Nutrition Questions and Answers
Vital Health Zone is proud to announce Lesa Rusher, who is our resident naturopathic expert and who is available to answer questions about nutrition and health.
Lesa Rusher is a qualified naturopath with a thriving business in Canberra, Australia and has a wealth of experience treating clients on a variety of health issues. Lesa Rusher's full credentials can be found in our experts area.
Lesa Rusher will answer your nutrition-related questions.
Q: I am interested in trying my 26yr old son on GABA.
He has a totally controlled epilepsy, on Tegretol, but has a tendency to early sleep 'startles', like a tendency to have a mild seizure.
What dose would you suggest for GABA and is it worth trying please?
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A:Taking a GABA amino acid supplement is not worth it, especially when your son is already on Tegretol.
Tegretol or Carbamazepine affect the GABA receptors in the brain, so taking more GABA, is still not going to get through. GABA may not even cross the blood- brain barrier.
The body actually synthesises its own GABA from glutamate using glutamic acid, another non-essential amino acid which occurs in proteins. Due to the fact that glutamic acid is "non-essential", the body actually recycles this amino acid. Therefore, it doesn't really matter if the diet is low in dietary protein as the body can create its own.
Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat medical conditions. Consult with your medical physician regarding appropriateness of using supplements in your healing process.
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