Get your sex drive back with Tyrosine

The essential amino acid for thyroid hormones, dopamine and libido

If you’ve been scrolling through social media in the last 6 months you’ve probably heard a lot about dopamine depletion and how chronic stimulation of screens can be one of the major root causes of this.

I am not here to argue with that as I feel like screen time is a huge problem in our society — one that I am guilty of myself.

Specifically I want to talk about the amino acid Tyrosine and how it plays a roll in dopamine depletion and how that can affect our hormones, thyroid and desire to do literally anything.

Tyrosine is an important part of the thyroid hormone. The “T” in T1, T2, T3 and T4 (thyroid hormones) is a molecule of tyrosine with 1, 2, 3 or 4 iodine atoms attached. Without ample amounts of tyrosine, our bodies can’t make thyroid hormones, our metabolism slows down and things fall apart.

Tyrosine is the direct precursor of adrenaline, norepinephrine and dopamine which are all stimulants to the metabolism and nervous system. Because tyrosine is a pre-cursor to dopamine, it is known as the anti-depressant amino acid. Tyrosine is converted into another amino acid, called L-dopa and eventually dopamine which is a neurotransmitter that allows people to experience pleasure and euphoria.

When we don’t have enough dopamine, we don’t have the desire to engage in activities that bring pleasure. This is a common problem for thyroid patients and can drastically affect their marriages and intimate relationships. Some common symptoms associated with low tyrosine/dopamine levels that are extremely common in thyroid patients are:

• Memory problems (especially short term memory), forgetfulness, ADHD symptoms, brain fog and problems managing or being overwhelmed by daily tasks and simple problem solving

• restless leg syndrome

• chronic fatigue (feeling of tiredness that doesn’t go away after 8-10 hours of rest)

• anxiety, low self esteem, anger, social withdrawal, frustration

• digestive issues including chronic constipation

• lack of libido and zero interest in sex

• numbness of emotions, depression and feelings of emptiness

• electrolyte imbalances that drastically affect our energy and vitality

• interference with circadian rhythm (sleep issues)

Many of these symptoms are treated individually by a host of different pharmaceuticals or supplements that never end up addressing the root cause and can either mask it or even make it worse. It’s one of my biggest gripes with the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry because it’s not helping us truly get better by addressing the root cause.

Taking an anti-depressant is not going to fix your tyrosine/dopamine deficiency because most only affect the serotonin in the brain, not the dopamine. They typically also come with a long list of side effects and can sometimes make the problem worse.

Taking lions mane mushrooms or other “brain support” supplements are not going to fix the tyrosine deficiency. It may temporarily help with focus but at a high price to your wallet and won’t help long term for this specific issue.

What causes dopamine deficiency?

• high stress/chronic stress or fear

• brain injury

• deficiency in omega-3

• low carbohydrate diets

• not enough vitamin D from the sun

• screen time

• glyphosate exposure especially if you live in North America where it’s extremely difficult to avoid.

Glyphosate (synthetic pesticide used in non-organic farming) is known to inhibit an enzyme EPSP synthase which is involved in the synthesis of 3 amino acids: Tyrosine, Tryptophan and Phenylalanine.

Tyrosine is the direct precursor to dopamine and is used to create thyroid hormones that affect every cell in your body.

Tryptophan is the direct precursor to serotonin which is used for sleep, digestion, wound healing, memory, happiness, digestion and more.

Phenylalanine is critical for the production of tyrosine and dopamine. In other words, your body can use Phenylalanine to create tyrosine.

Not enough people are talking about how and why glyphosate is so hard on the body and affects our hormones and mental health so much. We have an serious mental health crisis in America and instead of focusing on reducing the amount of chemicals we are exposed to or they are affecting us, our soil, our health, instead we invest BILLIONS of dollars in symptom-covering treatments for the pharmaceutical industry.

You might be asking, how do we fix our dopamine levels so we can get our lives back?

1. Eat organic food as often as you can. I know it’s expensive for a lot of people but I promise it’s worth the extra cost. If you can’t grow your own, try a farmers market (make SURE they are not using glyphosate. Just because it’s at a farmer’s market doesn’t mean they are not using harsh chemicals on their crops). I understand this is not the most reasonable for all people all the time — especially with the rising cost of food and having a family to feed. If you can’t always get organic fresh, consider getting organic frozen or canned and pay close attention to the dirty dozen list (it changes). Soaking all your produce in a vinegar solution can help wash off some of the residue to lower your exposure as much as you can.

2. Eat enough protein, especially from animal sources. Make sure those sources are also from pasture raised, grass fed animals on their natural diet.

3. Get enough sunlight exposure. If you are from a northern country where you don’t get a lot during the winter, make sure you get enough during the summer and as much as you can in the winter. Remember, vitamin D is stored in the body which means you can charge up like a battery during the summer and the more vitamin D stores you have going into winter, the better cold and flu season you will have.

4. Reduce your stress and do more things that bring you joy.

5. Reduce screen time — every time you get a notification, you are rewarded with a hit of dopamine. Over time, we can become addicted to the positive (or negative) social interactions and notifications and need more and more to get the same feeling which can eventually lead to burnout and exhaustion. Reducing screen time also gives you the added benefit of extra time to do things that bring you joy.

6. Do things that are hard and take time for you to accomplish. This can bring you the most intense dopamine high and raise your self esteem when you finish the task.

7. Increase tyrosine rich foods from organic sources or consider a tyrosine supplement. Tyrosine rich foods include: steak, salmon, pork chops, milk, ground turkey, ricotta cheese, yogurt, lentils, black beans, pumpkin seeds

Your gut health is the key to good health overall. Glyphosate exposure can be detrimental to your gut health which could make absorbing nutrients difficult. If you are not absorbing your protein, you might have a hard time with getting enough tyrosine from your diet. If you need help with this area, book a discovery call and we can see if you would benefit from one of my programs!