Sometimes, when I’m feeling dreamy, I like to imagine that I’m just a sixteen year old girl again, weighing my options for college, with so much to look forward to. I dream of applying to some advanced science program in France, going on to a career in perfumery, sniffing out what will be the next Chanel No. 5.

It’s a known fact that I’m cursed by having an exceptionally good nose. Pregnant women can’t smell half the shit I smell…some-actually MOST of it isn’t good, either, but I am one serious perfume connoisseur. Channel, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Emporio Armani, Dior – they hang out on my dresser and gossip up a storm.

Much like wine, I haven’t had the joy of experiencing the finest in perfumes, but I know the good stuff when I smell it and i know what I like. It’s really interesting that most of the perfume in the world comes out of the same perfume houses. So when you’re buying some lame celebrity, like Jessica Simpson’s, perfume, rest-assured, she did not create it. But neither did Versace. They basically send the work out to the fragrance house, much like an creative agency produces the advertising elements.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. le sigh.

Alright, why not? I got back to my desk, did a quick wikipedia search on it, only to be disappointed, as it looks highly unnecessary and ineffective. Boo! I’m a sucker! Feeling pretty skeptical, I decided to see it through for one week and if it sucked, I would go back to my Think Clearly’s, which I wasn’t married to, but they had been treating me okay.

So I began the L-Tyrosine the very next morning with my daily Emergen-C, only to be surprised with an immediate result. I felt calm, cool and collected…or, well, more so than usual, in my high stress environment a.k.a. I don’t want to crawl under my desk. In fact, I zipped through statistical data like there’s no tomorrow, and after a solid regimen of supplementing the L-Tyrosine (200 mg), I felt pretty damn good with a lessoning in my desire to crawl under my desk and stay there til 6 pm.

I also have this horrible habit of dealing with stress. Instead of working through problems on the spot, I panic and make a beeline for the kitchen to grab a snack or, if at home, instantly feel sedated and decide it’s nap time. It’s just my body responding to stress. Either way, it completely destroys my ability to stay focused. Turned out, with the L-Tyrosine, my impulse for stress eating wasn’t quite as strong, I’d gained some perseverance and there was a (squeel!!) noticeable loss of waist size.

After a little more research, I discovered that L-Tyrosine is the precursor to L-dopa which turns into dopamine, which turns into epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Let me put this in Layman’s Terms:

Dopamine: That’s the stuff that’s released when you fall in love. Or when you do cocaine, alcohol or cigarettes. It’s highly related to focus, concentration and learned behavior.

Epinephrine & Norepinephrine: Adrenaline or the fight-or-flight hormones, also neurotransmitters that helps us deal with stress.

Some noteworthy benefits of L-Tyrosine are:

-Enhanced Concentration. In fact, in some cases it’s suggested for ADHD.

- Heightened sex drive. (never had a problem here, but hell, why not?!)

- Enhanced physical performance. There were tons of bodybuilding sites endorsing the supplement for endurance due to it’s connection to the production of adrenaline. Seemed to help me with my afternoon runs, I do admit.

- Appetite suppressant. Generally, I hate agreeing with ANYTHING weight loss, but it did lower my stress, therefore my eating and napping. Two things that contribute to my porking out.

Side Effects:

- Sleeplessness/Insomnia. I can sleep through tornadoes and earthquakes. Didn’t pose a prob for me.

- Anxiety. Now this is a slippery slope, as I have terrible anxiety. However, mine isn’t the kind that keeps me up cleaning at night, mine puts me to sleep or makes me eat. There are different kinds of nervous animals out there. I’m a sleepy cat, so I can only vouch for my own species.

The facts:

- The suggested dose is 200 mg to 500 mg, but in higher doses can cause heart problems and high blood pressure. So don’t take this if you have those kinds of problems. Don’t blame me if you do!!

- Take it on an empty tummy with B-vitamins to help you absorb it. Also, it’s listed as an ingredient with many multi-vitamin supplements, but because it’s a weenie of an amino acid, the other amino’s will override it, so it’s best taken on it’s own. I take mine in the morning with Emergen-C, which has a great combo of B-vitamins and, of course, Vitamin C and Zinc.

- Really, anybody who is taking other supplements and meds, consult your doctor, especially if they are psychiatric drugs.

Once again: What you do with your body is your own choice, not mine, so please make wise decisions about your health, as I will not be accountable for it.

SMILES.

I’m a drinker. I usually find myself in a stressful line of work. I’m social, and, despite myself, have quite a few friends. I’m a runner with very little motivation or stamina. If left to my own devices, I’d download bad television in volumes and lay in bed and watch them on my laptop and likely fall in to a pit of depression so deep, you’d need the jaws of life just to untangle me from the massive, swallowing blankets.

Somehow, I’ve figured out how to make things a *little* better and have developed an odd obsession with the chemicals in my body. I’ve never been on proper antidepressants, which isn’t to say that I haven’t experimented with pharmaceutical-grade (proper) drugs. It also isn’t to say that I haven’t done the recreational sort. Because I have. Lots.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading about my never-ending quest for eternal peace and enlightenment and not send the paddy wagon over to haul me to rehab.

Thanks in advance.