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                       S M A R T   D R U G   N E W S
       THE NEWSLETTER OF THE COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT RESEARCH INSTITUTE
                         Vol 1, No 8, October 1992
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            Transcribed to te electronic media by Swedish Infomania
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                              Lifestyle Update
                    Survival Guide to the Holiday Season
                            by Steven Wm. Fowkes

        The holiday season is known for bringing people together. But some
people experience deep psychological stress as a result of holiday
activities. Holiday stress can drive people to drink too much, eat too
much, eat the wrong foods, keep unusual hours, stifle feelings, alter their
routines, and generally fail to take care of themselves. Understanding some
of the pitfalls of the holiday experience can lead to effective defense
strategies.

Eating Strategies

        Many people overeat during the holiday season. Let's face it, food
is a major focus of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Everybody
brings it, cooks it, and is expected to eat it. It is often considered rude
to not partake of the repast, to eat only small portions, or to avoid
eating a dish a family member or friend of the family has prepared.
        Some people can avoid overeating by portion control - after all, a
single spoonful of every dish is only two platefuls. Other people use the
shrunken-stomach method, starving themselves for 24 hours prior to the
meal. Still others use the I'm-saving-room- for-dessert strategy. But when
dessert rolls around, they have an obligation to try a bite of everything.
After the meal, it's time for a nap (or a coma), or strong coffee or a
cigarette (or both).

Controlling Appetite

        Appetite can be suppressed by eating a high-protein food snack an
hour or two before the main meal, taking appetite suppressants like
L-phenylalanine (an amino acid) or phenylpropanolamine (an over-the-counter
drug), and by maintaining bloodsugar (and insulin) stability. For some
people, DL-phenylalanine (DLPA) is an effective appetite suppressant when
used sublingually (under the tongue) just minutes before eating.
        Maintaining blood sugar stability is especially tricky with the
prevalence of sweets and alcoholic beverages during the holiday season.
Chocolate, cookies, candy, pumpkin pie, fruit cake, eggnog, brandy, mulled
wine, and other "treats" cause rapid rise of blood sugar, rapid insulin
secretion, and rapid fall of blood sugar. This can increase cravings for
further sweets.
        Alcohol also stimulates the liver to convert stored sugar
(glycogen) into blood sugar (glucose). Alcohol-induced blood-sugar
increases may be a source of alcohol cravings in alcoholics. (This
phenomenon may also be a reason for the prevalence of sweets at AA
meetings.)

Alcohol Defense Strategies

        Alcohol is metabolized by the liver in a two-step process (see
margin illustration on page 2). Alcohol (ethanol) is first metabolized into
acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is then metabolized into acetate, commonly
called acetic acid (or vinegar).
        Unfortunately, a certain amount of acetaldehyde escapes hepatic
metabolism and enters general circulation. Acetaldehyde is a potent nerve
irritant and neurotoxin which causes a chemical process called
crosslinking.
        The body's natural defense mechanism against acetaldehyde (and
other aldehydes) is cysteine (an amino acid) and glutathione (a small
cysteine-containing peptide). These vital molecules contain a sulfhydryl
group (SH) which is chemically active against aldehydes.
        Sulfur compounds can also exist in other forms which aren't
necessarily active. In methionine, for example, the sulfur is blocked by a
methyl group. Oxidized sulfur compounds (called disulfides) are also
inactive against aldehydes. Cystine, the oxidized form of cysteine,
contains one disulfide group. Cystine can be reduced back to cysteine by
vitamin C. Large supplemental doses of vitamin C maintain the sulfur pool in
its reduced sulfhydryl form. This optimizes aldehyde-scavenging conditions
in the body.
        Sulfhydryl compounds are so effective at detoxifying aldehydes
that, in a rat experiment, an LD-90 dose of acetaldehyde (the amount that
will normally kill 90% of the animals) did not kill any of the
cysteinepretreated rodents.
        This natural defense mechanism can be enhanced with a simple
supplementary formula consisting of 200-500 mg of L-cysteine (with 3 or
more times as much vitamin C) as an alcohol detoxification remedy, to be
taken before drinking alcoholic beverages, and after. For heavy drinkers
and for long-term drinking (over many hours), between-drink doses are also
necessary. This formula has worked wonders in people who could only
tolerate small amounts of alcohol, or could not consume alcohol on
successive days. A high-potency B-complex vitamin, which includes the
sulfur-containing vitamin thiamine (vitamin B1) is also quite helpful.

Alkaline Stress

        The natural ebb and flow of metabolism manifests in a circadian
(daily) acid and alkaline swing in urine pH. The dominance of
acid-generating metabolism promotes maximum energy utilization and mental
alertness for daytime activities. The dominance of alkaline metabolism
optimizes for cellular repair and sleep. During the alkaline phase of
metabolism, cognitive performance is at low ebb.
        During eating, especially with large meals, the stomach becomes
more acidic as hydrochloric acid is secreted to digest the incoming meal.
This causes a corresponding alkalinization in the rest of the body. This
systemic alkalinization is often experienced as mental sluggishness or
sleepiness. This is one of the reasons why many people choose to drink
coffee or smoke cigarettes just after eating a meal. The short-term
acidification from the stimulation of caffeine and nicotine serves as an
antidote to the alkaline tide of digestion.
        Different foods, activities and environmental influences serve to
modify the balance between acidic and alkaline metabolic reactions.
Protein-rich and fatty foods like meat, fish, hard cheeses, grains and nuts
provide a surfeit of acidic nutrients, and carbohydrate-rich foods like
vegetables, beans and fruits are alkalinizing. There are a few exceptions,
like milk and soft-boiled eggs, which are alkalinizing, and tomatoes and
cranberries, which are acidifying.
        Nutrients also selectively influence metabolic balance. Vitamins B6
and B12 are acidifying, and the other B vitamins are alkalinizing. Of the
fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins A and D are acidifying, and vitamins E and K
are alkalinizing. Of the minerals, calcium, magnesium, copper, selenium,
and manganese are acidifying, while sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, and
chromium are alkalinizing. Even drugs can have powerful selective influence
on metabolism. Antibiotics and antifingals are acidifying, while aspirin
and opiates are alkalinizing.

The pH Boomerang

        The metabolic influence of some substances is not so
straightforward. Refined sugars, ice cream, coffee (caffeine), chocolate
(caffeine and theobromine), alcohol, and recreational drugs have an
initial, shortterm acidifying effect which later becomes potently
alkalinizing.
        The initial acidification from these "stimulating" substances
provides a mental lift. Concentration and attention immediately improve.
But this gratification is shortlived and a profoundly alkaline momentum
becomes dominant. This extreme alkalinization causes mental fuzziness, lack
of concentration, and sleepiness - and a need for further stimulation. This
metabolic boomerang can be a powerful force for addictive behavior.

Addiction, Depression and Chocolate

        In addition to the gratification of chocolate's short-term
acidification, chocolate also has been reported to contain phenethylamine
(PEA), a metabolite of the catecholamine neurotransmitter norepinephrine,
or noradrenaline as it used to be called. Norepinephrine is the brain's
version of adrenaline, and PEA tends to be produced in highest amounts in
people who are "in love." Much of the depression resulting from falling out
of love may be due to PEA withdrawal. It is hypothesized that chocolate can
and does provide a partial substitute for being in love for many people.

Holiday Depression

        Depression can also result from seasonal influences. Seasonal
affective disorder (SAD) is a widespread problem that tends to occur
exelusively in the winter months when the days are shortest. Phototherapy
has been used successfully to treat it, and increased pineal activity may
be the therapeutic influence. Melatonin may be even more effective.
        The winter is also the time of greatest incidence of suicide.
Whether such actions are the result of holiday dietary stress, SAD, holiday
emotional stress, or combinations of all, is not fully known. The general
medical treatments for depression involve stimulation of the brain
neurotransmitters, like serotonin (made from the amino acid L-tryptophan),
norepinephrine (made from phenylalanine and tyrosine) and dopamine (made
from phenylalanine, tyrosine and L-dopa). Correcting neurotransmitter
deficiencies prior to the holiday season should make one more resistant to
the depressing influences of holiday stresses.

Food Choices and Allergies

        Acidic stimulation can also be provided by allergic reactions to
chemicals found in foods. The allergic reaction involves an immune response
mediated by tissue hormones called prostaglandins. These prostaglandins
directly counteract alkalinity. The acidification resulting from food
allergies, causes the same mental stimulation that is produced from drugs
like caffeine, nicotine and theobromine. This accounts for the observation
that our favorite foods tend to be the ones we're allergic to.

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