Michael Murray - 5-HTP: The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia

A clear and practical guide for naturally and safely increasing serotonin levels and treating a wide variety of symptoms ranging from excess body fat to PMS I recommend it highly.

Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom

Books by Dr. Michael Murray are always precise, well documented and enormously helpful. 5-HTP: The Natural Way to Overcome Depression, Obesity, and Insomnia is no exception. Those who read and act on the information in this book will benefit well beyond their expectations.

Julian Whitaker, M.D., author of Dr. Whitakers Guide to Natural Healing

Michael Murrays book is absolutely outstanding. I would highly recommend this book to any complimentary health care provider interested in alternatives for improving quality of life in people afflicted with depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., author of Optimum Health

5-HTP prevents and controls depression, insomnia, and aggression, as well as appetite and weight, particularly for carbohydrate cravers Infinitely better than a wonder drug, 5-HTP is a miracle molecule, an integral part of the miracle of life on Earth.

Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., medical director, Tahoma Clinic, Kent, Washington

Reading 5-HTP is like a leisurely consultation with an enormously skilled and caring doctor. You will gain a rare understanding of depression, as well as obesity and insomnia, and learn exactly how to help yourself A must for your library and anyone you care about.

Jane Heimlich, author of What Your Doctor Wont Tell You

Dr. Murray has written an exceptional book on 5-HTP that will be of invaluable benefit to consumers and practitioners alike.

Alexander G. Schauss, Ph.D., American Institute for Biosocial Research, Inc.

Were all searching for a supplement that is safe, readily available, and most of all, that can help us feel better. Look no more: Dr. Michael Murray has found it, and it is 5-HTP.

Jan McBarron, M.D., bariatric (weight loss) specialist

Dr. Murray has presented convincing evidence that 5-HTP is an important alternative to potentially dangerous prescription drugs. Because 5-HTP can influence brain and body chemistry, I recommend that it be used under medical supervision.

Alan R. Gaby, M.D., past president, American Holistic Medical Association

This edition contains the complete text
of the original hardcover edition.
NOT ONE WORD HAS BEEN OMITTED.

5-HTP
A Bantam Book

PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam hardcover edition published 1998
Bantam trade paperback edition / June 1999

All rights reserved.
Copyright 1998 by Michael T. Murray, N.D.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material:

The National Mental Health Association for kindly supplying the Depression Questionnaire in .

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Statistical Bulletin, which provided the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Height and Weight Table used in .

Book design by Karin Batten
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-46868
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.

eISBN: 978-0-307-57184-7

Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words Bantam Books and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

v3.1

To my son, Zachary Michael Murray

Chances are that you, like millions of other Americans, are suffering from health problems that are a direct consequence of our stressed-out, modern way of living. Many people today awaken in the morning feeling unrested after a night of fitful sleep. They drag themselves through the day feeling moody, tired, achy. Succumbing to their cravings for sugary, carbohydrate-laden foods, they put on pounds that only add to their bodys burden. They shuttle from doctor to doctor seeking pills that will lift them from their depression, help them control their weight, put a stop to their pounding headaches and the nagging aches in their muscles and joints, and finally get a good nights sleep.

It may surprise you to learn that all of these serious, debilitating complaints can arise from a problem with a single, powerful chemical the body needs to function normally. That chemical is serotonin.

Serotonin is absolutely essential for your brainand thus your bodyto function properly. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that carries vital signals from one cell to the next. Without adequate levels of serotonin, those signals cannot move at the proper speed or intensity. Whats more, serotonin acts as a kind of master control chemical. The activities of many other important brain compoundsincluding those that govern your muscle movements, your state of alertness, your mental activity, even your ability to fall asleepdepend on serotonin.

But poor diet, lack of exercise, use of harmful substances such as caffeine or alcohol, and overall physical and emotional stress can rob your brain of the ability to make enough serotonin to meet your bodys demands. This produces a range of significant complications: depression, obesity, insomnia, migraine headache, chronic fatigue. Increasingly, scientists, doctors, and other health experts around the world are coming to recognize that this group of complaints all arise from problems with basic brain chemistry. The disorder has a name: serotonin deficiency syndrome.

And heres the exciting news. All of these maladies can be corrected through the same technique: by raising serotonin levels.

Serotonin was first discovered about fifty years ago. Since then an enormous amount of research has been done to unlock the secrets of this multitalented molecule. In the past few decades, findings in the laboratory have led to the development of many potent serotonin-active compounds. Among these are Prozac, the popular antidepressant, which enhances the mood-regulating activity of serotonin; Imitrex, a treatment for migraine headaches, which works by activating serotonin nerve pathways to constrict blood vessels; and Redux, the appetite suppressant that was recently removed from the market, which controls eating by delivering a dose of serotonin to the appetite control centers in the brain. Other serotonin-altering drugs relieve anxiety, enhance sleep, and ease muscular and skeletal pain.

But these medical miracles come with a pretty high price tag. The side effects of synthetic serotonin drugs can be severe. To take just one example: In September 1997 Redux and its chemical cousin fenfluramine, part of the fen-phen combination, were yanked off the market. The reason? Doctors suddenly discovered these drugs had caused permanent damage to heart valves in as many as one third of the people who took them.