Detailed Description
There are times when we all need a little help getting back into balance. The psychological toll of the Covid-19 pandemic has been immense. See our article on this here.
For those of us that live in Christchurch, this has come on top of the major earthquakes and aftershocks, and the Mosque shootings. The ‘All right’ campaign in the city recognises this. For example, Canterbury has reaffirmed its position as one of the largest consumers of antidepressants, as repercussions from the swarm of 2011 earthquakes reverberate throughout the southern region.
The number of Cantabrians requiring antidepressants has ballooned by more than 6000 in just three years, with 13.6 per cent of the district health board’s (DHB) registered patients being treated with such medications in the year to June 30, 2018.
New Pharmac data released under the Official Information Act shows the Canterbury DHB (CDHB) area – the country’s second-largest DHB after Waitemata – outpaced all regions in both antidepressant prescriptions and mental health patient numbers.
Neurobalance – a superior way to balance mood
Antidepressants come with a long list of both serious and less serious side effects. For those wishing to get their mental and emotional wellbeing back on track without dependency issues or side effects, there is a natural answer. Rebalancing your brain’s neurotransmitters is one of the key things to do.
Most antidepressants are SSRI’s – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. In effect they increase serotonin. Serotonin, however does not work in isolation. There are four other major neurotransmitters, and to achieve optimal brain function, it is necessary to have a balance between them. The issues with using SSRI’s can be seen by the multitude of their common side effects.
Taking a supplement that balances the neurotransmitters optimally, rather than just boosting one, is much more effective and less harmful.
Neurobalance engenders a gentle feeling of wellbeing with no side effects.
What is a neurotransmitter and why do they matter?
The brain is the command and control centre and information processor for the whole body. It works by secreting chemicals that affect different receptors, which in turn change the biochemical processes within the receptive areas. These biochemical changes are followed by alterations in the brain’s activity.
Chemicals, called Neurotransmitters, create an inseparable bond between the brain structure and its activity. They form a number of very specific circuits that connect the various areas of the brain. These neurotransmitters are the leading factors that affect brain input and output during any contact with the environment and the body, working through special channels called ‘channels of communication’. The main neurotransmitters are:
Noradrenaline
Dopamine
Serotonin
GABA
Acetylcholine
Neurotransmitters are produced in the brain from other chemicals called precursors, which themselves are produced in the brain or in the liver.
The precursors for Dopamine and Noradrenaline are
Phenylalinine
Tyrosine
DOPA
For Serotonin they are
Tryptophan
5-HTP
Our daily dietary intake is the sole source of the building blocks for these precursors. For the brain to function correctly, there must be a store of each neurotransmitter.
If the brain uses a neurotransmitter intensively without replenishment of its store, then simply put the brain will start to malfunction. The destruction of neurotransmitter stores by harmful agents, neurotoxins, will also lead to a malfunctioning. Examples of neurotoxins are
N-Methyl-R-Salsolinol
Tyramine
Phthalates
What happens if my Neurotransmitters are out of balance?
Any mental, emotional or physical decline as well as the development of a pathological condition is rooted in the malfunctioning of the brain. Traces of neurotoxins have been found in patients suffering from Leukemia, CFS, MS, Candida, Alcoholism, Anxiety, Depression and Stress.
There is also a cascade effect, as the neurotransmitters produce metabolites. These influence the levels and activity of the neurotransmitters in a feedback loop.
Typically, if your neurtransmitters are out of balance, you feel negatively affected by stress, anxiety, depression, low mood, loss of libido and so on.
Why don’t I just take an antidepressant?
The most popular anti depressants are SSRI’s – Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors. This class of drugs works by increasing the extracellular (outside the cell) levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
They do this by inhibiting the reabsorption of serotonin into presynaptic cells. This, in turn, means there is more of it in the synaptic cleft (bridges between synaptic cells) to bind to the postsynaptic receptors on their cell membranes.
Serotonin itself is a special chemical in the human body that regulates mood, social behavior, appetite, digestion, sleep, memory, sexual desire, and function.
Serotonin, however does not work in isolation. There are four other neurotransmitters, and to achieve optimum brain function, it is necessary to have a balance between them. The issues with using SSRI’s can be seen by the multitude of their common side effects.
Taking a supplement that balances the neurotransmitters optimally, rather than just boosting one, is much more effective, and produces no side effects and no dependency.
The Science of Neurobalance
Clinical studies have revealed that one of the main reasons for low mood, anxiety and depression is rooted in a profound imbalanced functioning of their cerebral cortex. In particular, the frontal cortex is directly associated with our ability to control behaviour and actions.
Neurobalance has been developed to normalise the activity of the cerebral cortex of the brain.
Neurobalance is highly bio-available to ensure it is quickly taken up by the brain where all components synergistically exert their pharmacological effects restoring balance and normal function to the cerebral cortex.
Neurobalance contains: Pyruvate, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Oxide, Lactic Acid and Chromium Gluconate in a very specific ratio.
Sodium Pyruvate is derived from glucose. It is metabolised in the liver and modulates the signals the liver sends to the brain relating to the metabolic status of the body. From clinical studies pyruvate, in specific concentrations, is thought to act on the hypothalamus to increase serotonin levels, increasing feelings of wellbeing as well as inhibiting the intake of carbohydrate-based food / drink, whilst decreasing noradrenaline which stimulates their intake. This results in a reduced craving for carbohydrate based food and drink.
Because Pyruvate also has an anti-stress effect this may also help relieve cravings for food and substances when connected to stressful situations.
Ascorbic acid helps protect the brain from oxidative stress (excessive formation of damaging free radicals). Higher levels of Ascorbic acid in the brain than are generally found in the body are required to achieve this protection. In addition it modulates the neurotransmitters in the brain.
Magnesium Oxide: In the brain, too much Ascorbic acid inhibits the ability of magnesium to create the right environment both in the brain fluid and in brain cells for neurons to thrive and communicate. Too much magnesium will reduce neuron activity acting much like a natural tranquiliser. For healthy neuron activity to take place, magnesium must be allowed to do its job. However if there is too much Ascorbic acid, this also affects the ability of Magnesium to work efficiently and creates an imbalance. Magnesium Oxide has been added to Neurobalance to balance the extra/intracellular ion levels.
Lactic Acid: Pyruvate can be converted into Lactic Acid by the enzyme lactic acid dehydrogenase. Therefore to ensure that the pyruvate remains stable, Lactic acid is added in very specific quantities to help prevent the pyruvate from transforming back into lactic acid. As a secondary effect lactic acid will also help eliminate toxic acid substances from both the brain and the liver tissue.
Chromium Gluconate is essential for maintaining normal glucose metabolism and utilisation. Chromium assists insulin to transport glucose into a cell and also it is involved in the utilisation of sugar for conversion into energy in a cell. The importance of chromium is based on its vital role in the activities of several enzymes.
Chromium levels in the body tissues deplete as we age, particularly in the brain and liver. The consequences of a decreased level of chromium are associated not only with impaired glucose utilisation but also with the decreased production of some lipids (fatty substances such as cholesterol, cerebrosides etc.) essential for the normal functioning of the cerebral cortex and the brain in general.
Chromium gluconate has been added to Neurobalance to increase the production of myelin and components of the nervous cell membranes essential for brain health. In addition it will improve the utilisation of glucose by the brain, vital for the production and the activity of some neurotransmitters, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid. This is one of the key neurotransmitters and it is depleted in people in people suffering with anxiety or depression, and involved in food or substance addiction.
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