Brain Chemistry Types — Overview
The Brain Chemistry Plan

Michael Lesser is a nutritional psychiatrist, founder of the Orthomolecular Society and Nutritional Medicine, a communications company that sponsors major world conferences on Nutrition and Vitamin Therapy. This page examines his nutritional and orthomolecular approach to depression and other existential crises. It presents a viable, well-documented alternative that involves recognition of brain chemistry types and the use of type-specific diet and supplement regimens, whenever possible, in preference to psychopharmacological intervention.

"Prescription drugs have their place and purpose," writes Lesser, "[b]ut they are harsh, sometimes toxic, ...often addictive, and must be used with great care, despite the current tendency to almost casually recommend and use these chemicals." Drugs do not treat the root problem of conditions including grief, minor neuroses, schizophrenia, psychosis and antisocial behavior; rather, they treat symptoms.

The Brain Chemistry Plan: The personalized nutritional prescription for balancing mood, relieving stress, and conquering depression.
Michael Lesser M.D., with Colleen Kapklein
Paperback: 368pp.
Publisher: Perigee (7 January 2003)
ISBN: 0399528490

[N]utritional treatments ... can provide all the benefits of prescription drugs with none of the risks... [W]e all eat, and we all make choices about what we eat. My preference is always for the natural, safe, and effective nutritional approach, rather than the riskier use of prescription drugs, [s]o I recommend a diet tailored to an individual's brain chemistry [and] I always recommend some supplements of vitamins and minerals... I also often use amino acids, enzymes, fatty acids, and herbs, depending on the specific case...
(pp.5-6)

Lesser prescribes "Prozac, lithium and other drugs on the few occasions when they fill the bill", but he views such interventions as "only temporary interventions at best".

The body needs proper nourishment to function physically, mentally, and emotionally. Without proper nutrition, we can't handle the many stresses we all face. The dynamic balance of chemicals within our brains goes haywire, [resulting in] what we label anxiety, depression and obsession, among many other things in a variety of intensities...(p.9)

About Brain Chemistry...

We recognize about 100 neurotransmitters in the human brain. What do we know about them? Lesser tells us that

[v]irtually all neurons in the central nervous system, including the brain, are activated by excitatory neurotransmitters (glutamate being the most common) and deactivated by inhibitory neurotransmitters, including gama-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine. The bulk of the highly organized information flow throughout the brain is regulated by nerve fibers containing the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate ("glutamergic fibers") throughout the cerebral cortex. Other neurotransmitter pathways serve to modulate the glutamate reactions.

While there's only one way for the message to get through - via a neurotransmitter [in the synapse or gap] between neurons - there are [many] ways for the message not to get through:

• There is not enough of the neurotransmitter to do the job - signals within the neuron are unable to release it into the synapse.
• Oversensitive neurons release too much of the neurotransmitter, swamping and depleting the system.
• Reuptake of the neurotransmitter is poor, so there isn't enough to respond to the next signal.
• Too much of the neurotransmitter is broken down and the message can't be completed; nothing is left for the next signal.
• Another molecule blocks the receptor, and the neurotransmitter cannot connect.
• Inadequate or insufficient receptors, present on the receiving neuron, prevent reception of the neurotransmitter.

The disproportionate opportunities for failure, rather than success, make it that much more crucial that our brains get a constant supply of the correct neurotransmitters, and the raw materials for making them, in order to keep working smoothly. By and large, neurotransmitters become inactive once they've delivered a message... Though they exist throughout the body, they cannot move into the brain from outside it ... Instead, they are made ... in the brain, where and when they are needed... Your body will make only what it needs, from available materials...

Neurotransmitters are made from amino acids (the building blocks of all proteins), which we get from the food we eat. Poor diet, then, can leave us without the ability to make the chemical messengers necessary for healthy brain function...(pp.18-20)

The Brain Chemistry Types...

Lesser has identified six primary psychological types in his practice - each type evinces certain strengths when health is optimal, and suffers from specific psychiatric vulnerabilities when imbalances occur. His dietary and supplement recommendations are predicated on these differences.

Although he cautions that it has not been scientifically validated and should be construed to provide only a general guideline, Lesser presents a test instrument to help you identify your brain chemistry type. For purposes of personal use, the test is presented below.

Circle the number of each question that is generally true of you.

It is strongly recommended that you take the test
BEFORE you look at how the results are scored.

	Michael Lesser's Brain Chemistry Type Inventory Copyright © Michael Lesser 2003 Everyone knows they can count on me. I can't say "no". When I am sad or angry, most times other people don't know it. I don't need much in the way of material things. I am good in a crisis. I am not one to complain. I am very considerate, always thinking of other's needs, often before my own. I am pretty even-keeled - I don't get all worked up over things (good or bad). When I do get upset, I tend to feel depressed. I avoid conflict at all costs. I am safety-conscious. I like my life organized around a regular routine. I know what is right and what is wrong; I live by my principles. My friends say that I'm a worry wart. I think over every option carefully before making a decision. I am very careful with my money. I am a collector. I am very neat. I am definitely not a quitter. I put a premium on intelligence. I like to be spontaneous. I am a risk taker. I can be very persuasive. Feeling good and having a good time are high on my list of priorities. I have a hot temper. I always do the right thing. I am more a doer than a thinker or talker. When I get upset, I usually get angry. When I'm on a mission, I don't let anything get in my way. I am decisive. I am an optimist. I can talk a blue streak. I am very active; I've got a lot of energy. I am fun to be around. I like to be the center of attention. If I get sad or angry, everyone around me is sure to know about it. I am intuitive. When my mood changes, it can do so pretty dramatically. I like to have a leadership role in things. I am intense and passionate. I am shy. I am good at what I do. I have high moral standards. I keep to myself. Material things mean nothing to me. My feelings are easily hurt. I feel a lot of people just don't understand me. I can't stand anger. Spirituality is important to me. I am more a thinker than a doer. I am an outgoing person. I like to live life to the fullest. Sex is one of life's greatest pleasures. I can be fickle. I am "in touch with" my emotions. I enjoy flirting. When I get upset, I tend to feel anxious. Other people tend to be drawn to me. I am a "people person"; one of those "people who need people". I would do anything for love.