MAO-A, The Tree of Life!
(Please download and expand the MAO-A Tree image to view properly)
When a tree is not thriving, the closer the treatment is to the root of the tree, the quicker the tree responds by returning to good health. I once had an apricot tree that required far more attention than I knew how to give. I should've just chopped it down and used it for kindling, because it was so dry and brittle on the outside. But I hoped that by pruning it, I could bring it back to life. Many days and hours of work later, I had a tree that was a beautiful shape, and I waited for spring to bring green leaves and fruit. I was rewarded with some of each, but the trunk of the tree still looked like a good windstorm would snap it in half. My husband was convinced that if we started scattering the ashes from our fireplace around the base of the tree, it would make all the difference, and the tree would thrive once again, but that didn't help either. Next, I sprayed for insects, convinced that they were leaching the life out of the limbs. Then I began clipping off all of the dead and dying twigs thinking that at least they would no longer be pulling nourishment from the branches of the tree, which I thought needed it more in order to produce healthier twigs. Ultimately, we spent a lot of money having a very large tree- that was overshadowing our small apricot tree- heavily pruned back to allow more sunlight, all to no avail. The years and treatments progressed with little benefit, and finally we moved to a new home. Years later and many trees wiser, I now know that instead of trying to bring a sick tree back to a healthy state by pruning twigs and branches, and spraying for insect infestation, I should first focus my attention on the roots by nourishing them with water, fertilizer, and good soil.
When you begin looking at how MAO-A (Monoamine Oxidase A is an enzyme at the cellular level that helps to maintain neuron firing rates throughout the body) is at the root of so many neurodegenerative diseases as well as aging, you'll see that it can be compared to the roots of a tree. Let's look at the diagram of the MAO-A Tree of Life and compare this to how the cells function in your body- at the most basic level as the science if far deeper and more intricate. As you go up the tree, with MAO-A being the roots, MAO-A activity is required for the ATP (an energy molecule, or the 'trunk') production to run all of the chemical reactions (direct 'branches') in the body. These chemical reactions are Liver Detoxification, Norepinephrine Utilization, Serotonin Utilization, and Histamine2 Production. Each of these chemical reactions stimulate further functions ('twigs') of the body like Memory & Social Recognition, Fine & Gross Motor Skills, Sensory Integration & Discrimination, and Concentration/Focus to name a few. You will see some twigs on more than one branch, indicating that more than one branch stimulates those functions.
Take a look at Histamine2, which is shown at the top of the tree because it is needed for SO much! It is involved in all of the higher functions; Gastric Function, Digestive Enzymes, Thyroid Function, Hypothalamus Function, Heat Stress, Oxytocin Utilization, Eye Contact, Language Learning, Circadian Rhythms, and SO much more!
The body can actually have adequate production of MAO-A, but its activity can be inhibited, kind of like having its hands tied- it's there, but it can't do anything.
Things that Inhibit MAO-A Activity :
(Note that autistic patients are sensitive to all of these)
· High Estrogen such as Soy, tea tree oil (this is why soy should be avoided)
· EFA supplements
· Polyunsaturated Fats
· Many, many Herbal Supplements
· Stress
· Heavy Metals such as aluminum, mercury, cadmium
· High copper levels
· Parasites and Other Pathogens (interfere with the production of MAO-A)
· Lipid peroxidation (this is why the EFA supplements should be avoided)
· High levels of alanine (an amino acid- we have far too much alanine and glutamine in our bodies, which is the result of eating too many calories and not having the activity to burn them off. The body stores the excess calories as alanine, and alanine inhibits MAO-A).
Stress is probably the biggest inhibitor on MAO-A. Everything we put into the body, the body is required to do something with, and this just puts more stress on the body. You may have had a difficult decision in choosing Respen-A™ over fish oil, but let me ask you this- if fish oil was working for your child, why were you looking for something else? Perhaps because fish oil causes lipid peroxidation, which causes MAO-A activity to be inhibited, which then shuts down ATP production, which shuts down the rest of the branches and twigs on the tree, which results in all of the symptoms you are seeing in your autistic child.
We have found that those who don’t take any supplements other than the calcium skin lotion we provide with the Respen-A™, and 5-HTP and/or inositol if you don’t eat meat or are on a gluten free diet, do the best on the Respen-A™. Instead of worrying that you still need to fix the twigs by supplementing with vitamins, herbs and medications for individual symptoms, get to the root, or cause, of the issue and let Respen-A™ stimulate the activity of MAO-A to do the job of fixing everything for you.
Respen-A™ increases the activity of MAO-A, or unties its hands, which allows the entire body to function and be healthy again. The newest research shows that MAO-A is one of the greatest detoxifiers in the liver (toxins, drugs, metals, chemicals). If you get the MAO-A production healthy again by increasing its activity, then the liver can do its job of detoxification. This applies to every branch on the tree, like norepinephrine. Without MAO-A activity, the norepinephrine can't get converted into its active neurotransmitter, which means that norepinephrine can't be utilized. This results in every twig on the norepinephrine branch reacting in chaos.
There are many supplements that inhibit MAO-A and many that have not been tested for such inhibition, like herbs. As for homeopathic products, homeopathic frequencies are like music notes; some notes can be put together, such as in a chord, and it enriches their sound, but one wrong note in a chord ruins the sound- which means it will negate the Respen-A™. The only way to determine whether or not something enhances or inhibits the effects of the Respen-A™ is by stopping all other supplements. Then, see how you respond to the Respen-A™ and get to baseline on it. If you want to add back one of the supplements after a month or so on just the Respen-A™, add one at a time and monitor it for two weeks to see if it helps or negates it. If it doesn't negate the Respen-A™, and you see no added benefit, you probably don't need it.
Supplements give us such high amounts of nutrients that it is easy to get too much. If the volume is too high, we can reach toxic levels- even too much water can be toxic! It is best to pull the nutrients we need out of the foods we eat. As long as we are eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of whole and organic foods, our body will pull out exactly what it needs in terms of vitamins, and flush out the rest. This is the same for gluten.
Gluten stimulates the release of serotonin into the nerve synapse. A child with autism has trouble converting the serotonin in the nerve synapse into its active neurotransmitter because the MAO-A activity is deficient. This causes the serotonin to build up in the nerve synapse triggering a shutdown and negative feedback on other systems such as the Oxytocin system. Prior to Respen-A™, if a child with autism ate gluten it would just cause more serotonin to build up. With the Respen-A™, the child is able to convert the serotonin- therefore avoiding a build up of serotonin- which means that gluten is now tolerated.
You've got to have a balance of serotonin production, serotonin release, and serotonin turnover. Otherwise you'll end up with a buildup of serotonin, which shuts systems down, or a depletion of serotonin, which creates the same symptoms (shuts systems down). It's much easier to balance this if you don't restrict gluten. Just let your child have whatever in their diet, in moderation, and the body will handle this balancing act. This is a lot simpler than counting crackers/pretzels and making sure they are getting gluten every two hours. You are just better off to let the body do its own regulation of the balancing system- it will let you know what it needs with cravings.
Back to the MAO-A Tree of Life. Think about how much simpler- and less expensive- life will be when you get to the root of the issues/symptoms and let MAO-A fix everything! You won't need a drug for focus (Ritalin, Risperdal, Focalin, Adderall,) which will only fix the twig- the Norepinephrine branch has that covered. You won't need supplements for digestive or sleep issues- Histamine2 Production and Serotonin Utilization take care of those. You won't need herbs or medications for allergies- the MAO-A converts histamine in the body to H2 instead of H1 (the allergy histamine). You'll save money on detox treatments when the liver has its hands untied and can do that for you for free. You won't have to worry about fixing the twigs when MAO-A is the active root it was designed to be!
...Instead of working out on a branch, get to the root...
Be prepared to evaluate how you are doing every six months or so. If you've lost ground or if things are pretty much the same, what you are doing is not working. If it is only helping one thing, and nothing else is better, then you are working on a twig instead of the root of the issue. There are several other factors that can tie the hands of MAO-A: inability to convert L-tryptophan to 5-HTP, not enough gluten consumption to convert serotonin into its active neurotransmitter, poor calcium absorption, and impeding the active docking sites on the MAO-A. We will cover these topics in our next newsletter. In the meantime, if you see no change in symptoms, or a return of symptoms, please contact us! Elaine is brilliant at pinpointing the problem. Our deepest desire is for you or your loved one to return to good health through the MAO-A Tree of LIFE, with the use of Respen-A™ !
(article submitted by Kerri McCormick)
