There are many causes for anxiety, especially because we live in such times of sadness, uncertainty and stressful situations all over the world. Whether your stressed from school or work, or traveling, a loved one who is ill…anything, even catching some bug that’s going around, I have ideas to boost mood.
First off, do not feel alone, millions of people are anxious over something. I’ll tell you one of my issues, it’s driving on gigantic 4 or 6 lane super highways with other cars, and I assume that when they fly past me, they are texting. In fact, I assume pretty much everyone is distracted except for me and so I usually GPS the slower roads! I have been this way for years, and there’s no amount of lavender that helps me! But for other anxieties, there is help and today’s article will lend insight into some natural remedies.
Here are some symptoms of anxiety, which you may relate to, depending on the day, and the severity of your condition: Sweaty palms, rapid heartbeat, a feeling of impending doom, trembling or shaking, dry mouth, GI symptoms, and inability to think of anything else other than the perceived danger at hand. Some people also experience chronic anxiety that impacts their sleep and leads to insomnia. Furthermore, hypertension, gastric ulcers, and depression are also associated with prolonged anxiety.
Finding the Cause
Finding the root cause, or the root person that causes your anxiety is key to getting well, and for most people suffering from chronic anxiety, it may be time for a major lifestyle change or job transition, or perhaps a divorce so you can regain control of your life. For some simple anxiety-producing situations, natural remedies may offer you some degree of temporary peace of mind, or contentment. But if it is serious, you must see a qualified specialist.
My remedies and ideas are strictly for educational and entertainment purposes, so please run everything by your doctor even though all of this is sold without a prescription. As you will see, most of these initial remedies are B vitamins which you will find a high-quality “B complex” formula. You may already take a brand that you like, but if not, I formulated a mitochondrial-loving, fully methylated potent formula called Mito B Complex. It’s available at my vitamin shop.
In no particular order, the following B vitamins are part of the complex.
1. Vitamin B1: Thiamine or B1 helps you produce and release serotonin and norepinephrine which reduce mental fatigue and improve physical energy. These are considered mood-boosting neurotransmitters. If you like to drink wine, you are sure to be deficient in this nutrient and therefore more prone to anxiety. Alcohol is a strong drug mugger of B1. [I have a graphic for this]
2. Vitamin B2: Riboflavin or B2 helps your adrenal glands which secrete DHEA and cortisol, and these hormones must remain in proper homeostasis in order for you to cope. If you’re coping abilities are kind of shot, I highly recommend the DUTCH test, which you can do at home.
3. Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine or B6 helps you manufacture brain chemicals that are “happy” such as serotonin and others. At this point, you may be getting the sense that a high-quality B complex vitamin supplement would be useful. If you do take that, take it in the morning because it is energy-producing. In addition to the B’s, there are other minerals and herbs that could help you.
4. Folate: This is another B vitamin (B9) It raises dopamine. Folic acid is NOT the same as folate, please read this ARTICLE I wrote“Methylation & Your Telomeres.”
Folate is a naturally occurring B vitamin that is the biologically active form of folic acid. It’s the body-ready form. There is a prescription version of folate that is available called Deplin as well as the regular B vitamin at health food stores.
5. Vitamin C: Without vitamin C, you can’t synthesize norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. The body needs vitamin C to keep your arteries and blood vessels elastic and bendy so they don’t crack or leak. Deficiencies of C correlate with heart disease and high cholesterol.
As a side note, vitamin C is required for adequate collagen, which is a youth-promoting hormone. Beautiful skin begins with citrus fruits because they contain a lot of vitamin C! On that note, if you’re interested in beauty tips, you can click HERE to download an ebook I wrote called “26 Cosmetic Secrets to Get Gorgeous Fast.”
6. Probiotics: The friendly gut bugs help you extract all B vitamins above – you extract them from your food too! You can also take the B vitamins, but taking probiotics is another way to increase natural B vitamin production. activate thyroid hormone, which is a happy brain chemical, and a natural antidepressant in your body. For that matter, thyroid hormone has been proven in some studies to work better than classic prescribed antidepressants in some people! This is important for you to know if you have anxiety.
If for some reason, you don’t want to take a thyroid supplement or thyroid medication, just know this: You can try probiotics which convert a small percentage of inactive thyroid hormone to the activated form. We know that a reduction in probiotics can indirectly cause profound anxiety and depression, through various different mechanisms including the thyroid connection.
7. Zinc: This mineral has a very calming effect on the body, perhaps it helps with the COMT gene that some people have and it is relaxing to most people. I have a great brand of this at my vitamin shop, and your loyalty supports my work here.
8. Exercise: Few things work better than a run, or a trip to the gym. Physical activity is known to raise dopamine immediately. I love Zumba and Yoga.
9. Bathe with Magnesium: Sometimes Epsom salts are useful and immediately relaxing because the magnesium is transdermally absorbed. Magnesium is known as one of the body’s relaxation chemicals. This mineral is powerful when it comes to mood enhancement, as it helps the body manufacture brain neurotransmitters.
It works as a natural sedative and helps the brain calm down from stress and stimulation. Researchers have found that magnesium deficiency is associated with poor self-control, panic, reduced attention span, hyperactivity, and agitation.
10. Supplement with Magnesium: The L-threonate form of magnesium is thought to be the most brain-friendly of all the salts. The product I have uses MagTein® brand of Magnesium L-threonate, which has clinical studies behind it – it’s the best at least IMHO!!! The flavor is mild and tasty berry and one tub lasts about 60 days, sometimes more. If you want to understand more about this type of magnesium, and why it doesn’t cause diarrhea like most brands, take a minute to read my other article:
Your Brain Loves Magnesium L-Threonate
So that concludes the top 10 list of things you can do or take for anxiety… but I’m not done yet!
6 More Ideas! Here are 6 Herbs for Anxiety
There are many herbs that can help you if you like herbal teas or herbal supplements. Among the best are chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, ashwagandha, catnip, and valerian. I put a few of those in my supplement called Sleep Script, which works so well it has a patent on it!!!
Those herbs help pretty quickly to cause tranquility in the body. They impact neurotransmitters in your body. If you’d like to learn more about neurotransmitters and depression or anxiety, take a few minutes to read this article entitled, Ease Depression and Anxiety Now.
Medications for Anxiety
Let’s talk about medications for a moment. It’s always a shock to people to learn that some medications can agitate a person, for example, estrogen-containing pills, or even acid blockers due to the depletion or “drug mugging” of various nutrients including B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc.
Conventional medical wisdom has programmed us to believe that sedatives and addictive medications are the answer to anxiety, but that’s not necessary for everyone. Just always know that research is evolving and balancing hormones such as cortisol, DHEA, neurotransmitters, and thyroid hormones are all crucial to your ultimate healing.
While meds work for a short period of time, they may numb you also, and thus delay you from doing what you ultimately need to do. For the long haul, and the best outcome, I suggest you dig deep and determine the root cause of chronic anxiety and then address your hormone status with some good lab tests. In the meantime, if your situation is mild and intermittent, trying some of the nutrients above will be helpful.
Drug Muggers Linked to Anxiety
Antacids sold over-the-counter like calcium carbonate.
Acid blockers, including PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) like omeprazole.
Antidepressants as the peaks and troughs occur with dosing.
Breathing medications, such as fluticasone and others.
Estrogen-containing medicines like menopause medications/oral contraceptives – If you happen to have a copy, see my book Drug Muggers for how to offset this, or use my search box above for free articles that explain it.
Summary
This blog has covered some of the most easily accessible natural remedies that could help with anxiety. The way the body works is complicated. Everyone responds differently to these things. I think the most important take-away is that you don’t have to suffer, there are many options for you.
Also, if you take some of the medications that I just listed right above this summary, you may realize that you’re inducing your own anxiety by taking those things! Just knowing that could help you because you can make a change, or you can replenish what the drug mugger stole!
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
