u/Pretend_Elephant_896

In his bestselling book, Yuval Noah Harari proposes a bold theory: the most successful species on Earth isn't humans. It's wheat. We didn't cultivate wheat; wheat cultivated us. Here is how it might have happened:

When we consume gluten-containing foods, they don't break down into amino acids entirely. Instead, protein fragments persist as opioid peptides known as gluteomorphins. Meanwhile, gliadin- another component of the wheat grain- compromises the delicate gut lining, opening a direct pathway for these opioid compounds into the bloodstream.

The intestinal wall nor the blood-brain barrier is completely leak-proof. Under certain conditions (such as gastritis, dysbiosis, or SIBO), that single-cell-thick barrier breaks down, dumping raw stomach contents straight into the bloodstream. Imagine your immune system suddenly encountering last night's dinner.

Because gluten structurally mimics human tissue, this is where many autoimmune conditions likely originate. Particularly Hashimoto’s and autoimmune encephalitis.

I am currently working with my mother whose gluten reactions occur within just a few hours, which inspired me to write this post

In his bestseller book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari proposes a bold theory: the most successful species on Earth isn't humans—it's wheat. We didn't cultivate wheat; wheat cultivated us. Here is how it happens:

When we consume gluten-containing foods, they don't break down into amino acids entirely. Instead, protein fragments persist as opioid peptides known as gluteomorphins. Meanwhile, gliadin- another component of the wheat grain- compromises the delicate gut lining, opening a direct pathway for these opioid compounds into the bloodstream.

The intestinal wall nor the blood-brain barrier is completely leak-proof. Under certain conditions (such as gastritis, dysbiosis, or SIBO), that single-cell-thick barrier breaks down, dumping raw stomach contents straight into your blood. Imagine your immune system suddenly encountering last night's dinner.

Because gluten structurally mimics human tissue, this is where many autoimmune conditions likely originate. Particularly Hashimoto’s and autoimmune encephalitis.

I am currently working with my mother whose gluten reactions occur within just a few hours, which inspired me to write this post

Being born in the USSR I've heard numerous horrible stories of "punishing psychiatry" applied to dissidents not realising the foreign origin of such practices...

Is it true you can be permanently isolated in the UK based on the opinion of a random "doctor"? How bad or good in this country for somebody with mental issues?

Today, I felt a strong urge to share this video where Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride explores the deep mechanics of mental health issues like autism, depression, schizophrenia...

She explains the gut-brain axis with unmatched clarity. Did you know that gluten can actually act as an addictive, opioid-like substance called gluteomorphin? It completely blew my mind 🤯 I really wish I had seen this video years ago

Hi. I've noticed a fast and profound effect of taurine on positive psychotic symptoms but am really puzzled by the mechanism. Has anybody of you noticed similar reactions?

Hi. I've noticed a fast and profound effect of taurine on positive psychotic symptoms but am really puzzled by the mechanism... Has anybody of you noticed similar reactions?

Schizophrenia has been explained as a problem of dopamine. It explains hallucinations and delusions but it doesn't explain why many patients also suffer from apathy, social withdrawal and a loss of motivation...

A growing body of research points to a deeper culprit: the kynurenine pathway, a major metabolic route that processes the amino acid tryptophan. Under chronic inflammation this pathway can produce excessive amounts of kynurenic acid (KYNA).

KYNA acts like a faulty switch in the brain.

🔺 In the brain's emotional and reward circuits, KYNA disrupts receptors that normally help regulate dopamine. The result is excessive dopamine, causing the brain to assign overwhelming significance to ordinary events fueling hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions.

🔻 In the prefrontal cortex—the brain region responsible for planning, motivation and social behavior—the same KYNA suppresses dopamine activity. This creates a "dopamine drought," leading to negative symptoms: lack of motivation, emotional flatness, social isolation...

This helps explain a long-standing mystery why antipsychotic drugs reduce hallucinations yet do little for motivation and cognition. By blocking dopamine globally, they may calm overactive circuits while further suppressing already underactive frontal regions of the brain.

It seems schizophrenia may be less a simple dopamine disorder and more an immune-metabolic disorder upstream of dopamine itself.

Future treatments may focus not only on neurotransmitters but also on inflammation, metabolism, and the kynurenine pathway. Addressing the source of the imbalance rather than just its consequences

Schizophrenia has been explained as a problem of dopamine. But that theory explains hallucinations and delusions. It doesn't explain why many patients also suffer from apathy, social withdrawal and a loss of motivation...

A growing body of research points to a deeper culprit: the kynurenine pathway, a major metabolic route that processes the amino acid tryptophan. Under chronic inflammation this pathway can produce excessive amounts of kynurenic acid (KYNA).

KYNA acts like a faulty switch in the brain.

🔺 In the brain's emotional and reward circuits, KYNA disrupts receptors that normally help regulate dopamine. The result is excessive dopamine, causing the brain to assign overwhelming significance to ordinary events fueling hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions.

🔻 In the prefrontal cortex—the brain region responsible for planning, motivation and social behavior—the same KYNA suppresses dopamine activity. This creates a "dopamine drought," leading to negative symptoms: lack of motivation, emotional flatness, social isolation...

This helps explain a long-standing mystery why antipsychotic drugs reduce hallucinations yet do little for motivation and cognition. By blocking dopamine globally, they may calm overactive circuits while further suppressing already underactive frontal regions of the brain.

It seems schizophrenia may be less a simple dopamine disorder and more an immune-metabolic disorder upstream of dopamine itself.

Future treatments may focus not only on neurotransmitters but also on inflammation, metabolism, and the kynurenine pathway. Addressing the source of the imbalance rather than just its consequences

For decades, schizophrenia has been explained as a problem of dopamine. But that theory explains hallucinations and delusions. It doesn't explain why many patients also suffer from apathy, social withdrawal and a loss of motivation...

A growing body of research points to a deeper culprit: the kynurenine pathway, a major metabolic route that processes the amino acid tryptophan. Under chronic inflammation this pathway can produce excessive amounts of kynurenic acid (KYNA).

KYNA acts like a faulty control switch in the brain.

🔺 In the brain's emotional and reward circuits, KYNA disrupts receptors that normally help regulate dopamine. The result is excessive dopamine, causing the brain to assign overwhelming significance to ordinary events fueling hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions.

🔻 In the prefrontal cortex—the brain region responsible for planning, motivation  and social behavior—the same KYNA suppresses dopamine activity. This creates a "dopamine drought," leading to negative symptoms: lack of motivation, emotional flatness, social isolation...

This helps explain a long-standing mystery why antipsychotic drugs reduce hallucinations yet do little for motivation and cognition. By blocking dopamine globally, they may calm overactive circuits while further suppressing already underactive frontal regions of the brain.

It seems schizophrenia may be less a simple dopamine disorder and more an immune-metabolic disorder upstream of dopamine itself.

Future treatments may focus not only on neurotransmitters but also on inflammation, metabolism, and the kynurenine pathway. Addressing the source of the imbalance rather than just its consequences

First of all, thank you for being part of this community. LDN is a truly fascinating example of how one solution can become surprisingly effective in a myriad of ways with almost no serious side effects. Mindblowing

My question: have you noticed any improvements in your depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues since the introduction of LDN therapy?

As an independent researcher, I have been seriously interested in the topics of mental health and autoimmunity, which eventually led me to low-dose naltrexone, still an obscure treatment in Eastern Europe. It seems its unique anti-inflammatory properties can be of great relevance for mental issues, many of which have a neuroimmunological component. How valid is my understanding? Can LDN be potentially used in the treatment of severe psychiatric conditions?