| |  "Re(1):5-htp what is it"
, Wed 26 Feb 09:20
The 5-HTP Option
In this booklet, we are going to tell you about a remarkable natural alternative to Prozac and similar drugs. It is an amino acid named 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, for short. A growing base of scientific evidence, collected from studies conducted both in animals and people, suggests that 5-HTP does everything the drugs do, but with far fewer adverse effects.
One reason 5-HTP and Prozac-like drugs have such similar effects is that they each act on the same chemical in the brain -- a neurotransmitter called serotonin (also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT). (Neurotransmitters are vital chemicals that enable nerve cells to communicate with one another.) A reduction in brain levels of serotonin is now widely believed to be an important factor in the development of all the conditions mentioned above.
The general effect of both 5-HTP and Prozac-like drugs is to increase the availability of serotonin at specific sites in the brain, known as "serotonin receptors." (Receptors are ultra-microscopic points on nerve cell surfaces where serotonin molecules attach -- like a key in a lock -- and, in so doing, trigger further activity in that nerve cell.) Increasing the availability of serotonin at these receptors -- by a variety of means -- has generally been associated with alleviation of these disorders.
Here is a key point, which we will elaborate shortly: although 5-HTP and Prozac-like drugs both tend to increase the availability of serotonin molecules at serotonin receptors, they each work in very different ways.
The drugs act by interfering with a natural process -- the reuptake or recycling of released serotonin molecules. The net effect of this action is to make more serotonin molecules available to stimulate serotonin receptors. Because they inhibit serotonin reuptake, these drugs are classed as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.
5-HTP raises serotonin levels by enhancing a natural process -- the synthesis of new serotonin molecules. This difference in mechanism of action may be the primary reason why 5-HTP, at reasonable doses, produces far fewer and less severe unpleasant side effects, including loss of libido.
In the remainder of this booklet, we will review evidence that 5-HTP can be helpful for:
Relieving depression
Alleviating anxiety, panic, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Reducing the pain and frequency of migraine attacks
Alleviating the pain and discomfort of fibromyalgia
Improving sleep
Suppressing appetite and losing weight
http://www.smart-publications.com/books/5htp/chap-01.htm
MJ DuPont
Posts: 463 | | Registered: Wed 20 Jun 2001 6:19 |
post new
search
register
FAQ
"5-htp what is it" 
email/admin
forum index