What is your suggestion for anxiety attack ? I know that she will have anxiety attack all life long she is diagnostic… is there something i can give her to calm her down and reduce her anxiety ? like tyrosine or glycine or something else ? I dont know if you work with client who are anxious.
well thank you and have a good day !
( people who read this blog and think they can help are free to answer ) 
any help could be nice
Hey Bigmax,
I’m not CT, but I’ve studied his nutrition and supplementation course and suffer from anxiety as well. Therefore I feel a strong need to give you some good advice based on what I’ve learned from him as well as from other sources and from personal experience.
Disclaimer: most of the nutritional and supplementational advice I give here is based on CT’s knowledge and experience on balancing neurotransmitters for optimal performance. In no way is this medical advice and I’m sure he wishes for it not to be interpretated as such. I just find that it helped me a lot in my struggle against anxiety and achieving a great physique due to elevated stress levels. If you want to learn more, I strongly recommend you do the nutrition and supplementation course. It’s an absolute treasure of life changing information if you apply it correctly.
Recommendations:
A) Completely avoid stimulants. Don’t give her tyrosine or any substance/precursor that increases the production of dopamine (dopamine, adrenaline and glutamate are excitatory neurotransmitters). This will only make matters worse. Anxious people naturally convert a lot of dopamine into adrenaline (tyrosine → L-dopa → dopamine → noradrenaline → adrenaline).
In addition, when you’re feeling anxious, your body increases the production of cortisol to mobilize energy (this is an old protective mechanism which dates back from when we were cavemen. Back then cortisol was needed to react to a treat = fight or flight mode). Sadly the production of cortisol always works hand in hand with adrenaline. If you increase cortisol, adrenaline goes up too. So there’s less dopamine and more adrenaline which amps you up even more and makes you feel like shit because high adrenaline depletes dopamine and serotonin.
If she drinks coffee, make her switch to decaf (tastes pretty much the same as normal coffee) and use green tea to give her that focus/drive that she normally gets from coffee. Green tea has caffeine in it but also L-theanine. L-theanine balances excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters which basically means you still get some benefits from caffeine without getting the jitters or becoming overstimulated.
B) Focus all your attention on increasing the production of serotonin and GABA. People who suffer from anxiety have very low amounts of inhibitory neurotransmitters. Their general function is to decrease neuronal activity. Anxiety is the result of neurons firing too fast due to overexcitation of the nervous system (adrenalin and glutamate are the main culprit), which gives you that feeling of losing control of your own thoughts. A panick attack occurs at the peak of overexcitation. To prevent this from happening, focus on resources that increase the amount of inhibitory neurotransmitters and decrease the conversion of dopamine to adrenaline.
increase meal frequency (3 bigger meals, 3 to 5 snacks) and include carbs with every meal. This will decrease the production of cortisol because the frequent carbs feedings will keep blood sugar stable (I’m assuming you’re aware of good carb cources). Therefore, there’s less need for cortisol. Remember, cortisol’s main function is to mobilize energy and keep blood sugar levels stable.
Carbs should be at least 50% of dietary intake to ensure ample amounts of serotonin. Eat gluten free grains and low fiber fruits with a source of protein to decrease the glycemic response.
Use a moderate protein intake (20-30%) and choose sources which are high in tryptophan (turkey, sardine, salmon, mackerel, eggs). The presence of carbs in the meal will favor the absorption of tryptophan (precursor of serotonin) over tyrosine.
Choose healthy fats (15-20%) that are rich in flavonoids, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants: dark chocolate (minimum 70%), nuts, avocadoes, olive oil, coconut oil are excellent sources.
Focus on fruits for snacks, they are great sources of vitamins, minerals, fytonutrients and they hydrate the body on a cellular level which helps support detoxification and gut health (almost all serotonin production takes place in the gut) and increases proper physiological/cognitive functions. Eat blueberries every day, they have a shit ton of antioxidants which are super important if you suffer from a lot of stress. Stress produces loads of free radicals which can damage cells. Antioxidants neutralize them. Choose wild blueberries if you can, they have a lot more antioxidants in them (the darker the flesh on the inside of the fruit, the better).
5HTP and L-tryptophan (optional but not necessary if you’re getting enough from the diet): they are serotonin precursors.
EPA/DHA from omega 3’s: decrease cell membrane rigidity of neurotransmitter receptors and have great anti-inflammatory properties.
Glycine. Glycine is amazing unless you have high glutamate levels. This is one she needs to experiment with. Let her take 3-5 grams of only glycine on an empty stomach and evaluate how she feels after 30 minutes. If there’s no difference or she feels even worse, then avoid it. If it calms her down, definitely use it. Glycine decreases cortisol, increases circulating serotonine and increases mTor activation (which is a nice bonus to help counter muscle loss due to excessive stress).
B-complex: taking a B complex supplement is something I would recommend to everyone who is under a lot of stress or has a shitty diet. B vitamins are super important for proper energy metabolism and neurotransmitter production (especially B6, B9 and B12 for serotonin, GABA and dopamine). Highly stressful situations deplete B vitamins really fast. Pick a reliable source of B vitamins that only gives you the ingredients you need and doesn’t contain a lot of useless crap. They are usually fairly cheap and good insurance.
Consume fermented foods and drinks like kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut. They are rich in probiotics and will increase the production of GABA due to increased activity of GABA producing gut bacteria. Gut flora have a tremendous impact on your physical and mental health.
Eat foods rich in flavonoids, they increase the sensitivity of the GABA receptors. Examples are apples, pears, berries, cacao, chamomille, green tea.
Eat foods rich in taurine and vit B6. They promote GABA release and production.
Lemon balm: increases the lifespan of GABA and increases receptor sensitivity
Taurine: promotes GABA release and production
Magnolia bark: balances glutamate to GABA ratio, increases GABA levels. GABA is made from glutamate so high levels of glutamate comes with low GABA levels.
Vit B6 (P5P form): cofactor for conversion of glutamate to GABA
C) Vit C, Zinc (ionic form or amino acid chelate) and Magnesium (glycinate or taurate) are key! More stress and anxiety suppresses the immune system. First, decrease cortisol by increasing meal frequency and have some carbs with every meal. Second, take magnesium (250-500 mg 3-4 times per day for 3 weeks, after that you can decrease to 2 times per day) to dislocate adrenaline from the adrenergic receptors (you’ve now decreased both cortisol and adrenaline). Third, eat enough fruits and veggies to get a boatload of vit C and take a zinc supplement. Both will provide adequate support for an already weakened immune system. Ashwagandha is a gentle addition to balance out neurotransmitter levels of dopamine, adrenaline and serotonin.
D) Use internal (deep breathing) and external (warm bath enriched with magnesium salts, massaging tools, welness tools like a shakti mat) tools to increase blood circulation, relaxation and support deep sleep. Go for a lot of walks in green environments, spend more time outside and get some sun, engage in some yoga if that doesn’t sound boring or time consuming. Basically engage in activities that support a healthy circadian rhythm, relaxation and good, quality sleep. There’s no substitute for good sleep to recover from stress. That’s one thing every responsible coach agrees on 
E) Seek professional guidance from a therapist with a neurobiological background. Please keep in mind that controlling anxiety can’t be fixed with nutrition and supplementation alone. That would be oversimplifying things. It will increase her buffering capacities against stress by offering support and balancing out neurotransmitters though.
However, the root cause is often something going on in the (subconcious) mind. Anxiety is mostly stimulated by negative, unrealistic thought patterns that trigger a stress response each time they come up. I would strongly suggest that she finds out what those thoughts are and talk about it with a professional. There’s absolutely no shame in that. In the long run, dealing with the problem at its core and learning mental techniques will yield much greater results at improving anxiety than any form of nutrition or supplement can ever provide.
I wish her the best of luck and let her know that she is not alone in this. Things will get better.
Since she is already diagnosed, I guess that she is already having medical treatment and counseling about how to deal with it. That´s the base of the treatment and being consistent with it
Aside that what things can someone do to help people with that? Paying attention to not so obvious things, as caffeine, that can increase nervous system excitement to avoid them.
Magnesium is lacking in lots of people all over the world, and it has the benefits of having natural “relaxing” properties. You coud also read about tryptophan an it’s properties, specially at night to have a good and smooth sleep.
Of course that gycine is also a good option regarding aminoacids that have such relaxing properties. A good way to mix them would be by consuming magnesium in the form of Magnesium Bisglycinate
Weight training is a great exercise choice and mixed with swimming and sauna could be awesome; but all kinds of interventions must be evaluated according with the person’s reaction to them in order to take only what is good for them.
A movement therapy like Feldenkrais can also be of great help
I thought my answer was long…then I read yours! LOL
Nice and very thorough answer.
Good work 
Weed… No seriously, mediation zazen, breathing, learn about how yo breathe but i really think mediation zazen can help her.
Anxiety attack about what exactly ? Give some example. Yoga but not fucking marketing yoga new age… So is difficult to find something serious.
Ask her to read krishnamurti, that can also really help, she need to find the roots of this anxiety because it is only (1) who create all of the other anxiety, in english is not so easy for me to explain.
She feel good when everything is under control right ?
Which sports she is doing ?
wow ! great answer and i appreciate it.
I dont want to be indiscreet but did you already do a depression ?
I think its a mix of Old problems that came back and she need to put a X on them and anxiety. She told me that her anxiety is control and due to the futur. and depression is the past ? ( after read her your message )
Is there a way to take her out from the depression or just calm the symptoms of it ?
This morning, she told me ; I got nothing in my head, i feel good but it make me anxious to have nothing in my head and just feel soft…
she dont do any sport for now ( covid ) i try to bring her take a walk outside and train sometimes but its hard…
She took off her IUD ( contraceptive for women ) and everything start to happen. She already did a depression and she decide to run away and now she is confront a the samething. ( is it the lack of hormone that bring her back there ) i dont know… its hard at home now
I come back to u very soon
When i had fifteen i was thinking about stopping my life and it was a hard time, didn’t eat, only stay in the bed, i just waiting and that dispear “like that”
after that i never feel something like that anymore, i just have some addiction now, so i will not to be the best for help, iam not a “doctor” but maybe u will be able to take some advice from me.
I will have a “scientific” approach, first alimentation and so on, all of the things physical and after or in the same time the mind.
Eat well and good, no industry product reduce or stop gluten, test blood vitamine and so on, eat vegetables fruits ect.
After the IUD is a routine medicament for don’t have baby when u have sex or it is a strong one for “stop baby” if is a routine medicament she can stop to take that yes ?
I guess that peoples who need control will be very anxious, it depend the degree of the control that they want, more u want control, more that can play, how old are she ?
She need to let’s go, to accept to not control everything in this life, to accept pain and joy " non agir " Wu wei - Wikipedia
Hard to explain she need to understand that inside herself not only by the intellect.
She need to try a sport that she like, run, swimming that will help also for sure.
It is good that u support her really, but don’t be bad for that, do only what u can do, and love.
She are busy in life, she work ?
What mean samething ?
You try to find peaceful, dont stress urself because she feel bad, if u want to help u need also to find your space, and disconnect, even one hours by day.
It’s fine mate I don’t mind. I don’t have clinical depression but I do have bouts of depression like symptoms from time to time. To me it’s an inevitable consequence of prolonged periods of anxiety issues. Anxiety increases adrenaline and decreases dopamine. Serotonin needs to take the hit every time adrenalin goes up. The problem is that the body wants to keep dopamine and serotonin balanced. If serotonin goes down, more dopamin gets converted to adrenaline to achieve balance. See the problem? Luckily, the reverse is also true. If serotonin goes up, less dopamine gets converted to adrenalin (see point nr. 1 below).
Yes, I can definitely sympathize with her on the control issues and worries about her future. This is your brain playing tricks on you. It knows what your insecurities are and will act on it by displaying all kinds of negative thoughts and doom scenario’s in your head to avoid certain situations or people. The reason your brain does this is to protect you from harm because you (sub)conciously perceive these situations or people as a possible threat.
That’s also why anxiety increases the need for control because control gives you a grip on your life and makes you feel secure. Whenever you’re in a situation that you cannot control, your internal alarm system goes off and you get in that all too familiar “fight or flight mode”. If this starts to happen frequently in certain environments, you need to realize you have an anxiety issue and start looking for patterns. Think about what those stressors are for you. Once you’re aware of them, you can start dealing with them.
The good news is there’s a solution for everything. She can get her old life back if she knows how to properly handle anxiety and depression:
Follow the nutritional and supplementational guidelines I gave you. For the supplements I’d advise her to check with her physician first because I don’t know if she takes other supplements or medication. She needs to check that out first. Don’t use stimulants, focus on increasing serotonin and GABA levels (raise serotonin levels first, then GABA) through proper nutrition. Don’t go overboard with supplementation. If she has it bad, go with 5HTP and B6 (P5P) for a couple of weeks. These will help bring serotonin levels back up quickly. Take one of each post-workout and prebed. Also take magnesium bisglycinate 3-4 times a day (morning, noon, post-workout, prebed). Eat carbs pre- and post-workout to avoid excessive cortisol release.
If she’s feeling really anxious at the moment, don’t engage in strength training. Focus on low intensity movement like walking, cycling and reintroduce training when she starts to feel a bit more stable. Don’t go all out from the start though. Decrease training volume by 40-50% of what she normally does, do 3-4 workouts per week lasting no longer than 60 minutes, increase rest intervals and stay away from intensity techniques.
Balance out all the stressors (mental and physical stress) with relaxation techniques. Do some yoga, do activities with a high fun factor, laugh often, have great conversations, offer emotional support when needed, take a hot bath, get a massage, learn deep diafragmatic breathing (stig severinsen’s breathology is a great source to learn proper breathing techniques), do mindfulness meditation (there are numerous studies showing that meditation, when performed correctly, drastically increases dopamine, serotonin and gaba levels. Here’s a study from a reliable source: Meditation and Yoga can Modulate Brain Mechanisms that affect Behavior and Anxiety-A Modern Scientific Perspective - PMC.
Practice on recognizing toxic patterns whenever they come up and try to put them into perspective. Like for example “is this situation really that important for me to be so worried about?” Realizing the gravity of a situation from an objective point of view can be very empowering. She needs to learn to accept what she can control (her reaction) and what she can’t control (what people do/say and spontaneous events/situations). If she can be at peace with this, her anxiety will slowly start to subside.
This point is probably the most important one. Talk with a professional who’s familiar on the subject. Don’t just pick any random therapist or psychiatrist. Look for someone with a profile description that matches her problems. Someone who has a background in neuropsychology and neurobiology would be a great place to start. Make sure she has a great connection with the person of her choice so she won’t hold back in the conversation and talk openly about her situation. This gives the professional an analysis that is much more accurate.
All these things will help with decreasing anxiety, depression and bring her hormones back to normal.
She is 22, hard time with her family and mom, she treat her like shit, her ex was violent and all those kind of think. She had hard time in school with people etc. The kind of shit that nobody want ‘’ to be rejected ‘’. The IUD is to dont have a baby. She had the plan to travel and dont come back anymore but one day we met and we fall in love so everything was fine and then the old ‘‘demons’’ came back.
i talked to her that she need to be positive, she need to have a good mindset, she has to move and do something for her and not staying in front of the TV all night long and do some what i call ‘’ death time ‘’. But she say that looking at her think on netflix is the only way to make her feel good so… I told her that she need to wake up before work and take time for her like she was doing before. I just try to help her but yesterday she told me : i feel stress and anxious when you are here ? i told her why ?? she said : you tell me to be positive and have a good mindset so i try to be like that when you are there but i fell a preassure… im like OMG i just try to help… if you want to cry, just cry and dont feel bad because i told you to be positive.
but she have her first call with the Psychologist next week ! it will help me but it will be hard for her
She young bro… … Careful for yourself also, lets take breath, u live in your appartment alone ? If she need advice or help, lets her come to u and stop to fuck ur mind, she need to read and learn, if she stay always in the tv for sure that will not help but if she need “sleep mode life” lets her do what she want, u are not super man bro
I think she have some problem with herself and she think to much, in this age for a lot of young is the period to be fuckup, whatever u will say, just say it one time, after it is not in your power
yep exactly man, she is young, and she steal my good mood. I am a guy who is soft, funny and i dont give a shit about anything. I got the control, i decided to get the control and i want to help her out to have the control of her life. But like you said im not superman. She live with me, everything was fine and then she change her contraception and everything happen. I still want to be with her because she is a really great person and she got everything for her but she dont have any resource. I told her the psycologist will help you but YOU HAVE THE FLAG
And that what i told her, ok i wont tell you anymore to be positive and to have a good mindset. Listen to the TV all night long and think everything will change like this…
Nobody can change someone if they don’t realize by themselves… Some problems in ur life only us we can resolve of course talk with a good friend is good and so on but after it is not in your power, u help some peoples ukl know and after a lot of time they forget or they fuck u it is my pessimistic view but find Harmony help and think also about your life.
If she is ok for read i can give u some book who help to understand myself and life, not magic book but that help to think more deeply, to leave the Occident mind black or white, 0 or 1 to have different angle and view of life
How old are u ? She is not student? And u?
I am 25, we both have study and work with good job now.
She realize her problems, she know that she have problems and she is ready to turn the page on them. But thats what i told her, yes they are professionnal to help, but 75% of the work will be from you. YOU have to put the work. She told me that she is 100% ready to confront herself.
I feel like shes mad after me everyday for no reason. just because i told her to be positive. thats fucking stupid
Somethime when someone want help we can think that we are not good for the personn and so on, a lot of things will be strange in ur head and not logic but logic for them, dont talk about that, live ur life like before with her dont disturb with that your gf now, maybe she feel like ur pressure her, and that will not help, live normally now and just watch peaceful
If get that you’re frustrated because of this.
What you need to understand though is that she feels really stressed out, overwhelmed and demotivated. This is because of the low dopamine (no drive), high adrenaline (overwhelming feeling, anxious fight or flight behaviour) and low serotonin (no capacity to balance mood to various people and situations). She feels so unstable that she lashes out at you even if you mean well. Watching tv is her way of coping with stress at the moment because there’s no responsibility or rejection in that.
You on the other hand try to motivate her to get up and get moving. Act on your problems which is definitely the right way to think but to her it is overwhelming right now. That’s probably why she feels more anxious around you at the moment because you’re pushing her to act on something she doesn’t feel capable of handling alone. She doesn’t want to disappoint you out of fear of rejection. But she doesn’t feel like she can act on it either. I’m assuming that’s the pressure she’s feeling.
Don’t take it personal mate, just try to be supportive and understanding. Wait it out and see how the talk goes. Take it from there.