Natural Therapies For Anxiety

Each one of us is sure to have experienced anxiety or anxious feelings at some point in our lives, however for many people these feelings are a constant battle which become difficult to cope with. Quite often though, every-day anxiety can be confused with an anxiety disorder.

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Here are the differences:

EVERYDAY ANXIETY	ANXIETY DISORDER
Feelings of self-consciousness in awkward social situations	Avoiding social situations in fear of being humiliated or judged
Fears which are realistic in nature	Fears which are more irrational in nature resulting in avoidance of a place, situation or object
Difficulty sleeping after a traumatic event	Recurring flashbacks, nightmares or emotional numbing related to an event which may have occurred years before
Sometimes some nervous sweating before a big event or test	Panic attacks which occur out of the blue
Everyday worries about money, schoolwork or deadlines	Worrying which is constant and causes a significant amount of stress and interferes with daily life

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY?

• Excessive worry and anxiety which occurs more days than not for 6 months
• Individual finds it difficult to control this worry
• Anxiety and worry are associated with at least 3 of these symptoms:

• Easily fatigued
• Difficulty concentrating
• Tension of muscles
• Restlessness with sensation of “being on edge”
• Difficulty falling/staying asleep
• Clinically significant distress with social and occupational impairment as a result of physical symptoms
• Disturbance is not as a result of another medical condition
• Disturbance is not better explained by another mental health disorder

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A PANIC ATTACK?

A panic attack is a sudden and abrupt surge of intense discomfort and fear which may reach its peak within a few minutes. Typically, the symptoms of a panic attack include:

• Heart palpitations
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Numbness and tingling
• Feeling detached
• Fear of losing control
• Fear of dying

WHAT CAN YOU USE TO HELP CONTROL ANXIETY?

TREATMENT	EFFECT	NOTES
GABA or Gabatropin	Directly increases GABA levels	New research suggests GABA cannot sufficiently cross the blood-brain-barrier. If GABA does not work, consider this and use Gabatropin instead Garabtropin (phenibut) has a direct effect on stimulating dopamine production
Ashwagandha	Nerve tonic allowing for improved memory and concentration, reduces anxiety and improves sleep	Ashwagandha has anxiolytic and inhibitory effects on the CNS due to its GABA-mimetic properties
Magnesium	Needed for the conversion of glutamate to GABA, therefore enhances GABA levels. Also reduces muscle tension	All magnesium types can be used, however Magnesium-L- Threonate is the most easily absorbed to improve nervous system health
B6, B12 and Folate	Enhances GABA production and supports healthy cortisol levels
Bio-puncture	For muscle tension and spasm usually present in the neck, TMJ and shoulders	By injecting in these areas, there is a large reduction in bruxism, migraines and tension in anxiety
L- Theanine	Boosts levels of GABA, enhances alpha-brain waves

Homeopathy works beautifully in cases of anxiety and here are some remedies which can be used.

Argentum nitricum: anticipatory anxiety before an event resulting in gastric upset.

Lycopodium clavatum: Anxiety related to a lack of self-confidence. There are usually mistakes made when writing and speaking.

Calcarea carbonica: anxiety with feelings of insecurity in learning ability. People needing this remedy are usually quite shy and experience cold clammy hands.

Ambra grisea: social anxiety with fear of making a fool of one-self. Usually make silly mistakes in social situations. INCREDIBLY SHY.

Aconitum napellus: acute episode of anxiety, particularly after a traumatic event. Heart palpitations, tremors and breathlessness are usually present.