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In today’s day and age being “stressed out” is as common as getting a Starbucks coffee or watching reality TV, basically… it’s inevitable.
Many patients would frequently come to the family medicine clinic and one of the main complaints I would see was anxiety. Some would come feeling stressed out over there job, there home life, a relationship or a sudden event that they couldn’t seem to tackle.
Although, there are a myriad of medications to treat anxiousness and they work well for some, others prefer the natural alternatives to counteract their nerves.
So what are these magical fixes you ask? How do we overcome and not succumb to the pressure?
Before we jump in lets go over what exactly is stress and anxiety and what causes it to happen.
According to Mental Health First Aid: Most people experience both stress and anxiety at some point in their lives. Although they share many of the same emotional and physical symptoms-uneasiness, tension, headaches, high blood pressure and loss of sleep- they have different origins.
How to Relieve Stress and Anxiety Naturally
Stress is generally a response to an external cause such as tight deadlines at work or an argument with a friend and subsides once the situation has been resolved. However, if prolonged, can become chronic stress due to the inability to resolve the situation.
Anxiety on the other hand, is a person’s specific reaction to stress; its origin is internal. Typically,its characterized by a “persistent feeling of apprehension or dread” in situations that are not actually threatening.
Unlike stress, anxiety persists even after a concern has passed and in severe cases can escalate to an anxiety disorder.
In today’s world, because we live in a fast-paced society where everyone is trying to keep up with Jones’s, stress seems to be more apparent.
Maybe more pressure is put on us then ever before or maybe we just don’t know the right coping tactics to get through the rough patches.
In any case, the fact of the matter is, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S affecting 40 million adults age 18 years and older.
THAT’S A LOT!
And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
More and more now we have celebrities and athletes who have revealed and brought awareness to the mental health plague that has encroached on today’s society.
Selena Gomez, Marcus Morris, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian West, Dan Harris, Beyonce, Emma Stone, Adele, Oprah etc have all openly talked about their own difficulties in dealing with stress and anxiety.
Before it becomes an issue, it’s important that we be able to identify these stressors.
Consequently, here are a few common causes of stress factors seen in our ever-changing environment:
1. Life events
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Moving
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Starting a new school or job
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Having an illness or injury
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Having a friend or family member who is ill or injured
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Death of a family member or friend
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Getting married
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Having a baby
Risk factors for anxiety include work stress
2. Work stress
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Unhappy in your job
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Heavy workload or too much responsibilities
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Long hours
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Working under dangerous conditions
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Being insecure in job
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Having to give speeches
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Facing discrimination or harassment
These risk factors are something most of us have come across at least once in our life time and how we handle them determines the outcome.
Furthermore, stress is actually a cause of many chronic diseases. Lifestyle Medicine takes note of it’s importance by addressing it head on.
According to Lifestyle Medicine leader, Dr. Dean Ornish, the body reacts to stress through the nervous system by two ways, “fight” (sympathetic nervous system) or “flight” (parasympathetic nervous system).
The SNS sends messages to muscles, organs and glands which release powerful chemicals like adrenaline, cortisol, aldosterone among other neurotransmitters causing that feeling of stress.
This in turn results in:
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Increased heart rate
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Increased blood pressure
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Palpitations
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Stomach pain
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Indigestion
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Heartburn
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Headache, neck and backaches
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Clotting
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Increased cholesterol
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Increased blood sugar
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Short shallow breathing
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Abnormailities in immunity
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Fluid retention
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Anger
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Rage
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Irritablity
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Decreased concentration
The parasympathetic system or PNS brings the opposite and creates that relaxation feeling we all crave for.
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Decreased blood pressure
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Decreases heart rate
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Slows down breathing
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Better digestion
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Increases oxygen availability to the body
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Feelings of calm and tranquility
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Healthy immune system
The balance of these two systems is extremely imperative in order to prevent chronic diseases from arising.
Backed up by science there are significant health problems related to stress which involves Heart Disease, Asthma, Diabetes, Obesity, Headaches, Depression, Anxiety, Gastrointestinal Ulcers, Alzheimer’s and Premature death.
Stress and anxiety causing chronic diseases
Luckily, by understanding how our body functions and reacts to outside stressors we can find solutions to incorporate in our daily lives to avoid developing any one of these chronic disease.
There are a number of ways to decompress without losing it on your co-workers. Based on evidence, here are the top 5 natural ways to relax with supplements when the going gets tough!
Table of Contents
Top 5 Natural Supplements for Relieving Anxiety
1. Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata linn) to relieve anxiety
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Passion flower has a long history of use for anxiety all over the world
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Several studies have been conducted
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It’s wide use has made it an acceptable treatment for restlessness
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Just as effective as benzodiazpeine (commonly prescribed anxiety medication)
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Mild adverse effects were reported in one study including dizziness, drowsiness and confusion
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Overall, evidence does support role in treatment of anxiety and warrants more research
Click here to see the Now Passion Flower Supplements for Natural Stress Relief
2. Kava to relieve anxiety
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Drink prepared from the plant Piper Methysticum
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Consumed in many cultures because of it’s known to relieve anxiety, restlessness and insomnia for centuries
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NO side effects of sedation or mental impairing
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Research concluded that Kava when used as alternative to Benzodiazepine or Tricyclic Anti-depressant medications have less side effects
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However, liver toxicity has been reported as a rare side effect with Kava
Click here to see Now Kava Kava Extract Herbal Relaxation Blend
3. Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) to relieve anxiety
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Is a herbal medicine that dates back three millenia to the time in India where Ayurvedic practitioners used it for anxiety and low energy
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Clinically it’s been found to be very helpful to calm anxiety particularly agoraphobia (afraid of crowded places)
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Most of our understanding is based on ancient history and animal studies so more human trials need to be done
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However, one human trial showed significant reduction in anxiety after two months without any side effects
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Cortisol hormone was found to drop (which is a stress hormone that increases when stressed)
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Other conditions that induce stress such as adrenal hyperplasia and male stress-related fertility issues also benefited from Ashwagandha
Click here for Organic Ashwagandha for Natural Anxiety Relief
4. Lysine for relieving anxiety
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A nutritional supplement which can be taken orally or can be found naturally in food
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Lysine is an amino acid (building block for protein) that influences neurotransmitters involved in stress and anxiety
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Lysine, by itself, is shown to help anxiety
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Combination of L-lysine +L-arginine has shown to be even better at decreasing anxiety symptoms and disorders
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Helps to reduce cortisol levels which is a main hormone that is triggered by stress
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Strong evidence exists as a treatment of anxiety however more research is still needed
Click here for L-Lysine For Anxiety Relief
Click here for L-Arginine To Add To L-Lysine for Better Anti-Anxiety Results
5. Magnesium to relieve anxiety
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Magnesium is an abundant mineral required for our body to function particularly the brain
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Most of us are actually found to be deficient in magnesium
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Regulates neurotransmitters which sends messages to the brain and body
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Research has found that it does benefit those with stress and anxiety by causing a reduction
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It is believed to help by regulating the pituitary and adrenal glands which are responsible for stress
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There are few side effects however, if taken at higher doses can result in magnesium overdose symptoms so please take only the recommended amount
Click here for Doctor’s Best High Absorption Magnesium
Although more research is still needed regarding these organic remedies, enough evidence
has been proven to link them to anxiety related symptoms.
Therefore, if you ever feel the tension and stress building up inside you, give these 5 natural
therapies a whirl and let all your worries melt away!
Please talk to your doctor if you are experiencing any symptoms related to anxiety and before
trying any supplements.
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Hi I'm Dr. Tina Gupta physician-turned-type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and weight loss coach who helps you easily lower your blood sugars and lose weight by getting to the heart of your needs and desires instead of depending on food to fill that void. If you're interested in working together, email me at drnav@thelifestylecure.com to get started today!
