My treatment plan for anxiety and/or depression involves a multifaceted approach that is actually very simple. Many lifestyle changes that can help mood often seem out of reach to people who feel paralyzed by their seemingly overwhelming stress and resulting symptoms. Intervention with nutritional supplements is often the first place to start. Just the addition of a B complex with 100 mg of the B vitamins and 2-5 mg of sublingual B12 (in the form of methylcobalamin) can provide some relief of symptoms and improved energy.

Then instituting lifestyle changes in the form of increased exercise and dietary changes, especially reducing the intake of processed carbohydrates (bakery products, high sugar foods) and increasing fresh fruit and vegetables and protein sources every few hours in the day can set the stage for a stronger foundation and better mood.

In my experience the most effective treatment for anxiety and depression involves a targeted nutritional supplement program guided by tests of neurotransmitter and hormone levels. There are many neurotransmitters that effect brain function and these can be measured with a simple urine test. Hormones can be measured with a saliva or blood test. Both research studies and clinical experience have proven the accuracy of this method. Neurotransmitters can be broadly classified into two types: calming chemicals that create a state of relaxation and help people sleep (serotonin being one of these), and stimulating neurotransmitters that keep people alert and active (adrenalin or epinephrine being one of these). These two types of neurotransmitters function in a balance to maintain focus, alertness, calmness, and peace of mind. If any of these neurotransmitters are deficient or excessive a resulting imbalance can result in symptoms of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, attention problems, or irritability. Hormones produced in the adrenal gland (cortisol) or the sex hormones can also contribute to these symptoms if they are outside of normal range. Once the balance of these brain chemicals is understood, then specific amino acids or herbs can be prescribed to alter their levels and create more harmonious internal patterns and function . This can then provide relief of symptoms, often in a short period of time and for the long term. For more information about neurotransmitters and this method of treatment you can look at the site http://www.neurorelief.com.

The medical systems of Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and homeopathy may also play a valuable role in the holistic treatment of mood disorders. Often a problem with mood reflects an underlying imbalance in health that is accompanied by physical symptoms as well. It is common for stress to also result in digestive problems, headaches, and immune system disorders of various kinds that need to be addressed as well in a holistic treatment plan to achieve optimum health. And in many people the presence of persistent physical symptoms is in itself a contributor to discouragement and frustration and stress.

Of course, developing an understanding of stress reactions, relationship problems, and personal development through counseling or therapy can provide important self-help tools for creating a healthier attitude, but most patients that I see have already done many of these with limited success because of an underlying chemical imbalance. Others have tried psychiatric medications including antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs with mixed results.

A holistic plan can be initiated at any stage of the process of illness. I see many patients who are taking prescription medications and looking for a better, more natural method. Holistic methods can be started in tandem with existing medications as long as the practitioner is experienced in managing these symptoms. Sometimes parents are concerned about their child’s attention and focus or behavior problems and reluctant to start down the road of prescribed drugs. Whatever the situation, holistic treatment can provide a balanced approach that looks at the whole person and lead to a higher state of overall health.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approach to anxiety problems is to treat them as disorders of Shan You Si, which are believed to affect the Zang Organs. The Heart Zang stores the Shen or spirit and each Zang Organ is responsible for one’s emotions. The Liver Zang is tied to anger, the Spleen Zang to excessive worry, the Kidney to fear, and the Lung with grief and anxiety. A disturbance in one or more of these Zang Organs can cause an imbalanced emotional state.

TCM classifies the cause of a specific mental disorder according to how much each Zang Organ has been disturbed and how its Qi is affected. The flow of Qi or energy can be interrupted by several factors, including anxiety, stress, anger, fear or grief. Acupuncture seeks to restore any imbalance between Yin and Yang. By inserting needles into the fine points of energy, the body’s own healing process is stimulated to restore its natural balance. Treating depression and related conditions such as seasonal affective disorder or dysthymic disorder (chronic depression) with TCM requires the proper evaluation of the signs and symptoms of these conditions. Specific acupuncture techniques are advised to treat each condition. Changes in lifestyle and the adoption of self-help recommendations are also part of the healing process.

TCM methods to treat depression and anxiety also involve the use of Chinese herbal medicine. These have slowly been accepted in the West, primarily because of the non-toxic nature of the treatment. Chinese medicines have been used to treat stress and to reduce the effects of the body’s aging process. Herbal medicines are combined in creams, gels, ointments, serums, powders, and tonics.

For more information on Traditional Chinese Medicine and anxiety, please call 800-729-0941.

Everybody worries sometimes, but some people worry all the time. Worrying is a natural human mental function that allows us to examine problems like we might a tangled ball of yarn. We turn it over and over, looking at it from all angles until we can find a thread that loosens some knots and frees the yarn. With too many people, however, worry becomes a bad mental habit, a preoccupation, and a way of wasting mental energy that could be more much more productive.

Worry can become a form of defense against difficult feelings, and an almost magical way of feeling that we can fend off undesired events. There’s a story about an old woman who would circle her house three times every day, carrying a bundle of twigs and muttering to herself. One day a new neighbor asked her what she was doing, and she replied “I’m keeping my house safe from tigers.” The neighbor said “But we’re in Indiana. There aren’t any tigers in Indiana,” to which the crone replied “See!”

Worry is a natural function of the human mind, but it can turn from a tool into a tyrant. Worrying can become a bad habit, even an addiction, because most of the things we worry about never come true. By not coming true, we are rewarded in the neurological sense of the word, we feel good, we fee; safe, we feel like we are exerting some control over the situation, so we begin to worry about other things we’d like to be able to control. It can become a full-time occupation.

The trouble with worry is that it is mentally and physically taxing, creating unnecessary stress that is exhausting for the worrier, and for the people around her (I say “her” because while worry is certainly not exclusively a female trait, the majority of people who worry themselves sick are female.) habitual worriers often develop significant illness from insomnia to anxiety disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, back pain and fibromyalgia. Worriers aren’t happy, often get depressed and are more likely than the non-worrried to smoke, drink and get addicted to prescription drugs.

Worry is a function of the imagination and is probably the most common form of mental imagery. Without imagination, there would be no worries. Imagination is the mental function that more than any other separates us from other animals. With imagination we have been given the gift of planning, and of envisioning the possible future. Through imagination, humans have been given the gift of being mobile in time – we can remember that past, and learn from it, and we can envision many possible futures and have the opportunity to choose the one that is likely to work best for us. But this gift comes with a price – we can imagine so many possible futures that we can get paralyzed by them, and if our minds get hypnotized and stuck on fears, we can become immobilized by that function which can give us the greatest mobility. We need to learn to use our imaginations better, and in a way that supports our well-being, not our worries.

The good news is that learning to use our imaginations consciously can be of great help in lessening the grip of habitual worry. Through imagery many people can impact their psychological states, their heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestive function, sexual function and even their immune response.

Worry is a bad habit, a distorted use of imagination, and can be overcome by learning to use the imagination more effectively and skillfully. Through guided imagery you may not stop worrying, but you can learn how to worry better. Guided Imagery will help you eliminate unproductive worrying and focus on the issues that can benefit from worrying. It will teach you skills that will help you use your imagination more effectively so that you don’t have to worry all the time, and so that the worrying you do will really help you resolve the problems you have. If you use Guided Imagery, you can go from being a worry wart to a worry warrior.

To see for yourself how you can use your imagination to relax and reduce stress immediately, go to www.thehealingmind.org and download our free 12-minute “Stress Buster” audio. To learn even more about using your imagination to resolve problems instead of creating them, check out our CDs on Stress Relief, Anxiety Relief, or our unique Guided Imagery for Self-Healing program.

My symptoms include a foggy brain, dizziness, a feeling of being unbalanced, as if I’m going to fall over. For years, my stomach has felt very uncomfortable. I sometimes find that if I press my fingers into the sides if my head, the dizziness and fogginess disappear. I get eczema in my ears that flares up now and again, and is very painful. I also experience adrenaline rushes, and feel like my body is running too fast, and I cannot relax.

I’m on a diet free from meat, dairy, yeast, sugar and caffeine, as I have Candida albicans. I would be grateful for your advice. – Wendy Attwood, Birmingham

A You may take some comfort in that you are not alone. The symptoms you describe may well be linked to your Candida, and have been described by other sufferers of the ‘yeast syndrome’.

While bloating and intolerance to certain foods are well-known physical indications of Candida, the psychological symptoms of the disorder are less well recognised. The foggy brain, dizziness, poor coordination and anxiety all feature in the long list of symptoms pointing to a yeast problem.

Your situation is indeed a vicious circle: the anxiety may be worsened by your other presenting symptoms, leading to full-on anxiety attacks (and, hence, the adrenaline rush) and this, in turn, does little good in managing the Candida.

Animal studies have revealed a link between psychological stress and a worsening of Candida symptoms. Spanish researchers, using rats, found that psychological stress aggravated the yeast infection, significantly increasing Candida counts and symptoms (Clin Diagn Lab Immunol, 2002; 9: 852-7). However, these findings may not necessarily apply to humans.

To alleviate your symptoms, you probably need to work on both your yeast and anxiety problems at the same time. So, it’s good to hear that you are following an anti-Candida regime and have eliminated meat, dairy, yeast, sugar and caffeine from your diet. This will starve the yeast and halt its spreading. Other anti-Candida agents include:
* berberis
* caprylic acid
* golden seal
* tea tree oil
* garlic
* cloves.
It’s a good idea to supplement your diet with some, if not all, of these items.

After ridding your system of the yeast, the next steps are to bring the gut and its digestive juices back on form, and to replenish the good gut flora. Try taking:
* antioxidant nutrients (such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and selenium), zinc and L-glutamine, commonly recommended to speed up healing of the gastrointestinal wall lining and restore its immunity
* pancreatic enzymes, which assist in the breakdown of protein in the gut and improve digestion. These enzymes – known as ‘proteases’ – also have beneficial antiparasitic properties (Gut, 1990; 33: 1331-7)
* probiotic supplements, specifically Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which will help to reestablish the normal gut-flora balance as well as increase intestinal acidity to repel Candida. High-fibre ‘colonic cleansers’ such as psyllium husks will also scrub out any yeasts breeding in the large intestine.

* Psychotherapy and counselling – in particular, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). These have proved to be valid alternatives to taking antidepressants or sedatives. Patients have found that identifying the sources of their anxiety or depression can help them to better manage their disorder. In addition, CBT has longer-term benefits than do drugs (Encephale, 1996; 22 [spec no 5]: 54-60).

* Meditation. In one study of patients with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders sent on an eight-week stress-reduction programme using mindfulness meditation (Vipassana meditation), not only did anxiety and panic symptoms significantly lessen straight after the programme, but the benefits also lasted for up to three years after stopping the programme (Gen Hosp Psychiatry, 1995; 17: 192-200).

* Exercise, especially yoga. Regular aerobic activity increases levels of endorphins – ‘happy’ hormones – in the brain and reduce stress. Yoga is also a well-known aid in alleviating anxiety. In one very small study, five adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder did a one-year yoga therapy course. The result was a 54 per cent improvement overall; two of them were able to reduce their drug dosage by at least a quarter and the other three were able to stop their medication altogether (Int J Neurosci, 1996; 85: 1-17).

“However, she had noticed that she became very much worse whenever she went into the bathroom. As she said this, she produced a circular plastic air freshener out of her handbag and placed it on my desk,” wrote Dr Lawson.

“I’ve been fine since I took it out of the house, doctor,” she explained.

“She has remained well ever since, although she has to avoid heavily perfumed areas,” he wrote.

A week later, a young woman patient of his described what would have gone on record as a textbook “nervous breakdown” anxiety, tremor, weepiness and feelings of unreality. Recently she’d been given to wandering outside at night. With the other case fresh in his mind, Dr Lawson asked if she’d been using an air freshener lately.

Yes, the woman answered. In fact, her mother had just placed one in her room three weeks before.

Within nine days of removing the air freshener on doctor’s orders, she was back to her old happy, outgoing self.

To test the association between her symptoms and the air freshener, Dr Lawson requested that she return to his office and inhale the offending product. Instantly, she developed a rapid heartbeat, sweating, tremor, and nausea.

Since then, he has had some 50 patients recover from what is usually referred to as “anxiety/hyperventilation syndrome” as soon as they threw out these synthetic “fresh air” perfumes. One woman with similar symptoms discovered that it was the perfumes in her panty liner.

Anxiety and depression are common in patients with abdominal symptoms (Can J Psychi, 1993; 38: 475-9).Neuropsychiatric complications are evident in at least a third of Crohn’s sufferers, and more than half of these are thought to be the direct result of the disease. These can include headache, depression and eye problems (South Med J, 1997; 90: 606-10). Some Crohn’s sufferers are given tranquillizers as a matter of course, the use of which brings their own unwanted side effects. Though few conventional practitioners are equipped to work in this way, talking cures and effective stress management could be a more effective way of dealing with the emotional fallout of IBD.

Jeremy has been suffering from dizziness, nausea and occasional blackouts, all of which caused him a lot of anxiety. His symptoms proliferated to such a point that, about five years ago, his anxiety reached phobic proportions, and he became housebound. After running the full gamut of blood tests, MRIs, CAT scans, etc., he was told there was nothing wrong with him – and he became almost suicidal.

Being a natural therapist at the time, I read a great deal and found that many of Jeremy’s symptoms matched those of people with severe anxiety disorder (‘panic agoraphobia’). We found a doctor who specialised in treating this disorder. Within 18 months of therapy, my brother was a new man! He rented an office, started his own business, renewed contact with an old girlfriend, got married and moved to Australia.

While the anxiety is now under control, he continues to suffer dizziness, nausea and fainting spells. Under the advice of a doctor, who suspects that this may be a case of Candida, he has been following a rigid diet (gluten-free, sugar-free, yeast-free) for over nine months now, but the symptoms simply have not subsided.

He has undergone a whole-blood analysis and another MRI scan and, although the results have not shown any signs of Candida overgrowth, I still believe it may be playing a role in his symptoms, but there is no way to prove it or treat it. Jeremy’s condition is not life-threatening, but his symptoms bother him and prevent him from leading an enjoyable life.

Jeremy (and I) would love to hear from others who have suffered, or are suffering, from this debilitating and depressing disorder in the hopes that someone, somewhere, has the answer! If there is one other out there, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people who might benefit from a suggestion that worked for someone. – Mrs R. Woods, Australia

WDDTY replies: If you would like to share your experience with Candida or any treatment suggestions with Mrs Woods, please e-mail her at: robinluxor@ gmail.com.

It’s always in the news, and never for the right reasons. The latest to fall victim are six American soldiers who have been diagnosed with permanent brain damage after taking the drug while on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The American drugs watchdog, the Food and Drug Administration, last year warned that Lariam (mefloquine) is linked to suicide, while psychiatric and neurological side effects have been reported to last long after it has been taken.

The Pentagon has announced a new safety study of the drug. It shouldn’t have to look too hard. A six-year-old girl died in an English hospital after taking the drug while on holiday in Nigeria, while 300 Britons launched a class-action suit after they suffered severe and long-term effects, such as hallucinations, anxiety attacks, seizures and sever mood swings.

British Airways has issued a warning to all staff about taking the drug, while doctors have reported that many patients have refused prescriptions for it.

So if all these people know this about the drug, why is the US military still dishing it out to its soldiers?

* Acupuncture can exert significant effects on the cardiovascular system and provide effective therapy for a variety of cardiovascular ailments, according to studies carried out in both animals and humans (Probl Vet Med, 1992; 4: 125-31). In people, the acupuncture point Neiguan (PC6) was found to be highly successful in the treatment of patients with angina and acute heart attacks (J Tradit Chin Med, 2004; 24: 16-9).

* Meditation. Elderly patients with congestive heart failure who listened to meditative audiotapes twice daily for 12 weeks had fewer symptoms and reported a better quality of life than those who did not (J Altern Complement Med, 2005; 11: 465-72). In addition, some 19 studies have shown that regular meditation lowers blood pressure and hypertension (Murphy M, Donovan S. The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation. Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Science, 1999).

* Yoga, an integral part of Ayurveda, has been shown to be useful in patients with heart disease and hypertension, reducing anxiety, promoting wellbeing and generally improving quality of life (Cardiol Rev, 2005; 13: 155-62).