Q&A
Get answers to your health questions.
Health question and answers have grown in popularity in recent years as a means for patients to obtain health information from medical professionals.
There is a plethora of health information available in all sorts of media.
You might get lots of opinions from your health professional, your friend or Dr Google.
If you have a question that needs an answer, please ask.
We aim at answering your questions with sound evidence-based health research and use integrative medical approaches to offer an answer.
Am I an Addict?
Q: How do I stop the massive brain fog, agitation, irritability and fatigue when I stop caffeine ?
We all have addiction of some kind or the other – coca cola, smoking, coffee, drugs, sugar, gambling, work. When you crave chocolate and cannot put it down until it’s all finished, it is an addiction! You may become irrational without your sugar fix.
No addict wants to be addicted. Addiction is a chronic compulsive behaviour that can be harmful to the body -attempt to change the unbearable in life to bearable.
What is driving the addiction – could be a past trauma, or lack of amino acids or neurotransmitters.
If you can’t function without your coffee, it’s likely due to low catecholamines and tyrosine, phenylalanine and Vitamin C will stop those cravings and give you a mood and energy boost, and also help with mental clarity.
If you stress-drink, you might reach for alcohol. Alcohol is considered a GABA agonist, a relaxer.
Alcohol is often high in histamine, it affects methylation. High histamine in alcoholics is associated with poor sleep, depression and allergies.
If you get the shakes without your pastry or muffin to feel happy, you may lack serotonin. Low levels of serotonin cause cravings, lack of motivation, anxiety and depression. Using tryptophan can boost mood and curtail cravings.
Dopamine depletion at the initial phases can cause addictions; further depletion can lead to repetitive behaviours as seen in OCD. Gross depletion is associated with Parkinson’s disease.
If you need coca cola or need a sugar fix, using some glutamine on the tongue can help with irritability and shakiness.
Substance abuse, consider N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) to alleviate the addiction.
Amino acids play a vital role in balancing neurotransmitters and improving mood.
There is no one solution for all your mood changes, you can measure your neurotransmitters, amino acids and adrenal hormone and work with a qualified integrative health expert to tailor the right management solution for your type of addiction.
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This is Q&A with Vanita. If you have a health question that needs an answer, get in touch.
