Hello Everyone I'm new here.  I have a friend who told me about this forum and told me to set up my profile info. which I will do soon.

I am an O Secretor and am following the Swami for my type.  

Since I am trying to stay away from sugar, a life long addiction, I am having not only withdrawal symptoms but I have also found that I have used sugar for 40 years of my life to deal with low level depression.  

I have tested this out a number of times, not because I want to but because my darkness comes in and as soon as I eat a sugary and sometimes chocolate item, within a few minutes I am ok again.  The darkness is lifted and I feel almost immediately better.

I have done MUCH reading on the topic and found a very good book "The Hidden Addiction and How to Break Free"  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316704717/ref=oss_product

This really hit home with what I feel has been going on with me.

So I have been researching further and I'm going to try 5-HTP and I found one that does not contain that seed that O's are supposed to not ingest at:  http://www.webnat.com/proddetail.asp?prod=2806-4  

So I'm wondering the best way to take it for O's specifically i.e. morning or night or afternoon or when to help me survive my dark depressions that hit me mostly in the afternoons and especially hard if I am working on withdrawing from sugar.

Also any O experiences on this would be very helpful..

I have done L-Tyrosine and it only causes me intense nightmares and anxiety.  And I know that St. John's Wart is out for O's.  

I get plenty of vitamins and exercise and for the most part eat well, except for when I crave and feel dark and down, then I reach for sugary items and overeat them to excess.  A vicious cycle.

Thank you.

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what does your daily exercise routine look like??

K

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imonoKat     
August 14, 2006, 5:04pm      Quote  Report to Moderator

Gathering seams-stress extraordinaire
Kyosha Nim

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What are you taking the 5HTP for?  I believe Dr. D no longer recommends this supplement for Type O's.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I would recommend taking calcium at night.  Calcium helps you get a better sleep (I always sleep throught the night when I remember to take it then) and it works better at night in the body.



Just an Rh- grasshopper; still learning about BTD since 1998.  My BTD Story
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Don     
August 14, 2006, 5:57pm      Quote  Report to Moderator

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Sam Dan

Posts: 7,189
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Quoted from KimonoKat
What are you taking the 5HTP for?  I believe Dr. D no longer recommends this supplement for Type O's.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I would recommend taking calcium at night.  Calcium helps you get a better sleep (I always sleep throught the night when I remember to take it then) and it works better at night in the body.

Correct about the 5-HTP.

Calcium is better absorbed with the consumption of protein, since protein will stimulate the release of IAP and IAP helps absorb calcium. Therefore I think it is good to take the calcium with dinner (as she is doing), since it is needed more for overnight process in the body, and then take the magnesium sometime after dinner and before going to bed.

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ruthiegirl     
May 10, 2010, 3:14pm      Quote  Report to Moderator

SWAMI Gatherer, Healing from Fibromyalgia
Sam Dan

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Quoted from Golfzilla


Thanks Ruthie! Have you tried Catechol, L-Tyrosine, or the 5-HTP


I haven't had a chance to buy any Catechol yet. I did buy L-Tyrosine and rhodiola at a local HFS, but then I read that L-tyrosine isn't a good idea for somebody with high blood pressure, so I'm not sure what to do. I've stopped taking the 5-HTP  because I read that Dr. D. doesnt' recomend it (it's got a lectin that's bad for all but Os, and he thinks raising dopamine is more important than raising seratonin in Os.) Now I'm afraid to try the catechol because it contains tyrosine.

I just took Julia Ross' The Mood Cure out of the library, and I should go read through that (instead of being online ) and figure out which supplements she would recomend for me, then of course double-check any of those recomendations against BTD.

I don't want to order any more supplements online until I've put in a bit more research.

O's are allowed dark chocolate (60%cocoa or higher) I believe it's 1 ounce piece a day.

May get you over the rough edges, as you avoid sugar.  (magnesium may be a bit low)

I would start with Rhodiola and exercise. There are other things that may be tried as well but would start with the obvious.

L- Glutamine may help with sugar cravings.

L- Theanine if you must do something else for mood.

Everything else I would wait until giving these a decent trial.

Hi Everyone:  thanks for input so far.  I don't do well on Rhodiola.  Exercise is great but does not stop my afternoon depression and cravings.  I'm taking L-Glutamine but it does not stop my afternoon depression.  I'll look into L-Theanine.  

This is a very serious problem that I have had since I was a kid and I have just begun to put the pieces together that it's a brain chemistry issue.  But the excess bad food is starting to really hurt my body so I have to keep searching and working to figure this out.

thanks.. more input would be great if anyone has any.

BluesSinger,

You may want to try the Nerve Health Support Protocol.
http://www.dadamo.com/protocols/index.htm

Also, watch your carbs and sugars. You may be experiencing spikes/dips in your blood sugar which can cause all kinds of unpleasant conditions, including depression.

You may be interested in a book that I plan on reading soon: "Gut and Psychology Syndrome." It explains how many common learning disabilities and mental illnesses can be influenced by diet.


Yey! My 100th post! How time flies...

stop the excess bad food asap!

Quoted from de_nogent

BluesSinger,

You may want to try the Nerve Health Support Protocol.
http://www.dadamo.com/protocols/index.htm

Also, watch your carbs and sugars. You may be experiencing spikes/dips in your blood sugar which can cause all kinds of unpleasant conditions, including depression.

You may be interested in a book that I plan on reading soon: "The Gut and Psychology Syndrome." It explains how many common learning disabilities and mental illnesses can be influenced by diet.


Yey! My 100th post! How time flies...

I have this book and I take HCL with animal protein for digestion, because I have low stomach acid. The book explains that it is unnecessary to take many digestive enzymes. All most people need is a good probiotic ( I use Polyflora A ) and betain HCL.

Meghan,
were you not a B before?
or I got you confused there......

Meghan,

Probiotics are truly a life saver and can help with many diseases. Acidophilus really helped speed up my recovery from a recent sinus infection.


BluesSinger,

When I have a craving I try to stay away from sugar. However, dark chocolate is good in moderation. Green tea with honey is my new coffee. Instead of reaching for sugary snacks, you might want to try some higher quality carbs like nuts, sweet potato chips, or spelt pretzels (great with almond butter or a little chocolate) . Or maybe you could try something more savory/spicy like wasabi peas to help get you over the hump.

When I used 5-HTP, I liked using it at night to help me sleep. But if you find you need it in the afternoons, then maybe you want to take it in the afternoon, or perhaps in the afternoon and again before bed.

Eating right does a whole lot for your body, but it can't do everything. Sometimes you just need a little extra help, especially when transitioning away from the wrong diet and healing from that.

Dr. D. doesn't recomened 5-HTP for Os because, in general, Os don't need a seratonin boost. We usually need a dopamine boost instead. You personally have tried the dopamine boosts, and they don't help. IT sounds like you, personally, at the present time, need more seratonin. I suggest that you give the 5-HTP a try, and see if it helps.

I'd go ahead and buy a bottle of the 5-HTP and take it. IF you feel worse or see no effects, stop taking it. If it helps then keep taking the bottle until it's finished.Then stop taking it for a day or so to see if you still need it. If you do, buy another bottle and try again. Repeat the "see if I still need this supplement" process every month or two.

Hi All.. well it's easy to tell the alcoholic to stop drinking and right away, if you do not have a tendency toward addiction which Lola.. you must not!    

But to tell a sugar addict to stop eating junk and right away does not work.  the cravings become unbearable and before you know it you are out the door and down the road like a robot buying sugary items and eating them all at once.  it's a disease and any addict needs tools to help them recover from what their brain is crying for which is to simply feel good.

Thanks all for your comments so far.  I am beginning to think I am my own scientific experiment here!  ha..

I am on my 4th day away from sugar right now and fingers are crossed.  Tonight I'll try 5-HTP for the first time.

Quoted from BluesSinger

But to tell a sugar addict to stop eating junk and right away does not work.  the cravings become unbearable and before you know it you are out the door and down the road like a robot buying sugary items and eating them all at once.  

I know that I had to learn what component of the craved food I needed, find that nutrient or what in a new food and eat that instead...

I had a friend that was alcoholic and he would never say he was cured, he was just waiting a while for his next drink.  He said that the cravings never stopped, but that he was able to continue waiting a while for his next drink...  I think if he had eaten right, his cravings would have quit, as mine have...

Much success with your eating right...

BS,
if you only knew what I went through.......glad it s over and am cured!!

like Joe said.....eat right, no more suffering

How are you feeling today BluesSinger?

Have you tried an alternative sweetener?  I also have some issues with depression (I live in the NW where lack of sunlight can be an issue).  Chocolate usually helps me too.  I now make myself some hot cocoa by using a spoonful of cocoa (like you use in baking) and some agave syrup.  Both of these are beneficials for me according to swami and I believe they are neutral for Type O Secreters.  It really works for my chocolate cravings and its my favorite treat right now.  The cocoa is not creamy, but still very satisfying!  

I hope you find something that works for you  

Hi All..

I found a 5-HTP that does not have that 'seed' that o's are lectin sensitive to:  here's the site:

http://www.webnat.com/learning/bloodtype/BloodTypeTendencies.asp

and I'm glad you are cured Lola.  Yes i agree eating right has helped me in the past for a time and then my depression comes back full on after not being on sugar for awhile and then i find myself in a binge.  so thank god you got cured just by eating right.  i find that i have needed a little extra assistance and this 5htp is doing the trick.  

when i want/need that perk i found a raw chocolat square that really dose it. it's about one once and has an unbeleavably high orac value. it's better than any of the energy drinks i drank before bt. it's even better than b12, at lest for me. the company is called zocai and i love their power squares, they make both a powdered drink (it's exspensive and i have not looked into what is in it yet) and a protean bar(unfortunatly full of soy). if not for the soy in the bar it was remarkably chemacal free, but i digress, i keep the little chocolate squares with me for work and they make me feel like people look when they take zoloft. and they save me from crashing if i have to wait a long time for my break.

Well, the 5Htp is becoming my miracle.  I have never felt better in my life.  I am craving free and actually happy and calm.  Something I have never felt.  

Of course this goes hand in hand with fairly close adhearence to my Swami.

I take a very small dosage because I have found over the years that large dosages of anything don't work for me and throw me out of whack.... very sensitive brain chemisty to say the least.

Sadly battle dwarf, chocolate has never worked for me.  I've tried and tried and tried.  

But this is doing the trick after 40 years of addiction process trying to make my brain happy.  

I've actually also lost some lbs.  Started at 217 and now i'm 211.  I'm not trying but i'm not overeating and craving either.  

Also I just got the book "Boost Your Serotonin Levels - 5Htp by Michael Murray, N.D.

Very informative.

I'm glad you found an answer that helps.  

I'm so glad you found something that works so well for you! I'm curious now, if you need to continue taking the 5-HTP longterm, or if you only needed it to help you transition away from your bad diet. Sometimes it's just so hard to be compliant when you feel awful, and anything that can help you get past those first days is wonderful! But now that you've been eating right for a few weeks, I wonder if you still need the seratonin boost from a pill.

It will be interesting to see how long you will need the 5-HtP after you've been one your BTD for awhile.
keep us posted.

only Murray doesn t take BT physiology and individuality into account when giving advice.
that to me is something to consider, always

Quoted from Lola

only Murray doesn t take BT physiology and individuality into account when giving advice.
that to me is something to consider, always

I agree Lola.  I have learned to take what I need with my Swami looking over my shoulder!  ha..