By Courtney Snyder, MD
This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. In this newsletter and podcast episode, I focus on the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s. Because this condition starts prior to the onset of symptoms, and because having almost any psychiatric condition appears to raise our vulnerability, many of the tools mentioned relate to other brain symptoms and conditions as well.
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By Courtney Snyder, MD
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease, meaning it involves the death of brain cells and the eventual loss of brain tissue. The brain changes leading to Alzheimer’s dementia begin twenty years before the onset of symptoms. This is important because the emerging research and clinical experience in functional medicine suggest that most contributing factors can be impacted.
In this video post, I discuss pyrrole disorder - one of the most common nutrient imbalances in brain-related conditions affecting adults and children. Elevated Hydroxyhemopyrrolin-2-one (HPL) in the urine, often referred to as “pyrroles,” has been associated with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, ADHD, learning disorders, substance use disorders, and violent behavior.
In the post, I address:
By Courtney Snyder, MD
I look forward to the day when lowering exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) will be right up there with other basic health recommendations, such as getting adequate sleep and exercise, managing stress and limiting or avoiding sugar. In the meantime, I’ll try, in this newsletter, to convince you of why lowering exposure is a good idea. I’ll discuss:
By Courtney Snyder, MD
Meet the cluster of genes that may be at root of many psychiatric conditions and complex chronic illness, MCAS, EDS, POTS, CIRS & CFS. Hypermobility—having joints that bend further than normal—is a surprisingly common trait in those with brain symptoms. Using RCCX theory, I’ll attempt to explain why this is. RCCX is a gene module (cluster of genes) that appears to be at the foundation of many psychiatric conditions and complex chronic health conditions, such as mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
By Courtney Snyder, MD
The Role of the Atlas, Flexibility, Neck Injury, Posture, Upper Cervical Instability, and the Vagus in Brain Symptoms. In these modern times with cell phones and laptops, we look down A LOT. This raises our likelihood of having problems that originate in our neck. A previous neck injury and/or a tendency to be flexible can make us even more vulnerable. Flexibility is especially common in those with brain related or psychiatric conditions. I’ll elaborate on this in an upcoming newsletter. In the meantime, know that misalignment of the upper part of the spine is an often overlooked problem for those with brain symptoms, chronic complex illness and/or mysterious health issues.
By Courtney Snyder, MD
Mold toxicity is a surprisingly common and important player when it comes to brain related symptoms. You won’t find it mentioned in the research on the above psychiatric conditions, but those of us who treat mold toxicity will tell you it is a very common cause of:
By Courtney Snyder, MD
70% of those with a mental health condition have a methylation imbalance. Of those, most are undermethylated (as opposed to overmethylated).
In case you haven’t yet met ….methylation….it’s an important biochemical process, in which methyl is added to particular molecules. Our ability to methylate impacts the expression of our genes, our ability to detoxify and our vulnerability to inflammation.
A methylation imbalance can contribute to chronic health issues like cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity, cancer and psychiatric condition. Courtney Snyder, MD
Prior to a 10 year sabbatical from psychiatry, I trained and sub-specialized in treating children with attachment related issues - many from international orphanages or foster care. When I returned to psychiatry, the focus of my work (and my own healing) was more physiologic - addressing areas such as nutrient imbalances, toxicity, inflammation, etc. That I was seeing good responses to such treatments, even for children with attachment issues, confirmed for me that these were the topics to write about and share. Inevitably, my work (and approaches to my own health and my daughter's health) has come full circle. I'm realizing that we can't fully understand topics like inflammation or mast cell activation, the autonomic nervous system, right and left brain hemisphere differences, or even methylation without putting them into the context of our first three years of life.
Courtney Snyder, MD
The proper functioning of the vagus is one of the most important determinants of physical and mental health, social communication, compassion and even creativity. If you have a psychiatric condition or a complex chronic illness (or your child does), understanding the vagus may help demystify what has likely been a confusing and demoralizing experience. In this post, I'll discuss the many roles of the vagus nerve, the many body systems it influences, and the many seemingly unrelated symptoms it can impact when it’s not working well. My hope is that the vagus will become as awe inspiring for you, as it has for me, and that you’ll want to help it help you. There are many ways to improve vagal "tone" to access healing and well-being. Perhaps because they're fun and life affirming, they’re often not taken seriously. In my own journey, I spent years trying to dominate my biochemistry, improve my microbiome and avoid and remove toxins. This narrow attention held me (and my daughter) back. If this is where you’re at, then I write this for you.
By Courtney Snyder, MD
This post goes out to those who are unknowingly deep in the throes of mast cell activation and/or brain inflammation. Though our culture is only starting to consider psychiatric conditions as inflammation of the brain, if you or someone you know has panic attacks, depression, mood swings, ADHD, brain fog, chronic fatigue, PTSD, autism, cognitive issues or even dementia, then you know the destruction neuroinflammation plays in people’s lives. By Courtney Snyder, MD
Half of my work day is spent honing in on details. For each person I evaluate and treat, I’m considering multiple symptoms, lab data, contributing factors, and treatment interventions. Left unchecked, this amount of detail hurts my brain - figuratively and literally. This type of work might be considered “left brain“ and appealing to someone who is “undermethylated,” which I am. The other half of my work day is involved with addressing how, from a spiritual perspective, we:
By spiritual, I mean our inner life. My writing and teaching about the intersection between neuroplasticity and spirituality is essentially about how we exercise those parts of the brain that relate to that inner work. Instead of honing in on details, this is about pulling back and looking at the bigger picture of our lives and our humanity. This right brain work feels good. By Courtney Snyder
One of the challenges of writing blog posts that explore root causes of brain related symptoms is that what we are learning is constantly evolving. There's so much we still and will never know. Another challenge - everything is interconnected. The best I can do is to write about these root causes separately. While some contributing factors can occur in parallel, one condition is often leading to other downstream conditions that themselves contribute to things like depressed mood, anxiety, mood swings, brain fog/inattention and so forth. Mold toxicity is a perfect example. It can contribute to Pyrrole Disorder due the stress it puts on the body. It can lead to elevated copper by overwhelming one of the antioxidants in the body that regulates copper. Because it interferes with the immune system, it can lead to a susceptibility to candida/yeast, Lyme and its co-infections. It also frequently worsens mast cell activation (see last post). I consider it a root of the roots. In my daily work, I find mold toxicity to be very common. Here’s why - by Courtney Snyder, MD
The human body is a mystery. As much and as fast as we’re learning, we still know very little. This post is about a recent discovery. I call it a “discovery,” because I’ve lived out what this theory holds to be true, as have a number of patients I work with, and perhaps some of you reading this. RCCX theory is quite complex. The best I can do is share my personal experience with the hope that doing so will help make this information more accessible. We all have traits that make us different - whether it’s our appearance, how we react to our world or the natural abilities we possess. Some traits, we may take pride in, others not so much. Ask me why I’m flexible and I’ll tell you I did gymnastics when I was young. Why do I have low blood pressure? I exercise regularly. My flat feet? Just one of those genetic things. As a child I worried...a lot. In my second year of college, I could have been diagnosed with depression. I’m the kind of person who can’t watch Cirque du Soleil without turning away for fear I’ll witness someone plunge to their death. Never had I imagined each of these traits could be related, or that they would foreshadow a ten year health struggle that I’m only recently coming out of. Lunch with Dr. William Walsh - His Story, Discoveries & the Future of Nutrient-Based Psychiatry7/1/2016
Courtney Snyder, MD
I first met Dr. Walsh in the fall of 2014, at his second physician training course here in the US. At the time, I was uncertain how useful nutrients would be in my psychiatric practice. What I learned seemed too good to be true. Upon returning home, I gradually began evaluating and treating specific nutrient imbalances in adults and children with depression, ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, autism and other conditions. To my repeated surprise, most patients - children and adults alike improved… significantly - some dramatically, including those whose symptoms had failed to respond to other treatments.
Courtney Snyder, MD
We’re not necessarily the same animal we once were. And, in many respects, especially when it comes to food, we’re increasingly different from one another. Describing a particular food (or nutrient) as “good” for you, depends on who “you” are. Due to our varied experiences, exposures (ie. to antibiotics, toxins, etc.) and genetics, we’re not all the same. The latest superfood may benefit some, but it may make others ill. Our complicated relationship with food can’t be discussed without considering inflammation, oxidative stress and epigenetics - the three exploding areas of medical research.
Courtney Snyder, MD
Purpose, Healing and Happiness Whatever language, symbolism or religious framework we use or try not to use, many of us believe there's a reason each of us are here ...at this time, in this place and with these people. Though I think a lot about the details of health, I fall short on the bigger picture of healing if I forget that our wellbeing depends on much more, not the least of which is having a deep sense of purpose in our lives. Purpose can energize us. It is a reason to do the hard work; to get out of bed. It lowers stress and it’s associated physiologic responses. Futility is stressful. So is incongruence - the mismatch between our natural abilities and passions and what we’re actually doing. With purpose comes a clarity about what and with whom we want to spend our time.
Courtney Snyder, MD
Though steeped in nutrition professionally and personally, I don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Most of what I prepare has very few ingredients, though the ingredients are whole (unprocessed). And most of my food preparation has very few steps. I'm hoping my culinary limitations, which I've honed over these past few years, will be useful to someone else. Before getting into the below "recipes", I should add, I believe...
By Courtney Snyder, MD
...is ragus - an Aran Island's word for 'desire' or 'urge.’ The Aran Islands are off the west coast of Ireland and have little to do with this post, except maybe to help draw in unsuspecting readers. Like me, you may wonder,... "Who really wants to read about the problems with sugar?" Over these past four weeks, I considered many approaches: I’d be inclusive and point out that despite great individual variability in how our bodies react to foods, science is showing that limiting or avoiding sugar makes good sense for...well...pretty much everyone. I thought I’d be investigative - I’d give an excessive list of names for hidden sugar on food labels. I’d give examples of how much sugar is in “savory” foods - e.g. 1/2 cup of tomato soup has 3 tsp. of sugar. For those into calculations, 4 grams = 1 tsp.
By Courtney Snyder, MD
Historically we've considered mental health and illness as coming from either one's life experiences or coming from one's genetics or biology. We've mistakenly considered the the brain separate from the rest of the body. We are more interconnected than those outdated views suggest. Our physical health impacts our brain health. Likewise, we experience emotions (fear, anger, sadness, and joy) not only in our brains, but in our bodies. Emotions influence our brain's biochemistry, and our biochemistry impacts our emotions, bodies and how we experience our lives. PYRROLE DISORDER A perfect example of this is Pyrrole Disorder - an inborn error of pyrrole chemistry. Those who are affected make an excessive amount of this metabolite. Pyrroles themselves are not a problem and do not cause disease. We all have them. They do however, bind Vitamin B6 and Zinc. When pyrroles leave the body (through urine), they take some B6 and zinc with them. This is not a problem either. The problem comes when pyrroles are being overproduced for genetic reasons or because of physical or emotional stress. This can lead to severe B6 and zinc deficiencies. |
Courtney Snyder, MDFor anyone experiencing brain symptoms. This blog (and weekly newsletter) is your guide to demystifying root causes and learning about surprising paths to healing. From a holistic - functional adult and child psychiatrist dedicated to helping people heal and thrive. Categories
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July 2024
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