Do you often pace back and forth, dread bad things that might happen, feel depressed, fearful, worried or have uneasiness about situations in your life?
Maybe you feel restless, super tired, stressed, or you can’t seem to concentrate because your mind is racing… Â You probably feel tense and your muscles are very tight.
The label for what is happening in your body is most likely anxiety. But, anxiety is not a normal way for your body to function. It is simply your clue to find the underlying cause or triggers for your symptoms.
If you see a conventional Dr. about anxiety, he will probably tell you about the several different types of drugs or psychotherapy that he thinks will help you. This is not going to help. It will not get rid of your issues. It may mask the symptoms for a while, but in turn, might just cause some other issues instead.
I found it funny last night when I heard a commercial on TV for Viagra. The first 5 seconds were about the benefits of taking the drug, followed by 2 minutes worth of rambling off the side effects that you could have just from taking it. This is true of many drugs including anxiety medications.
The answer to solving your anxiety issues is simple. It may seem way too simple, in fact, but if you give it a real honest shot – you just might be surprised.
It starts with food.
So many of us view food as a means of enjoyment, pleasure and entertainment. We go out to eat for fun, we have parties where food is the center of attention and we instead of it being about nutrition – it’s more about the taste or flavor.
We have to change the way we view food! We need to eat to live, not live to eat. And realize that those little things we call taste buds are just going to have to back off, so that our brains can take over…because our food is also our medicine.
Dr. Hyman MD, an international leader in functional medicine, helps us understand the real meaning behind food. He explains,
“Food is information carrying detailed instructions for every gene and every cell in your body, helping them to renew, repair, and heal or to be harmed and debilitated, depending on what you eat.” He goes on to challenge us “What if you could send messages and instructions to heal your cells and turn on healing genes? And what if, by some simple changes in your diet, you could get rid of most of your chronic symptoms and diseases.”
The reason you are experiencing anxiety is because your system is off balance.
Dr. Hyman has spent the past 20 years of his life watching his patients, including himself, recover from chronic health problems. He sees miracles happen everyday to people who expected that their issues were something they simply had to live with.
But they’re not.
Dr. Hyman explains that, “Today, medicine is in a serious predicament. The way we understand health and disease no longer reflects biological reality or the biological laws of nature. We need to understand diseases are not fixed things you catch or that just show up out of context, but are related to the air, water, microorganisms, toxins, exercise, trauma, psychosocial factors, your diet, nutritional status, genes, and lifestyle.”
Our brain chemistry and hormones also largely influence our health. If they are out of balance, so is our health.
If you really want to get to a point of good health and well-being, start feeling less stressed, angry or annoyed among many other symptoms you may deal with – then why not try these four simple steps.
1. Heal your gut and get rid of inflammation
Figure out if you are allergic to gluten, soy, dairy, barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut, corn, eggs, nuts, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, eggplant, citrus, or yeast. If you are – stop eating those foods. You can either get a blood test for IgG antibodies to foods which isn’t 100% accurate, or you can completely eliminate all of these things from your diet for 2-4 weeks, then slowly add them back in to see how you feel.
Believe me, you will know.
Then get tested for nutrient deficiencies. Most of us are deficient in many essential vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. Especially omega 3’s, magnesium, D3, zinc, B6 & B12, etc. If you are not getting enough of these nutrients from your diet, then you need to add them in with better food choices and high-quality grade supplements, like fish-oil, mutli-vitamins, etc.
You may also want to take a probiotic supplement to add beneficial bacteria back into your gut, and a digestive enzyme to aid digestion. Both have plenty of health benefits that make it very worth it. An anti-fungal supplement would also be helpful if you have yeast overgrowth or a leaky gut.
2. Change your diet
Your diet should consist mainly of real, whole and plant based foods. Organic if possible, non-GMO verified if even more possible. Eat vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, whole-grains, organic hormone and antibiotic-free poultry and eggs. Use coconut oil and olive oil. Eat herbs and spices. Drink reverse osmosis water. Reference my health and nutrition pyramid and use it as a guide.
Dr. Hyman says, “If you are constantly putting in information (food) that is making your body toxic, sick, and fat—hyper-processed industrial junk food, sugar, flour, chemicals, additives, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, inflammatory foods, or what I call anti-nutrients—it acts like poison in the body. It inflames your gut and your cells leading to whole-body inflammation that you experience as pain, allergies, headaches, fatigue, and depression and that leads to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.”
Change your diet to fuel your body with the right food/information. This alone will repair and heal your gut and cool your inflammation that is lurking inside of your body and setting you up for health problems.
3. Optimize your detoxification system
It’s not rocket science that when our bodies accumulate toxic waste we get sick. Avoiding toxins is impossible. We inhale and ingest and absorb toxins 24-hours a day from products we use, the environment, our genes, amalgam fillings, food, water, etc. Thankfully our kidneys and liver naturally work to detox our bodies. But, because we are overloaded with toxins day in and day out – there’s no way our poor organs can do all the work. We need to assist.
The elimination diet that I discussed above is a good start. Since our food and water are a major gateway for toxins entering our bodies. After putting these dietary changes into action, make sure the products you are using in and around the home, on your skin, in your yard and garden, etc. are pure. See the infographic that highlights What Toxic Chemicals Your Skin is Absorbing. Pay attention to the ingredients in everything. Those ingredients that you don’t understand or can’t pronounce are most likely harmful to you in some way, shape or form.
You need to sweat. Sweat is a way that your toxins can escape from your skin (the largest organ in your body). Exercise is free, and once you start eating the way you should be – you will crave it. You will not feel lazy – you will have enough energy to work up a sweat – I promise! You can also sit in a sauna or try a steam bath along with exercise.
Drink 64 ounces of water per day. Toxins also escape your body through your pee and poop. How’s that for technical? Eat flax seeds. Add them to a healthy smoothie, or take flax oil. This may help you move your bowels at least twice a day, which is best. Plus, you will get your needed omega 3 essential fatty acids.
Massage also helps release toxins – but, be sure to drink lots of water afterwards.
You may also want to try a detox supplement to help move the toxins out of your intestines and liver. Talk to your health care provider to help you decide what supplement to choose, and don’t just pick up some bad quality detox kit at any ‘ol big box discount store like Wal Mart. Natural Healthy Concepts provides safe detoxification supplements that you can trust.
4. Supplements That May Support Anxiety Relief
It takes time for the body to heal, and you won’t be able to wipe away all of your symptoms overnight. An adaptogenic herb like rhodiola or holy basil may help to balance things out.
Even if you don’t make all of these dietary changes, you may still benefit from taking an anxiety supplement. And even when you’re eating well and taking good care of yourself, your cortisol levels and life stressors will still kick in – and this is where a supplement can help.
Here’s a list of common and popular supplements that may support anxiety relief:
- Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health With Holy Basil & Rhodiola
- New Chapter Perfect Calm
- Designs For Health Stress Arrest
- Neuroscience Calm-PRT
- Neuroscience Kavinace
- Solaray Passion Flower
- Metabolic Maintenance Anxiety Control
- InterPlexus Seriphos Adrenal Support
Do you have a favorite go-to supplement for anxiety? Or, if you’re considering trying one, please let everyone know how it works for you in the comments below!
