These days it’s all too common to hear someone say that they are feeling ‘stressed out’. It’s hardly surprising given the frenetic pace of modern living and the pressures of daily life, particularly in these uncertain times. And being stressed is not something that we should dismiss lightly. Stress can affect us both physically and mentally. For example, it can make us feel irritable, impatient, anxious, even aggressive. We may experience difficulties in sleeping or become prone to headaches etc. Our diets may be affected – it’s not uncommon to crave sweet and starchy foods (carbohydrates) when we feel stressed. If we do this then we risk gaining weight which could result in obesity and, as we all too well aware, obesity can have major medical ramifications. And stress can have a very significant detrimental impact on all sorts of medical conditions.

For some, stress just becomes too much and they can develop full blown depression. While the causes of depression are many and varied, one thing is for certain - it is an incredibly debilitating medical condition that needs proper care and attention if the sufferer is to recover.

One of the common links between both stress and depression is a chemical called serotonin. Serotonin is one of a group of chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are vital – they act like a messenger service in the brain allowing the cells of the nervous system (neurons) to communicate with one another. Messages travel along the neurons by way of electrical impulses. When a message reaches the end of a neuron, it has to jump a gap (called a synapse) to reach the next neuron. To do this, the neuron releases tiny amounts of neurotransmitter chemicals into the synaptic gap. The neurotransmitters then attach themselves to special receptor sites on the next neuron which either starts a nerve impulse in the receiving neuron or the impulse is stopped form going any further.

Different neurons have different roles to play. Serotonin is closely linked to the regulation of body temperature, our sleep/wake cycles, appetite and mood. Exactly how serotonin affects our moods remains an open question. However, what is known is that changes in serotonin levels can quickly alter mood and that if serotonin levels drop too low, depression is almost sure to follow. Whether depression causes serotonin levels to be low or whether low levels of serotonin cause depression is still not clear but what is certain is that by raising serotonin levels depression can often be lifted.

Stress can also easily affect serotonin levels. This is because stress causes serotonin to be released into the body and the longer the period of stress the greater the risk you’re at of suffering from serotonin depletion.

It’s easy to see serotonin at work. Ever wondered why you just feel so much better about everything on a sunny day? Well, that’s serotonin at work - even something as simple as sunny weather can cause an increase in its levels. Little wonder then that some people call serotonin the brain’s happy chemical!

Raising serotonin levels is the aim of many of today’s antidepressant medications – the most well known of which is Prozac. Prozac and its other compatriots fall into a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs work by allowing the body to make the best use of reduced amounts of serotonin. For some people, however, their depression may be resistant to such medications. If this is you or you’re suffering from stress or depression, and you want a natural alternative to the usual medications that you’ll be offered, 5HTP might be just what you need.

5HTP, or to give it its full name 5-Hydroxytryptophan, is an amino acid that’s a crucial building block in the formation of the neurotransmitter serotonin. It’s this fact that makes 5HTP so important in terms of the treatment of depression and alleviating the harmful side effects of worry and stress. It works like this - the body metabolizes tryptophane, an essential amino acid, into 5HTP. 5HTP is then in turn, converted into serotonin. By supplying the body with extra 5HTP, you can increase serotonin levels because you are providing more of the natural building material that the body needs to make serotonin.

5HTP is completely natural. Minute amounts of 5HTP can be found in foods like cheese and poultry but the 5HTP that is used as a supplement comes from the seed of a plant called griffonia simplicifolia – a woody, climbing plant that’s a native of west and central Africa.

5HTP might be a relative newcomer to the US health food industry, but it’s been in use as a medicine in Europe since the 1970s and has been extensively researched. And the results of the research prove just how effective 5HTP can be. For example in one study 99 patients who had failed to respond to any previously administered drug therapies, received an average of 200mg 5HTP daily. The upshot of this 5HTP therapy was that 43 of the patients recovered completely with 8 others showing significant improvements in their condition – an impressive result when you consider that these patients had been suffering from long term, “therapy resistant” depression.

But 5HTP has uses beyond the treatment of stress and depression. For those of you struggling to lose weight, 5HTP might just provide you with the help that you need. Serotonin is known to be implicated in hunger and if you can increase levels of hunger, appetite and feelings of hunger may be suppressed. Research studies have shown that if you take 5HTP, you’ll feel fuller sooner when you‘re eating. Weight loss will inevitably follow – after all if you feel fuller sooner, you won’t eat as much and your calorie intake will automatically be reduced.

And for those who suffer from insomnia or for those who just want a good night’s sleep, 5HTP is a really useful sleeping aid, known to promote good quality sleep.

So if you’re tired, stressed, overweight or depressed, and you’re looking for a natural therapy to help you, a daily dose of 5HTP might just be what you’re looking for.

Caution:
Not to be used with other serotonin enhancing drugs, such as L-Tryptophan and Prozac®, without your physician's guidance.