If you're troubled by depression, you're not alone. More than 20 million Americans experience significant depression, according to the National Institutes of Health. Millions more suffer from moderate or occasional depression. Every month, at least 3 million people search the Internet for information on depression.

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We now know that depression is most often caused by errors in brain chemistry. Lifestyle, stress, and genetics can also play a role. However, depression seems to be fundamentally linked to brain chemistry.

This provides an entirely new way of looking at these disabling moods. Depression is not a character flaw. It occurs when our body chemistry is out of balance - and can be a sign that certain essential nutrients have become depleted. Fortunately, we can restore good moods and higher performance by providing those key nutrients.

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Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that creates our moods, in concert with other brain chemistry. Low serotonin is a common feature in depression. It affects a significant number of people, perhaps the majority of those with depression.

Probably the best studied and most effective way to improve moods involves increasing serotonin levels. These levels are determined by the availability of tryptophan in the body, an essential nutrient derived from protein.

If you don't have tryptophan, serotonin levels are likely to be low. Unfortunately, the body doesn't have a very efficient way to store amino acids. Your supply of amino acids, including tryptophan, is entirely reliant on what you consumed in your last meal. So maintaining a good intake of tryptophan is essential. When tryptophan is too low - causing depression or insomnia - we can increase it by taking nutritional supplements of tryptophan.

For many people a healthy diet does not supply enough tryptophan. Tryptophan depletion can be caused by high stress, poor digestion, or genetics. Also, some people seem to require greater amounts of tryptophan. In these situations the use of tryptophan supplements can be the vital factor that rebalances body chemistry and moods.

This strategy can be used by people with depression, including those with borderline depression. We're not offering treatment. The goal of a nutritional approach is to provide the raw materials the body requires for optimal function.

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Additional Nutritional Support Products - The following products are of particular importance because they provide the wide range of nutrients that are required for complete and full utilization of tryptophan. These are especially recommended for people that are older, have digestive problems - and may have trouble absorbing nutrients from food -, people under high stress or on low protein diets.

Cautions If You Are on Certain Types of Medication

If you are taking certain types of medication, you should consult your physician before taking tryptophan. These medications include anti-depressants (particularly SSRIs), anti-anxiety drugs, tricyclic drugs, MAO Inhibitors, some sleep medications, certain Parkinson's medications, or amphetamines. Tryptophan may interact unfavorably with medications, particularly those used for mood conditions such as depression or anxiety.

Serotonin Syndrome

Some medications, especially anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs, can raise serotonin levels in the body. The addition of tryptophan while taking these medications could possibly raise serotonin to a dangerous level. This is called Serotonin Syndrome. The symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome can resemble the symptoms of low tryptophan. If you are taking medication in combination with tryptophan and you develop any type of adverse symptoms, contact your physician immediately. It is important not to increase the dosage of either the medication or the tryptophan, as that could raise serotonin levels even higher.

If you are taking any of the medications mentioned above and would like to use tryptophan, inform your physician and get guidance on reducing your medication dosage. Do not do reduce or stop your medication without medical supervision.

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Researchers have found several different causes of depression - most are linked to the subtle chemistry of the body, particularly in the brain.

. Pathway 1. Serotonin - One of the major causes of depression is low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This has been confirmed in hundreds of research studies. Serotonin levels reflect the availability of the amino acid tryptophan, which is the raw material that is converted into serotonin in the brain.

. Pathway 2. The cats (catecholamines) - Another pathway that affects mood is the catecholamines - a group of neurotransmitters, made from the amino acid tyrosine (available in supplement form in Neuro-Balance). Low catecholamine levels are associated with low energy and low emotional levels, especially in the early part of the day. A clue to low catecholamines is the need for caffeine or stimulants to get your motor going in the morning.

. Pathway 3. Body chemistry - A third important pathway affecting mood is a type of body chemistry that occurs in every cell called methylation. The use of the nutrient SAM-e in conjunction with other nutrients that support methylation can provides the body with the resources to correct errors in this pathway.

. Genetics. In some cases, chronic depression is linked to a predisposition or vulnerability. When depression runs in families, research has found that genetics can be a cause, and often it occurs through one of these three pathways. The strategy, in each case, is to rebalance the body's chemistry.

Lifestyle Factors that Affect mood

.  Depression can result from frequent or intense stress. High levels of stress hormones (cortisol) and can lower serotonin in the brain.

.  A low protein diet can be a factor, since essential amino acids are missing.

.  Mood swings can be triggered by low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) - from skipping meals or eating too much sugar.

.  Poor digestion or food allergies can also play a role.

We've found that people with problems in these areas almost always have mood swings. So eating a good diet and managing your blood sugar are basic in rebalancing mood. If these lifestyle approaches are not part of your program, you're missing a good bet.

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. Tri-Phos-B - Contains the B vitamins required to convert tryptophan to serotonin.

. All-Basic - A multi-amino-acid formula that helps with stress, energy and mental function.

. AntiOx - A scientifically balanced blend of antioxidant nutrients that protects against the effects of stress and helps the body use amino acids.

. OcuDyne II - An exceptional multivitamin and mineral formula rich in antioxidants.

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A Aberg-Wistedt and others. "Serotonergic 'vulnerability' in affective disorder: a study of the tryptophan depletion test and relationships between peripheral and central serotonin indexes in citalopram-responders." Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica . May 1998; Vol. 97, No. 5: pages 374-380.

C Benkelfat and others. "Mood-lowering effect of tryptophan depletion. Enhanced susceptibility in young men at genetic risk for major affective disorders." Archives of General Psychiatry . September 1994; Vol. 51, No. 9: 687-697.

Z Bhagwagar and others. "Cortisol modulation of 5-HT-mediated growth hormone release in recovered depressed patients." Journal of Affective Disorders . December 2002; Vol. 72, No. 3: pages 249-255.

L Capuron and others. "Interferon-alpha-induced changes in tryptophan metabolism. relationship to depression and paroxetine treatment." Biological Psychiatry . November 1 2003 ; Vol. 54, No. 9: pages 906-914.

PL Delgado and others. "Rapid serotonin depletion as a provocative challenge test for patients with major depression: relevance to antidepressant action and the neurobiology of depression." Psychopharmacology Bulletin . 1991;27(3):321-30.

FA Moreno and others. "Tryptophan depletion and risk of depression relapse: a prospective study of tryptophan depletion as a potential predictor of depressive episodes." Biological Psychiatry . August 15, 2000 ; Vol. 48, No. 4: pages 327-329.

A Neumeister and others. Effects of tryptophan depletion in fully remitted patients with seasonal affective disorder during summer. Psychological Medicine . March 1998; Vol. 28, No. 2: pages 257-264.

KA Smith and others. "Relapse of depression after rapid depletion of tryptophan." Lancet . March 29, 1997 ; Vol. 349, No. 9056: pages 915-919.

MK Spillmann and others. "Tryptophan depletion in SSRI-recovered depressed outpatients." Psychopharmacology ( Berlin ). May 2001; Vol. 155, No. 2: pages 123-127.

J Stastny and others. "Effects of tryptophan depletion and catecholamine depletion on immune parameters in patients with seasonal affective disorder in remission with light therapy." Biological Psychiatry . February 15, 2003 ; Vol. 53, No. 4: pages 332-327.

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Our moods and sleep are regulated by powerful brain chemistry, particularly serotonin, one of our most important neurotransmitters. Low serotonin levels have been identified as a cause of depression in hundreds of research studies. Serotonin is made in the brain from tryptophan, an essential amino acid. Tryptophan is the raw material the brain requires to make serotonin.

Tryptophan is a component of most proteins. Unfortunately, stress can deplete tryptophan. A number of other factors can also lead to tryptophan deficiencies, which in turn result in low levels of serotonin.

Extensive research has shown that tryptophan supplements raise serotonin levels. By using a nutritional supplement, we are simply providing the raw material the body needs to produce serotonin. Raising serotonin is a vital step in addressing depression, anxiety, PMS mood swings, and insomnia. The ability of tryptophan to support the body's production of this absolutely critical neurotransmitter is what makes tryptophan such an important, sought-after nutritional product.

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