Alternative therapies for anxiety?

Susan,

I give my children inositol daily for anxiety and psychiatric disorders. It does help. I have just started using a new product called Triple Nerve Tonic by Native Remedies. It is truly amazing. My son calms down shortly after taking it. Today he asked to take some because he was getting really upset. It is a homeopathic medicine. I am really impressed by it. We have tried so many products and have had marginal results from most. I think this may be a great alternative to standard medications.

I worked for several years in the natural food and supplement business at a retail store. Many people used rescue remedy and reported that it worked very well. I had forgotten about rescue remedy. Perhaps I will get some and keep it on hand. Valerian is very effective for mild anxiety. St. John's Wort is used to treat mild to moderate depression. My oldest son is taking Perika by Nature's Way. This is a St. John's wort preparation but is more easily assimilated and utilized by the body. It has been very effective for my son. I was getting to the point of taking him to the doctor for medication but decided to try the Perika. Magnesium will help with physical relaxation and smooth muscle relaxation. Ginseng is used for increased energy.

I hope this helps. Try the nerve tonic by Native Remedies. I am not easily impressed but this is really an awesome product.

Hi Susan,

I understand that a deficiency of magnesium can contribute to the onset of anxiety, so supplementing with magnesium can probably work if in fact a person is deficient.

Ginseng, considered an adaptogen, is recommended by some alternative health care practitioners for balancing and maintaining stress levels and we know that anxiety can become the result of too much stress in our lives. However, as the other post from antigone indicated, Ginseng is more associated with increasing energy and not as a treatment for anxiety.

Valerian is used to treat anxiety and insomnia and is often recommended in combination with passion flower to treat anxiety. Another combination that has been proven clinically to treat anxiety is passion flower and lemon balm.

I have spoken with a number of different naturopathic doctors (ND) and I know of one ND that highly recommends and prescribes Rescue Remedy to her patients suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.

Since everyone has different bio chemical make-ups, and there are a number of potential causes that can facilitate the onset of anxiety, I believe the dosages recommended should be left up to the health care practitioner. What works for one person may not work well for another. I believe that recommendations for supplementation should come after the cause(s) of a person’s anxiety has been determined. That way the proper supplementation can be prescribed in the correct combinations and dosages to fit individual need. I also believe a person has a better chance of the supplements working optimally by finding out first what the underlying root cause of their anxiety is.

I don't know if this qualifies as a true alternative treatment for anxiety since it is medically proven to be the most effective treatment, but it is so underutilized and took me so long to discover that I would define it as alternative. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. I finished a cbt group almost two years ago and it has given me my life back. It's not magic so you have to be willing to put some work in, but it is well worth it. I still counter my thoughts in a TEA form most everyday to keep my anxiety at a minimum and I no longer take any meds and feel better than I have ever felt. I highly recommend looking into CBT and giving it a try in a group setting or if you are motivated you can do it on your own through books, since the homework exercises are what really get you better. There are lots of good CBT books but I recommend starting with the one we used in our group called Been there, done that? Do This! by Sam Obitz because it is short and encouraging and the TEA form exercise in it is what helped me help myself the most. Good luck.

I will get the book. Thanks! Another thing I have heard of in guaifenesin--an ingredient in cough syrup like Robitussin!?

Susan

No problem and if you have any questions message me. The key for me has been countering my thoughts in the TEA form exercise. Now it kind of inoculates me from anxiety before it gets a chance to take hold. I hope they help you too. Try and work on them for at least a little while everyday. They are hard to do at first but once you get the hang of them they really help a lot

I use Magnesium for restless legs and it works well when I take it with Calcium. More Magnesium than calcium works better for me.