l-Tryptophan

The essential amino acid l-tryptophan is a serotonin precursor. Research indicates that l- tryptophan supplementation may support emotional well-being and restful sleep. In a double blind placebo-controlled study, l-tryptophan supported healthy emotional processing and promoted positive outlook in women. In a separate study, it supported healthy mood and lessened occasional irritability during the menstrual cycle. l- Tryptophan also supports healthy sleep quality, onset and duration. Additional research suggests that tryptophan may promote relaxation and help control occasional cravings. Niacinamide and vitamin B₆ provide enhanced support as important cofactors involved in the metabolism of l-tryptophan.

l-Tryptophan promotes serotonin synthesis to support emotional health and restful sleep.

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Supplement Facts

each vegetable capsule contains:
niacinamide	5 mg.
pyridoxal 5' phosphate	5 mg.
(activated B6)
Tryptopure™ l-tryptophan	500 mg.

Not to be taken by pregnant or lactating women.

Do not use concurrently with SSRI medications or MAO inhibitors.
 
2–6 capsules per day, in divided doses, between meals.

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Depke Wellness Understanding Sleep Patterns

Who's Not Sleeping Well?

by Glen Depke

Sleep is one of the simple fundamentals of health that is so dearly missed by so many. The interesting fact though is that many feel that there sleep is fine, yet it is still moderately to severely dysfunctional. 

Let's start by defining optimal sleep.

• Getting to be by around 10:00PM (Maybe earlier in the winter and perhaps a bit later in the summer)
• Waking around 6:00AM (Maybe earlier in the summer and later in the winter)
• Sleeping soundly through the night 
• Waking no more than once but easily falling back to sleep
• Upon waking you bounce out of bed ready to rock and roll for your day

So if you are not achieving this, there are some challenges with sleep. Understand that proper sleep has a direct affect on the whole of your being. During sleep your body does most of its maintenance and repair. Without this your body deteriorates rather quickly which leads to the pain and suffering of disease states. After all a deficiency in sleep leads to accelerated aging, lowered immune function, increased pain, lowered metabolism and increased chance of cancer and brain challenges.

Let's learn about the two greatest dysfunctions with sleep based on my years of working with thousands of clients. These are challenges with adrenal function and what I call the sleep cycle.

We can first look at the most significant challenge which is poor adrenal function. I say this is the most significant because I have reviewed some 3,800 adrenal test kits in my career and have only seen 4 come back healthy and balanced at the onset of care. Understand that you produce the hormone cortisol in your adrenal glands. Now cortisol is not a bad guy though, it is needed for health function on every level in your body but this does not work well if it is too high or too low.

So what does this have to do with sleep?

Well melatonin, which is another hormone produced in your body, has a very intimate relationship with cortisol. In fact, when your Circadian rhythm is in balance, your cortisol and melatonin will be exact opposites of each other. When cortisol is up, melatonin is down and when cortisol is down, melatonin is up. So when adrenal function is poor and cortisol is "all over the place" this will affect melatonin, thus affecting your sleep cycle. 

I actually see this all the time in my practice but thankfully for this particular challenge, addressing the adrenal challenges more often than not, takes care of the sleep cycles.

If poor sleep cycles are an issue with you, I would recommend testing your adrenal function with a comprehensive adrenal saliva kit, which looks at adrenal function but also reviews melatonin levels. I always recommend a comprehensive adrenal saliva test kit whenever a client has a health issue and sleep cycle challenges. 

The close runner up in the cause of poor sleep cycles is a breakdown in what I refer to as your proper sleep sequencing. The list of proper sleep sequencing is list below for you:

• Proper protein consumption
• Proper digestion
• Conversion of protein consumption to uptake of an amino acid l-Tryptophan
• Conversion of l-Typtophan to 5-HTP
• Conversion of 5-HTP to  the neurotransmitter Serotonin
• Conversion of Serotonin to the hormone Melatonin 

Now I know that many practitioners actually recommend melatonin but I do not. I do not want to say that they do it wrong, I'll just say I do it different. Based on the flow listed above you can see that the melatonin is last in production, so if there is a deficiency in melatonin, it is generally much earlier in production. I would start first with addressing your diet and digestion. To assist with getting your nutritional choices right, assess your Nutritional ID. To aid in proper digestion, I always recommend the Depke Wellness Prime Digestive Support and the Prebiotic/Probiotic Formula. These can be found at the Depke Wellness Store.

For some that have severe sleep cycle sequencing deficiencies, there may be some further comprehensive supplementation such as the use of l-tryptophan, serotonin and aids to melatonin but I save these recommendations for one on one consultations with my clients.

A recommendation that I can make is to work on improving your nutrition, improving your digestion and possibly adding a l-tryptophan supplement. This works well for most and could very well be what you need.

I want to be clear though, this this is all for naught if your adrenals are dysfunction and the reason I always look at adrenal function first.

Let's also look at look at a few sleep myths today:

• You can make up for lost sleep by sleeping more another day
• Senior citizens need less sleep
• The use of drugs provides optimal sleep
• It does not matter the time you go to bed, as long as you get 8 hours of sleep

These are the four main sleep myths that I hear with consistency and they are just that...myths.

One last point to make is tied into sleep drugs that so many individuals in our culture use on a regular basis. While these drugs may assist with hours slept, they do not produce a deep restorative sleep and some of these drugs may actually cause muscle aches and pains, depression, fatigue and brain fog. 

If you have any comments or questions with this article, please leave this below for me to address personally.

Complimentary Assessments

Addressing Autoimmunity

by Glen Depke

It is estimated that at least 50 million Americans are living with an autoimmune condition and honestly, many do not even realize this.

I want to first share how I differentiate and autoimmune condition and an autoimmune disease. I would suggest that an autoimmune reaction would be recognized as antibodies recognized in your body that may or may not be creating symptoms for you. The full blown autoimmune disease would include the recognition of tissue destruction. 

Yes, this is when your body is literally destroying itself.

Unfortunately, conventionally speaking autoimmunity is not recognized until you are in the full blown tissue destruction. This would be like waiting to fix worn brakes on your car until you run into somebody. 

Sounds silly, doesn't it?

It is always a good idea to catch an autoimmune challenge early because with the correct lifestyle modifications and the correct supplementation, you can find your balance and reestablish healthy immunity. If you wait until there is full blown tissue destruction, this becomes much more difficult but there is still hope.


Let's first start by addressing the more significant core challenges that creates autoimmune issues. These would be:

• Nutrition (Inflammatory foods)
• Chronic stress
• Infection 
• Inflammation

A good place to start to potentially assist in all of these areas is with nutrition. Last week I shared a list of potential inflammatory foods but this week I also want to share allowable foods along with this list. This is listed at the end of this article.

From a supplement perspective there are two nutrients that I always start with when a client has immune system imbalances. These two supplements are liquid vitamin D3 and glutathione. 

Vitamin D3, which is actually a steroid hormone, is essential for proper immune function. Normal ranges of vitamin D when review blood work would be 50 - 70, yet therapeutic ranges are from 70 - 100. 

The other supplement glutathione, is an antioxidant that is produced in your body. Well, at least it should be. Unfortunately, this production is generally severely depleted for those with chronic health challenges. The challenging factor with glutathione is the fact that it is very poorly absorbed as a supplement. This is why I always suggest a vascular cream of glutathione that is absorbed through your skin. If you wanted more information on this vascular cream of glutathione, you would have to call my office direct at 949.954.6226.

This combination above is used to allow your body to regulate immune system function properly. From here it would be important to further balance your TH1 and TH2 aspects of your immune system. I will discuss this further in my upcoming webinar "Autoimmunity at the Core" coming up soon.

Allowable Foods

Most Organic Vegetables: including anise, artichoke, asparagus, beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, cucumbers, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, radishes, rhubarb, shallots, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, water chestnuts, watercress, yams, zucchini. 

Fermented Foods: including kimchi, kombucha tea, pickled ginger, sauerkraut, unsweetened coconut yogurt. 

Meats: including beef, chicken, fish, lamb, turkey.  Fish should be ocean caught with low mercury content.  Swordfish, most tuna, and king mackerel are very high in mercury.  Select hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken, turkey and lamb.  Select beef that is grass fed, hormone free, and antibiotic free. 

Low Glycemic Organic Fruits: including apples, apricots, avocados, berries, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums.

Coconut: including coconut butter, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut flakes, unsweetened coconut yogurt.   

Noodles: brown shirataki yam noodles (sold in Asian grocery stores). 

Herbs and Spices: including basil, black pepper, cilantro, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sea salt, thyme.

Other: apple cider vinegar, herbal teas, olive oil, olives. 

 Avoidance Foods

Sugars: including agave, candy, chocolate, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose. 

High Glycemic Fruits: including bananas, canned fruits, dried fruits, mango, pineapple, raisins, watermelon.

Grains: including amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, couscous, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, wheat, wheat germ.

Nuts and Seeds: including almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.

Gluten-Containing Compounds: including barbecue sauce, binders, bouillon, brewer’s yeast, cold cuts, condiments, emulsifiers, fillers, chewing gum, hot dogs, hydrolyzed plant and vegetable protein, ketchup, soy sauce, lunch meats, malt and malt flavoring, malt vinegar, matzo, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, nondairy creamer, processed salad dressings, seitan, some spice mixtures, stabilizers, teriyaki sauce, textured vegetable protein.

Dairy Products and Eggs: including butter, cheeses, cow milk, creams, frozen desserts, goat milk, margarine, mayonnaise, sheep milk, whey, yogurt (except coconut). 

Soy: including edamame, miso, soy milk, soy protein, soy sauce, tempeh, tofu.

Fungi: edible fungi and mushroom.

Alcohol: all alcohol.

Beans and Legumes: including black beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, soybeans.

Nightshade Foods: including eggplant, paprika, peppers, potatoes, Tabasco sauce, tomatillos, tomatoes.

Other: canned foods, coffee, processed foods. 

For those with autoimmune reactions or disease, it is recommended to only consume allowable foods unless you have completed a cross reactive food testing to confirm specific inflammatory foods for you.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, please leave a post below and I will address this personally.

Your Thyroid Needs Your Gut

by Glen Depke

You've all heard me once if not a thousand times, your gut plays such a significant role in your overall health and wellness but most do not understand the impact the gut has on your overall thyroid function. 

So here we go...

Gut challenges are one of the most overlooked symptoms in our culture today. We think it is normal to walk around bloated, gassy, constipated, and uncomfortable. It seems normal because everyone else we know is living with this on some level.

Trust me, it is not normal.

So how does this tie into your thyroid function?

Understand first that the lining of your gut is a very important immune barrier. If this barrier is not healthy, this is one of the most significant factors in autoimmunity and autoimmunity is one of the biggest core factors in thyroid challenges. We discussed this a few weeks ago in the article "Gluten and Autoimmunity."

Also remember from another recent article on the thyroid "Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!" we discussed the fact that 20% of your T4 is converted to T3 in your gut due to healthy gut flora.

You guessed it, this does not occur with poor gut function.

Another common symptom of poor gut function is constipation. Let me first define constipation. This is anyone that does not have at least two healthy bowel movements per day. Yes, I said two. If you are one of those that feels that your colon is working well at one bowel movement per day, you've got another thing coming.

Among other challenges if you are constipated, it makes life much more difficult hormonally speaking. Slow colon release hinders the release of unused hormones and leads to an accumulation of estrogen, which decreases thyroid function.

So what do you do to improve the intimate connection between your gut and thyroid?

First off, it is a good idea to always take a quality Prebiotic/Probiotic formula, Digestive Enzyme (Prime Digestive Support) and for many adding a Betaine HCL/Pepsin supplement. All three of these can be found at the Depke Wellness Store. This would assist with healthy bacteria, predigestion early in your stomach and proper breakdown later in your stomach prior to being released into the small intestines.

From here you want to focus on your nutritional choices. The typical favorite foods of many in our culture are also the leading causes of poor gut integrity such as sugar, ice cream, pasta, bread, corn products, alcohol and pasteurized dairy products. Below is a list of all potentially inflammatory foods to review. Basically anything that leads to inflammation in your gut leads to hormonal imbalance. 

This of course effect your thyroid function. 

Sugars: including agave, candy, chocolate, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose. 

High Glycemic Fruits: including bananas, canned fruits, dried fruits, mango, pineapple, raisins, watermelon.

Grains: including amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, couscous, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, wheat, wheat germ.

Nuts and Seeds: including almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.

Gluten-Containing Compounds: including barbecue sauce, binders, bouillon, brewer’s yeast, cold cuts, condiments, emulsifiers, fillers, chewing gum, hot dogs, hydrolyzed plant and vegetable protein, ketchup, soy sauce, lunch meats, malt and malt flavoring, malt vinegar, matzo, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, nondairy creamer, processed salad dressings, seitan, some spice mixtures, stabilizers, teriyaki sauce, textured vegetable protein.

Dairy Products and Eggs: including butter, cheeses, cow milk, creams, frozen desserts, goat milk, margarine, mayonnaise, sheep milk, whey, yogurt (except coconut). 

Soy: including edamame, miso, soymilk, soy protein, soy sauce, tempeh, tofu.

Fungi: edible fungi and mushroom.

Alcohol: all alcohol.

Beans and Legumes: including black beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, soybeans.

Nightshade Foods: including eggplant, paprika, peppers, potatoes, Tabasco sauce, tomatillos, tomatoes.

Other: canned foods, coffee, processed foods. 

Remember, your thyroid needs your gut and in more ways than one.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to today's article, please leave this below for me to address personally.