Balancing the neurotransmitters in the brain achieves better overall health

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Chemical functions in the brain, when balanced properly, helps to regulate a person's hormones and mood, according to neurological experts.

"There are a lot of neurotransmitters that are involved in a lot of things," said Montage Health Sleep Provider Dr. Martin Mwangi. "So, cognition, memory, motion and movement--I would think of it almost in a hierarchical sort of way."

Dr. Mwangi says it's important to strike a balance when it comes to the different neurotransmitters in the brain. He recommends starting with overall good health and making sure that you're taking care of yourself through enough quality sleep, nutritious food and ample exercise.

"Make sure you eat a good, balanced diet and get some good aerobic exercise," said Dr. Mwangi. "Mindfulness meditations [too]... all these things help. One of the other things we do is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia but it could be good for a lot of different reasons."

According to the Cleveland Clinic, neurotransmitters are the body's way of communicating messages by using the cells. The clinic breaks down neurotransmitters into three main categories:

• Excitatory neurotransmitters fire off messages on a cellular level. Examples of those include Glutamate, Epinephrine and Norepinephrine.
• Inhibitory neurotransmitters prevent messages from spreading throughout the body. Examples of these include GABA, Glycine and Serotonin.
• Modulatory neurotransmitters--or Neuromodulators--affect the way that cells in the body communicate with each other. An example of this is Dopamine.

"GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter," said Dr. Mwangi. "Glutamate is the main excitatory one and glycine is the inhibitory in the spine. Neurotransmitters work on something called the HPA Axis, and what's the cool thing about cortisol is that it's linked to the fight or flight response."

Dr. Mwangi says that depending on which type of doctor someone is, will determine which neurotransmitter takes priority. He also says that there are ways people can self-regulate a balanced mood and hormone level.

But no matter what, if left untreated, a neurological chemical imbalance could lead to schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, autism, Parkinson's disease or epilepsy, according to the University of Pittsburg Medical Center.

"When we're not in a good restful state, when we're not making those connections and we're managing through whether it's hypertension or maybe there's mood issues, that's sort of elevated and ultimately leads to bad health," said Dr. Mwangi.

Dr. Mwangi also says that socializing can boost positive brain chemical activity, but if none of these home remedies are working, he suggests seeking professional help.

"If it's really a problem or if it's affecting the quality of your life, then talking to your primary care provider would be the first place to start," said Dr. Mwangi.