Virtually all common brain and psychiatric disorders are defined by a set of characteristic symptoms. There is no biological test for conditions like depression, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder and similar conditions. Where do these symptoms come from? Although we don’t yet fully understand the generation of these brain symptoms, they likely come from disruption of monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Although the reasons for these disruptions can vary from disease to disease, the symptoms tend to be the same when a given neurotransmitter is involved. If you have low serotonin, you will have anxiety, mood swings, poor sleep and carbohydrate cravings regardless of why the levels are low
Talk to Your Neighbor
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate with each other. A neuron that has been stimulated generates an electrical action potential that passes through a long arm called an axon. When the nerve impulse reaches the end of the axon it is greeted by a space between itself and the next cell called a synapse. Chemicals called neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles at the end of each axon. When stimulated by an electrical impulse, these vesicles secrete neurotransmitters into the synaptic space. Some of these neurotransmitters hook up with receptors on the dendrite of the adjoining cell creating an electrical impulse in that cell. The original cell uses a reuptake system to reabsorb some of the neurotransmitters. This is a greatly simplified version of a very complex system.
I’m Running on Fumes
Many brain disorders are characterized by symptoms that suggest low levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Even if we don’t fully understand why these levels are low, various strategies to boost these levels seem to help alleviate symptoms. Many psychotropic medications work by blocking the reuptake system, leaving the neurotransmitters in the synaptic space for a longer period of time. This allows someone with low levels of neurotransmitters to feel like someone with normal levels. There are several problems inherent in this approach to treatment. Over time medications often seem to lose their punch, suggesting that neurotransmitter levels have dropped too low for the drug to be effective or perhaps that receptors have been down regulated so there are fewer left to stimulate.
Feed My Brain
Prior to the Prozac era, there was a great deal of interest in using neurotransmitter precursors to relieve the symptoms of various brain disorders. L-tryptophan, 5-htp, L-tryosine and DL-phenylalanine have all been used in this manner. These are the amino acids that the brain needs to produce monoamine neurotransmitters. They are found in the food you eat (except for 5-htp which is produced in the body from tryptophan). Some studies have shown that they are in fact effective at relieving various brain dysfunction symptoms but they work more slowly than medications, so interest in precursors waned when more drugs became available. Unlike drugs, pharmaceutical companies cannot patent precursors, so there has been little financial motive for promoting their use.
Decades ago I started to develop a new disease model to reflect the changes I was seeing in many of my patients. I call this disease Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome to reflect the primary triggers of the condition: excessive fructose mainly from sugar and HFCS, high glycemic carbohydrates mainly from grains and excessive omega 6 fatty acids from vegetable oils. Long term exposure to these dietary elements seems to affect the brain in a very predictable way, leading to up to 22 brain dysfunction symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to function. Because these symptoms overlap with many traditional disorders, people are often misdiagnosed with one or more of these conditions when in fact they have only one disorder—CARB syndrome.
I’m Flying High on Donuts
Over the years some researchers have ended up going down dead end streets when studying the relationship between precursors and neurotransmitters. Richard and Judith Wurtman did much of the early work on precursors at MIT. I learned a great deal from their work—they were true pioneers. At one point they documented that consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates allows more tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier, creating an extra boost of serotonin. You might recognize this post-donut high yourself. They assumed this was a good thing and developed a “weight loss” diet where people consume a high glycemic carbohydrate before each meal. They assumed that the extra serotonin generated would suppress the appetite so the person would eat less of the meal.
We now understand the flaws in this model. While it is true that consuming high glycemic carbohydrates results in neurons pouring out more serotonin and other neurotransmitters, this is a pathological rather than a physiological response. When a person already has insulin resistance from consuming too much fructose from sugar and HFCS and they consume a high glycemic carbohydrate, their brain is subjected to magnified glucose spikes. Because neurons don’t need insulin for glucose to enter into the cell, this blast of glucose causes the neurons to dump out too many neurotransmitters. Over time these neurons become depleted of neurotransmitters so they don’t release enough of them when they are stimulated. This leads to the typical brain dysfunction symptoms of CARB syndrome.
The primary strategy for managing CARB syndrome is removing these elements from the diet. Because the cardinal symptom of CARB syndrome is craving sweet and starchy foods, getting patients to change their diet in the face of such cravings is challenging. The other brain dysfunction symptoms also make it difficult for patients to comply with lifestyle changes that require good brain function in order to follow and implement these recommendations. Years ago I started using combinations of low dose medications targeted to the neurotransmitters responsible for these symptoms. When the drugs hit their mark, patient’s brain dysfunction symptoms seemed to improve enough for them to comply with the needed lifestyle changes. Because I was reluctant to use medications for long periods of time, I also started to use combinations of precursors and over time I found that precursors are a critical part of the management of all patients with CARB syndrome. Many patients with milder forms of CARB syndrome do very well with precursors and dietary changes without needing to resort to medications. This is preferable because all medications can be associated with side effects.
CARB-22: A New Approach to Brain Dysfunction
Through trial and error I learned that a combined precursor supplement with L-tyrosine and 5-htp in a ratio of 10 to 1 works best for most patients with CARB syndrome. Because precursors are extremely safe, those who want to prevent the disease or simply “top off” their neurotransmitters for optimal brain function can also take them. Because this type of combination supplement is not readily available to the general public, I recently started selling a product called CARB-22 on my web site at:
This is the same product that I have recommended for my patients over the past few decades and patients who take it on a regular basis seem to do much better than those who don’t. Of course CARB-22 is most effective if a person is committed to changing their diet and exercising on a regular basis—the two key components of CARB syndrome treatment.
The standard dose is four capsules twice daily on an empty stomach. The only side effect is occasional nausea, but this usually disappears with time. If the nausea doesn’t subside, try starting with a lower dose or taking it with a little food. Although precursors can be taken safely with low dose psychotropic medications, those taking high dose SSRI type anti-depressants should consult with their physician before taking products like CARB-22.
How do you decide if you might benefit from taking a supplement like CARB-22? The easiest way is to answer one simple question: Do you crave sweet and starchy foods? I wouldn’t rely on your own perspective in this matter because in my experience, many people who have such cravings aren’t consciously aware of them. They assume that they eat food loaded with these dietary elements simply because they like them. Ask your spouse, friend, family member or co-worker if you seem to have such cravings and respect their answer. If you have these cravings, then it is very likely you are in at least the early stages of CARB syndrome.
PMS—Take a Hike
Because women are at greater risk of developing CARB syndrome, they are much more likely to experience these cravings. This is especially true just prior to their menstrual period. We now believe that PMS is actually an early form of CARB syndrome. If you follow a Paleo style diet these symptoms almost always disappear or are greatly diminished.
When it comes to preventing or managing a disease like CARB syndrome, I prefer the strategies that are the most effective with the least amount of risk. That’s why dietary changes and exercise should form the core of any CARB syndrome management plan. Because we live in an imperfect world and we are imperfect human beings, following an ideal lifestyle isn’t always possible. That’s where supplements like CARB-22 come in. They provide a safe therapeutic boost for people who are struggling because their CARB syndrome has progressed beyond the point where it is easy to control with simple lifestyle changes. Medications are a last resort for patients whose disease has progressed to later stages. Medications are a true treatment for CARB syndrome in the traditional medical model. Dietary changes and precursor supplements aren’t really treatments, but rather natural ways to restore normal physiology.
Knowledge is King
The key to staying healthy when you have CARB syndrome is to understand the pathological process and the steps you will need to take to reverse the illness. Because this is a relatively new disease concept, at the present time this web site is one of the only places to find information about it. Hopefully that will change in the future, but for now you will need to rely on your own instincts to decide if the CARB syndrome model makes sense to you and describes your own personal situation. You then need to decide what to do about it. Fortunately we now have effective strategies for this common disease, so your only decision is whether or not to take advantage of them. After working with thousands of patients with CARB syndrome, I have seen very few who have regretted their decision to aggressively improve their health by following my suggestions. Take care and be healthy!