Nutritionists have a circular diagram that shows the RELATIVE amounts of each of these eight amino acids needed to make up the various molecules and enzymes, cells, other amino acids needed and organs in the human body.  For example, one critical molecule is insulin, which opens cell doors to glucose.  This molecule is made up of over 50 amino acids in a particular sequence.  If, at the time of manufacture, even one of these amino acids is short, that particular molecule won't be made and the "wasted" amino acids may turn into glucose.  And, the insulin molecule is one of the smallest.  There are molecules that are much larger by several magnitudes.

Enzymes are chemical catalysts that are needed to change chemicals into organs and hormones and cells.  They are manufactured in the body from amino acids, plus vitamins and/or minerals.  Without a particular enzyme, any one of thousands of chemical changes needed in the body doesn't work.

As one particular example, in order to digest protein into amino acids in the gut, the enzyme protease is required.  This breaks down the protein particles into the various amino acids, or simpler combinations of a few amino acids (called peptides). These smaller amino acids and peptides then are allowed to pass from the gut into the portal vein and into the body.  Now, let's look at a little old lady who virtually lives on white bread toast and tea.  She is using up her protein in constantly re-building cells and losing some in that process.  Since she's not getting any protein in her diet (or very little) and she's not getting any real vitamins or minerals, the inherent priority system stops making the enezyme protease because the proteins and vitamins/minerals are needed urgently elsewhere! My wife calls this the "Tea and Toast Syndrome"!

Even if you feed her eggs and milk, or even steak, she can't digest them and so they pass thru her system undigested and unused! At this point, she will be "senile" and perhaps diagnosed as having Alzheimer's.

This vicious circle happens much more than we realize.  Poor nutrition leads to poorer nutrition.  In several cases I worked with, while in active practice, I was able to reverse senility and some of these had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  (It is still only possible to be sure about Alzheimer's diagnosis after death.)

In my opinion, senility isn't inevitable from aging.  There are too many factors that contribute to senility to pinpoint one or two, but certainly, nutrition is the most important factor. 

In one case, a practical nurse was taking my class and as usual, I had recommended one daily VM-75 by Solgar .  She had taken my advice and noticed rapid improvement in herself.  She was then engaged in taking care of a lady who was incontinent, couldn't walk much, or talk coherently and slept most of the day.  Since she was already taking VM-75, she decided to give the old lady one a day.  Within a week, elderly lady was able to speak and think much more clearly, watch TV and go to the bathroom unaided.  (The tag line to this anecdote is that the lady's son, who was waiting for his inheritage, fired the nurse.)

In some other cases, this "megavitamin" wasn't enough to reverse senility.  And the "protein supplements" sold by most health food stores are useless as well.  (That is mostly egg and milk powder.) Without the protease in such advanced cases, this just passes thru without breakdown into amino acids and peptides.  In such cases, so-called "free-form" amino acids are required.  These are actually individual amino acids that are, in effect, pre-digested.  These pass thru the intestinal wall into the blood quite easily.  After a week or so on these supplements, along with vitamins/minerals, they make protease and are able to digest the protein powder, as well as other protein sources.  Very often, they become non-senile and return to "normal", whatever that is for them.

Next, let's look at just a few of the individual amino acids useful to the Orthomolecular practitioner.  These are used in "freeform" and the Japanese hold the patents on most of this manufacturing.

• Lysine - This is very useful in "controlling" the Herpes viruses.  It seems that the Herpes virus (all types) hide in the fatty sheaths of nerves and only come out to play (reproduce) when the ratio of Lysine to Argenine (another amino acid) becomes low i.e., Argenine levels are high.  Argenine is found in chocolate, cheese, nuts, etc.  (Ever notice that those "cold sores" are worse just after Halloween and around Christmas?) So, taking 500 mg of Lysine a day suppresses most Herpes types.  Nothing we now have "cures" these diseases, but Lysine does prevent the infectious stage for most people indefinitely.  Few MD's are aware of this.  Since Ann Landers was a "leader" in promoting Herpes II as a venereal disease, I wrote her twice enclosing the scientific studies proving this use of Lysine and she never even acknowledged it.  Shame on her!

• Taurine - This amino acid is very important, as it is a factor in controlling various timing effects in the brain.  I've used it successfully along with zinc to stop epileptic seizures in several patients.  It also seems to be a factor in controlling diabetic problems.  Some reports have it useful in controlling heart rhythms although it didn't seem to help my atrial fibrillation.

• Tryptophan - This was one of the most important amino acids in my practice.  It was essential to "unhook" people addicted to Valium, Librium and other insomniac and anti-depressant drugs.  It also helps with street drug addicts.  It seems that tryptophan turns into serotonin, a brain-calming chemical.  It requires B6 for enzyme action to do this and the body supply of niacin also has to be sufficient, or the tryptophan turns into niacin.  Unlike the various drugs above, it doesn't put pepeople to sleep, but just calms the brain, so that insomniacs can sleep.  Also, used in conjunction with Tyrosine (another amino acid), it can dramatically raise patients up out of serious depression.  I used it with every depressed patient while I tried to find the underlying cause(s) of the depression (usually an unsuspected allergy). Unfortunately, the FDA banned this product because one batch from one (of 3) Japanese suppliers was bad.  (Lots of lobbying from the US drug companies helped the FDA to do this of course.) Thankfully, there is a new product that works very similarly.  It is called 5-HTP and it's available from most health food stores.

This is a very simplified explanation of amino acids to help the average person understand them a bit better.  It is not intended as a "scientific paper", but an effort to help people improve their health.  I hope it does.

There's much more detailed information on all these subjects in my book The Health Revolution", including actual case histories of successful treatments.

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