Just a thought.....

I've seen a lot of posts here from people wondering why they're angry. I've been there too. I just want to say that I think a lot of my rage stems from chemical imbalance!!! Partly a depression disorder, and partly from stuff I put in my body. Since taking anti-depressants and making some diet changes, I have put a lot of that helpless rage behind me. I'm still feisty and opinionated, but I don't get those rage attacks that feel like seizures, so I'm sharing this:

Chocolate makes me nasty. The chocolatier it is, the more likely it will change my personality and make me prone to violent outbursts. It doesn't take effect right away, like alcohol; it usually "waits" a few hours to a day or two, then "pounces". Benadryl & other antihistamines do the same thing. I DO NOT take allergy medications unless I get stung by a bee or am so stuffed up I can't breathe at all. I've heard the same about diet drugs and other, not-so-legal drugs. Cortisone/steroids can make some people nasty, too (though not me).

Anyone else pursued this line of thinking??

I have a condition that makes me deficient in vitamin b6 and zinc. When my b6 levels get low I can feel myself get angry much easier than normal. I can also feel myself want to almost rage about some things. This condition I have, known as pyroluria, does say a symptom is anger episodes.

A vitamin b6 deficiency will also cause depression because the body needs b6 to convert tryptophan into serotonin.

I don't have a problem with chocolate myself. However, I do know that it contains copper (alcohol does too). Some people have said that high copper levels may be associated with criminal acts. I don't know if this is true, but I would guess that maybe the copper in chocolate causes your zinc levels to seem lower. Copper and zinc are antagonistic so they balance each other. Copper causes the same symptoms as estrogen dominance and thyroid problems. But I can always tell when my zinc levels are too low because I can get more emotional about stuff. Like reading some tragic story in the paper and getting tears in my eyes when I don't even now the person in the newspaper. Too much copper can definitely make me more emotional, but I can't say that it has ever made me angry.

The body must have zinc in order to make testosterone. Some have said that too little testosterone can also cause anger problems in men. This would tie back to copper, too much copper really. Copper is in the environment in ways most people don't realize. The copper plumbing pipes, soda fountain machines use copper tubing, some BC pills contain, ciggerettes put copper in the body, alcohol contains copper, all vetegarian protein sources are high in copper, especially soy, and certain meds can lower your zinc levels, causing relatively higher copper levels. (You might try some other foods high in copper to see if that is the problem you have with chocolate. Soy might be good to try.)

My condition is treated by orthomolecular medicine which uses very high doses of nutritional supplements which must be administered under medical supervision. There is a type in ortho that is known to have high copper levels.

Copper is one of those minerals, like iron, that can actually cause problems if the body ends up storing too much of it. If you get too much copper then your liver and adrenal become sluggish for one thing, and this in turn makes it hard for the liver to produce ceruloplasmin, the protein that copper needs to get into your bloodstream. So it is possible to have too much copper stored in your body but not have any available copper in your bloodstream. This condition is refered to as bioUNavailable copper. This was a condition that nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman developed. She wrote the book "Why am I always so Tired" about her experiences with this problem. And, yes, ever a nutritionist can overlook this problem too. (Gittleman did not know what the cause of her health problem was until she developed red highlights in her hair.)

WOW. You are a font of information. I didn't know that about copper, although I saw an episode of "House" where a woman had copper poisoning and went crazy. I've researched chocolate to find out what chemical was responsible for this - I thought maybe phenylethylamine (which causes a lot of people to feel GOOD), but you could be right - it could be copper. Other sweets, caffeine and dairy products don't cause that reaction in me. Neither does soy, by the way, but I don't eat that much.

No wonder B vitamins make me calmer!!