“Why do I pick my skin?” I bet you've asked yourself this before.

Today we're going to get down into a little bit of biochemistry to look at a more complete answer to why you pick. More importantly, we'll review natural ways that you can balance the neurotransmitters that are really involved with skin picking and hair pulling as you start to manage these behaviors or continue managing them if you are working on that already.

Neurotransmitters Glutamate and GABA

Neurotransmitters are molecules made from the amino acids that get digested from the proteins that you eat in your foods. They are signaling molecules. So they're sending signals into the synapses between the nerves and your brain and throughout your body.

The first one we're going to talk about is glutamate. Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the body, which means it is sending the go message like, like faster, faster, fire, fire, go, go, go. So glutamate is speeding things up.

The counterpart to glutamate is gamma aminobutyric acid, abbreviated as GABA. GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter. So it's like putting on the brakes. It's saying, slow down, slow down here, let's be firing a little less.

Glutamate and GABA are counterparts and we'll be looking at how we can make sure they're balanced in the body because too much activity on one versus the other can cause a lot of the issues that we're experiencing.

How do we know glutamate and GABA are involved in skin picking and hair pulling?

1. Dysfunction in the glutamate system has been implicated in OCD, anxiety, and addiction, all of which have similarities to disordered skin picking and hair pulling.

2. There is a knockout mouse model for skin picking and hair pulling. This is a genetically altered mouse that is missing a gene for a molecule that binds to the glutamate receptor and affects its signaling. So the corresponding protein is missing from this type of mouse, which as a result has a huge tendency to barber their fur, chewing it off and abrading the skin. So this mouse does very similar behaviors to our skin picking and hair pulling when it has this piece of the glutamate system missing. That's a big reason why we know the glutamate system is involved.

3. A drug that is a glutamate receptor antagonist has been shown just recently to work for skin picking and hair pulling. You may like to also read or watch my post on the research study on memantine for picking and pulling. The memantine binds to the glutamate receptors and slows down signaling of glutamate.

Ideally we have a balance between glutamate and GABA

How to balance your Glutamate and GABA neurotransmitters

Things that increase GABA

1. Exercise

   Exercise increases both Glutamate and GABA. Because of its ability to increase glutamate, exercise is a crucial natural treatment for depression and ADD. It gets you going when you are stuck. Because it also increases GABA, exercise is beneficial for anxiety, motor control, sleeping better and more. Have you noticed picking or pulling less after exercise?

2. Eat whole foods including lots of vegetables and fermented foods to increase GABA

3. Yoga, meditation and other mindfulness practices increase GABA

4. Drink tea for L-theanine (green, white and black tea all have it)

5. Supplement

Balancing your neurotransmitters: What to avoid:

1. Processed and fast foods which contain sources of free glutamate. Particularly avoid added sugars and ingredients like:

   1. monosodium glutamate (MSG)

   2. hydrolyzed vegetable protein

   3. hydrolyzed yeast

   4. yeast extract

   5. soy extract

   6. protein isolate

   7. caffeine

2. Caffeine increases glutamate. If you experience symptoms of the arrow towards too much glutamate, lay off the coffee and energy drinks. (But watch my video on caffeine to be educated on withdrawal.) Tea has some caffeine too but also increases GABA so it is likely a better choice for you.

3. Chronic alcohol use. While alcohol temporarily increases GABA, there is a bounce-back effect and using over time causes lower GABA levels in your alcohol-free state.

Phew, there is a lot of information here, possibly a lot of changes you can make to help reduce your skin picking or hair pulling. We all struggle with changing our habits, which is why I coach people to implement positive changes like the ones mentioned in this article. If you’d like some personal coaching, reach out to me here.

Thanks for reading! There is more detail in the video so be sure to watch and add your comments on YouTube.

Love and support,

Annette