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The alarm jolts Kevin out of deep sleep. He scrambles to shut it off, heart racing, switches on the bedside light and dimly realises that he has to get up. Neither brain nor body respond. On remote control he heads for the kitchen, makes a strong cup of coffee and smokes a cigarette. He then quickly downs two pieces of toast with marmalade and a glass of orange juice. For Kevin, the day has begun. Sound familiar? Within the first hour of most people’s day the natural design of the human body is thrown right off track. For some it never recovers. The result is poor concentration, insomnia, fluctuating ‘highs’ and ‘lows’, energy drops, food cravings, stimulant cravings, uneven weight, stress and inevitably, life-threatening illness. Instead of allowing the body to respond naturally, drowsy from our low blood sugar of the night, we load in a stimulant like caffeine, from tea or coffee, or nicotine from a cigarette. The effect on the body is adrenalin overload. Sure, you wake up but the body’s chemistry scrambles to restore balance. This pattern of ups and downs may go on all day as you try to meet the many demands thrust upon you.
Too often today we rely on chemical ‘helpers’ to keep us going: the frequent coffee breaks or sugary snacks to satisfy our hunger when we have no time to eat, the cigarette to calm our nerves. Stimulants are substances that make us more alert, energized, cheerful, or even, high. They include sugar, coffee, tea and cigarettes, and the more extreme amphetamines and cocaine. Alcohol falls in here too as both a stimulant and a relaxant. They all affect the limbic system, which is the emotional centre of the brain, and, more specifically, the receptors for the stimulating neurotransmitter, dopamine. All stimulants we use cause the release of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. Under conditions of stress, it is released to a level that can be one hundred times the normal! This is because dopamine is a motivator, as well as a precursor to adrenalin and noradrenalin – both of which are crucial to survival. If you are injured, dopamine also helps produce endorphins to handle the pain. These hormones, in the short-term, raise blood sugar levels, increasing our available energy.
The brain not only seeks pleasure and stimulation, it craves balance. When feel-good neurotransmitters, noradrenalin and dopamine, are released in the synapses, they produce a feeling of well being. However, in response to this short-term increase of feel-good neurotransmitters in the synapses, the neuron receptors adjust in such a way as to neutralise the effects. This process, called "down regulation" makes the receptor sites less responsive, requiring more of the stimulant substance (e.g. caffeine, nicotine, cocaine) to release more neurotransmitters into the synapses, but this results in even more downregulation. Thus, the initial short-lived euphoria of a powerful reinforcer such as cocaine is followed by a ‘crash’, producing anxiety, depression, irritability, and extreme fatigue. Your natural response to this? - an intense craving for more of the stimulant.
There are many reasons for craving stimulants- lack of sleep, a deficient diet, chronic viral infection, chronic fatigue syndrome, or an imbalance in your hormones, such as an underactive thyroid gland. You then turn to stimulants to get your engine going, further depleting an already bankrupt system. Addiction can also have genetic and social roots. We can inherit a predisposition, learn habits in childhood from our family’s behaviour, or can just be giving in to social pressure. Research shows that people with a defect in the so-called the "DRD2 gene" have a condition called the "Reward Deficiency Syndrome" (RDS), with a strong tendency to alcohol and stimulant addiction. It affects about 20% of the population. RDS is due to impairment of the dopamine receptors, stimulation of which is both pleasurable, energising and motivating. Such a deficit leads to depression, low self-esteem, low energy, a lack of motivation and irritability. Addiction to stimulants in the form of cocaine, alcohol, or extreme behaviour appears to be an attempt to self-medicate, thereby raising dopamine levels. All this said, RDS is a predisposition only: you are not a slave to your genes. There are ways to deal with the problem.
There are safe and natural supplements you can take instead of stimulants. Rather than draining your reserves, these ones help to sustain energy. They can rebuild and maintain your adrenal function, boost your mood and optimize your performance. They are not only non-addictive, but also help to overcome cravings to stimulants that are. Nor do they encourage tolerance: the same dose will consistently give you the same response. There are two broad categories that restore and enhance energy. First there are the adaptogenic herbs:
Then there are the amino acids and vitamins:
Adaptogens help the body adapt to stresses of various kinds, such as heat, cold, exertion, trauma, sleep deprivation, toxic exposure, radiation, infection, and psychological stress. They cause no side effects, are effective in treating a wide variety of illnesses, and help return the body to homeostasis (balance). For example, if your blood pressure is too high, an adaptogen will lower it, and if your blood pressure is too low, it should raise it, thus moving it toward a normal, balanced state. While these are not actually stimulants, by supporting and rebuilding your adrenals, they promote a feeling of increased energy and well being, with no tolerance build-up, down regulation or addiction. There are actually three different herbs commonly called ginseng: Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus). The latter herb is actually not ginseng at all, but Russian scientists who researched it found that it functions nearly identically. Asian ginseng is a perennial that grows in northern China, Korea, and Russia. More yang or stimulating, it also raises body temperature, strengthens digestion and the lungs, and calms the spirit. Its close relative, American ginseng, is cultivated in the United States, though largely exported to Asia. It is prized there as a yin herb-- less heating, less stimulating, and more balanced than Asian ginseng. The active ingredients are called ginsenosides. There are many different ones, each having their specific effects. For example, some may enhance stimulant neurotransmitters, others will dampen them-all in the same plant! Thousands of years of traditional usage is still the main guide to which ones to take and how to take them. Ginseng appears to enhance ACTH, the messenger hormone that tells the adrenals to produce cortisol, thereby helping the body deal with stress. In 1968, and then in 1990, two different surveys from German universities were published on Asian ginseng. They looked at 37 studies done between 1968 and 1985, with a total of 2562 cases, and treatment over a 2-3 month period. In 13 studies, subjects showed an improvement in mood, and in 11, improvement in intellectual performance. All showed a near absence of side effects. Eleutherococcus senticosus or "eleuthero" - grows mostly in China and Siberia. In the 1940s, the Russian scientist who began researching this much less expensive herb concluded that it was as good as the other ginsengs. It can be taken for a longer time than Asian ginseng, since it is less stimulating. Besides protecting us from stress, it also increases oxygenation of the cells, thereby increasing endurance, alertness, and visual-motor coordination. This also makes it an excellent supplement for athletes, Its effects on brain function make it useful in the elderly, particularly when combined with the cognitive enhancing herb, ginkgo. Besides being characterized as a tonic herb, Siberian ginseng is also regarded as a mild but significant stimulant, referring its ability to increase your work capacity after a single dose. This is in contrast to its tonic action, increasing your work capacity not just during the time period you're using it, but for some time afterward as well. Siberian ginseng, a stimulating tonic, has the rare ability to increase both immediate and long-term energy. Ginseng is available as powdered root in capsules or made into tablets, or as alcohol- based tincture. The recommended dose of Asian ginseng is 100 to 200 mg daily of a standardized extract containing 4 to 7 % ginsenosides. Siberian ginseng is taken at a dose of 200-400 mg daily of standardized extract, containing greater than 1% eleutherosides. The dose of tincture is 5ml twice daily of a 1:5 concentration (i.e. 5 parts alcohol to 1 part ginseng). According to Chinese tradition, the best way to use ginseng is as part of a 2 or 3 month restoration program, followed by a short break.
An Ayurvedic herb form India, ashwaganda (Withania somnifera), also known as Indian ginseng, is increasingly being integrated into Western herbal practice. It is an excellent immune enhancer and adaptogen; it improves energy and calms the response to stress. Similar to St. John’s Wort, it reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It is also used to enhance memory and cognition in the elderly in India. This is likely to be due in part to its actions as an antioxidant, and partly to its ability to increase acetylcholine receptor activity. Ashwaganda also enhances libido, and can be used as an aphrodisiac. Research has shown that it can increase thyroid hormone levels and basal body temperature in some patients. In a study on animals with arthritis ashwaganda proved better at reducing symptoms than hydrocortisone, suggesting that it has potent effects on adrenal hormone balance. The recommended dose is 300 mg of a standardized extract, providing 1.5 per cent of withanolides, two to three times daily.
Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) provides support for the adrenal glands, helping with mild adrenal insufficiency and hypoglycemia. It is also used in women for its estrogen-balancing properties. It stimulates the adrenal cortex to elevate cortisol by preventing its breakdown. The way this works is by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called HSD which breaks down cortisol. So, if you take licorice the cortisol you make lasts longer. The effect of licorice lasts for about two hours. Since it can extend the life of cortisol, licorice is more appropriate if you are either mildly stressed or exhausted. Also don’t take it at night since, in the evening you want your cortisol level to be falling before sleep. Licorice helps to raise low blood pressure, which often accompanies chronic fatigue, but this can also lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) in susceptible individuals. Dose is 500 mg twice a day, morning and midday.
The glossy red or black cap of this Chinese mushroom looks unusual, especially to western eyes. Inside are phytochemicals that make it one of the most respected tonics in herbal medicine. In Asia, especially China and Japan, it has been revered for as long as 5,000 years. Chinese reishi mushroom (Ganodermum lucidum) is often used to modify or enhance the effects of other stress-fighting herbs. It has multiple benefits and no significant side effects. It is used to calm the mind, sharpen thinking, energize you when you are fatigued, and even lower high blood pressure.
The stimulating amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, affect mood, energy, sexual interest, mental performance and memory. Since amino acids are found in such high-protein foods as meat, fish, and eggs, you might think that the way to increase your amino-acid levels would simply be to eat more of these foods. However, each protein supplies different combinations of amino acids. An individual may have specific amino acid deficiencies, or increased needs, due to reasons such as prolonged stress, that can’t be supplied adequately in the diet, so need to be taken as supplements. To achieve best results, very specific instructions are necessary to follow in taking specific amino acids. The stimulant amino acids are best taken separately from other proteins and amino acids to enhance their absorption, since they compete with the others for transport into the brain. Found in meats, wheat germ, dairy products, granola, chocolate, and oat flakes, phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that is converted by the body into tyrosine. This is then turned into the neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenalin, and adrenalin. It acts like natural caffeine, but without the downside. Phenylalanine becomes depleted in cases of chronic stress and burn-out, as well as by overuse of stimulant drugs, including cocaine, speed, and nicotine. Phenylalanine helps alleviate symptoms of withdrawal, since it restores normal brain chemistry. While supplementing DL-phenylalanine (DLPA) is an effective natural stimulant it tends to be less effective than tyrosine, which is one step closer to dopamine, noradrenalin and adrenalin.
Tyrosine is found in protein foods, and made in the body from phenylalanine. It readily crosses the blood brain barrier to produce the neurotransmitters, dopamine, noradrenalin, and adrenalin. It is also used to make thyroid hormone, your body’s energy controller, which manages both your metabolic rate and energy production. Tyrosine has the same effects in the brain as phenylalanine, usually acting more rapidly, as it is one step further down the line. Neither amino acid should be taken with MAO inhibitors (certain antidepressants that have food restrictions), or by phenylketonurics, those with malignant melanomas, or during pregnancy and nursing. As with DLPA take 500 to1000 mg of tyrosine on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, to prevent competition from other amino acids. It works best if taken with its co-workers – B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, managanese, iron and copper, such as Tyroplex. If you are feeling like you need a caffeine boost, take a 500 mg tyrosine supplement instead.
Action Steps for Natural Stimulation The first steps to maximising your natural energy and motivation are to reduce your stress level, balance your blood sugar and avoid or reduce your intake of stimulants to an absolute minimum. The key to naturally stimulating supplements are the adaptogens. Licorice can also be over stimulating so don’t supplement it if you are very stressed or exhausted. The following nutrients are worthy additions to a supplement programme designed to enhance your energy and motivation. Nutrient Daily Amount The AWAKE product from Naturally High contains all the above nutrients and is available for worldwide delivery. RELAX | ENERGISED | MOOD | MIND & MEMORY | CONNECTED
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