Ask the Doctor: Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Ask the Doctor:

Question: I feel constant state of anxiety and I am worried it may get worse. What can I do?

When a parent, we tend to worry, be fearful and nervous with (almost) every move our kids take: from learning to walk to driving a car. To a degree, these are all normal; however, if these feelings become extreme and manifest into physical symptoms, a diagnosis of mild to severe anxiety might happen.

Anxiety is a general term when people experience challenges in their lives that cause nervousness and worry. It occurs in acute situations but when people have trouble letting go and become nervous and worried constantly about health, finances, work or school, resulting in disrupted sleep and find they are sick often, it becomes chronic and debilitating. Below are a few examples of anxiety:

Emotional symptoms: feelings of apprehension, trouble concentration, restless, irritable

Physical symptoms: sweating, increased heart rate, insomnia, headaches

If you sense you have any of the above symptoms regularly, it is very important to pay attention to them, seek medial help in order to prevent these symptoms becoming more pronounced. As with most diseases, it is best and simpler to treat disease before it manifests in a myriad of issues. With my patients, we talk about a few things before suggesting any type of medicine.

Keep a journal: Finding the root cause of when and why you feel anxiety is key. With this information, you will be able to prevent situations that create anxiety and also, have tools (see below) that will help you get through it.
Tools: In your journal, write down things that relax you. This could be music, an affirmation, and/or a visual of a peaceful place. Whenever you feel your hear heart beginning to race, or you begin to sweat, use your tool.
Learn to breathe: Many people don’t breath properly. They breath with swallow breaths and tend not to take in deep breaths. Take in deep long breaths regularly.
Do 10 jumping jacks: This may seem silly, but if you can, the art of distraction, can really make a huge difference. With parents feel anxiety when kids are acting up, this can be an entertaining way to change the mood.

Nutrition Tips

Always eat whole colorful ( non processed ) food at every meal. These foods tend to have an array of nutrients that will support and feed your body.
Keep hydrated: calming herbal teas – iced or warm – as well as water.
Supplements:
- Magnesium: I wrote about the benefits of magnesium in an earlier post. Click here to read.
- B Vitamins: B vitamins work as a team in the body aiding in most cellular reaction. Look for a supplement that is B vitamin complex.
- Vitamin C: The adrenal (click here to read more about stress and the adrenals) love vitamin c. Not only will be supporting the adrenals but also your immune system.
It is always best to work with your health care professionally to come up with the best plan for you. If you have any questions with finding high quality supplements, please feel free to email me or journey to my drheathernd site.