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Neurotransmitter Sarcodes Used
In Homeopathy
Homeopathic sarcodes and remedies have a direct impact on
neurotransmitter function. Contact us to learn more!
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Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine was the first neurotransmitter to be discovered. It has many
functions. It is responsible for much of the stimulation of muscles, including
the muscles of the gastro-intestinal system. It is also found in sensory
neurons and in the autonomic nervous system, and has a part in scheduling REM or
dream sleep.
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Endorphin
Endorphin is endogenous morphine since it is structurally very similar to
the opioids (opium, morphine, heroin, etc.) and has similar inhibitory
functions. It is involved in pain reduction and pleasure, and the opioid drugs
work by attaching to endorphin's receptor sites. It allows bears and other
animals to hibernate.
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Dopamine
Dopamine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, when it finds its way to
its receptor sites; it blocks the tendency of that neuron to fire. Dopamine is
synthesized in cell groups in the midbrain's substantia nigrae and ventral
tegmental areas (VTA). It is strongly associated with reward mechanisms in the
brain. There are eight neural pathways, called dopaminergic pathways, in the
brain that function via dopamine transmission.
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Endorphin
Endorphin is endogenous morphine since it is structurally very similar to
the opioids (opium, morphine, heroin, etc.) and has similar inhibitory
functions. It is involved in pain reduction and pleasure, and the opioid drugs
work by attaching to endorphin's receptor sites. It allows bears and other
animals to hibernate.
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GABA
GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is usually an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
GABA acts like a brake to the excitatory neurotransmitters that lead to
anxiety. People with too little GABA tend to suffer from anxiety disorders. If
GABA is deficient in certain parts of the brain, epilepsy fallouts.
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Epinephrine
Epinephrine or adrenaline is a catecholamine. Many
kinds of reactions convert tyrosine to dopamine, to norepinephrine, and
eventually to epinephrine.
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Epinephrine drives the autonomic nervous system's fight-or-flight response. It
is synthesized in the adrenal glands and released into the bloodstream when
dangerous circumstances occur, in an emergency requiring immediate action, and
in stressful situations or environments. When in the bloodstream, epinephrine
rapidly prepares the body for action. It boosts the supply of oxygen and glucose
to the brain and muscles while suppressing other non-emergency bodily processes,
especially digestion.
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Epinephrine increases heart rate and stroke volume, dilates the pupils, and
constricts arterioles in the skin and gastrointestinal tract while dilating
arterioles in skeletal muscles. It increases catabolism of glycogen to glucose
in the liver, thereby elevating the blood sugar level. At the same time,
epinephrine begins the breakdown of lipids in fat cells. Epinephrine has a
suppressive effect on the immune system. Stress tends to deplete store of
adrenalin, while exercise tends to increase it.
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Axon
terminals of the sympathetic nervous system release norepinephrine into the
adrenal glands. Epinephrine is derived from norepinephrine via methylation of
norepinephrine's primary distal amine by phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase
(PNMT) in the cytosol of adrenergic neurons and chromaffin cells of the adrenal
medulla. PNMT is only found in the cytosol of cells of adrenal medullary cells.
PNMT uses S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) as a cofactor to donate the methyl group
to norepinephrine, creating epinephrine.
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The
hypothalamus prompts the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland to release
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) into the bloodstream. ACTH stimulates the
adrenal cortex to release cortisol, which increases the expression of PNMT in
chromaffin cells, enhancing epinephrine synthesis and release into the
bloodstream. ACTH also enhances the activity of enzymes involved in
catecholamine synthesis, thereby stimulating the synthesis of epinephrine
precursors. These specific enzymes are tyrosine hydroxylase in the synthesis of
dopamine and the enzyme dopamine-ß-hydroxylase in the synthesis of
norepinephrine.
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Glutamate
Glutamate is an excitatory relative of GABA. It is the most common
neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and is especially important in
regards to memory. Interestedly, glutamate is actually toxic to neurons, and an
excess may kill them. Sometimes brain damage or a stroke lead to an excess and
end with many more brain cells dying than from the original trauma. ALS or Lou
Gehrig's disease, results from excessive glutamate production.
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Norepinephrine or noradrenaline
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Norepinephrine or noradrenaline is strongly associated with bringing nervous
system into "high alert." Neurons in the loci coerulei, a pair of structures
located within the pons of the brain stem, synthesize norepinephrine. The axons
of neurons in the loci coerulei project to both sides of the brain where they
release norepinephrine. A single neuron in the locus coeruleus can innervate
tissue in wide-ranging areas. The branching axons of norepinephrine-producing
neurons in the loci coerulei innervate the brain stem, spinal cord, and
cerebellum, as well as the hypothalami, thalamic relay nuclei, amygdalae, and
neocortex.
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Norepinephrine is predominant in the sympathetic nervous system, and it
increases our heart rate as well as the blood pressure. It relays messages in
the sympathetic nervous system, as part of the autonomic nervous system's
fight-or-flight response. Secondly, norepinephrine prepares the brain to
encounter and respond to stimuli from the environment, thereby facilitating
vigilance. So in both roles, norepinephrine mediates arousal. Adrenal glands
release it into the blood stream, along with its close relative epinephrine or
adrenaline. It is also important for forming memories.
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Serotonin
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Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that has
been found to be closely involved in emotion and mood. Too little serotonin has
been shown to lead to depression, problems with anger control,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicide. Too little serotonin also leads to
an increased appetite for carbohydrates and trouble sleeping, which are also
associated with depression and other emotional disorders. It is also
responsible for migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
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Serotonin is a derivative of tryptophan, which is found in milk. Serotonin also
plays a role in perception. Sense of well-being and capacity to organize lives
and to relate to others depend profoundly on the functional integrity of the
serotonergic system. Roughly one millionth of the total population of neurons in
the human central nervous system are serotonergic neurons. Fourteen types of
serotonin receptors have been discovered so far in the brains of mammals,
located in different places and acting in different ways. Most serotonin in the
human body is found in the enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract,
where it is used to regulate intestinal movements. In the brain, the neurons of
the raphe nuclei are the principal source of serotonin release.
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