Author: natural medicine

Anxiety: Why You Have It and What To Do About It. Natural Solutions.

Do you ever have moods where you feel uneasy, fearful or worried? Does it seem like these moods come out of nowhere, with no identifiable trigger? If so, you may have anxiety.

Anxiety can be scary, because it can be accompanied by heart palpitations where it feels as if your heart is racing and won’t stop. There can be the feeling that you lost your breath, chest pain, stomachaches, headaches and fatigue.

What is Happening When I Have an Anxiety Attack?

The basis of anxiety is physiological. Your body’s nervous system is set on parasympathetic (slow pace) all day long when things are going at a normal pace. It shifts into sympathetic control, or fast drive, whenever you’re faced with a stressful situation. During a normal day, it’s common for your body to shift from parasympathetic to sympathetic and again to parasympathetic’ and it should do that relatively easily.

But when you have anxiety, it’s as if your body shifts itself into sympathetic on its own – and then stays there. It’s as if you’re driving a stick shift that automatically shifts itself, then gets stuck!

But Why Would I Have Anxiety in the First Place?

First lets’ look at 3 most probable causes:

1- Blood sugar fluctuations; When you eat a meal high in sugar or packed with processed foods, it shifts the body into sympathetic control because the blood sugar is too high. The result is that insulin is pumped out into the bloodstream, which ends up lowering the blood sugar too much. Whenever the blood sugar is too low, all types of emotional symptoms can occur – and one of them is anxiety! In fact, low blood sugar can mimic every known mental disease!

The natural solution is to gain control of your blood sugar by learning about the foods that are high on the glycemic index, the ones that cause the body to shift into sympathetic drive. Avoid those foods or only eat a few bites at any meal, and never eat them by themselves. Some of these foods may surprise you – baked potatoes, French fries, cakes and candies, some breads, even some bagels, mashed potatoes … you get the picture. Some herbs and specific nutrients may help control the cravings (see below)

2- Another reason why anxiety may occur is because of a neurotransmitter (brain molecules) imbalance. In terms of dietary help, adding protein to your diet may offer the simplest solution. The fragments of amino acids in high quality proteins are what is used to create the neurotransmitters. So if you’re not eating enough beef, fish, turkey, chicken, lamb, eggs, soy, legumes or other high-quality proteins, then you may not be providing enough for your body and your system then responds by becoming anxious.

3- Last but not least- a part of the brain called the amygdala, is activated. That’s the seat of emotions. Natural health practitioners have discovered that certain aromas can activate the amygdala and calm it down. For example, a handful of rose buds or lavender added to a pot of boiling water will calm down even anxious cats who are demanding their breakfast. Try it yourself!

Most likely, one of these simple methods will not totally eliminate all your anxiety. However, using all three can do wonders and decrease the frequency of these attacks.

But if your attacks increase in frequency, it’s important to obtain a physical examination and advice. More individualize approaches to both diagnosis and treatments will give you natural options so you can live a healthy life.

For more natural Cures For Anxiety, please see:

http://web.naturalmedicalsolutions.com/categories/Mental-Health/Anxiety/

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/anxiety-why-you-have-it-and-what-to-do-about-it-natural-solutions-5051994.html

About the Author

Dr. Ruth Bar-Shalom graduated from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1987 with a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine