The very first amino acid I ever used was 33 years ago in 1988. I was referred to an integrative MD by my nutritionist after she discovered that I had had untreated Celiac Disease since I was 2 years old. Among other things, I still had severe chronic fatigue (though better since I was then off gluten), and a deep, dark apathetic depression. Unbeknownst to any of us then, was also undiagnosed Inattentive Attention Deficit Disorder. My doctor was just learning about integrative medicine and was eager to try out her new discoveries on me! I was so desperate and ill by the time I had reached 30, that I was open to anything!
She first put me on thyroid medicine because I had all the symptoms of hypothyroidism, even though my test results were within the range then considered normal. It helped, but not enough. She then ran across the amino acid L-Tyrosine and was excited to share it with me. She said it should help my energy and depression, and told me to take 1000 mg upon arising and mid-afternoon. A month later I called her in disappointment and told her it wasn’t working! She asked if I was taking it every day, twice a day the way she had told me to. I wasn’t, because I kept forgetting – undiagnosed ADHD! So we agreed that I would take it with breakfast and lunch to help me remember, instead of between meals, the way it said to do on the label. Within a few days, my energy and motivation were noticeably better, my depression significantly less, and I was even somewhat less forgetful! (Tyrosine has been shown to help with ADHD as well).
We were both ecstatic! I stayed on that tyrosine for 10 years. Most people can come off amino acids within several months, but my brain and body were so depleted of nutrients after 30 years of reacting to gluten, and my stress levels were still so high due to constantly activated PTSD, that the repair process took a very long time. And then, after a while, I didn’t need as much. And now……..my dopamine system (catecholamines) is strong and well-fed and I don’t need supplemental tyrosine anymore. The amount found in my daily protein intake is enough.
To learn more, or to find a coach trained in Amino Acid Therapy, go to www.aminoacidtherapy.com.
