Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state that can range from mild unease to intense fear. When there is a threat of some type, anxiety is a normal response, but when there is no clear or realistic cause, anxiety is not normal. Serious anxiety disorders include panic attacks, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress syndrome, “hee floating” anxiety (an unexplainable feeling of apprehension that can last for months), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), defined as excessive worry on most days for at least six months, with some of the physical symptoms listed below. Chronic anxiety can underlie or worsen many diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, ulcers, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, and insomnia, to name just a few. It can also worsen symptoms of most medical conditions.

Common Symptoms

• Heart palpitations
• Sense of impending doom
• Shortness of breath
• Inability to concentrate
• Muscle tension
• Diarrhea
• Chest pain
• Muscle aches
• Dry mouth
• Cold hands
• Trembling
• Excessive sweating
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Eating disorders

What you need to know

Identifying and eliminating any sources of stress is the ideal treatment for anxiety, but doing so is unrealistic in most cases because you may not have control over the stresses in your life. Therefore, it’s important to cope with stress in a positive manner, and to protect your body from the harmful effects of stress.

General Recommendations

Diet: Good nutrition helps the body’s cells to adapt better to stress, so a balanced diet is important to maintain balanced health in the face of stress. Increased lactic acid levels may be an underlying factor in anxiety and panic attacks, so eliminating nutritional factors that increase lactic acid may help reduce anxiety significantly. These factors include caffeme, alcohol, and sugar.

Exercise: Studies have shown that people who exercise are able to reduce their tensions and worries, improve their mood, and improve their ability to handle stressful life situations. I recommend both aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

Meditation: Any form of meditation is helpful to reduce anxiety. Not only does meditation relax you, it also helps prevent the harmful effects of anxiety on the body. And it allows you to better understand what is causing your stress-and how to deal with it more effectively. The more anxious you are, the longer or more frequently you should meditate.

Qigong: Qigong is very effective for reducing anxiety and relaxing the body through its breathing and movement exercises. There is a particular Qigong exercise that is excellent for reducing anxiety and can be completed in 16 minutes.

Your home healing action plan for anxiety

• For moderately severe anxiety (anxiety that is significantly interfering with your daily activities), start with step 1 in conjunction with step 2 or step 7, and then return to step 2.
• Deficiency of several B vitamins, calcium, and/or magnesium can occur from the increased lactic acid caused by stress, so supplement these if your anxiety is chronic. I recommend taking a good multivitamin.

Step 1: Use interactive imagery techniques or other forms of psychotherapy

Psychotherapy with a professional is essential for dealing with anxiety, especially if you cannot eliminate the sources of your stress and/or need to learn how to cope with them.

I also recommend interactive imagery, which uses both meditation and imagery to reduce and help you cope with anxiety. This is a mind-body method in which you mentally interact with images that represent your emotions. It’s a powerful way to uncover and deal with subconscious psychological issues of which you may not be aware.

If interactive imagery is not available, other forms of psychotherapy are helpful, and I recommend using a licensed counselor, social worker, or psychologist, depending on yaur finances and the severity of your anxiety. Psychotherapy may take several months or even years to help reduce anxiety, but it’s essential for long-term relief, because you have to understand and learn to deal with the underlying causes. The remaining steps can be used with psychotherapy.

Step 2: Take appropriate chinese herbal remedies

A Chinese herbal formula called Ding Xin Wan, one to three tablets three times daily, can be very helpful in controlling anxiety. Other formulas can be helpful as well. If you have mild depression along with your anxiety, I recommend trying a formula called Gui Pi Wan. Of the single Chinese herbs, American ginseng (200mg to 600mg capsules per day, or 1,600mg extract) enhances your resistance to stress and your ability to cope with both physical and mental stressors. It also gives you a general sense of well being. Ginseng can be taken with the above Chinese herbal formulas.

The advantages of Chinese herbs over conventional medications are that they have fewer side effects and they improve, not impair, your mental abilities. Consult a practitioner qualified in Chinese herbal medicine to determine which formulas are the best for your particular syndromes. You should notice improvement within three weeks (same times within a few days, depending on the formula), but you may need to take them longer, depending on your condition.

Step 3: Take the western herbal remedies kava kava, valerian root, and/or St. John’s wort

If Chinese herbs are not helpful, try kava kava (45mg to 70mg of kavalactones three times daily). This herb is helpful for general anxiety. Valerian root (up to 400mg per night) can help both sleep at night and anxiety during the day, so it’s recommended if anxiety keeps you from sleeping at night. If you have both anxiety and depression, there are some herbal combinations that include kava, Valerian and St. John’s wort; they can be found in most health food stores. All these herbs work by stabilizing various neurotransmitters in the brain. These herbs (and combinations) should work within a few days.

Step 4: Undergo massage

Massage is excellent for reducing mild anxiety states, and you can use it along with all other treatments. Swedish massage is the form with which most Americans are familiar, and uses gentle pressure to relax the muscles. Another popular form of massage is shiatsu (from the Japanese words shi, “finger,” and atsu, “pressure”). I recommend either one for general anxiety, but there are other forms that can be just as effective. Massage can give you immediate relief, although it is usually shortlived.

Step 5: Use Hypnosis for Phobias and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

For phobias, and some general anxiety states, hypnosis is very effective. Two to six sessions are usually enough for you to know whether this method is bringing you relief, so it is worth a try, especially if the above steps have not been effective.

Step 6: Take Flaxseed Oil for Phobias

For some phobias, such as agoraphobia (fear of being alone or in public places), many people improve with flaxseed oil (two to six tablespoons daily for two to three months). Agoraphobia is thought to be due to a deficiency in alpha-linoleic acid (omega- 3), which can also cause dry skin, dandruff, brittle fingernails, and nerve disorders in people who have agoraphobia. It may take several weeks to a few months to notice improvement.

Step 7: Take Prescription Antianxiety Medications

For anxiety that is more moderate to severe or that has not responded to the previous steps-you need prescription antianxiety medications. Buspirone (Buspar) has slower onset of action but fewer side effects than the benzodiazepines (such as Valium or Xanax); it’s usually the first choice. For GAD, many antidepressants (Tofranil, Desyrel, or Paxil) have been shown to be superior to benzodiazepines. Your physician needs to determine which medications and what dosages are most likely to be effective for you. You should take medications in conjunction with counseling, not in place of it. Expect results within a few hours after taking antianxiety medications, but it may take up to three weeks if you take antidepressants.

Step 8: Take Appropriate Homeopathic Remedies

For specific causes of anxiety, homeopathy can be useful. If you’re upset from a recent loss, try Ignatia. For stage fright or agoraphobia (fear of public places), use Gelsemium. You should consult a qualified homeopathist for guidance on which remedies will be most beneficial and for proper dosages. You should notice improvement in one to two weeks.

Step 9: Use Other Natural Remedies Such as Flower Essences and Aromatherapy

Other natural treatments, including bach flower remedies and aromatherapy, can help reduce anxiety. Bach remedies are designed to treat a particular emotional condition using essences from specific flowers. Aromatherapy uses your sense of smell to affect your emotions. The oils of lavender, jasmine, or blue chamomile are the most common aromatherapv products used for anxiety. Although these products can be found in health food ana candle stores, there are practitioners who have been trained specifically in aromatherapy treatment and can give you more specific treatment with combinations of ingredients that cannot be found in stores. For flower remedies, most herbalists have this kind of expertise, and I recommend that you consult with them. Although you can expect to experience some benefits immediately, long-term relief may take several weeks.

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