(Please see my other hubs which have new information I have learned since publishing this hub.) You can purchase all the nutraceuticals you need at wholesale prices at: www.iherb.com - use promotional code BIG424 for a $5 discount on first order.

It is miserable being shy or excessively worrisome. High anxiety runs in my family. My father is a nervous fellow who has had a couple of ulcers. His sister was a worrywart and had cancer 4 times in her life. Their father was also a worrywart and had ulcers and stomach cancer which killed him at age 57. I had an aunt (in-law) and cousin who were both very anxious. She hardly left their home the last 20 years of her life, and he drank hard liquor to get relief from his shyness which resulted in liver problems which killed him.

If you suffer from anxiety disorder, you know how miserable it is. If you are reading this blog because you know someone who is shy, anxious or worrisome, then you have no idea how unhappy they are on the inside. Shy and worrisome people are plagued with "what if" thinking that is emotionally crippling. They isolate themselves from social situations which leaves them feeling cheated out of a life.

I've discovered natural solutions to anxiety that work just as effectively as prescription medications that I have taken, without the side affects. These solutions, plus mineral intake, can also apply to other neurological problems. It is advisable to consult with a holistic practitioner or pharmaceutical nutritionist who has plenty of experience with cleansing, detoxing, and supplementing. They are expensive but worth every penny if they can save you from wasting alot of time and effort.

General Anxiety Disorder is associated with irregular levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry signals across nerve endings. Neurotransmitters that involve anxiety include norepinephrine, gaba and serotonin.

These irregular levels of neurotransmitters can also cause anxiety, depression and obsessive thinking, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Plus, our bodies change as we age and these levels, especially serotonin, can change at any time in your life (especially during menopause). So, you could start suffering from anxiety at any age.

Increased levels of gaba and serotonin seem to reduce anxiety. All of these neurotransmitters interact during heightened anxiety. Low serotonin levels have been implicated in anxiety, depression, migraine headaches, and many other ailments. Many of the drugs used to treat mood and anxiety disorders target the serotonin system, increasing serotonin activity which relieves depression or anxiety.

MY START FINDING A CURE

A few years ago Zoloft ran some ads on TV about social anxiety and how their medication can correct this, allowing you to be the person that you really are. This was music to my ears, so I went to my regular physician and asked for a prescription.

I took Zoloft for a few months and I loved it. I have to admit that it took a little time to get used to the real me, but it was nice not having that cloud raining on me all day. No more obsessing or constant fearfulness.

All good things come to an end, though. I started having side effects that were very stressful to live with, muscle cramps in my neck all day and a sudden (two month) 30 pound weight gain that I'm sure was caused by Zoloft. So, I decided to try life without Zoloft. I figured it couldn't be that hard, since I had lived with anxiety for 43 years prior to this.

It was hard. After finding out how my mind worked without anxiety, having the anxiety back again seemed to make me acutely aware of it. I decided to give Zoloft another try, but the side effects came right back, so I quit taking it again.

I gave Lexapro a try since the doctor recommended it as the medicine with the least amount of side affects, but this medicine is for depression and although it got rid of my anxiety, it left me feeling a little depressed. Next I gave Effexor a try, but it had three weird side affects right away. So I quit prescription medicines and started looking for natural solutions.

I gave acupuncture a try for one visit, which was followed up with herbs. It was mildly effective but cost too much for me, about $75 total. I was told that the effects are cumulative after several visits, but I'll never know.

HERBS

I started experimenting with whatever I could find at the grocery store. First I tried 5-HTP, 50mg, which is described on the label as a mood enhancer. 5-HTP is an amino acid (derived from the amino acid tryptophan, with enzymes already binded to it) that converts into serotonin, increasing your serotonin levels. It has the same effect that prescription meds have when they overstimulate your existing serotonin levels, except that this natural product creates more serotonin. It made a difference but after a little time the affects seemed to dissolve. I thought I was just getting used to it, but I've learned since then that it is ok to take as much as 300mg daily.

Next came St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort is a popular natural mood elevator. St. John's Wort helps with concentration and the energy to do daily tasks. St. John's Wort is the #1 physician-prescribed mood herb in Germany. It took a couple of days before I felt any effect from this herb. Its effects are cumulative and it takes a couple of weeks before you are up and running.

I also added Gingko Biloba. Ginkgo is one of today's most popular herbs for promoting memory and concentration. It seemed to relieve my anxiety as well. Ginkgo Biloba promotes healthy circulation to the brain, which helps nourish brain cells. Since then I discovered L-carnitine for attention and memory and was very impressed with it.

HORMONES

Another route to combat anxiety is to boost your body's hormone production with DHEA, which may be depleated because of stressed out adrenal glands. It can increase your mood and give you more youthful vitality. It was first sold as a prescription medication for weight loss, but didn't work well for that. Later it was changed to over the counter and advertised as a fountain of youth pill, restoring energy and sexual vitality. I felt better the first day on DHEA. It is readily available at the grocery store or Walmart and is cheap. You can find DHEA in 25 and 50 mg dosages. Generally, as long as you take less than 50 mg daily, you shouldn't be creating a hormonal imbalance.

7-Keto DHEA is a more refined version that eliminates the sex hormones that may present a problem for people who already have planty or too much. It is more potent than DHEA. 7-Keto DHEA will cost you a little more than DHEA and you will have to purchase it online or at a specialty vitamin/herb shop.

So far, the holistic healing products that I have recommended will produce immediate results and you should notice a difference the first day after taking most of them. But, one annoying thing about the herbal route is the number of herbs plus my daily vitamins that I was taking each day. Plus they still didn't work quite as well as prescription medicine did.

CELLULAR

Correcting your chemistry on the cellular level produces the best results in eliminating anxiety. Today I feel better than I ever have since I started pursuing solutions for anxiety and I've stopped taking the herbs. (Except for Ginko Biloba which helps with slight ADD.)

Every living organism has amino acids. Humans have 22 amino acids all of which you get from meat, some we produce and some we get from plants. When you ingest amino acids, they start the protein building during the digestive process. Each amino acid binds with enzymes, vitamins, minerals and oils in order to form a complete protein.

Most people who suffer from anxiety have a defiency of B vitamins, plus other essential minerals, which is genetically pre-programmed. Niacin, inositol and B6 have been identified as necessary for the building of the protein Gaba (which regulates the norepenephrine). A healthy level of GABA helps to regulate the neurotransmitters norepenephrine, epenephrine and dopamine.

Basically, Gaba regulates norepenephrine, epinephrine, or dopamine (whichever is dominant). Without this regulation, these neurotransmitters exchange too many messages, i.e., fearfullness, worrying, inappropriate panic, rather than enthusiasm, excitement, fear, worry, or appropriate panic.

Those B vitamins will help your body to produce more GABA and other amino acid proteins. The more amino acids you have, the better. A lack of vitamin B can lead to many other physical problems as well, which is why some depressed people also have physical problems.

Below is basic information about vitamin B deficiencies from Wikipedia:

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) deficiency causes Beriberi. Symptoms of this disease of the nervous system include weight loss, emotional disturbances, Wernicke's encephalopathy (impaired sensory perception), weakness and pain in the limbs, periods of irregular heartbeat, and edema (swelling of bodily tissues). Heart failure and death may occur in advanced cases. Chronic thiamine deficiency can also cause Korsakoff's syndrome, an irreversible psychosis characterized by amnesia and confabulation.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) deficiency causes Ariboflavinosis. Symptoms may include cheilosis (cracks in the lips), high sensitivity to sunlight, angular cheilitis, glossitis (inflammation of the tongue), seborrheic dermatitis or pseudo-syphilis (particularly affecting the scrotum or labia majora and the mouth), pharyngitis, hyperemia, and edema of the pharyngeal and oral mucosa.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) deficiency, along with a deficiency of tryptophan causes Pellagra. Symptoms include aggression, dermatitis, insomnia, weakness, mental confusion, and diarrhea. In advanced cases, pellagra may lead to dementia and death.

Deficiencies of other B vitamins result in symptoms that are not part of a named deficiency disease.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) deficiency can result in acne and Paresthesia, although it is uncommon.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) deficiency may lead to anemia, depression, dermatitis, high blood pressure (hypertension) and elevated levels of homocysteine.

Vitamin B7 deficiency does not typically cause symptoms in adults but may lead to impaired growth and neurological disorders in infants.

Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) deficiency results in elevated levels of homocysteine. Deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth defects.

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) deficiency causes pernicious anemia, memory loss and other cognitive decline. It is most likely to occur among elderly people as absorption through the gut declines with age. In extreme (fortunately rare) cases, paralysis can result.

As you can see, deficiencies of some B vitamins can cause problems in the nervous system including depression and emotional disturbances. When you add more B vitamins to your system, you are helping your body to produce more proteins. The more proteins that are being exchanged in your brain chemistry, the better your neurotransmitters work and the better your mood.

Where to start? For IMMEDIATE RELIEF take GABA amino acid supplement. There are alot of mixtures available (my favorite website is www.iherb.com) that contain GABA and supporting b vitamins. Some GABA supplements are sublingual which means under the tongue, for faster delivery. You can take up to 1500 mg, three times daily.

Also, you can take 5-HTP or Tryptophan amino acids (5-htp is one step into the protein building process from basic amino acid tryptophan). This will build more serotonin, which is basically what SSRI medications do (they don't build more but stimulate what you have). I take this at bedtime and it helps me sleep. You can take up to 300 mg daily.

Another amino acid supplement to try if you feel like you don't have any emotional response to interacting with people is N-Acetyl-Tyrosine. This will build into more noropenephrin, dopamine and epinephrin. Of course, you don't want to take this unless you have calmed these transmitters down with GABA first or you will become more anxious.

Don't be afraid to try these out and adjust them as you improve. You can take all of them at the same time.

Below is a vitamin dosage that I used for 6 weeks to help correct my anxiety. It doesn't have to be specific, just get good quality multi-vitamin and a B-complex supplement.

B-6 - 50mg 4 times daily with meals.

Niacin with Inositol - 50mg 4 times daily with meals.

For immediate relief: 5-HTP 300mg daily between meals.

For immediate relief: GABA amino acid supplement - 750mg 3 times daily between meals.

For 6 months:

No Iron Multivitamin supplement - 4 to 6 daily.

Vitamin B complex, 50 mg one to three times daily.

Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids - two times daily.

Vitamin E - one daily.

Calcium - 1,000 mg daily.

Magnesium - 500-800 mg daily.

When you start taking Niacin and B6, it will take 4-6 weeks before you feel an effect. Don't get discouraged, just keep on taking your vitamins every day. If you are taking prescription medicines, continue taking them. Cut your dosage after three weeks and pay attention to any signs that your body is responding to the vitamins. At that time you can discontinue your prescription medicines and your Niacin and B-6. If you aren't taking prescription meds, you can take the 5-HTP (300 mg daily), and the GABA amino acid supplement for immediate results.

After the vitamins kick in, you can discontinue the 5-HTP and GABA for a couple of days to see what happens. If you feel your mood sinking, continue using these supplements for another month and discontinue for a couple of days again. If you mood sinks again, continue for another month. Normally, it shouldn't take more than three months to train your body to raise it's natural levels of these neurotransmitters.

It took a couple of days before I realized that my mood was the result of the B vitamin regimen I had been taking for 6 weeks. When I realized that my body was finally responding, I quit taking all the herbs and the high levels of Niacin and B6 and my mood was normal, no anxiety. I take one Niacin and B6 supplement once a week for maintenance.

I've been taking the daily vitamins in high levels for about a month. I've noticed an improvement in: my eyesight, my sense of smell, my skin tone, my hair. I plan to continue this vitamin routine for the entire 6 months.

The natural approach to good health is always better than the synthetic approach. The real key is to be knowledgeable and aware of the subtleties of vitamin and mineral balance and your corresponding health. Also, it is better to get your nutrients from a very healthy diet rather than supplements. This takes discipline. A few good recipes and maybe a veggi juicer will help.

UPDATE 2/5/09: See my other hub about curing everything that ails you for a detailed explanation of everything I have learned since I published this hub. The other information is amazing. You can purchase all the nutraceuticals you need at wholesale prices at: www.iherb.com - use promotional code BIG424 for a $5 discount on first order.