Anna is Dr. Brunes patient. Her story of reversed MS comes from Dr. Brunes book “Slurred Signals”. Anna’s case  is a great example of norepinephrine deficiency (relative to acetylcholine). Dr. Brunes treatment focuses on balancing neurotransmitters, while taking into account other factors (read Dr. Brunes method here).

Key signs and symptoms when there is too little noradrenaline relative to acetylcholine

(note: not all the symptoms must be present):

  • Extreme fatigue (could be the main symptom)

  • Feeling powerless

  • Weakness and fatigue are aggravated by heat

  • Symptoms are ameliorated by cold

  • Muscle spasms and aches

  • Frequent urge to urinate (the amount of urine may be small)

  • Legs feel heavy

  • Excess saliva in the mouth

  • Low blood pressure, low heart rate

  • Wheezing

  • Small pupils

  • Diarrhea

  • Difficulty setting boundaries, saying “no” or express anger

  • Low mood/depression

When there is norepinephrine deficiency, the other neurotransmitters will dominate. Acetylcholine will dominate in the first stages.

Since neurotransmitters play an important role in the mood, memory and the way we behave, it is worth looking into Anna’s emotional factors (stress) and her personality as well. The symptoms of low norepinephrine described above come from Dr.Brunes. I did explore the key physical symptoms related to norepinephrine deficiency in this post.

Anna was 40 years old when she received the diagnosis of MS, and started to follow Dr.Brunes recommendations two years later.

The most prominent symptom was fatigue. She recalls one episode of weakness and loss of balance. Anna felt relief when she learned about her MS, as she suspected brain tumor.

Before getting sick, Anna enjoyed a very active life. Always worked hard and took responsibilities: as the older sibling, in the family  and while working at the farm. She recalls the feeling of not getting enough attention from her mother, who was also a hard worker. Anna’s father was well-respected, an authoritarian person.

Anna was a great student, getting good grades and recognition in school and college.

She met her future husband in college, got married and moved to another city. Anna started to work as a social worker, enjoying her career and a great relationship with her husband. They had two daughters. Her job became more stressful when she accepted a promotion. Her marriage and the relationship with children (now teens) started to suffer. Anna recalls changes in her mood (feeling more depressed) and energy (lack of energy, less desire for exercise or sex).

Other symptoms included bladder problems. She would go more often to the washroom, although would urinate a tiny amount of urine. She recalls another episode of weakness in her right leg. She also experienced numbness and feeling her legs heavy.

Anna tried prescription medication for a year but had to discontinue the drug due to side effects. Dr. Brunes successfully treated Anna by correcting norepinephrine deficiency. Her physical symptoms (fatigue, bladder problem) and mental/emotional state improved Anna started to listen more to her body, take more care of herself, learned to say “no” and successfully deal with conflicts.

Read more about norepinephrine and its link with MS here.

Dr. Brunes treatment  involves prescription medication, amino acids vitamins, and other nutrients that aim to boost the neurotransmitter (norepinephrine in this case) levels.

I am exploring the main prescription medication and supplements that correct norepinephrine deficiency here.

Keep in mind that Dr. Brunes goes beyond correcting these neurotransmitters, as she covers the PNIT (psycho-neuro-immuno-toxicology) axis. Details of Dr. Brunes method here.