In addition to a good multivitamin and B complex I also take:

-BCAA's
-CDP Choline
-Phosphatidylserine
-D Ribose
-Omega Oil (Omega 3-6-9 in the form of fresh Organic Flax oil)
-B12 sublingual (My neuro wants me to get a shot of this every day, but no one can administer it, so she said taking it sublingual is the second best way to take it and that it *really* helps the brain a lot!)

It's Be-Whole also a GNC product. http://www.drugstore.com/gnc-wellbei...lets/qxp316233
It says 'for women' but I don't see that that matters, as long as it's got loads of the B vits.

Especially emphasized in Dr. Nedley's program for frontal lobe brain health:

DO: Omega-3's, tryptophan, folate, vitamin D, calcium, iron, B12 sublingual, (HYDROXYcobalamin will also help remove toxins that may be floating around), vitamin C

A good source of omega-3s AND tryptophan is ground flaxseed. You can mix 3 Tbsp in juice and drink it first thing in the morning to get your full daily dose.

Dr. Nedley DOES recommend a plant-based (vegan) diet as cholesterol and saturated fats can prevent some of these nutrients from crossing the blood-brain barrier and actually reaching the brain.

Also, drink plenty of WATER. Even mild dehydration can cause fatigue, cognitive slowing and other symptoms that mimic depression and PCS. Rule of thumb: Divide your body weight (in pounds) in half -- that's how many ounces you need to drink. Add 8 ounces for every hour of vigorous exercise. (For example, someone who weighs 100 lbs. needs to drink 50 oz. if they don't exercise and 58 oz. if they exercise for 1 hour).

DON'T: Avoid alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and other addictive substances. As stated above, he also recommends avoiding animal-based proteins as cholesterol and saturated fats can impede the body from transporting nutrients across the blood-brain barrier.

I specifically asked him about the tofu/glutamate/excitotoxin research due to the discussions on this board. He was familiar with it and stated that although he agreed with SOME of the conclusions (i.e. caffeine is harmful to the brain), the research methodology was flawed. The research was conducted by injecting substances into rats' brains and then declaring these substances lethal. The truth is, even if you inject sterile water into rats' brains, it will be lethal simply because you shouldn't inject things into rats' brains. He also stated that this was acknowledged briefly in the excitotoxin book somewhere but of course is generally glossed over.

Further, he said that glutamine is a substance that occurs naturally in many things, including wheat, and is converted to glutamate in the body. It would be practically impossible to avoid eating it and so eating it in tofu should not be a concern.

Having not read the research myself, this is the best info I was able to glean from two second-hand sources.

Did he have any research to show that explains the animal fats and blood brain barrier issues?

Did he have any recommendations for additional tryptophan other than that in flax seed oil?

The tofu/glutamate issue is due to the high concentrations of glutamate. Glutamate also is a product of the break down of many food substances but this glutamate is a result of bodily processes, not like the glutamate that is free and available in the processed soy and other substances like MSG.

The sublingual B-12 makes sense if the body is not absorbing it by other methods. Does he have a recommended blood level of B-12 or folate/ Or does he even do blood work for B-12, folate, D3, etc?.

I have read his web site and he does not explain much. I guess I will have to order his books.

Glad to hear your are doing so much better. Your improvement sounds a lot like my improvement from severe depression in 1984 when my doctor got me started on a brain health nutrition regimen.

btw, I have email his office. I have been looking for some guidance about possibly using Tryptophan or L-Tryptophan instead of paroxetine.

Did you spend time at his facility in Weimar?

My best to you.

There is a widely held belief that the body is better at handling the toxins that are the result of the body's processes. Those introduced outside of those bodily processes are considered to be likely to overwhelm the body's processes.

In general, he had extensive research to back up everything he was talking about. Depression: The Way Out has more details on the research and I think Proof Positive may as well.

Top sources of tryptophan: Tofu, flax seeds (ground), roasted pumpkin seeds, gluten flour, sesame seeds, almonds, black walnuts, and blackeyed cowpeas.

Yes, we had extensive blood work done and got personalized nutrition counseling (and of course prescriptions as needed) based on it. He has recommended levels, but they are not gathered in one place for easy access. You have to kind of hunt and gather through Depression: The Way Out to find the info.

I suggested that they publish a one-page reference sheet that I could give to my doctor for follow-up testing, so hopefully they will come out with something like that in the future.

Yes, we were at Weimar. It was a beautiful facility and a really wonderful experience.

Glutamate?
 

Glutamate, if I take glutamine, my body trembles. LE

Eowyn, did Dr. Nedley have any other comments regarding Omega-3 sources? I am currently taking a double dose (about 9 g / day) of purified fish oil, which I think has helped with my recovery, but I would like to reduce this gradually and rely on other sources (I've recently started adding ground flaxseed to my diet). Did you ask him about the algal oil as a possible substitute?

Other good sources of omega-3s: walnuts, green soybeans (edamames), hemp seeds, spinach, sesame seeds, avocados, and almonds. I think he may have also mentioned chia seeds verbally, but I don't have it written down.

And yes, algal DHA/EPA is a good supplement. He has me taking it to help reduce inflammation.

No wonder I keep seeing Chia Seeds for sale at Whole Foods! Whenever I walk by them, I chuckle a little because it reminds me of those ridiculous ads, "chichichichia!" lol

The link didn't work for me for the "Brain Vitale." I searched it and found this it through rockwellnutrition (dot) com. (I can't post links here yet because I haven't done enough posts.)



Is that the same? I'm hoping so. BUT it says they don't ship to Canada. (sighing). I've found the B-12 sublingual SO helpful (I'm taking more than recommended here, but i'm also vegetarian and don't get it much from other sources)--I have more energy, longer, and I also feel less depressed. I want to keep adding on things that really help. (B complex supplement next.) But this Brain Vitale really interested me because it sounded like it made a huge difference...

[QUOTE=wendroo;869713]This sounds like a very helpful topic for a sticky!

I've been adding "Brain Vitale"
to our protein / amino drink , 1 scoop not 4 ) for a few days now, and my son seems to be notably less zombie like.