Natural Remedies For Anxiety

The topic of natural remedies for anxiety is one that generally comes up at least once in the course of most patient’s road to increased health. This comes as no surprise since according to the National Institute for Mental Health, it is the most frequent mental health complaint, affecting well over 40 million people in the U.S. each year. and 19.1% of the total population at some point in their lives. To help address this situation, today we’ll be discussing a few safe and effective remedies for natural anxiety relief. Of course, these natural anxiety remedies are not a substitute for seeking competent help from an experienced psychologist. That said, here’s a few at-home strategies to help reduce sub-clinical feelings of anxiety and stress in the mind and body.

Reduce Anxiety Naturally

Natural Remedies For Anxiety: Investigate Food Allergies

Food allergies or intolerances can cause hidden stresses on the body. One of the often overlooked natural remedies for anxiety involves eliminating inflammatory foods that may be causing a low-grade allergic reaction. Your body may be having a histamine response to certain foods even though those foods may have no reaction in other people. For example, some people have anxiety when consuming Aspartame, a sugar substitute found in diet sodas and chewing gum. These symptoms may occur with other more common foods such as dairy, corn, soy, wheat or peanuts. For many people, natural anxiety relief may be as simple as selectively eliminating certain foods, one at a time, to see which foods are problematic for you. The important thing is to work with a doctor who knows how to investigate and guide you as to which foods may be optimal for your particular body.

Natural Anxiety Relief: Eat Breakfast

It may seem simple, but eating a healthy breakfast is one of the best natural remedies for anxiety. Success at work or being a conscious parent at home is much more difficult when the body is preparing to fight for enough food to live. Stable blood-sugar is one way to achieve natural anxiety relief because it moves the body out of a fight-or-flight response and into a more calm and relaxed state of being. Throughout human history, there have been times of scarcity when people had to fight for limited food supplies. One of the best ways to help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day is the eat breakfast 30 minutes to 1 hour after waking. Healthy proteins and vegetables are great ways provide your body with a “slow burn” of calories. Breads and cereals are high in carbohydrates that can cause spikes in blood sugar, especially after you have been sleeping all night and your body has already gone several hours without food. Consider having your blood sugar levels tested. If you notice nervousness or anxiety at times of the day when you feel hungry, it might be worth seeing your doctor to make sure your blood sugar is within a normal range. Remember one blood test won’t always give you the complete picture, so it might be helpful to check your blood sugar at different times of the day.

Natural Remedies For Anxiety: Mindfulness and Deep Breathing

One of my favorite natural remedies for anxiety is deep breathing and mindfulness. Slow, steady breath accompanies times of peacefulness in the body while short irregular breaths or holding one’s breath accompany fight-or-flight responses. The practice of meditation or even just slow, deep breaths brings the body into a more serene and peaceful state of mind. Learning how to breathe may sound silly; however, a growing body of research is supporting the power of integrating mindful-breath into your daily routine. In a previous blog about the lighthouse list we discussed the benefits of belly breathing. Belly breathing sends signals to the parasympathetic system or “rest and digest system” that allows the brain know “everything is safe.” As a naturopathic physician, a meditation or deep breathing routine has helped myself as well as my patients alike.

Natural Anxiety Relief: Eat Magnesium Rich Foods

Common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include, muscle cramps, panic attacks, anxiety, chest tightness, faintness, and heart palpitations. Many of these same symptoms are associated with long standing anxiety. For some, natural anxiety relief can be achieved by consuming foods rich in magnesium such as nuts, green leafy vegetables, fish, grass-fed beef, and legumes such as beans on a regular basis can be helpful as part of a balanced diet. Some people may require a much higher dosage of digestable forms of magnesium such as those found in vitamins and supplements. In this case it would be best to work with a doctor who is well versed in functional medicine to cater dosages specific to your particular needs and avoid any drug interactions that may occur.

Natural Remedies For Anxiety: Diffuse Essential Oils

Some of my favorite essential oils to support and uplift mood include: Lavender, Orange, Bergamot, frankincense, Lemongrass and Vetiver. Essential oils are one of the great natural remedies for anxiety for at home. I usually dilute 5 drops or a combination of this list in a cold-water diffuser. One research article showed a reduction in stress responses while smelling a diffusion of orange essential oil in female patients receiving dental treatment.[ii] The use of smells is such a powerful way to change moods it has become utilized by companies to create positive connections to their products, what has been named “scent marketing.” For instance many hotels such as Westin hotels use a combination of green tea, geranium and black cedar to create a memory and elicit a relaxing mood while in the lobby of their hotels.[iii] Smell is connected to a cranial nerve in the body, meaning it travels directly into your brain and specifically near an area of your brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is the part of your brain that houses memory and aspects of emotion. Essential oils can be a quick way to help your mind and body relax.