an amino acid that is converted into glutamate in the brain, which is then converted into GABA. Therefore, a deficiency in glutamine can lead to a deficiency in GABA, affecting relaxation and stress response.

How can lifestyle factors contribute to GABA depletion?

Lifestyle factors such as overtraining, overworking, poor sleep quality, and high stress levels can deplete GABA. These factors can lead to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, affecting overall well-being.

What is the role of magnesium and Vitamin B6 in GABA conversion?

Magnesium and Vitamin B6 are necessary co-factors for the conversion of glutamate to GABA. Deficiencies in these nutrients can hinder the conversion process, leading to potential GABA imbalances.

What are some natural ways to enhance GABA production?

Natural ways to enhance GABA production include meditation, breathwork, yoga, and certain herbal supplements like valerian root, kava, and compounds from certain mushrooms like agaricin from the Amanita muscaria mushroom.

How can adaptogens help regulate neurotransmitter functions?

Adaptogens are substances that help the body adapt to stress and regulate neurotransmitter functions. They can positively influence the GABA system by binding to GABA receptors, enhancing the calming effect of GABA on the nervous system.

What is the importance of balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?

Balancing the sympathetic (excitatory) and parasympathetic (inhibitory) nervous systems is crucial for overall health and well-being. It affects sleep, stress response, recovery, and the ability to perform optimally. Enhancing GABA can help tip the balance towards a more parasympathetic state, promoting relaxation and recovery.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding the Role of GABA in Neurotransmission

This paragraph delves into the importance of GABA as a neurotransmitter, contrasting it with other well-known neurotransmitters like dopamine, epinephrine, and serotonin. It explains that while these are crucial, the majority of neurotransmission in the brain is actually a balance between glutamate and GABA. Glutamate is the excitatory neurotransmitter, promoting wakefulness and readiness, while GABA is responsible for relaxation and calming the brain. The speaker also discusses the potential consequences of GABA deficiency, such as irritability, anxiety, stress, poor sleep, and even more severe symptoms like tremors and mood instability. The paragraph emphasizes the need for balance between these neurotransmitters for optimal brain function and health.

05:01

🥜 Addressing GABA Deficiency Through Diet and Lifestyle

The speaker discusses how GABA levels can be depleted due to stress and other factors, leading to a deficiency that may manifest in various symptoms. The conversation turns to the role of glutamine in GABA production, as glutamate is converted from glutamine in the brain. The speaker mentions that a lack of protein or issues like a leaky gut can lead to glutamine deficiency, affecting GABA levels. The importance of magnesium and Vitamin B6 in the conversion of glutamate to GABA is also highlighted. The speaker then introduces his collaboration with Thrive Market to create a nut butter product, which aligns with his focus on diet and lifestyle as ways to address GABA deficiency.

10:02

🌿 Exploring Natural Methods to Enhance GABA Production

In this paragraph, the speaker explores natural methods to enhance GABA production, including the use of adaptogens and herbal supplements. He discusses the concept of positive allosteric modulation of the GABA receptor and provides examples such as valerian root, kava, and agaric acid. These substances are described as promoting relaxation and sleep by interacting with the GABA system in different ways. The speaker also cautions against certain pharmaceuticals that have a high affinity for the GABA receptor, such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, and barbiturates, due to the risk of tolerance and withdrawal. The focus is on finding safe and natural ways to support the GABA system for better sleep and stress management.

15:03

💤 Optimizing Sleep and Recovery with GABA Enhancement

The speaker emphasizes the importance of GABA for both sleep and recovery, explaining that a balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is crucial for optimal performance and health. He discusses the benefits of GABA-enhancing substances, such as nicotinyl-GABA, which can cross the blood-brain barrier when attached to Vitamin B3. The speaker introduces his company's product, Troom, which is designed to help with sleep and anxiety without causing tiredness during the day. The product is described as having a positive impact on sleep architecture, ensuring restful and restorative sleep without disrupting the natural stages of sleep.

20:03

🌄 Integrating GABA Support into Daily Life for Improved Well-being

The speaker concludes by discussing the broader implications of GABA support in daily life. He suggests that by integrating practices that enhance GABA production and balance, such as breathwork, yoga, and dietary adjustments, individuals can improve their overall well-being. He also emphasizes the importance of slowing down and finding ways to be more parasympathetic to support the GABA system. The speaker advocates for a holistic approach that includes lifestyle changes, diet, and supplementation to optimize health and reduce reliance on exogenous aids over time.

25:04

🤝 Finding and Utilizing GABA-Enhancing Resources

The speaker provides information on where to find resources for enhancing GABA levels, specifically mentioning his company, Tros Scripts, and its products like Troom and Troz. He explains the benefits of these products, such as the convenience of the dissolvable Troi, which can quickly affect the brain circulation without going through digestion. The speaker also mentions the educational resources available on the company's website, including blogs and protocols for optimizing health. The focus is on providing immediate help while also training medical professionals to improve health outcomes in the long term.

Keywords

💡GABA

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for inhibiting or reducing brain activity, thus promoting relaxation and stress reduction. In the video, GABA is discussed as a crucial component for maintaining a balance between excitatory (glutamate) and inhibitory neurotransmission, which is essential for overall brain health and function. The speaker mentions that GABA deficiency can lead to symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and poor sleep quality.

💡Neurotransmitter

A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that transmits signals in the brain and nervous system, facilitating communication between neurons. The video emphasizes the importance of neurotransmitters like dopamine, epinephrine, serotonin, glutamate, and GABA in regulating various mental states and physiological functions. The speaker contrasts the excitatory role of glutamate with the inhibitory role of GABA, highlighting their interplay in maintaining mental equilibrium.

💡Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid that serves as a major source of fuel for the cells of the intestines and plays a role in the conversion process to glutamate in the brain. The video explains that glutamine is essential for the production of glutamate, which in turn is necessary for the synthesis of GABA. A deficiency in glutamine can lead to an imbalance in these neurotransmitters, affecting relaxation and stress response.

💡Stress

Stress is a physical or mental strain resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. In the context of the video, stress is identified as a primary factor that depletes GABA levels, leading to a range of symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disturbances, and irritability. The speaker discusses the importance of managing stress to maintain optimal GABA levels and overall brain health.

💡Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that is crucial for numerous metabolic processes in the body, including the function of GABA. The video mentions that magnesium is necessary for the conversion of glutamate to GABA, and a deficiency can disrupt this process, leading to an imbalance in neurotransmitter levels and potentially causing stress and anxiety.

💡Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is one of the essential B vitamins that plays a role in brain function and the synthesis of neurotransmitters, including GABA. In the video, it is highlighted that Vitamin B6 is a cofactor needed for the conversion of glutamate to GABA, and its deficiency can contribute to GABA-related issues such as stress and sleep disorders.

💡Adaptogens

Adaptogens are plants or herbs that help the body adapt to stress and maintain balance. The video discusses adaptogens in the context of enhancing GABA function, mentioning examples like valerian root and kava, which are known to positively modulate the GABA receptor, promoting relaxation and stress reduction.

💡Leaky Gut

Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, is a condition where the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, allowing undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to pass through the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream. In the video, the speaker relates leaky gut to GABA deficiency, explaining that if the gut is leaking, it may also lead to a leaky brain, which can affect the blood-brain barrier's ability to regulate the passage of substances like GABA supplements.

💡Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system is the part of the autonomic nervous system that promotes a state of relaxation and recovery in the body, as opposed to the sympathetic system, which prepares the body for action. The video emphasizes the importance of balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems for optimal health and mentions practices like meditation, breathwork, and yoga to enhance parasympathetic activity, which in turn supports GABA production and reduces stress.

💡Nicotin GABA

Nicotin GABA is a compound that combines the molecule of GABA with vitamin B3 (niacin). This combination allows the GABA molecule to cross the blood-brain barrier more effectively, as the vitamin B3 component aids in its transport. The video discusses nicotin GABA as a potential supplement for individuals seeking the calming effects of GABA without the side effect of excessive tiredness, as the stimulating properties of vitamin B3 help to balance out the sedating effects of GABA.

Highlights

GABA is a neurotransmitter responsible for 20% of the brain's neurotransmission, playing a crucial role in relaxation and stress relief.

An imbalance between GABA and glutamate can lead to various symptoms such as irritability, depression, anxiety, stress, poor sleep, and even severe issues like tremors and difficulty urinating.

Stress is a primary factor in depleting GABA levels, leading to a deficiency syndrome that can manifest in numerous ways.

Glutamine is an amino acid that, when converted to glutamate in the brain, helps in the production of GABA. Deficiency in glutamine can lead to GABA deficiency.

Vitamin B6 and magnesium are essential for the conversion of glutamate to GABA, and deficiencies in these can disrupt the GABA system.

Certain supplements and lifestyle changes can help enhance GABA production and improve overall brain function.

Valerian root, a natural herbal supplement, acts as a positive allosteric modulator for the GABA receptor, promoting relaxation and better sleep.

Agaricin, a compound derived from the Amanita muscaria mushroom, is a long-acting GABA agonist that can support sleep over an extended period.

Nicotinyl-GABA, a combination of GABA and Vitamin B3, can cross the blood-brain barrier and support GABA function without causing tiredness.

The company Transcend Script offers Troi, a sublingual product that dissolves under the upper cheek and gums to support GABA levels and promote relaxation.

Troz, another product from Transcend Script, is designed to support sleep by modulating the GABA system and maintaining sleep architecture.

Corpin, a mushroom-derived compound in Troz, supports deep slow-wave sleep without disrupting sleep stages.

A balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods, including sources of glutamine, magnesium, and Vitamin B6, is essential for maintaining optimal GABA levels.

Lifestyle interventions such as stress reduction, breathwork, yoga, and sunlight exposure can significantly improve GABA capacity and overall well-being.

The importance of resetting the body's stress response with interventions like GABA supplementation, especially when lifestyle changes are not immediately feasible.

The potential negative impact of excessive screen time and phone usage on dopamine and GABA systems, highlighting the need for digital detox and relaxation techniques.

The concept of 'relaxed control' as a state of being in control while remaining relaxed, which is beneficial for cognitive functions such as learning and memory.

Transcripts

Dr Scott sh one of the things I like to

do on this channel is dive into things

that have the most promise the people

that watch this Channel or listen to

this channel are usually very smart

people that are interested in what's up

and coming not always just what's what

do we know retroactively over the last

10 years but things that we're saying

like hey this is what their literature

is and like this is where things are

going so I'd like to look at things that

are super Cutting Edge if you want to

call it that and you and I were talking

before we started filming about one

particular I guess you could call it a

supplement but really more of just a you

know compound I'll let you kind of it's

a neurotransmitter neurotransmitter yeah

and let's just Dive Right In like the

benefits of this where it could be

applied uh who could utilize it how we

become depleted in it uh I'll you take

it away yeah that's Rock so yeah we were

talking about Gaba so Gaba is a

neurotransmitter and most people have

heard of the Superstar neurotransmitters

I like to call them I've heard of

dopamine and epinephrine and serotonin

if you're across the pond it's neur

adrenaline and adrenaline but same thing

as epinephrine and

nephrine those are extremely important

but 80% of your neurotransmission has

nothing to do with those

neurotransmitters at all it's a balance

between two it's a balance between one

called glutamate and one called Gaba and

glutamate actually turns into Gaba in

the brain so Gaba is not made really

anywhere else except for a very small

amount in the pancreas that's a side

note but mostly all of your Gaba is made

in the brain and Gaba is responsible for

20% of your brain's

neurotransmission 60% is glit so that's

a total of 80% so glutamate is your

excited to a neurotransmitter this is

the one that makes you feel up it makes

you feel awake and ready and nephrine of

course plays a role in here but General

day-to-day glutamate is more important

Gaba is your neurotransmitter that's

responsible for relaxation for making

the brain relax allowing the brain to

relax so you need to have the balance

between these two neurotransmitters to

be able to be get excited and also to

relax and to recover if you don't have

enough Gaba around you're going to feel

irritable you're going to feel

potentially a lot of different symptoms

and so so some of those symptoms might

be so we call it it's called Gaba

deficiency syndrome and this is a lot of

things it could be things like

depression

anxiety stress poor

sleep it could even be severe things

like Tremors and difficulty urinating

and difficulty with your emotions and

libility with your mood going up and

down um it can also be as a result of

all this you can have of course this can

happen from a lot of different things

it's not just because of Gaba but people

forget that Gaba could be one of those

neurotransmitters that is depleted

because all of us are so stressed all

the time depleting our stressed

neurotransmitters depleting glutamate

and not recovering enough to be able to

get enough Gaba in the system so okay

with that how does one deplete glutamate

because that's probably what everyone's

wondering okay this sounds like me right

everyone's probably thinking that yeah

and honestly it sounds like me right it

sounds like okay I'm like overtrained

maybe overworked not sleeping well you

know running hot um and there's the

obvious things like okay I'm I'm

depleting it probably just from life

right but I how does one go about

depleting it more importantly how does

one replete it now I'm pretty stoked to

announce too that for the last couple of

years I have been working with Thrive

Market on creating my own product with

them and we had decided a couple years

back that a good Nut Butter would be the

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there's a couple of different ones

there's a macadamia nut there's a

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they're going to abide by my rules too

there's a few different nuts in them and

then there's some allulose and there's

some salt there's no fillers there's no

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that link down below you'll save 30% off

your entire grocery order which also

includes my nut Butters plus you get a

$60 free gift when you use that link so

you use that link down below and then

you can find the nut Butters there on

the website and you can try whatever

different flavor you want I highly

recommend you check them out I created

them in tandem with Thrive market so

what you're getting is literally what I

formulated and what I made so definitely

check them out and if you're already a

Thrive Market member I'll put a link

Down Below in the description that's

specifically for a Thrive Market member

that goes directly to that page as well

right so depletion happens because of

stress typically so if we have infection

we deplete glutamate if we have stress

on the system we deplete it as well um

I'm sorry we deplete Gaba excuse me so

we deplete Gaba as a result of stress of

of multiple things but I think before I

get there I think it'd be helpful so

glutamate is made from glutamine so

glutamine is an amino acid it's an amino

acid that's um very well known to most

people in the the bodybuilding

performance world is not something

that's very well appreciated I think as

we were talking about before we got on

but glutamine is the fuel for the colon

cells itself but glutamine gets

converted in the body to glutamate in

the brain and so if you're deficient in

glutamine mean you're not going to make

enough glutamate for your brain and if

you can't make enough glutamate then you

can't make enough Gaba and then if you

can't make enough Gaba you can't relax

the firing of your brain so in that case

who becomes deficient in glutamine lots

of different people will become

deficient of course if you are not

getting enough protein in your diet if

you're not getting sources of protein

from glut that has glutamine in them so

meat is going to be your biggest source

here typically typically people that are

vegan or vegetarian are going to have a

much harder time getting enough

glutamine in their diet if you are a

elite athlete and and you are always

training you're also probably going to

have a leaky gut and your gut is going

to be sucking up all your glutamine in

your gut itself to try to help fuel it

not a lot's going to get into your brain

and make glutamate and then very little

is going to get over to Gaba so you're

going to be Gaba deficient you're not

going to sleep well you're going to feel

irritable all the time you're um you're

going to have stress you're going to

feel anxious you're going to feel

depressed and like this is something

that a lot of athletes will complain

about if they're overtraining I mean

it's it sounds like it's a vicious cycle

too like you you become depleted in it

so then you don't sleep well so then you

become more depleted in uh you know all

these other things defeted in Gaba and

then you're trying to like fuel that

system and it's just like the spiral

yeah yeah and just to mention also like

to convert from glutamate to Gaba you

need magnesium you need Vitamin B6 so if

you're deficient in magnesium or

deficient in vitamin B6 you're not going

to convert glutamate to Gaba well and

that whole system is going to get mucked

up and you're GNA have more glutamate

and the most common example of people

that have glutamate is monosodium

glutamate or MSG right so if you go to a

Chinese restaurant and the food's

sweeter than you anticipated and you

immediately get a headache that's

because you have suddenly a huge

preponderance of glutamate compared to

Gaba and as a result of that you have

this headache that typically will happen

as a result of that excitability that

happens because of too much GL too much

glutamate so that's just something to

think about yeah no I I've used that

reference a lot yeah um sometimes it

really upsets people because I think

that it's the uh they like their MSG or

whatever but and I'm not even saying

it's good bad or ugly it's just what it

does right it's just like and I've

noticed personally anecdotally if I have

MSG I don't sleep for a couple days like

I mean it's bad right like I know when I

had Ms have MSG to the point where like

I'm getting weird dreams and I'm waking

up multiple times it's I'm very

sensitive to it and I'm very aware of it

and there's a lot of people I've seen

even in the comment sections when i'

done videos talking about that that have

very similar experiences yeah and so

just building up the glutamate right and

then you might have a harder time

because you might be on the depleted

side on the Gaba to replenish your Gaba

fast enough if you're depleted in

vitamin B6 or magnesium if you're highly

stressed if you have an infection so

we're talking about infection before

infection is also going to deplete

everything too it's going to be harder

for you to maintain your Gaba levels all

that going on too so if someone is let's

say they're restricting calories yeah

and they're having a hard time getting

enough protein in to begin with or maybe

they're unaware of it right because it

just happens sometimes um Can glutamine

supplementation help support this

because there's a lot of controversy

there because in the in the athletic

World glutamine has kind of been like

it's worthless don't bother with it

especially in the muscle building world

because it doesn't contribute to muscle

protein synthesis hardly at all um and

you know at the end of the day it's just

no just you know eat your meat whatever

so is there actually a practical app for

taking a glutamine supplement in that

case so my perspective here is that

glutamine is a great fuel for your

colonocytes or your colon cells and so

it's really important to fuel those with

a good amount of glutamine but the

problem is if you use glutamine to

repete Gaba you have a number of

different steps along the way so I don't

typically go that route I make sure

they're getting good amounts of

glutamine in their diet but I probably

wouldn't supplement with glutamine as my

way of increasing Gaba I would likely be

making sure they have vitamin B6 making

sure they have magnesium but then I'd

find natural ways to improve Gaba

production there's a number of different

ways to do that both pH

pharmacologically you know or supplement

wise um and natural herbals and things

like that and fungals even from a

certain mushroom that I was mentioning

before um or you can actually look at

various ways to enhance your gap of

production by things like meditation or

breathwork which also do what we're kind

of been dancing around here is that

balance your sympathetic and

parasympathetic nervous systems right if

you're always sympathetically dominant

you're going to deplete you know most

everything including Gaba so but what

you can do is you can enhance Gaba

production and the amount of Gaba in

there by becoming more parasympathetic

so by finding ways to relax of course by

meditation with breath work with yoga

there's actually been studies on yoga

increasing Gaba in the brain um exercise

to some degree can actually increase

Gaba as well because it helps balance

out the the the the balance the ratio

between glutamate and Gaba as well if

it's not if you're not overtraining as

well so but from uh from my perspective

I don't typically replete glutamine Gaba

by giving glutamine I will give

glutamine to people that are under high

stress that that their guts toxic they

have leaky gut that they just had

surgery and they're just they're just

kind of they need a lot more glutamine

if that's the case to help maintain

their gut lining I'll also do it one of

the interesting tricks that you may not

know about is that if you can if you're

young if you're over if you're about 30

years or younger and you can take

glutamine for about 30 days and it will

seal up your gut it's pretty well known

that you'll do that which if you have a

leaky gut and if you can take glutamine

at high doses for about 30 days you can

actually seal up your gut so I'll use it

for that reason but if I'm looking at

balancing out the Gaba system I'm

looking at the co-actors Magnesium B6

and I'm thinking about how I can give

Gaba directly typically so without going

into territory that we're not able to

talk about on YouTube yeah let's call it

an umbrella term of talking about sort

of an adaptogenic effect right um how

does that essentially work so when I say

adaptogens uh things that help regulate

those neurotransmitter functions right

like I mean common adaptogens it's not

necessarily related to this topic

that people heard of ashwaganda theyve

heard of Rola things like that are

adaptogenic and I know you mention you

know fungus and things like that yeah

what are some ways that people can

influence Gaba while still keeping it PG

for the sake of YouTube of course PG I

like PG so we have kids we have to keep

things PG we know how it do so when it

comes to Gaba you can think about Gaba

is um has a receptor in the brain it's

called the Gaba receptor shocking right

and the Gaba receptor Gaba can Bine to

the receptor ctor itself and increase

the amount of neurot neurotransmission

excuse me related to Gaba so what that

means is that actually when Gaba binds

the receptor it prevents the neuron that

it bound to from firing so that's what I

mean by calming down neuros system the

whole system from firing so you can have

Gaba actually itself bind or you can

actually have other things bind what are

called alisic sites to the Gaba receptor

that's a fancy word for meaning a

different site on the Gaba receptor can

bind something and then as a result of

it binding them if it's a positive

alisic modulator what's going to happen

is that it's going to positively affect

Gaba binding and then Gaba is going to

bind more and as a result of that you're

going to have less firing of that neuron

because you have more Gaba that's bound

so some of the most common things that

we use from an herbal perspective are

things like valan route everybody's

heard of valan valan is a is a positive

alisic modulator to the Gaba Gaba

receptor you take Gaba excuse me you

take valan and it can help you sleep

because valan is very well known to help

with relaxation and improve Gaba another

one that we know very well is Cava Cava

actually binds to another alisic site on

the Gaba receptor and Cava is from the

Cava root Cava plant from South the

South Pacific has been around for

thousands of years for stress for

relaxation it's enhancing the Gaba

system we also have something called

agarin agarin is a it's a Gaba Agonist

which means that it actually binds to

the Gaba site itself and this is really

cool agarin from the amonita musara

mushroom so it's a mushroom that's

gotten very famous from Allison

Wonderland and from mythology about

Santa Claus and causing psychedelic

experiences but it has two molecules in

there in the mushroom it has something

called agarin and has something called

ibotenic acid ibotenic acid is

neurotoxic that's what causes the

Psychedelic experiences but this other

one called agarin is a

fantastic compound for sleep because

it's a long acting Gaba Agonist it stays

on the Gaba receptor for a while it

increases Gaba firing so you have this 8

to 10 hour hours of a halflife so you

have a whole night where you can

actually get good sleep using something

like agrin or something to support the

system along the way there's other

there's other molecules and compounds

too um but the key to also just mention

is that there are some Pharmaceuticals

that are well known to be have a very

high affinity for the gab receptor that

you need to avoid things like

benzodiazapines and alcohol and

barbituates quids if anybody's old

enough to remember those but um but

those all actually bind to the Gaba

receptor as well but the difference with

those is that they're such a high

affinity for the binding and their pH

pharmacologic that you know there's a

high risk for tolerance for withdrawal

for for having bad side effects from

those drugs naturally enhancing the Gava

system with some of these other things

has has really shown to be very safe

overall interesting so and people might

look at this and they say okay well um

you know maybe from a performance aspect

and I asked this question like could

this be counterproductive like the uh

you know almost like a a sedatif like

effect and you know your answer with

that was pretty interesting and

it sounds like you can actually

potentially improve performance by

increasing that or parasympathetic tone

I think a lot of us are I'll use myself

as an example like if I'm running hot

like and I'm I have a hard time

diaphragmatically breathing I have a

hard time like I think we've all

experienced like when we go to the gym

and it's like why did my heart rate

immediately just go to 140 it's just

like you know you're just boom like you

start on the assault bike and you're

there right um compared to like oh this

is a day when I can get this good breath

and and that so it's not just something

to maybe l get to sleep like there's

there's daytime applications right yeah

I mean we all need Gaba throughout the

day as well and because it's that

balance between your sympathetic and

parasympathetic nervous systems the key

as you know is that when we work hard

for Recovery we need to get as

parasympathetic as fast as possible to

be able to give our body the time to

recover so that's why the worst thing

you can do at the gym as you know is if

you do your hard lift and then you're on

your phone like scrolling and doing this

and like just sympathetically just going

crazy right you need to be thinking

about your breath and calming down so if

you you have more Gaba on board you're

going to be able to change over to

parasympathetic faster as opposed to

taking longer to recover so it's well

known that this balance is hugely

important for Recovery it's hugely

important for performance as well and of

course if you're taking something that

to enhance Gaba system you may want to

take it at night because it may make you

feel more relaxed it may make you feel

more tired it may decrease stress you

can also tight treat the dosing and and

and you know I have a company called

transcriptions that that you know that

has these things called trokies that

that are tight tradable so you can start

off with a small amount like a quarter

then a half then a full and then kind of

figure out where your dose is we have

one particular compound that I forgot to

mention called nicotin Gaba and this is

a vitamin B3 attached to a Gaba molecule

and what's nice about this is that what

I didn't mention is that Gaba

supplements don't work if you take a

Gaba supplement over the counter Gaba

itself is too big of a molecule to get

across the blood brain barrier on its

own so Gaba supplements don't typically

work unless you have a leaky gut and

that means you have a leaky brain people

get scared when I say a leaky brain but

all I mean there is that you have a

leaky gut and so if people take Gaba

supplements and they're feeling much

more calm and relaxed on them it could

mean that their gut is leaky and that

their brain their bloodb brain barrier

is not working as well and so just to be

aware of that you if you're taking Gaba

supplements they don't typically work

and that's why it's really important to

find other things like the ones we've

been talking about your Cava your agarin

your um your your Valic acid and then

the something called nicotin Gaba that I

was just mentioning that's attached to a

vitamin B3 when it's attached to a

vitamin B3 gets across the blood the

yeah excuse me it gets across the blood

brain barrier and when it does that um

you have amount of Gab in there and you

have some vitamin B3 which is actually

nice because vitamin B3 is mildly

activating and so you don't feel too

tired on it so for people that want to

take some Gaba during the day but don't

want to feel tired this vitamin B3

attached to a Gaba can be pretty cool we

have a product called troom at

transcriptions that has this vitamin B3

attached to a Gaba it has Cava that can

help relax you without having without

making you feel like you're tired

because it has that vitamin B3 attached

to the Gaba molecule so you can take it

during the day if you're feeling

stressed but you don't want to feel

tired and you can actually titrate your

dose a quarter a half or a full of our

Troi it's called a buckle Troy goes

between upper cheek and gums and

dissolves and you can kind of figure out

where that sweet spot is for you so

sometimes what I'll do just take the

edge off is I'll just take a quarter and

then taking that edge off is just making

your brain feel better because we were

talking about the sympathetic

parasympathetic balance if you're

sympathetically dominant it's like being

in front of a huge room of people and

forgetting all your lines to your speech

to your whatever you're going to be

performing your brain is so

sympathetically dominant you can't

remember but as soon as you take the

edge off just a little bit you can think

again you can speak your words come out

much faster and more fluid and all those

kinds of things too so it's really nice

to have ways to modulate the Gaba system

without potentially making you feel

tired along the way and the way that

I've described what you're like talking

about is have you ever been driving down

the the freeway and you're having a

conversation with someone and you're all

of a sudden you see you just whiz past a

highway patrol and you're having a

conversation and you look in the rear of

your mirror and you see that and

sympathetic tone increases drastically

because you like look down on the

speedometer and you're like you know yep

you completely forget what you were

talking about and like it's completely

like everything just goes away real

quick right and it takes you a minute to

like come back from that and I use that

because everyone's kind of had that

experience just like you're having that

conversation you're like oh crap like

and that's a perfect example of like

what's happening sort of at like a uh

perhaps a more moderate rate you know or

moderate example I guess you know just

every day life when you're just kind of

stressed and all it takes you know

you're sitting at this level of

sympathetic tone all it takes is this

much more to push you over that edge

it's like you're all kind of flirting

with that zone all the time all the time

yeah like if your kid if your kid

suddenly starts screaming it's a good

example too like if you have a kid at

your home you're doing whatever maybe

you're cooking dinner and all of a

sudden you just hear like this blood

curdling scream like everything is just

goes blank right your mind goes blank

your sympathetic dominance goes way up

and as a result of that like your mind

is like you had no idea like you're

cooking you forget everything that you

were just doing it's same thing so if

you can take that edge off just a little

bit you can actually start thinking

again right and obviously breathing is

important and finding ways to learn how

to distress yourself but if you're in a

pinch it's nice to have kind of things

along the way that can help you and you

know for sleep as well I mean we have a

huge epidemic of people that can't sleep

anymore because I think it's about 20%

of the US population has some sort of

element of sleep related disorder and

they can't fall asleep they can't

maintain sleep or they wake up feeling

not rested and a lot of this I found at

least in clinical practice is that if

you can optimize vitamins minerals and

nutrients that goes a long way so your

magnesium level is your B6 but if you

can give them a little bit of Gaba along

the way and again not Gaba

supplementation maybe some of these

other uh these other compounds that

we've been mentioning we have something

called troz which is for sleep at

transcriptions and it's these it's eight

ingredients and all almost all of them

are working on the Gaba system in

various ways to help modulate it to help

improve it to help balance it so you

have more Gaba that can last you

throughout the evening so you can go to

bed you can maintain your sleep and you

can wake up feeling rested and it's it's

a fantastic formula especially for

people traveling jet lag if uh you know

for me personally I have a hard time

with induction sometimes that's usually

your type a brain people and like they

just can't once I fall asleep I'm good

so actually I can use troom for that

because it just quiets my mind enough

that I can fall asleep as opposed to I

have no trouble maintaining but I have a

lot of people that I work with that wake

up in the middle of the night and

they're just like looking at the wall

and they like their brain starts going

on fire and this is a there's like a

sympathetic spike it might be cortisol

actually that's doing this in a lot of

people but if you can actually have

enough Gaba in the system so Gaba helps

you maintain sleep so if you get these

spikes you won't wake up like so for

example we're talking about like vivid

dreams for example people will wake up

in their dreams because they're so vivid

but Gaba is helping you from not waking

up during your dreams because otherwise

you'd be acting at your dreams in

various ways which would be uncool as

you know so you w't have enough gab in

the system and of course there's

serotonin so you want have enough

serotonin we have 5 HTTP in that formula

we have a little bit of melatonin as

well there's some controversy on

melatonin but in general melatonin is a

fantastic way for Sleep induction helps

you get to sleep and also as we get

older we have less melatonin around U

that to help us maintain sleep so we

think there's in some people that wake

up in the middle of night there's a big

melatonin dip and that's one of the

reasons why they wake up so it's a

pretty comprehensive sleep formula but

in essence what we care about you know

what I care about as a clinician is like

what am I doing to fully optimize the

system so that it can stay maintained

over the long term and hopefully get

them off Gaba supplementation not Gaba

itself we talked about that that doesn't

work but things that enhance the Gaba

system and that's what I try to do with

all my patients and you know my my

company the transcriptions company is we

were founded initially as a nonprofit

organization training doctors and

practitioners on how to optimize health

and so our goal really is to get people

off of supplements and get them off of

things that help that are helping that

are exogenous that you can which I mean

is that you're actually taking instead

you're actually supporting a system with

good nutrition good diet sunlight

exposure you know light water magnetism

all that stuff right but on the path to

optimizing Health we all need help along

the way and these are things that can be

really really helpful so we can help you

sleep now we can help you with an with

your anxiousness now while you're on

that path to truly trying to optimize

your health over the long term I think

like one of the things that people don't

realize like there's so many people like

I'm all for living as close to the Earth

as possible Right but it's also not

always practical in today's world

because we're in climate controlled

environments we're in artificial light

we're in like I don't think there's like

for example I mean say what you want

about the guy but like Dave asprey takes

all these different supplements right

and people I see people like raining on

him his argument is always pretty honest

and pretty real it's like okay if you

want to have an honest approach to uh

you know living close to the Earth then

you need to be living out in the middle

of nowhere in the actual Woods living

close to the Earth yeah because it's the

only actual way so when you look at

these things like sometimes you do need

that intervention to get you started and

like you know I've been in situations

where I've been in sympathetic overdrive

for so long that you can't find your way

out of of it right and you're only going

to do yourself so much by saying okay

well I'm going to eat a certain way I'm

going to

it's you're going to drive yourself

crazy if you don't eventually have a

little bit of intervention whether it's

you know supplemental or you know

pharmaceutical or whatever it needs to

be to break that cycle and I think

people need to be okay with that knowing

that hey maybe this isn't a permanent

thing and if it allows you to get from A

to B to maybe to C to where you can

actually start deploying those lifestyle

interventions then you can eventually

move on it's so beautifully sad because

always talked about this with my

patients we need resets we just in in

life the way it's LED now with the

stress and the environment everything

you just described we just need reset

sometimes to get us off a train that is

going 100 miles an hour that we can't

stop and so sometimes these

interventions are really important and

sleep is a big one for people if people

don't sleep everything goes wrong and

their immune system is tanked their mood

is tanked their relationships are tank

their work is going to tank and so if

you can just reset their sleep but also

you know what's cool about tro and the

way we formulated this is it doesn't

mess with your sleep architecture so

sleep architecture is your stages of

sleep you have your deep sleep or you

have your REM sleep and your non-rem

sleep right your non-rem sleep is your

stages of sleep that's four of those

stages two of the last stages are deep

and you have your REM sleep which is

your your dreaming sleep right and what

happens a lot of times is that if you

take some of these pharmaceutical drugs

or you have something like for example

it messes up the Sleep architecture so

you don't get a lot of deep sleep on

these drugs and so in the short term

might be okay because you're actually

getting to bed somewhat but it's

actually ruining your sleep architecture

so you want to try to find things that

are going to naturally support your

sleep architecture we have one

ingredient in tros called corpin and

corpin is from the mushroom Corps

everybody knows mushroom Corps now from

the show The Last of Us on HBO that

takes and makes you a zombie but corpin

will not do that it does it to ants

actually so actually it's a real thing

in ant so this Corps mushroom will take

over the brain of of an ant and then

take control of it and make it a zombie

and it's actually a thing but corpin is

a fantastic mushroom uh it's the active

form of the corp's mushroom that helps

with deep slow wave sleep and it's well

regarded in that capacity it also has

interesting potential capacity for

immune system function for uh for

insulin regulation um they're using it

as an anti-cancer at high doses and

studies it's really interesting but so

you want to support your natural sleep

as much as possible it's and supporting

Your Capacity to have all of those

stages so be careful what you take

because some things might get you to bed

but might still have trashed sleep and

things like and like your benzo diazines

for example are examples of those even

alcohol is perfect example of course how

could I forget common one right yeah

alcohol trashes your sleep you get no

deep sleep on it most people wake up

after a couple hours and you know

trashes your immune system and so

alcohol definitely should be avoided for

sleep for sure yeah I mean if we

circumnavigate like kind of everything

here like independent of even the tros

scription stuff

what places or things should people be

putting in place

to influence Gaba as much as possible

just sort of as a end result of all this

conversation like what are the takeaways

that people can really deploy today well

I mean what comes to mind first is slow

the down everybody's got to slow down a

little bit right and because if you can

find ways to become more parasympathetic

if you find ways to relax more even if

it's just for five minutes at a time you

are going to start improving your

balance between this glutamate the

excited T your transmitter and Gaba so

that could be breath work it could be

yoga it could be light stretching it

could be um it can be just getting out

in the sunlight actually just relaxing

the body for a little while is going to

improve your Gaba capacity then you want

to think about are you giving yourself

the building blocks that are going to

make Gaba right are you getting good

sources of vitamin B6 in your diet are

you getting good sources of magnesium in

your diet I think like you know I was we

were talking about before with you know

being people being on this freight train

uh and just having so much stress and

not being able to calm down and like

they're trying so hard with their

nutrients and their diet but like it's

really hard to find uh most people are

magnesium deficient most people I think

80% of the US population I might be

slightly wrong there but it's it's high

it has some sort of element of magnesium

deficiency and your vitamins and

minerals like the foods that we're

eating now about 20 or 30% of the amount

of nutrients that they used to have 50

years ago so the the nutrient depletion

in our soil is real so um but you still

want to focus on nutrient-dense foods

that are going to help support the

system

so what are you thinking about you like

glutamine containing foods talking about

magnesium containing foods right this is

usually you know meat is the easiest way

to get this stuff and an organ Meats is

and liver is going to be probably your

best form of all this stuff because it's

going to be all activated and all ready

for you especially your B vitamins so

you want to be thinking about your diet

um making sure you're getting good

sources of glutamine you want to think

about um your lifestyle where you're

trying as much to be as par sympathetic

as possible finding breaks in your day

to try to relax and finding things that

you like that are relaxing so taking

recovery days um taking phone holidays

is a great one too because you know

we're always on our phones doing this

and our minds are always racing but it's

that's also depleting your excited toour

our neurotransmitters including

glutamate and you're you're also

depleting Gaba as well so you want to be

thinking about getting par sympathetic

working on your diet working on your

lifestyle and then supporting it with

things that are going to improve Gaba

and these are things that we've been

discussing already your herbals your

fungal um your ways to help improve your

sleep and your anxiousness throughout

the day

um that are just kind of supporting the

whole system but of course like you

don't want to do anything in a vacuum

you want to try to be think about doing

everything but not everybody's ready to

change their diet change their lifestyle

um so having some additional ways to

calm the system down immediately is

really helpful and then hopefully the

way I think about things in clinical

practice is that once people start

feeling better like oh it's not so bad

to have a recovery day it's not so bad

to have a little bit more gab around

maybe I want more of this maybe I can

change my diet maybe I can change my

lifestyle maybe I don't have to train 70

hours a week maybe I can train 30 and

still make gains and still have a better

balance as a result of that yeah and you

know one more thing before we wrap this

up that was very interesting when you

mentioned you know the phone sort of

even depleting like taking the phone

break are there parallels between things

that uh you know are taxing on our our

dopamine compared to Gaba like do they

do they seem to operate in tandem or

things can specifically deplete uh Gaba

that aren't necessarily influenced by

dopamine I mean it sounds like a lot of

the things that are also depleting Gaba

are also these high dopaminergic kind of

things yeah that's a great question I'm

glad you asked it because the amazing

thing about Gaba is that it is

everywhere in the brain okay it's widely

distributed in all areas of the brain

and but specifically it has this one

particular function in most locations

it's called an inter neuron i n t r

neuron which means it's between neurons

so it's actually between a lot of these

serotonergic and dopamine dopaminergic

neurons and regulating the flow of

information so if you are massively

taxing your dopamine system you're also

taxing your Gaba system because your gab

is trying to prevent the firing of all

this stuff that you're looking at like

oh God I'm looking at the next cat video

and oh God the next keto video and

whatever like and and Gaba is trying to

keep up yeah trying to keep up with you

because dopamine and serotonin and and

these neurons are being modulated by the

Gaba system so gab is so important for

learning for memory for skill

acquisition um and of course what really

important for skill acquisition but

dopamine as well but what Gaba does it

actually tries to stop all the firing

like and trying to regulate the

information that's coming in so you

actually can learn and so it's if you're

depleting dopamine you're depleting Gaba

to is what it comes down to yeah because

what what I've always heard is a a calm

brain is a fast brain yes yeah and it's

like the idea is people like cinate

cavate go go go go go it's like

sometimes it's just the opposite it's

like being able to calm you know and

it's like I work with the Special Forces

operat a lot this is exactly what they

teach them right it's not about amping

up you don't see a lot of marksmen going

forward and and like pounding caffeine

right that's not how they want their

brain to operate and I think if we could

all kind of take a lesson from that

right it's like when you look at the

things that make you feel good aren't

always the things that are are truly

good for you so it's like you have this

discussion I had this discussion a lot

with people say well you know like being

on my phone calms me down it's relaxing

and it's like well there's a difference

between

something that is pleasure seeking

behavior and what is genuinely relaxing

because I think we do deficient that's

problem that they're going for that

dopamine hit to get to some sort of

Baseline that they're missing I mean I I

love the the oper the uh The Operators

because what we talk about in our

company a lot is uh and just personally

in my in my practice is relax control

right the idea is that you're in control

of the situation but you're relaxed into

it right you're part of the situation

but you're not because you're

overstressed you're not going to be

operating at the highest level that you

want to be and so the deal with fully

looking at a whole person is looking at

yes we can give them supplementation we

can change their diet but like we have

to change their psychology and saying

the psychology is this we want to be in

a relaxed control we want to be free

from suffering of anxiety and stress and

depression of course but how do we do

that we have to start with the reversing

of the psychology of what it means to be

in those States and start there and then

build from there that's what we

typically do Amen to that man well Scott

where can everyone find you man so yeah

our compan is called tros scriptions

it's the word prescription and Troy in

the opposite way so Troy and

prescriptions together tros scriptions

we make something called a buckle Troi

and it dissolves from your upper cheek

and gums and dissolves over about 15 to

30 minutes what's nice about that is

that it goes directly into the brain

circulation and hits you in about 50 15

to 30 minutes so you get an initial feel

in that time frame and you don't have to

go through digestion when you digest

things it takes longer and people have

leaky guts and it may not work as well

so you can get a buckle Troy here

dissolve 15 to 30 minutes later getting

getting the effect so the company is

called tros scriptions it's tros

scriptions

docomo and yeah I mean we have a number

of different products we have one for

anxiousness and stress it's called troom

we have one for sleep it's called troz

shockingly but um yeah go check it out

and we have a great amount of

information on our website I write most

of the blogs myself uh with all the

scientific information we have a good

jetlag protocol for example that's great

we have great information all the

ingredients and all of our products and

it's just a really fantastic company to

be with because our focus is to help

people right now but we have a nonprofit

organization that's training doctors and

practitioners on how to optimize health

and this is part of my own clinical

practice working tele medicine wise with

people all over the world helping

optimize their health over the long term

while we're helping them now with

transcriptions right on man well as

always thank you brother thank you