I'm very into the chemistry of Alcohol, and how it impacts our bodies. I spend my AF time reading about it, in order to try to understand how it all fits together.
My Intro: Serotonin is a neural transmitter. We are not like Data, or the Borg. The fictional characters have wires from fingers to brain. Nerves are cells, and not wires. Your finger is not wired to your brain. Instead, your finger has a longish nerve cell. When you poke your finger with a pin, the cell fires electrically and says "Ow". However, that only works inside the cell. So at the end of the cell it emits some chemicals, which are picked up by the next longish nerve cell. It then fires (electronically) and at the end, it sends a bunch of chemicals to the next cell.
These between-cell chemicals are called neurotransmitters, because they transmit between nerve cells. They are very fast, which is why you actually can say "ow" within a second of getting poked with a pin. But it's pretty amazing to think the transmission went from electric to chemical more than two dozen times, then got interpreted by three areas of the brain, and responses went out to a) move your hand, b) look at the pin, and 3) vocalize.
Aspirin (and all NSAIDS) work by decreasing availability of a specific neurotransmitter chemical used by your nerves in your body. Your finger still get's poked, but the message fails to transmit because the chemical is in short supply. Didn't you always want to know how aspirin worked? That's why aspirin doesn't work on AL headaches, because your brain is already there. Now you now.
***
You have three brains. We all do. The forebrain, which is what you picture when you picture the "human brain" contains all our higher functions like language, typing and memory. It's the most recent and educated one. The midbrain, is a fist size lump located behind your throat, centered and under your forebrain. The midbrain controls moods, passions, and anger. The hindbrain is very small, and is really just the top of the spinal column. It controls autonomic systems like breathing and heartbeat, and reflex actions.
Your three brains come from three separate times in evolution, and oddly, use three different neurotransmitters. Your forebrain (the smart one) uses dopamine as a transmitter. AL affects dopamine receptors by overloading them, and so they shut down for a while. That's why you get stupid when you drink, and ignore consequences (no sense of history) or logic.
AL doesn't affect the hindbrain, because if it did you would stop breathing. Thank goodness some things are off limits to the jungle juice.
In the midbrain, the Mood center, AL has a number of affects, mostly related to the serotonin system. For one thing, it causes serotonin to be overproduced.
When you drink, you flood your "mood center" with excess neurotransmitting juice. So every cell that fires, get's heard three or four times. If a cell fires once "I'm feeling good" the receiving cell gets the message three times because there's so much serotonin flooding the system.
So the effect of AL is that it exaggerates your moods. Contrary to popular belief, AL does not enhance your moods. If you are in a bad mood, AL will make it worse. Fortunately, AL is mostly delivered in sweet drinks with lots of sugar and lovely tastes, so most of us get to be in a good mood just a few minutes before we totally blotto our mood-brain with exaggeration chemicals.
***
Serotonin Power Diet is about a diet technique to enhance your body's natural serotonin levels. Those of us with AL induced serotonin need to pay attention, because we flooded our bodies with so much artificial stuff, it takes a few days and even weeks for our natural systems to come back online, even when we give up AL.
Without serotonin you feel depressed, and in a low mood. That's why the first few days of AF are so hard. Your body isn't getting the "daily dose" from AL, but your natural systems have been shut off (for days weeks and years) because you've been flooding your system with an external source.
Topa, Kudzu, 5-HTP, L-Glut, all impact Serotonin directly, and GABA is related. That's why suppliments should work. They should work to enhance your mood if you are AL free, and also reduce your need for AL if you are Mod.
Serotonin is also produced through physical activity. Oddly, it's "Winning" that makes serotonin (may be related to gambling...) and winning includes repetitive tasks like knitting and crosswords. Chocolate and sex also enhance serotonin. Apparently all of these methods only work a little bit, and AL works a huge bit. And the difference is "cravings".
So the Serotonin Power Diet gives instructions on how to eat foods to naturally enhance your body's serotonin production. The key thing is to eat a carbohydrate "snack" about an hour before Lunch and Dinner. A "snack" is defined as carbs and sugars, about 160 calories, eaten 40-60 minutes before a meal.
No protein is allowed with snacks, and fat should be kept to a minimum. So you can have 10 crackers, but no cheese. You can have bread, but no butter (bread and jam?). They also recommend for meals that you get your main protein at breakfast and lunch, and dinner should be very light protein, and mostly carbs and veggies.
I've been working with it for a week. And mostly I eat a single (large) Oatmeal cookie when I take my supps at 4pm, and maybe one more in the evening during my "craving" time. I'm not sure if it really works, but I really like the oatmeal cookie... And I'm still down nearly eight pounds since I first started AF (with many slips) early in August.
One of my favorite Serotonin blasts since reading the book: After you get to work, take a break and go down to "Great earth Bakery" and get the cinnamon roll with walnuts. Then stop by Starbucks and get a "Tall" (which means small) plain coffee. Eat and drink both at your desk while pretending to be paying attention. Between the sugar and the caffeine you would swear you died and went to alcohol heaven.
Funny part of the book: The authors recommend building serotonin by counting the number of black shoes in your closet. Being a late-40s male, I'm not sure if counting to zero will actually help, no matter how many times I do it!
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Serotonin-Power-Diet-Chemistry-Overeating/dp/1594863466/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220920185&sr= 8-1]Amazon.com: The Serotonin Power Diet: Use Your Brain's Natural Chemistry to Cut Cravings, Curb Emotional Overeating, and Lose Weight (Hardcover): Nina Frusztajer Marquis, Judith J. Wurtman: Books[/ame]
My Intro: Serotonin is a neural transmitter. We are not like Data, or the Borg. The fictional characters have wires from fingers to brain. Nerves are cells, and not wires. Your finger is not wired to your brain. Instead, your finger has a longish nerve cell. When you poke your finger with a pin, the cell fires electrically and says "Ow". However, that only works inside the cell. So at the end of the cell it emits some chemicals, which are picked up by the next longish nerve cell. It then fires (electronically) and at the end, it sends a bunch of chemicals to the next cell.
These between-cell chemicals are called neurotransmitters, because they transmit between nerve cells. They are very fast, which is why you actually can say "ow" within a second of getting poked with a pin. But it's pretty amazing to think the transmission went from electric to chemical more than two dozen times, then got interpreted by three areas of the brain, and responses went out to a) move your hand, b) look at the pin, and 3) vocalize.
Aspirin (and all NSAIDS) work by decreasing availability of a specific neurotransmitter chemical used by your nerves in your body. Your finger still get's poked, but the message fails to transmit because the chemical is in short supply. Didn't you always want to know how aspirin worked? That's why aspirin doesn't work on AL headaches, because your brain is already there. Now you now.
***
You have three brains. We all do. The forebrain, which is what you picture when you picture the "human brain" contains all our higher functions like language, typing and memory. It's the most recent and educated one. The midbrain, is a fist size lump located behind your throat, centered and under your forebrain. The midbrain controls moods, passions, and anger. The hindbrain is very small, and is really just the top of the spinal column. It controls autonomic systems like breathing and heartbeat, and reflex actions.
Your three brains come from three separate times in evolution, and oddly, use three different neurotransmitters. Your forebrain (the smart one) uses dopamine as a transmitter. AL affects dopamine receptors by overloading them, and so they shut down for a while. That's why you get stupid when you drink, and ignore consequences (no sense of history) or logic.
AL doesn't affect the hindbrain, because if it did you would stop breathing. Thank goodness some things are off limits to the jungle juice.
In the midbrain, the Mood center, AL has a number of affects, mostly related to the serotonin system. For one thing, it causes serotonin to be overproduced.
When you drink, you flood your "mood center" with excess neurotransmitting juice. So every cell that fires, get's heard three or four times. If a cell fires once "I'm feeling good" the receiving cell gets the message three times because there's so much serotonin flooding the system.
So the effect of AL is that it exaggerates your moods. Contrary to popular belief, AL does not enhance your moods. If you are in a bad mood, AL will make it worse. Fortunately, AL is mostly delivered in sweet drinks with lots of sugar and lovely tastes, so most of us get to be in a good mood just a few minutes before we totally blotto our mood-brain with exaggeration chemicals.
***
Serotonin Power Diet is about a diet technique to enhance your body's natural serotonin levels. Those of us with AL induced serotonin need to pay attention, because we flooded our bodies with so much artificial stuff, it takes a few days and even weeks for our natural systems to come back online, even when we give up AL.
Without serotonin you feel depressed, and in a low mood. That's why the first few days of AF are so hard. Your body isn't getting the "daily dose" from AL, but your natural systems have been shut off (for days weeks and years) because you've been flooding your system with an external source.
Topa, Kudzu, 5-HTP, L-Glut, all impact Serotonin directly, and GABA is related. That's why suppliments should work. They should work to enhance your mood if you are AL free, and also reduce your need for AL if you are Mod.
Serotonin is also produced through physical activity. Oddly, it's "Winning" that makes serotonin (may be related to gambling...) and winning includes repetitive tasks like knitting and crosswords. Chocolate and sex also enhance serotonin. Apparently all of these methods only work a little bit, and AL works a huge bit. And the difference is "cravings".
So the Serotonin Power Diet gives instructions on how to eat foods to naturally enhance your body's serotonin production. The key thing is to eat a carbohydrate "snack" about an hour before Lunch and Dinner. A "snack" is defined as carbs and sugars, about 160 calories, eaten 40-60 minutes before a meal.
No protein is allowed with snacks, and fat should be kept to a minimum. So you can have 10 crackers, but no cheese. You can have bread, but no butter (bread and jam?). They also recommend for meals that you get your main protein at breakfast and lunch, and dinner should be very light protein, and mostly carbs and veggies.
I've been working with it for a week. And mostly I eat a single (large) Oatmeal cookie when I take my supps at 4pm, and maybe one more in the evening during my "craving" time. I'm not sure if it really works, but I really like the oatmeal cookie... And I'm still down nearly eight pounds since I first started AF (with many slips) early in August.
One of my favorite Serotonin blasts since reading the book: After you get to work, take a break and go down to "Great earth Bakery" and get the cinnamon roll with walnuts. Then stop by Starbucks and get a "Tall" (which means small) plain coffee. Eat and drink both at your desk while pretending to be paying attention. Between the sugar and the caffeine you would swear you died and went to alcohol heaven.
Funny part of the book: The authors recommend building serotonin by counting the number of black shoes in your closet. Being a late-40s male, I'm not sure if counting to zero will actually help, no matter how many times I do it!
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Serotonin-Power-Diet-Chemistry-Overeating/dp/1594863466/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220920185&sr= 8-1]Amazon.com: The Serotonin Power Diet: Use Your Brain's Natural Chemistry to Cut Cravings, Curb Emotional Overeating, and Lose Weight (Hardcover): Nina Frusztajer Marquis, Judith J. Wurtman: Books[/ame]
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