Anxiety And Worry In Women – Causes, Symptoms And Natural Relief
Most of the chronically anxious patients I see have some form of GI problem, whether it’s nervous stomach, IBS, diarrhea, nausea, bloating or bleeding — anxiety seems to take its first foothold in the gut. And if your GI tract is upset, it is almost impossible to feel well — which can add to the anxiety!
For more information, please read our articles in our Digestive Health section and click here to see the products for digestion that Women to Women has formulated to assist you in your wellbeing.
In some people, food allergies and food sensitivities trigger anxiety symptoms, much like dust triggers an asthma attack. Your nutrition heavily influences your mood. And the gut is a source of serotonin, the major hormone of mood. Your digestive system is intricately tied into your hormonal balance, your brain chemistry, and your moods.
Dr. Abraham Hoffer, a pioneer in the connection between nutrition and mental disorders, discovered in 1960 the link between a niacin deficiency and the improper conversion of adrenaline in the brain that leads to psychosis. If administered early in a diagnosis, Dr. Hoffer found that over 90% of his mentally ill patients were effectively treated with nutrition therapy. There are many similar links between nutrition and neurotransmitters.
The Pfeiffer Treatment Center has had enormous success treating adults and children with anxiety through nutrient therapy. A great deal of research is underway examining the connection between essential fatty acids and inflammation, which includes brain and gut inflammation that relates to anxiety disorders. We recommend that everyone include these important acids in their daily routine.
Women to Women offers high-quality, pharmaceutical grade supplements to enhance your health.
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The risks and benefits of anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics)
Medication is being prescribed with abandon for anxiety. Scared of flying? Take a Xanax. Can’t sleep? Take an Ambien. Shy at parties? Try a BuSpar.
While I am very much in favor of using a limited course of medication to help cope with severe physical symptoms of anxiety, I am really concerned about the widespread use of medication for generalized anxiety.
Anti-anxiety medications are particularly habit-forming and they do nothing to reboot the neural and hormonal pathways for long-term mental health — they simply disrupt the pathway and mask the symptoms of anxiety so you can function.
While this can be a good tool in the short term while you work on your nutritional and emotional fundamentals, anxiolytics are not a smart solution for the long haul. Moreover, in many cases of menopause-related anxiety, anti-anxiety meds like Xanax and Ativan can actually make your symptoms worse. At some point, as a culture and as individuals, we have to stop taking pills and start looking at the root of our problems.
I occasionally prescribe anti-anxiety medicine for generalized anxiety for my patients who feel completely paralyzed by their symptoms. For them, a brief course of drugs helps calm their neurotransmitters, enabling them to function enough to begin making better lifestyle and diet choices, enter into therapy, and follow a supplement and exercise regime. However, I constantly monitor their progress and when we agree they are ready, they stop the anxiolytics. Usually with great success.
If you are currently on anti-anxiety medication, do not stop without supervision from a medical professional. However, you can explore other options to support your body and rebalance your system naturally so that when you do stop your medication you won’t suffer a recurrence of your anxiety.