Power Amino Acids® and Factor4 Health in Depression

George A. Scheele, M.D.

People who suffer from depression experience low mood, a lack of pleasure or interest in the world around them and loss of energy leading to increased tiredness.  In addition they may show a loss of self-confidence or self-esteem, feelings of self-reproach or guilt, disturbed thoughts or concentration, sleep problems and thoughts of death or suicide.

Although depression may have a genetic component, it is frequently triggered by stressful events such as the death of a close relative, unemployment, loneliness or failure in life’s goals. It may also be triggered by the onset of a chronic illness such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease.

Almost 95% of people who suffer from depression also suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), panic disorder (PD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Those that suffer from depression and/or anxiety disorders are frequently incapable of maintaining employment, completing an education or carrying out normal responsibilities at home.

According to the World Health Organization an estimated 120 million people around the world suffer from depression disorders and the disease ranks among the 10 leading causes of disability. However, only about 50% of the cases are diagnosed here in the U.S.; 15% are diagnosed in Japan and 35-40% are diagnosed in Europe.

Poor nutritional health associated with Metabolic Syndrome is one of the major causes of depression disorders, with or without associated anxiety attacks, states Dr. George Scheele, two-time Nobel associate and CEO of NovaLife, Inc.. In the scientific breakthrough of our time, Dr. Scheele has determined that amino acid deficiencies in the diet lead to an imbalance in neurotransmitters in the brain that may result in depression disorders.

Dr. Scheele has shown that the Power Amino Acids® contained in Factor4 Weight Control® correct amino acid deficiencies and reset (rebalance) the neurotransmitters in the brain, allowing the brain to return to normal function.

FACTOR4 RELIEVES DEPRESSION DISORDERS

In addition to providing sustained weight control, Factor4 Weight Control®, containing Power Amino Acids® provides the following benefits for people suffering from depression disorders, with or without anxiety attacks:

Power Amino Acids®:

• Nourish the brain within minutes with essential amino acids that are the direct precursors for neurotransmitter health
• Provide calming effects that stabilizes mood disturbances that swing between periods of depression and anxiety.
• Increase pep, energy, activity, stamina and endurance
• Increase quality of life with feelings of confidence, satisfaction and well-being
• Relax the body and enhance restful sleep
• Reduce anger, rage and aggression
• Relieve chronic stress, anxiety reactions and panic attacks
• Help to relieve drug and alcohol dependency
• Increase clarity of thought
• Help to sharpen memory and focus cognitive efforts

CURRENT PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS

Current prescription medications for depression/anxiety fall into four categories:

1. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) developed in the 70s and 80s
2. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) developed in 1989

• Paxil (Glaxo Smith Kline)
• Prozac (Lilly)
• Wellbutrin (Glaxo Smith Kline)
• Zoloft (Pfizer)

3. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) developed later:

• Celexa
• Cymbalta
• Effexor
• Lexapro
• Sarafem

 4. Selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)

• Effexor (Wyeth)

FACTS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS

Here are the facts about prescription depression medications:

• These medications require several weeks of gradually increasing dosage.
• There are significant harmful side-effects for these drugs
• For unknown reasons only slightly more than 50% of patients with depression respond to the medication.
• Placebo drugs have only a slightly lesser chance of providing the benefit of SSRI drugs.
• Clinical studies have shown that St. John’s Wort has no beneficial effects on depression
• Withdrawal from these drugs by weaning requires a minimum of 8 weeks
• Withdrawal symptoms are many and severe (see below)

SIDE EFFECTS FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS:

The side effects of prescription depression medications are severe and numerous:

• Decreased interest in sex
• Significant weight gains, sometimes 50 to 100 pounds
• Decreased sensory functions (taste and smell dulled)
• Sleeplessness
• Anxiety
• Severe agitation which may lead to attempted suicide.
• Some patients enter a “La-la” land where they no longer feel like themselves.  This is one reason that suicide rates are increased.
• Because of increased suicide attempts in children and adults, the FDA has mandated “black box” statements on SSRI and SNRI packaging.

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS FROM ANTI-DEPRESSION DRUGS

Despite the harmful side effects, most patients stay on anti-depression drugs for the rest of their life.  Severe withdrawal symptoms make it very difficult to stop taking depression medications.  Symptoms of withdrawal, caused by a deficiency of serotonin, occur in up to 80% of patients who attempt withdrawal:

• Dry mouth, muscle twitching, sleeplessness, fatigue, dizziness, stomach cramps, nightmares, blurred vision, tinnitus, anxiety
• Difficult to focus; unable to sit at a desk for more than 30 minutes
• Agitation, anxiety, restlessness, jittery and anxious
• Hyperaware of sounds
• During reading exercises sentences begin to run into one another on the page, reflecting not only a focusing problem but also a visual problem.
• Wake up feeling dizzy, almost seasick, disoriented and in a heavy sweat, the pillow soaked.
• Night chills and cold sweats
• Tingling in shoulders and hands
• Spasms in the legs
• Agitation and akathesia
• Panic attacks
• Irritability, aggressiveness, worsening of mood,
• Dysphoria
• Crying spells
• Mood lability
• Overactivity or hyperactivity
• Depersonalization
• Decreased focus, slow thinking, confusion and memory/concentration difficulties.
• Weeping for no reason at all
• “Brain Zaps” or “Brain Shivers”: Feelings of quick spasms in the head, as if an electrical current had been sent through a dysfunctional brain circuit.  Several “zaps” can occur in quick succession, each accompanied by nausea.  Clusters of brain zaps can occur over several weeks with no distinguishable pattern, several times a day.

George A. Scheele, M.D.

Dr. Scheele is a world-renowned physician, inventor, author and two-time Nobel Associate, who has pioneered in understanding the critical role of amino acids in regulating metabolic health and body weight. He recently introduced Factor4 Weight Control® with essential ingredients to treat the four nutritional traps that lead to overweight disorders and obesity.

As a graduate of Princeton University and Johns Hopkins Medical School he served as Professors of Medicine on the faculties of The Rockefeller University, Yale University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Scheele invented new concepts and techniques which “cracked the code” in understanding how Power Amino Acids® correct the deficiencies in amino acids, positive-charged proteins, and metabolic pathways that normalize body weight and restore metabolic health.

A pioneer in the development of the fields of Cell Biology and Molecular Biology and their impact on understanding chronic human diseases, he participated in work that won two Nobel Prizes in Medicine awarded in 1974 and 1999.

As a leader in nutritional science and medical research with 40 years of innovative scientific research and 10 years of breathtaking achievements in the fields of obesity and metabolic disease, Dr. Scheele’s passion has always been to “Make the World a Better Place”. After moving to La Jolla in 1998, he has utilized his vast experience to develop superior health-care products for individuals living in today’s fast-paced world.

Dr. Scheele is currently the Founder, President, and CEO of NovaLife, Inc. a San-Diego based biotech company that has pioneered in the development of innovative health-care products for people who suffer from obesity and metabolic diseases, including diabetes, lipid disorders, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, and aging.

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Disclaimer: This product is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease by the use of pharmaceutical drugs. As a dietary supplement, with all natural ingredients, considered to be “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS), Factor4 is intended only to improve health and wellness in the organs and tissues throughout the body. Comments and notations, derived from testimonials and limited human studies, have not been evaluated by the FDA. All results stated in this white paper and on our website(s) are actual results from real customers or individuals included in our clinical trials. Individual results may vary depending on personal goals and use.