Anxiety is one of the more common complaints that I
see clinically, the underlying cause of anxiety can be from a myriad of
sources; biochemical or genetic predisposition, long term or acute life
stressors, relationship stress, physical illness, insomnia, poor diet, hormonal
imbalances, etc. It becomes the job of the naturopathic doctor to uncover the
underlying cause of a person’s anxiety, while simultaneously treating the
current symptoms to bring balance to the patient’s life experience. Fortunately
anxiety is a complaint that typically responds well to naturopathic
therapeutics; on their own, as well as in conjunction with pharmaceutical
approaches.
I love to combine our gentle effective medicines
and modalities with mindfulness based practices. Yoga, meditation, breathing
exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy are all effective ways to teach the
practice of letting go and letting be. Many people with anxiety disorders have
never learned how to effectively help themselves through periods of intense stress
and anxiety, the aforementioned mindfulness techniques are invaluable to learn,
or re-learn internal coping strategies.
There are many herbal medicines in several
different classes that we consider when a patient presents with anxiety. Some
of these herbs work similarly to benzodiazepines, causing mild sedation as they
modulate the GABA receptors in the brain; valerian and passionflower are
examples of sedative herbs. Others are even more gentle in their sedative
effects, but are helpful in calming and settling the mind, we call these herbs nerviness; lemon balm and chamomile are
examples of nervines. Other herbals help to support the adrenal glands. The
adrenal glands help to stabilize stress response, blood sugar and reproductive
hormones, this class of herbs are called adaptogens; rhodiola and ashwaghanda
are examples of adaptogen herbs that help us to recover from long periods of
physical or emotional stress.
Acupuncture is another fantastic tool to use for
acute or chronic anxiety states, oftentimes people experiencing anxiety need
support in their heart and pericardium channels’ to soothe mental and spiritual
agitation, improve sleep and restore calm. It is also helpful to stimulate the
kidney energies to assuage fears and restore physical and mental energy. The
beauty of acupuncture is the ability to customize each individual’s treatment
protocol, and easily make minor adjustments to the protocol with each visit
based on symptom feedback, as well as traditional Chinese medicine tongue and
pulse readings.
Nutrition and nutriceutical supplementation are the
back bone of many naturopathic treatment protocols. “Clean” protein with every
meal ensures the presence of amino acid building blocks used by our body to
make neurotransmitters like serotonin, gaba, and dopamine. Protein if often swapped out of breakfast in
exchange for a caffeinated beverage, in the long run this nutritional bargain
may be more anxiety promoting than our original plan of getting “extra energy”
from a coffee or tea. Eating meals at regular times is important for our mental
health and feeling of well being by keeping our blood sugar levels more stable
throughout the day. There are many nutritional supplements that help people
manage their anxiety, b vitamins, theanine, gaba, and inositol have become
favorite supportive additions to my treatment protocols over the years.
If you are not certain if the symptoms that you are experiencing are related to anxiety,
bring it up at your next visit with your ND, we will certainly work with you to
help you to get a better understanding of your symptom presentation.
