An Anatomy Lesson
When neurons and neurotransmitters were first discovered in the 50’s they were thought to only exist in the brain. They do, in fact, exist throughout the body.
When electrical information that comes down to the top neuron hits the synaptic gap neurotransmitters are propagated across the synaptic gap.
Neurotransmitters are chemical and when it reaches the neuron below the electrical information is transmitted. The information transfer in the body in electrochemical – electrical down the nerve and chemical across the synaptic gap.
Why is that important? It is important because there is no direct connection between the electrical impulses and the cells except that there is a chemical connection. Deepak Chopra said in his book Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine that neurotransmitters bathe every single cell of the body. This is the instrument of the mind affecting the body. This is the point where the mind-body connection occurs.
When medical doctors discovered the chemical responsible for depression they noticed that whenever a person was depressed, this chemical was present in the body. The question is — is the chemical causing the depression or is the depression causing the chemical? Traditional medicine would postulate that it is the chemical causing the depression, but how do you have the chemical present, without the thought pattern? If there is no thought (electrical impulse) of depression, why is the chemical neurotransmitter produced if not to transfer that electrical impulse across the synaptic gap? What is the originator of the pattern?
We can stop depression by taking another chemical to counteract the original chemical, or we can stop depression by eliminating the cause — the negative emotions and limiting beliefs. The mental origin of any illness resides in the mind and is actualized in the body — the mind body connection.
The Big Four
If you have been living in the kingdom of weight loss for any length of time, you will have heard of a few famous neurotransmitters although you might not have been aware of what they actually did until now. Let me reintroduce serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Studies have shown that 90% of overweight people are deficient in these chemicals. To add insult to injury, cortisol (produced by stress) uses up these same chemicals, depleting the levels in your body even more.
Why are these chemicals important? Because serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine are appetite suppressors. When a person has the required levels of these neurotransmitters in their system they go into a safe appetite control. This allows them to eat appropriate amounts and eliminates emotional eating and cravings.
Optimizing neurotransmitter levels eliminates other symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, chronic fatigue, panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, pms, fibromyalgia, migraines, hormonal dysfunction, adrenal fatigue, digestive disorders, and many others.
Think Your Way to Your Perfect Shape
So this may be proof that thinking positive thoughts and feeling happy might be the key to a naturally slender body. Wouldn’t that be exciting? If you create beneficial internal representations of your experiences and speak words of support and encouragement to yourself, then those electrical impulses will require the production of appetite suppressing chemicals to transfer those messages throughout your body.