My purpose in this video is to remind us to protect our mental health, our physical health and our relationships this election season.

We have a natural impulse to pay attention to danger. News networks and social media take advantage and profit from this instinct.

Here in the US, we are facing five months of what can be highly stressful. Some will have an increase in anxiety, depression, anger and addictive behaviors including news addiction and internet addiction.

If we care about lowering toxic exposures, lowering our stress response and thus inflammation, then these next five months offer a great opportunity. If we care about setting healthy boundaries between ourselves and the negative or self-serving energy of others, these next five months are a great time to strengthen our boundaries.

In this video, I discuss:

* What is happening in our body and brain when we engage with fear-inducing content.

* Media literacy to remind us what we easily forget when we’re under the influence of media that aims to get and keep our attention.

* How the echo chamber of news and social media is rewiring our brains, and reinforcing left brain tendencies.

* What we can do to lower our exposure and it’s impacts, and..

* How we can call in the right hemisphere while doing our part to better the world we’re actually living in.

If you’d like to add to the discussion, please….

Have a good week,

Courtney

To learn more about this and other factors contributing to brain symptoms or to receive these newsletters in your mailbox each week, visit www.CourtneySnyderMD.com

Related Content:

Left and Right Brain: Knowing When to Call in the Other Half

Undermethylation & Strengthening the Right Brain in a Left Brain World

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

In this “newsletter,” I go into more depth about pyrroles, which I discussed in the last free newsletter. Here I discuss:

* Data from the Walsh Research Institute on associated psychiatric conditions.

* My favorite theory on the, or at least one of the sources of pyrroles.

* The relationship between pyrroles, B6 and glutathione.

* Further information about testin…

In this video and podcast episode, 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. Here, I address:

* How pyrrole disorder relates to other “root causes.”

* What we know, what we don’t know, and why this topic is controversial.

* Causes.

* Zinc and B6 depletion and how these impact brain health.

* Brain and physical symptoms and traits.

* Treatment.

* How low-stress tolerance can impact one’s ability to pursue meaningful education, work, and relationships.

As always, I welcome your questions and comments.

Have a good week,

Courtney

To learn more about this and other factors contributing to brain symptoms or to receive these newsletters in your mailbox each week, visit www.CourtneySnyderMD.com

Related Resources

* Pyrrole Disorder Symptoms List

* Zinc & the Brain

https://courtneysnydermd.substack.com/p/zinc-and-the-brain

* Discerning the Mauve Factor, Part 1

* Discerning the Mauve Factor, Part 2

* RCCX Theory, Hypermobility, Mental Health & Complex Chronic Illness

https://courtneysnydermd.substack.com/p/hypermobility-rccx-theory-mental

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

In this video newsletter, I discuss why zinc is so important for the brain. I’ll address:

* Psychiatric conditions linked to low zinc.

* Three ways that zinc impacts neurotransmitter functioning.

* Zinc’s role as an antioxidant and its relationship to metallothioneins.

* The importance of zinc for immune regulation.

* The many ways zinc impacts the digestive tract.

* How we measure zinc (along with copper) and the limitations of typical lab ranges.

* Why optimizing zinc requires testing and monitoring.

Until next time,

Courtney

To learn more about this and other factors contributing to brain symptoms or to receive these newsletters in your mailbox each week, visit www.CourtneySnyderMD.com

Additional resources for those who’d like to take a deeper dive:

* Meet the NMDA Receptor (paid)

https://courtneysnydermd.substack.com/p/meet-the-nmda-receptor

* High Copper, Metallothionein, Mental Health & Cancer (paid)

https://courtneysnydermd.substack.com/p/high-copper-metallothioneins-mental

* Mast Cell Activation & Inflammation in Brain Conditions: How to Calm Things Down (free)

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com/blog/mast-cell-activation-inflammation-in-brain-disorders-how-to-calm-things-down

* Walsh Research Institute

https://www.walshinstitute.org/

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

In the last episode, I discussed narcissistic personality disorder - traits, seeming causes, prognosis, and course.  

In this episode, I’ll discuss:

* the more nuanced understanding of narcissism in our culture

* the experience of those hurt in narcissistic relationships, and

* tools for self-preservation and healing 

This topic is particularly important for those of us who are highly sensitive and more permeable to the energies of others. But anyone can be vulnerable to another's masterful self-serving behaviors. This could be in workplace settings, communities, friendships, and romantic relationships.

Unless we think like narcissists (which most of us don’t), it is difficult to imagine such self-serving motivations. That lack of imagination, however, can get us into trouble.

To receive the weekly Holistic Psychiatry Newsletter (text and audio) in your mailbox each week, visit:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com

or on Substack at:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.substack.com

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

-In this newsletter, I'll discuss:

--The Impact of Narcissistic Personality Disorder

--Terminology & Diagnostic Criteria

--Seeming Contributing Factors

--Brain Differences

--Prognosis & Course

To receive the weekly Holistic Psychiatry Newsletter (text and audio) in your mailbox each week, visit:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

Candida is the most common fungi in the microbiome. Several factors, including antibiotic exposure, can lead to its overgrowth and colonization in the gastrointestinal tract. Brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, depression, mood swings, insomnia, carbohydrate cravings, and gastrointestinal symptoms (especially constipation) are common symptoms. Children with candida overgrowth are often diagnosed with ADD.

In this episode, I will discuss 10 factors that can make it difficult to move beyond candida overgrowth, including:

* Low zinc

* Mold toxicity and metal toxicity

* High blood sugar

* Lack of movement and exercise

* High stress & catecholamines

* High cortisol

* High estrogen

* Poor gut motility

* Low digestive enzymes, stomach acid and bile acids

* Low beneficial bacteria

For the referenced previous podcast episode on candida:

Candida, Carb Craving & Brain Symptoms

https://courtneysnydermd.substack.com/p/candida-carb-craving-and-brain-related-fde

To receive the weekly Holistic Psychiatry Newsletter (text and audio) in your mailbox each week, visit:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com

or on Substack at:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.substack.com

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

Hypermobility - having one or more 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 may be. 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).

Hypermobility - a red flag for an RCCX vulnerability - does not have to be present for someone to be impacted by brain symptoms.

For a more detailed explanation of Dr. Meglathery’s work, as well as a list of associated conditions, visit RCCX Theory at: http://www.rccxandillness.com/

To receive the weekly Holistic Psychiatry Newsletter (text and audio) in your mailbox each week, visit:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com

or on Substack at:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.substack.com

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

Exercise has been found to be as effective as SSRIs and as effective as psychotherapy for depression.*

In this episode, I’ll discuss:

* The mood-enhancing chemicals we receive from our body and brain when we move and exercise. 

* The ways exercise improves our cognition and protects our brain as we age.

* The types of movement and exercise.

* Exercise Intolerance

* How we can mentally move beyond all-or-none thinking, avoid overdoing it and learn to meet our body where it's at.

* "The Effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression” https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.705559/full

To receive the weekly Holistic Psychiatry Newsletter (text and audio) in your mailbox each week, visit:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com

or on Substack at:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.substack.com

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 75% of people rank fear of public speaking as their number one fear.

In this episode, I discuss:

* The impacts of this common fear

* Surprising tools that can help decrease anxiety before and during a speaking event

* Ways to avoid and manage freeze if it happens 

* Medication and nutrient-based interventions that can be helpful if needed

To receive the weekly Holistic Psychiatry Newsletter (text and audio) in your mailbox each week, visit:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.com

or on Substack at:

https://www.courtneysnydermd.substack.com

Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.