Aid Anxiety with Chinese Herbs - Natural Treatment for Anxiety

Anxiety is a common disorder that affect millions of people. There are some people that don't even realize that they have anxiety concerns, yet they do. Anxiety is a mental disorder that often accompanies depression and even insomnia. People with anxiety tend to suffer mild to severe symptoms.

There is no one cause of anxiety, and in most cases, for most people, the cause of anxiety is attributed to many factors. Some believe that the cause of anxiety can be attributed to genetics, brain biochemistry, and the "fight or flight" theory. For most of the Western culture, brain chemistry and genetics is going to be your main theoretical cause of anxiety, whereas Chinese medicine and culture typically determine chest and heart problems as the cause of anxiety. In any sense, determining the exact cause of anxiety is just not possible without examining the life of the individual person.

As for the symptoms of an anxiety disorder, they can include nearly millions of different signs, generally dependent and what type of anxiety is causing the problems, but you will find that the most common signs of anxiety include, but are not limited to the following:

• Changes in skin coloration, typically either becoming really pale or really red
• Changes in body temperature, either up or down
• Changes in sexual drive, either increased or decreased
  
• Chest pains
  
• Chest tightness
• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
  
• Dizziness
• Fear (new fears commonly of losing control, impending doom, going crazy)
• Feeling of being spaced out
• Feeling of being trapped
  
• Heart palpitations (racing heart)
• Insomnia
  
• Labored breathing
• Mood swings
  
• Muscle twitches, pulses, and spasms

• Muscle stiffness
  
• Nausea
• Night sweats
  
• Numbness most commonly in the hands, feet, face, head
• Shooting pain in the neck, head, scalp, or face
• Shortness of breath
  
• Skipped heart beat (irregular heart beat)
  
• Tightness or pressure in the rib cage area
• Trouble breathing
• Vision complications (blurred vision, seeing spots)
  
• Warm spells (overheating)
  
• Weakness
• Weight changes
  

Because there are so many signs of anxiety, it can be hard to diagnose the disorder. If you notice any changes or any persistent problems, you should definitely consider anxiety as the source of your concerns. A doctor can best diagnose an anxiety disorder, but that doesn't meant that you have to opt of chemical treatments, such as prescription medications.

There are many methods of natural anxiety treatment that can be tried. They are non-toxic, free of artificial preservatives, and effective at reducing the effects and symptoms of stress and anxiety.

There are many different herbal remedies, but the most effective at treating anxiety include kava, passionflower, valerian, theanine, hops, and St. John's Wort. Before starting a herbal treatment, you want to contact your doctor to make sure that it is safe for you, as some herbs may conflict with other medications you may be on or they may cause complications with an illness that you may have.

Kava is an herbal remedy that should be taken with caution, as some studies show that it can potentially cause liver damage. If you have liver problems or a history of liver problems, be very leery of using kava.

Passionflower, valerian, and theanine are three other effective herbal remedies for anxiety. These work, but they aren't as good as kava, but they don't have as many potential side effects. Passionflower and valerian are best when taken together, as they are not as effective if taken along. You can purchase these in a liquid extract or a pill form. Some sources say that it is best to take passionflower and valerian extracts that contain at least 3-4% vitexin.

Hops is a sedative that is often combined with passionflower to enhance the effectiveness on insomnia and tension. If you are also suffering from depression along with your anxiety, you want to be careful of using hops.

St. John's Wort is actually one of the more popular herbal treatments for anxiety. It is a mild anti-depressant, as well as a great anxiety treatment and insomnia aid. The herb contains vital mood lifting properties, but you want to be careful if you're using certain medications, such as warfarin, digoxin, indinavir, nevirapine, irinotecan (a chemotherapy drug), and benzodiazepines and simvastatin (antihistamines).

Other less common herbal treatment for anxiety include:

• Cowslip
• Bugleweed
• Hyssop
• Fennel
• Jamaica dogwood
• Maritime pine bark
• Chamomile
• Pantothenic acid

• Gamma-aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

Liquid herbal extracts are an alternative to taking a pill supplement. You want to follow the directions carefully if you opt to use a liquid extract.

You can potentially make yourself feel better if you're able to maintain a balanced diet. Your diet won't cure or treat anxiety, but a healthy diet can improve your mood and help maintain steady energy levels.

• You want to try to eat small frequent meals to help keep your blood sugar levels stabilized throughout the day.
• Eat carbohydrate-rich foods, as starches can help increase the serotonin levels in your brain, causing a calming effect.
• Make sure that you drink plenty of water, as if you're dehydrated, you may see changes in your mood.
• Avoid or at least limit your alcohol consumption, as alcohol can be a depressant, causing anxiety-like symptoms to increase.
• Avoid or at least limit caffeine consumption as caffeine can make you feel more jittery and nervous. 
• Watch out for any food sensitivities, as there are some foods that may cause mood swings, irritability, and other mood reactions. Common foods that can cause reactions can include wheat, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, nuts, and shellfish.
• Try to consume foods that contain tryptophan, which is a chemical that will help your brain produce chemicals that help improve your mood and create a relaxing effect. Milk,bananas, oats, soy, poultry, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, and sesame seeds are good sources of tryptophan that you may want to consider.
  

There are different natural methods that you can try to improve your mood and reduce anxiety. Besides herbal supplements and a diet change, you may want to consider meditation, aromatherapy, massage therapy, yoga, tai chi, and regular exercise.

By implementing stress relieving activities, you can potentially help reduce your anxiety and improve upon your overall health and mood.

You may also find that by keeping up with your vitamins, you can potentially ease your anxiety. Calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins can potentially help reduce and ease your anxiety levels.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed physician. If you think that you might have anxiety, you want to consult your doctor so that you can get proper diagnosis and discuss treatment.