Anxiety is endemic in today’s modern society. In this article, Dr. Steven Crain shares how to increase the body’s endorphin levels for natural relief from anxiety, depression, pain, ADD/ADHD and more!
I’m excited to welcome Dr. Steven Crain from Pondera Pharmaceuticals to discuss natural anxiety relief… and specifically how endorphins play a critical role in managing anxiety and depression, pain, addictions, and more.
Table Of Contents
First, I need to tell you how we discovered Dr. Crain…
My husband Jeff was looking for relief from his increasing neuropathic feet pain. And more specifically, we were looking for a way to boost his own endorphin levels so he could handle the pain better. And as if that wasn’t enough, we also wanted to find a way for him to avoid increasing or becoming tolerant to his pain medication. A web search led him to Dr. Steven Crain’s endorphin-boosting supplement.
After reading about the natural supplement on the website — where Dr. Steven explains the whole mechanism in depth via his patent — we decided to try it. Immediately, Jeff felt a subtle, yet significant, difference in his pain level. And, he avoided increasing his pain medication (he was on the brink of needing more).
I myself have been using this supplement for a few months and it helps me with stable energy, handling stress, and a steady mood. One of our daughters tried it and she felt it gave her stable mood and energy at work. Our other daughter, who edited this article, bought two bottles after reading the interview; she and her husband are trying it right now. We are convinced it works!
So now, after several months where we’ve continued to feel the benefits, I asked Dr. Steven if he would do an interview with me so he could share more with you about how it works and who it might help. He said yes (thank you!)… and that interview is below, in video or print form.
If you or someone you know struggles with anxiety, chronic pain, addictions, or other physical or mental distress… then please listen to — or read or watch — this podcast interview with Dr. Steven Crain to learn about evidence-based methods of natural anxiety and pain relief!
In this article:
- endorphin system imbalances …how chronic imbalances in stress-related parts of the nervous system can cause anxiety, depression, etc.
- natural anxiety relief …an evidence-based supplement to take the edge off (with an exclusive coupon code just for you; see end of this article)
- who might benefit …including those struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, ADD/ADHD, and OCD
- and more!
Please set aside distractions and watch or listen to the video below. Or, if you prefer to read, I captured the gist of our interview in the cleaned up notes below!
About Dr. Steven Crain
Dr. Steven is a psychotherapist specializing in the endorphin system. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from Duke University in 1980, then moved to Pennsylvania State University where he has been working ever since at the university and in private practice.
His father, the late Dr. Stanley M. Crain, was a world-renowned neuroscientist researching how imbalances in the endorphin system affect the development of emotional and physical distress. By applying this research, Dr. Steven and his father have developed nutraceuticals that can restore balance in the endorphin system, providing natural anxiety relief and more.
Endorphins in Pain Management
Dr. Steven explained that there are two kinds of opioids:
- exogenous opioids which come from outside the body: such as poppy seeds or morphine
- endogenous opioids which are produced by the body: such as endorphins.
Neither exogenous nor endogenous opioids are actually painkillers (like anesthetics are). Instead, they work by calming people down and reducing their distress.
They are excellent for acute physical or emotional pain… but stop working in situations of chronic pain. Why?
Dr. Steven’s father discovered that the nervous system is a bimodal system. When the body experiences pain, opioids such as morphine or the body’s naturally produced endorphins inhibit transmission of pain by binding to certain opioid receptors. Unfortunately, in situations of chronic pain, the body compensates by switching these receptors from an inhibitory to an excitatory state. Pain and distress increase in the excitatory state and yet more opioids are required to achieve relief again.
This is how people become addicted to morphine… but it happens with the body’s naturally produced endorphins as well.
And, according to Dr. Steven, there’s another factor at play with chronic pain, too. At first, people in physical or emotional pain are resilient enough to handle the stress. Over time, however, the body’s natural endorphins get depleted, and they aren’t able to cope as well as they could in the beginning.
Addiction, anxiety, and chronic pain are all related to this imbalance in the endogenous opioid system. It’s called endocrinologic distress syndrome, or EDS.
Natural Anxiety Relief
The next step in Dr. Steven’s research with his father was to find out how to increase endorphins for natural anxiety relief… while keeping those opioid receptors in their calm, inhibitory state.
Interestingly, caffeine increases endorphin levels in the body! And yet, similar to taking morphine, while caffeine may be calming and relaxing at first… if overdone, causes an increase in anxiety later on when the body’s receptors switch from an inhibitory to an excitatory state. So caffeine is not the answer… by itself.
First, they tried pairing caffeine with magnesium, which did prevent the receptors from switching, but also caused diarrhea in larger doses. (Certain forms of magnesium are known to do this!)
Then they tried N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a variation of an amino acid that has been widely used for decades in medicine for two reasons: 1) it’s great for the liver, and 2) it’s antiviral.
The Winning Combination: Caffeine + N-acetyl-cysteine + L-theanine
NAC kept opioid receptors calm, while caffeine increased endorphin levels, and L-theanine enhanced the calming and balancing effect of both, with no side effects.
In fact, Dr. Steven conducted a study where 60 people kept their hands in ice-cold water for as long as possible. Those who had taken caffeine + NAC beforehand were able to keep their hand (happily!) in the water for much longer than those who had taken caffeine or NAC separately, or those who hadn’t taken anything at all.
Please note: The combination of caffeine and NAC did not reduce pain, but it increased people’s pain tolerance. They were less emotionally and physically distressed while experiencing the pain of ice-cold water. The implications of this are far-reaching in today’s society where anxiety is endemic.
In subsequent studies involving several hundred people, the combination of caffeine and NAC, especially when combined with a synergistic enhancer such as L-theanine, definitively improved chronic emotional issues, addictions, physical pain tolerance in many cases, and provided natural anxiety relief.
Dr. Steven patented his supplement of caffeine combined with N-acetyl-cysteine, both alone and when combined with synergistic enhancers such as L-theanine, calling it Endorphinate* (click here to see patent).
*see end of this article for extra 10% off coupon code
Is Caffeine Addicting?
Two of the three forms of Endorphinate contain caffeine (discussed more below). Before we get into the differences in the formulas, though, I want to tackle the question we’re all thinking up front: because it contains caffeine, does that make Endorphinate addicting?
Usually, caffeine in any food, beverage, or supplement is addicting. This means that you will eventually have to increase your intake of caffeine to achieve the same results.
And yet, Dr. Steven and his father discovered that the caffeine is non-addictive when paired with N-acetyl-cysteine. They also use a slower-acting form of caffeine called Guarana.
So no worries there! I breathed a sigh of relief, too. 🙂
The Endorphinate Supplement: 3 Formulations
There are three different forms of Dr. Steven’s Endorphinate supplement*. Two of the three include an endorphin enhancer (caffeine), while all three contain a receptor switcher (NAC) and synergistic enhancers (varies depending on the formulation).
*see end of this article for extra 10% off coupon code
Which formulation you choose will depend on your specific needs.
1. Endorphinate AR (Anxiety Relief)
Endorphinate AR is their basic product, formulated for natural anxiety relief. In addition to the core ingredients of caffeine and NAC, it includes a unique extract of green tea called L-TeaActive™ (a specially formulated, proprietary form of L-theanine) that synergizes with the rest of the ingredients to be extra calming, but not sedative, as can happen with large solitary doses.
2. Endorphinate PR (Pain Relief)
Endorphinate PR is specifically formulated for pain relief. In addition to the core ingredients of caffeine, NAC, and L-TeaActive™ L-theanine, it includes white willow bark and Boswellia extract. These potent natural anti-inflammatory substances relieve physical pain in the same way that Ibuprofen and aspirin do, by reducing inflammation.
3. Endorphinate CF (Caffeine Free)
This formulation is caffeine-free for those who are extra sensitive to caffeine.
Endorphinate AR and PR are very beneficial when taken twice a day, yet some people can’t tolerate the caffeine at night. If this is the case for you, you can take Endorphinate AR or PR in the morning for natural pain or anxiety relief, then Endorphinate CF in the evening to maintain calm opioid receptors… without sacrificing healthy sleep.
Endorphinate CF may also a good product for you if you already consume moderate to high levels of caffeine regularly and consistently throughout the day. In that case, you can benefit from taking Endorphinate CF twice daily, since Endorphinate CF (Pondera’s carefully researched combination of just the right amount of N-acetyl-cysteine and L-theanine) can help reduce the agitation and anxiety often caused by consuming caffeine alone.
Benefits of Endorphinate
1. Anxiety and depression.
In studies, Dr. Steven found that Endorphinate significantly helped to reduce anxiety and depression. Additionally, many subjects found that they could reduce the dosage of their antidepressant medication (under supervision of their healthcare practitioner) as a result of taking Endorphinate.
2. Physical pain.
By increasing the body’s natural endorphins, Endorphinate helps increase one’s ability to cope with physical pain.
3. Children with autism, ADD/ADHD, OCD, etc.
Although Endorphinate is not a cure-all, it has many benefits for children with autism, ADD/ADHD, OCD, etc. These include increased attention span and focus (due to caffeine) as well as decreased agitation (due to Endorphinate’s unique combination of NAC and L-TeaActive™ L-Theanine).
As a side note, Dr. Steven points out that while he could not find evidence that vaccinations cause autism, there may be a link between autism and acetaminophen overdose. Incidences of autism increased significantly when acetaminophen replaced aspirin as drug of choice for children getting vaccinated.
Acetaminophen can interfere with the endorphin system, and can cause imbalances in excess. If autism is related to acetaminophen overdose, this explains why Endorphinate can be so helpful in mitigating many of the behavioral patterns present in autistic children.
4. Behavioral and drug addictions.
Again, Dr. Steven stresses that Endorphinate is not the cure. But he has found that it can be used in combination with other therapies to help addicts recover from their addictions, whether behavioral addictions such as eating, shopping or gambling… or drug addictions such as opioids.
Whatever the addiction, the problem is the same: receptors switched to their excitatory state, which can be relieved only by participating in the addictive behavior again. In calming the receptors, Endorphinate can improve addiction.
It can help temper cravings, too!
If you’re interested in Endorphinate, visit Dr. Steven’s website right here (TradCookSchool.com/endorphinate) to choose the formulation that will work best for your needs! Then use one of the coupon codes below to get an EXTRA 10% off:
- 1 bottle – save 10% (everyone else 0% off) – use code Wardee1
- 2 bottles – save 15% (everyone else 5% off) – use code Wardee2
- 3-4 bottles – save 20% (everyone else 10% off) – use code Wardee3
- 5-11 bottles – save 25% (everyone else 15% off) – use code Wardee5
- 12 or more bottles – save 30% (everyone else 20% off) – use code Wardee12
Feel free to mix-n-match bottles; the codes will still work!
If you decide to order again, be sure to come back and use my link and coupon code… so you can get an EXTRA 10% off again and again on future orders.
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Georgia Wild says
Hi Wardee, I’m really excited about this product but my anti-virus software is recommending “walking away” from this website for purchasing, due to malicious code. Is there a problem, or is my software just too restrictive?
Danielle says
Hi, Georgia.
I think it is being too restrictve. 🙂
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
Georgia Wild says
Thank you for getting back with me! I was able to get on the site with my phone and just got my order today!
Peggy says
Great to hear! 🙂 ~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
Jan Rhodes says
This is Jan again. The specific message I get when I click on the link is that the site is infected with “URL: Blacklist”.
Danielle says
Hi, Jan.
You will want to contact your anti-virus program support to ask them how to make an exception. Or use a different device that doesn’t have the anti-virus program.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Sucess Team
Jill says
Can you take both formulas for anxiety and pain?
Danielle says
Hi, Jill.
I recommend reaching out to the company directly. Here’s the link to contact them: https://ponderapharma.com/contact-us/
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team