What is Glutamate?

We recently received Leo's 3rd round of remedies and among them is a dropper titled: Excitotoxin Clear- For Glutamate Reduction

Let's dig into this and discuss it's importance in Leo's treatments.

(copied from Everyday Health)

The neurotransmitter glutamate is produced in your body, and is also found in many foods. 

Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that sends signals in the brain and throughout the nerves in the body.

Glutamate plays an important role during brain development. Normal levels of glutamate also help with learning and memory.

Having too much glutamate in the brain has been associated with neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Problems in making or using glutamate have also been linked to a number of mental health disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Glutamate has many important functions in the brain, in addition to passing chemical messages from one nerve cell to another.

Too much glutamate may damage nerve cells and the brain.

There are two ways that glutamate can be damaging: There can be too much glutamate in the brain, or the receptors for glutamate on receiving nerve cells may be oversensitive, meaning that fewer glutamate molecules are needed to excite them.

At high concentrations, glutamate can overexcite nerve cells, causing them to die. Prolonged excitation is toxic to nerve cells, causing damage over time. This is known as excitotoxicity.

Researchers are studying therapies that attempt to inhibit glutamate activity for the treatment of ALS.

Glutamate is a naturally occurring amino acid found in many different types of food. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.

Glutamate is perhaps best known as the food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG).

MSG is used as a flavor enhancer commonly found in American-style Chinese food, canned soups and vegetables, and processed meats.

MSG can also be found naturally in many foods, including tomatoes, cheeses, mushrooms, seaweed, and soy.

The following are other names for MSG -    

monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed protein; hydrolyzed plant extract, plant protein extract, sodium caseinate, yeast extract, texturized protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed oat flour, calcium caseinate.

Leo's homeopath finds it necessary to clear this from his little body as a part of his autism treatment.

This should not be overlooked. Please take time to look into this and take the necessary steps toward removing these toxins from you or your child's diet!