I have had patients referred to me for mental health concerns who changed a great deal once we went to work on the gut, so a conversation about what the brain is actually built from was always going to hold my attention. Laurie Hammer works one level up from where I usually start. She focuses on the amino acids the brain uses to make its neurotransmitters, and what happens when the supply runs short. Her process starts with a long intake, from birth to the present, and a set of questionnaires that point her toward one of five categories: serotonin, GABA, endorphins, catecholamines and glucose regulation. Clients receive a kit of nine amino acids in the mail, including tryptophan, GABA, theanine, and tyrosine. In session, they open a capsule under the tongue, wait about five minutes, and tell her what they notice. Some say their thinking feels clearer or their body relaxes. Occasionally someone feels a little woozy or gets a mild headache. When someone does not respond at all, she looks at cortisol, gut health, and hidden infections next. Serotonin is the pattern she sees most in her own clients, followed by GABA and then dopamine. She starts with tryptophan over 5-HTP because the body can route tryptophan where it is needed. None of it replaces the basics. Laurie tells clients they need animal protein, real food, morning light, and sleep, and she asks many of them to cut the nightly wine and ease off caffeine. That lines up with my foundation five, and it is why her aim is for clients to need fewer supplements as they go. Amino acid therapy is Laurie's clinical approach, and results vary from person to person. Nothing here is medical advice. If you take an antidepressant, an ADHD medication, or any other prescription, talk to your own clinician before adding amino acids, and never stop a prescribed medication on your own. - - - - - About the Guest: Laurie Hammer, FNTP, is a functional nutritional therapy practitioner who uses amino acid therapy to help clients with anxiety, low mood, burnout, and brain health, and she hosts the Take Back My Brain Podcast. Her typical client is a woman between 40 and 60 dealing with anxiety, hormone changes, and the feeling that the medical system has not helped her. Laurie came to this work as a patient. She struggled with an eating disorder, anxiety, and depression through her teens and college years, and in 1996 an outpatient clinic in Mill Valley, California found she had celiac disease and brought amino acids into her care. That experience became the foundation of her practice. - - - - - Social Handles: Website: https://lauriehammer.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2yYNVnRQtakHbIjTK8nQVJ?si=098488ef160649a2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/take-back-my-brain/id1684847484 - - - - - Total Body Diagnostics Website: https://www.tbdfit.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbdfit/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TotalBodyDiagnostics YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TotalBodyDiagnostics Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/alishasumpter/discoverycall MUSIC CREDITS Captured in Time - Instrumental version created by feinsmecker Artlist Song License Certificate: Link - - - - - This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/channel-growth/