What is Amino Acid Therapy?
Amino acid therapy is the use of specific over-the-counter, free-form amino acids to quickly provide the brain with key precursors to its 4 major mood mediating neurotransmitter systems. Research and clinical practice indicate that these amino acids typically cross the blood-brain barrier and create a mood shift within 20 minutes. Amino acid therapy is anti-addictive because over time, these amino acids help to rebuild key neurotransmitter systems, rather than down-regulate them the way addictive, mood-altering substances and behaviors do.
As these neurotransmitter systems rebuild themselves, symptoms caused by their depletion, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, cravings and withdrawal symptoms, tend to quickly decrease, and often disappear altogether. Because amino acids are natural substances found the protein we eat, adverse reactions are rare and are typically due to manufacturing impurities, or taking them when not needed. Scientific research started on the use of amino acids in the 1970s and have been used in clinical practice for several decades. Much has been written on their usefulness, and there are at least two schools in the US training clinicians in the use of amino acids therapy for people with mental health and addictive disorders.
Some informative books include The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross, MA and How to Quit Drinking for Good and Feel Good: The New Alcoholism Story, by Suka Chapel-Horst, RN, PhD. For more information see www.aminoacidtherapy.com.
