Today we’re about to get an amazing education in neurotransmitters, those very important chemical messengers in our brains. Balancing neurotransmitters through natural methods is an important part of Dr. Ann-Marie Barter’s work in her practice in Colorado. Dr. Ann uses a combination of functional blood chemistry analysis, nutrition, applied kinesiology, and other natural remedies with a functional medicine approach to help people with a host of brain/body issues.

While we may think of neurotransmitters in terms of brain health, when they get out of balance they can also affect the thyroid, blood sugar, gut health, hormones, and so many other issues.

Let’s get started as there’s so much to cover, including practical ways that you can start at home to optimize your neurotransmitter levels, reduce stress, and feel better!

Episode Highlights With Dr. Ann-Marie Barter

• What neurotransmitters are and the areas of health they affect (hint: most things!)
• Kinds of neurotransmitters, especially serotonin and dopamine, and how they work in the body
• Why addressing dopamine levels may help you with sugar cravings and other addictive habits
• Signs you might have low dopamine
• Why diabetes should not be the only measure of having a blood sugar problem
• What processed foods can do to your neurotransmitters
• How to check your glucose at home (and why you’d want to)
• What a simple elimination diet can do for brain balance
• How to know if you have a serotonin imbalance
• Important things to know about SSRIs and antidepressants
• Key vitamins for brain and neurotransmitter health
• And more!

Resources We Mention

• Dr. Ann’s practice
• The Fearless Health Podcast
• RealTime Lab (mold test)
• Why Isn’t My Brain Working? by Dr. Datis Kharrazian
• Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing by Anita Moorjani
• Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness by Neil Nathan MD
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza

More From Wellness Mama

• 252: How to Activate Peak Brain Performance With Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Hill
• 288: Breakthrough Solutions for Anxiety, Depression and PTSD With Apollo Founder Dr. David Rabin
• 107: Improve Your Brain to Avoid Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Memory Loss with Dr. Perlmutter
• 138: How to Use Specific & Targeted Essential Oil Blends to Support the Brain & Parasympathetic Nervous System
• The Neuroscience of Play & Why Kids Need It
• How to Stimulate Vagus Nerve Function to Reduce Inflammation and Support the Brain
• Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Depression

Do you have more questions for Dr. Ann? Please drop a comment below or leave a review on iTunes to let us know. We value knowing what you think and this helps other moms find the podcast as well.

READ TRANSCRIPT

Thanks to Our Sponsors

This podcast is sponsored by BLUblox. That’s B-L-U-B-L-O-X, which is an advanced light-filtering eyewear company. You’ve probably seen pictures of me on social media wearing orange glasses of various types at night. And here’s why. In nature, we aren’t exposed to certain types of light after dark, specifically, blue light, because that type of light signals the body that it’s daytime. That in turn suppresses melatonin and can interfere with sleep. This is the reason that a really dramatic study found that camping for seven days straight with no artificial light at all could actually completely reset and heal circadian rhythm and help a lot of light-related problems, like seasonal affective disorder. This is also the reason that I wear orange glasses after dark to block these types of light and protect my sleep, which I am adamant about protecting. I also wear certain types of yellow glasses and anti-fatigue glasses during the day if I want a computer to reduce eye fatigue. BLUblox has orange glasses and yellow glasses. Their orange glasses for nighttime wear are designed to block 100% of the wavelengths between 400 nanometers and 550 nanometers, which are the ones that are studied to interfere with sleep and melatonin production, and circadian rhythm. My kids also wear these kinds of glasses at night. And I noticed a difference in their sleep as well, which is a huge win for a mom. This is especially important when we’re watching a family movie at night or looking at any kind of screen as the artificial light, there is a source of blue light and can interfere with sleep. You can learn more, they have a ton of educational content and check out all of their innovative protective glasses by going to blublox.com/wellnessmama and using the code wellnessmama to save 15%.

This episode is sponsored by Everlywell, at-home lab tests that you can get without a doctor order! I’ve used many of their tests and can recommend a couple that have been especially helpful. They have an at-home allergy test for 40 of the most common allergens using the same CLIA-certified labs used by Allergists/Doctors. The labs are reviewed by an independent physician and measure IgE levels of common allergens including pet dander, mold, trees, grasses, and more. I also really like their food sensitivity tests that test for IgG reactions. This was a big key for me in my health recovery, as there were foods that didn’t show up as an allergy that were causing inflammation. I used an elimination diet, but this food sensitivity test also filled in the missing piece of the puzzle for me. Through healing my gut, I’ve been able to remove all sensitivities except for eggs. Finding out I was highly sensitive to eggs made a huge difference for me, as I ate them often as an inexpensive protein source. I feel so much better now that I don’t eat eggs and I would never have known that without this test! I also use their at-home Vitamin D test to keep an eye on those levels. Check out all of their tests at wellnessmama.com/go/everlywell. Use code MAMA10 for 10% off orders.