Toothpaste and L-Theanine

While looking for a source for a fluoride-free, xylitol based toothpaste I found a wonderful website: Swanson Vitamins. They had Norwegian Cod Liver oil capsules. They had L-Theanine for half the price we were paying locally. And, of course, they had the NOW brand Xyliwhite toothpaste. I placed an order for all of the above, plus some Dr. Bronner's soap with Tea Tree oil.

I won't go into the arguments about fluoride, pro or con. I decided we should try a toothpaste without it, and that one with xylitol would be a very good idea. And so I did. I bought NOW brand Xyliwhite refreshmint toothpaste. I am very pleased with this toothpaste. It doesn't foam up as much as Crest or Colgate. The flavor I got is mint, but it's not the nasty intense mint you normally find in toothpaste. It's a very mild, barely there mint taste. It contains baking soda and tea tree oil too, which is always a bonus in my opinion. It leaves my teeth clean, and my mouth refreshed, but not to the point where I couldn't drink something cold. If it prevents cavities and promotes gum health as well as I will never switch back.

The place I ordered from, Swanson's Vitamins, was a place I had never seen mentioned in any of the healthy cooking and living websites I visit. The prices were right, though. Items they had on sale were less than the prices at my food co-op. I am pleased with this company so far. They didn't overcharge for shipping, and shipped promptly. I'm a happy camper.

Sweetie has been taking L-Theanine, on the recommendation of a family member. He checked with our doctor, who said "If it helps, take it! It can't do any harm." L-Theanine is an amino acid that promotes alpha brain wave activity. Sweetie says that it allows him to shut off the thoughts that cause his anxiety to spiral out of control. It lets him simply think that he feels terrible and anxious, and might need to take some of his medication. This is wonderful, because previously he was so consumed with all the terrible possibilities he could imagine that he wouldn't think of taking his medication. He has been needing less medication, too.

I have taken it a couple of times, as a sleep aid. You know how sometimes your brain just won't shut off so you can't sleep? This lets your brain shut off. I find it to be a bit too calming for use in the day. It's nice to be able to focus on something, but I am accustomed to having a whole series of other things going on at the same time. Background processing, in computer terms. This eliminates multi-processing for me. Great for sleep, not so great otherwise. I also find that it takes a couple of days for the effect to wear off completely.