Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Many people feel anxious every day, but there is a difference between having short-lived anxiety and having consistent anxiety on a daily basis. In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH offers suggestions for nutrients that can help people living with daily anxiety.
Many of us experience chronic stress that negatively impacts our sleep, metabolism and more. This is why it is important to turn to adaptogenic herbs that can help the body fight stress responses.
OCD
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Today, I want to talk about what OCD actually is and how this can impact your life. It’s not super common, but I suppose that everyone, to some degree, maybe has a little bit of OCD tendencies. I want to define what OCD is, talk about the statistics of OCD within the population and what type of nutrients would be beneficial if someone has been diagnosed with or shows tendencies related to OCD.†
We know that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a big issue for someone who has been diagnosed with this. People will experience unreasonable, uncontrollable or recurring thoughts, followed by a particular behavioral response. When we think about the compulsions, that’s the repetitive behavior that is brought on by the obsession or repeated thoughts and urges.†
This can drive up a whole lot of anxiety and stress for people who are dealing with this issue. When we think about the compulsive behaviors, we look at things like checking to make sure your coffee pot is turned off or that you locked your door. If you’re repeatedly washing your hands, not in a healthy way, but in an obsessive compulsive way. This can get to the point where it really starts to impact people’s social interactions.†
There can also be mental compulsions, where maybe you’re having to do certain counting or mental checking on certain tasks that you’re doing.†
There are certain things that can help mitigate the symptoms of OCD. For instance, learning to deal with daily stressors can be beneficial because the more stressed someone is, the more likely it is that these symptoms will appear. It’s very important to look at stress and how this can exacerbate this issue. We also have to look at deficiencies in terms of different nutrients that may be triggering this.†
We can look at the different nutrients that have been linked to being supportive to those who are dealing with this. One of the most widely studied nutrients is NAC, which is N-acetylcysteine. Many double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have shown that NAC can really make a significant impact for those who have been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. A meta-analysis done in 2015 looked at the use of NAC in patients who were diagnosed with OCD. They looked at clinical trials where patients received 2400mg to 3000mg of NAC each day. They found very encouraging results that demonstrated that the utilization of NAC was incredibly impactful to the diminishing of those obsessive compulsive behaviors.†
Another interesting find comes down to B-vitamins and Vitamin D. Researchers have found a link between Vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine, Vitamin D levels and OCD. They looked at children and adolescents who had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and they started to see that those with OCD had significantly lower levels of Vitamin B12, Vitamin D and folic acid, but yet had high levels of homocysteine, so that inflammation was already occurring in childhood. Vitamin B12 is a cofactor for the synthesis of key neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are involved in the pathophysiology of OCD. Because of this, B12 deficiency can affect mood, emotion and sleeping and act as a stepping stone to the onset or development of certain conditions such as OCD.†
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In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH explains Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She details how this issue can present itself, discusses how common it is and provides recommendations for clinically-studied nutrients that may help support people who have been diagnosed with this condition.†
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Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
Many women going through menopause experience hot flashes more frequently throughout the summer. Learn about nutrients that can help from Amanda Williams, MPH.
Many people who were sick with COVID-19 are still suffering from issues with cognition in a phenomenon known as long COVID. Learn about how you can help support your memory and mood in the face of these issues from Jerry Hickey, Ph.
phosphatidylserine
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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There’s a nutrient found in your brain called phosphatidylserine. It is very important for the health of the brain, the way the brain functions, the memory and the ability to learn. Unfortunately, the level of phosphatidylserine declines with age, which can impact people’s ability to learn and remember things such as names, dates and tasks.†
There is about two ounces of phosphatidylserine in the human body, but half of it is in the brain. This shows you how important this nutrient is in the brain because you need the same amount for your brain as you do for the rest of the body.†
In the brain, phosphatidylserine is located in the phospholipid bilayer. Its tail points out towards the tail of another phospholipid called phosphatidylcholine. Together, these tails create vibrations that occur millions of times per minute, which is basically the life of the brain cells. It’s very important for the brain cells to communicate because this is what initiates and creates the various body functions.†
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Phosphatidylserine is also needed to build and recycle mitochondria, which convert sugar and oxygen into energy. This nutrient takes old mitochondria and recycles them into new, functioning mitochondria so your brain has plenty of energy, even into late old age.†
The problem is that by the age of 30, your phosphatidylserine starts to decline in the membrane of your brain cells, causing the cells to stiffen. This affects your ability to pay attention, your ability to focus, your mood and more. But phosphatidylserine is not in any food to any degree, so it is important to turn to supplementation. Research has shown that giving people about 300mg of phosphatidylserine every morning with their breakfast helps to promote memory functions and the ability to learn.†
STUDIES SHOW PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE OFFERS SUPPORT FOR HYPERACTIVITY – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 219. Listen Now>>
In this podcast episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. talks about the importance of phosphatidylserine and how it impacts brain functions including memory, learning and mood. He shares various studies about the usage of this nutrient in the brain and provides tips for promoting your memory and brain health.†
Key Topics:
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
