Posted by bleauberry on May 7, 2009, at 16:03:38
In reply to Afew things, posted by shasling on May 6, 2009, at 5:28:17
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> P.S My doc gave me paperwork on a place that does indeed test nuerutransmitters,im not home now so i can scan it,but this place usualy finds what chemical your in most of need of and work with your doc on meds that they believe are mmost designed to benifit you and to avoid playing med go round.
>I don't think neurotransmitter testing is very helpful. It doesn't show what is happening in the nervous system, only what is happening in the peripheral system. No information on genes, receptors, neuro levels in different regions of the brain, etc. And it is based on theory not fact.
There have been many studies done measuring neuros with fancy expensive lab equipment and measuring the genes, in order to try to see if prediction of an antidepressant would work. It doesn't. People who clearly have norepinephrine deficits may respond to either a norepinephrine med or a serotonin med at random without any apparent pattern or explanation.
The tests are attractive though in terms of hope for an answer. I had them done. Not useful at all to me or doc, but it was interesting table talk.
I do wish we could test every component to find out what is wrong. That would probably involve $20,000 covering everything from B vitamins to minerals to heavy metals to yeast to bacteria to dozens of genes to immune system markers to hormones and lots of stuff. Simply testing neurotransmitters in blood or urine doesn't really tell much of anything at all. At its very basic usage it doesn't even measure neurotransmitters in the brain, spinal cord, or nervous system.
When someone does show a low or high neurotransmitter in some test, the next important question is, why is it that way?
poster:bleauberry
thread:894444
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090505/msgs/894666.html