Neurotransmitters, the brain communicates to the rest of the body using chemical electrical signals. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters.

Dr. David Perlmutter is a lecturer for those taking their fellowship at the American Academy of Anti-Aging. He wrote a book called The Better Brain Book, which focuses on getting toxins out of the body that compromises cognitive brain function and he can improve disease parameters in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients.

Another lecturer who is on faculty is Dr. Eric Braverman. His book is called The Edge Effect. The book is about the four main transmitters of the brain and if you want to improve your body cognitively or physically, you should really begin with the brain and focus on the neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are manufactured with amino acids and with other micronutrients and they change from one form to another. Many micronutrient cofactors are necessary for these processes to happen. The four transmitters are Dopamine, GABA, Acetylcholine, and Serotonin.

Dopamine is responsible for many functions in the body from elevating your mood to increasing fast twitch muscle fibers in athletes and increasing reaction times. Dopamine also gives us good sex drive and libido.

GABA is another neurotransmitter and this one allows us to stay calm and have a feeling of well-being. It helps balance the excitatory neurotransmitter Dopamine so that we can relax.

Acetylcholine is very important for memory and cognitive speed. Lastly, there is Serotonin, which has a very vast functionality. It regulates mood, appetite and sleep as well as some memory and learning functions. This is what SSRIs, like Prozac focus on for the treatment of depression and generalized anxiety. Instead of taking these pharmaceutical drugs you can make sure you are providing your body with the essential nutrients to make these neurotransmitters. Because remember, when you take these drugs you get side effects and create other nutrient depletions and the cascade begins.

The amino acids necessary to create these neurotransmitters are derived from eating a well-balanced healthful diet. It is important to have a healthy gut in order to absorb these nutrients, so look at the gut health video to understand this more. Your diet must have good quality sources of protein so you can get the amino acids to make these neurotransmitters. If you do not have enough in your diet then you will have to supplement.

A company called NuMedica, which makes high quality products, offers supplements to improve brain and cognitive health. Appe-Curb is one of these products. It was made to reduce cravings for sugar and other carbohydrates. It has also been shown to reduce the cravings for nicotine, cocaine and alcohol. This product contains many amino acids that are necessary to make neurotransmitters like dopamine. So, if the brain needs dopamine and it sends out signals that cause these cravings, you can provide this supplement so it can then make the dopamine it needs and the cravings go away.

There is also Neuro Methylation Cream and Cognitive Balance, which is part of NuMedica's cognitive support line. The video will give you specific details on these two products.

Dr. Kendal Stewart, a Neurologist and Neuroimmune Specialist runs the Neurosensory Centers of America out of Austin, Texas. He has much success helping ADD and Autism and other patients with severe neurological disorders by providing high quality supplements to merely balance the brain.

By taking these NuMedica products and providing your body with the necessary amino acids, nutrients and cofactors is just one step. You must also improve your immune system and reduce your toxic load.

Dr. Eric Braverman has a test in his book The Edge Effect to help you evaluate what neurotransmitter deficiencies you may have. The book is excellent-we also found the questionnaire on another site as well, click here. We do not have the test on our blog as mentioned in the video.

by Robert Seik, PharmD