How Anxiety Affects the Body: A Wellness Guide

Anxiety becomes a troublesome response when it is inappropriate to the circumstances we encounter or interferes with normal daily activities. When a meeting, a deadline, or a family problem sets us on edge, our bodies signal “danger”—but physical action is rarely appropriate. Instead, we endure the unpleasant sensation of a rapid heartbeat and tensed muscles, often while having to smile at the “opponent” who sits across the desk or the dinner table. We are all able to handle occasional bouts of unreleased anxiety, but if the anxiety doesn’t go away, or if it recurs frequently, it can lead to serious health problems. People who are exposed to prolonged anxiety—those who are going through a divorce, for example, or who are subject to intense pressures at work—often suffer from high blood pressure, insomnia, digestive problems, skin disorders, mood swings, depression, and many other conditions. The effects of anxiety can also make any existing health problems much worse. Sometimes people feel the symptoms of anxiety even when they’re not facing a serious challenge or danger. (Stengler, NMD)

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One of the most unassociated health problems to anxiety is digestive complications. Not only does anxiety create physical problems associated to the gut, but it also compromises the Solar Plexus/Oshun energy center in the spiritual sense. Most of our spiritual and emotional states involve this energy center. It is there that we experience the impacts of fear, anger, anxiousness, uncertainty, and a host of other emotional feelings. Extreme fears and anxiety can create a wear and tear on the body that leads to physical imbalances and complications. Once the energy center is blocked, dysfunction starts and spreads throughout the body. in extreme fear, the Sacral and Throat energy centers become involved. This anxious energy spreads through the body like a wildfire and must be contained. Think of instances where someone is in a situation where they are extremely afraid and can’t speak because the throat has locked up, or lose control of their bladder and/or anal sphincter. This is the negative energy spreading from the Solar Plexus to the Sacral, Root, and up through the heart (heart palpitations) to the Throat. That is nearly every part of your physical body!

Western medicine wants to have the answer to imbalances like this, but the only answer they can seem to provide is long-term drug use. Medications have potential side effects that range from headaches, dizziness, poor memory, and insomnia to weakness. These drugs are not supposed to be taken on a long-term basis. If you suffer from prolonged anxiety, whether as a result of an anxiety disorder or from a major unresolved source of tension, you can take certain steps to ease your symptoms. As you employ these complementary healing strategies, it’s also important to rule out any underlying physical causes. Disorders like low blood sugar, hormone imbalance, heart problems (mitral valve prolapse), and clinical depression can lead to the symptoms of anxiety, as can nutritional deficiencies. Certain substances can also create anxiety or make it worse. Caffeine is perhaps the most notorious tension-inducing chemical, but sugar, food allergens, nicotine, alcohol, environmental toxins and allergens, and other substances can be just as potent. (Stengler, NMD)

SYMPTOMS

• Constant worry

• Restlessness and tension

• Trembling

• Sweating

• Heart palpitations

• ​Weakness or tiredness

• Lump in the throat

• Diarrhea

• Feeling powerless

• Feeling of impending doom

• Dizziness

• Sleep disturbance

• Appetite changes

• ​Rapid pulse or high blood pressure

• ​Muscle tension

• Chest pains

• Hyperventilation

• Panic attacks

• Difficulty concentrating

• Headache

ROOT CAUSES

• Stress

• Caffeine

• ​Sugar

• Nicotine

• Alcohol and street drugs

• Prescription medications

• Disturbed sleep

• ​Food allergies

• ​Environmental toxins

• Poor nutrition

• ​Thyroid problems

• Mitral valve prolapse

• ​Low blood sugar

• Depression

• Adrenal disorders

• ​Neurotransmitter imbalance

HEAL WITH FOOD

Some foods can create anxiety, and others soothe it. If you’re a victim of prolonged or frequent tension, a good diet can significantly—and sometimes completely—alleviate your symptoms. Recommended Food An anxiety-healing diet starts with a good base of nutrients. Plan well-rounded meals of basic, clean, natural foods. Some people with anxiety have their symptoms triggered by blood sugar drops. Do not skip meals, and consume adequate protein and healthy fats. Complex carbohydrates contain serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a calming effect on the brain. Have some whole grains, like brown rice or oats, at every meal. Make sure you get enough B vitamins by increasing your intake of brewer’s yeast, brown rice, and leafy green vegetables. Calcium and magnesium calm the body. Good sources include sea vegetables, green leafy vegetables (except spinach), soybeans, nuts, molasses, salmon, oysters, sardines (with the bones), broccoli, and unsweetened cultured yogurt.

Food to Avoid

Caffeine and alcohol cause anxiety or the symptoms of anxiety. Wean yourself off of black tea, coffee, and alcohol, even if they seem to comfort you when you’re stressed. Ultimately, these substances put a further strain on your system. Refined sugars are another enemy of anxious people. Whole fruits and naturally sweet products are fine in moderation, but candy, cake, cookies, refined flour products, and soft drinks will cause your blood sugar to spike and then plummet. The resulting low levels of blood sugar produce feelings of irritability, tension, and depression. A response to food allergies can lead to trembling, dry mouth, heart palpitations, misbehaving bowels, and other symptoms that mimic anxiety. (Balch, MD)

See Determining Hidden Food Allergies in our online member platform The Freedom Haus to learn more, and use the elimination diet presented there to identify any problematic foods. If you suffer from anxiety, chances are that you’re short on B vitamins and magnesium. Since refined flour and processed foods deplete your body of these nutrients, cut them out of your diet.

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Your Natural Prescription for Anxiety Disorders

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) Take 250 mg or 0.5 ml two to three times daily. Passionflower relaxes a person without causing sedation. A double-blind, controlled, crossover trial published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology demonstrated that 18 grams of inositol daily for one month reduced the number of panic attacks from six to seven weekly to two or three.

Valerian (Valeriana ofelp comb) is a strong nerve relaxer and is especially helpful for insomnia caused by anxiety. Take 300 mg or 0.5 to 1.0 ml two to three times daily. The grounding affects of Valerian was used in our Root Chakra Tea Blend called Basic Bitch! It is a delicious blend of Earth (red) colored fruits and roots for your most basic energy center.

St.John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) can lift anxiety that’s accompanied by depression. Take 300 mg three times daily. If you’re on medication for depression or anxiety, talk to your doctor before switching to an herbal preparation.

Ashwagandha (Withania somniferum) helps balance stress-hormone levels and reduce tension. Take 250 mg of an extract daily.

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and oatstraw (Avena sativa) are proven herbal nerve relaxers. They can be taken as a tea or in supplement form. We incorporate Chamomile in our GUT formula and in our Chakra tea Blend - SoulHER Power.

Fish oil is important for the long-term treatment of anxiety. Take 2,000 mg of EPA and DHA combined daily.

Therapies for Anxiety Relief

Massage

A regular full-body massage is a great way to relieve the tension that collects in your muscles. If you don’t have the time or the money for a professional treatment, you or a loved one can easily perform some spot techniques at home. A neck, a shoulder, or a foot rub can help you unwind. You can schedule a massage with our experienced Massage Therapist, or tap into our blog about performing Self Abhyanga as a part of your self care routine.

Reflexology

Your Reflexologist works the areas corresponding to all the glands, the heart, and the solar plexus. You can now book 15 minute Reflexology sessions at The Laya Center, or add Reflexology on to any massage. In order to control prolonged Anxiety disorders, yu must create a routine. You can find that balance with our new membership option BALANCE, where you can come in twice per month and choose one treatment each time from the list of Balance therapies. It’s just $65 per month.

Hydrotherapy

If you suffer from insomnia related to anxiety, it’s important to draw blood away from your head before bedtime. Take a ten-minute hot foot bath to encourage the blood to move down and out toward your limbs. Laya offers Interstitial Hydrotherapy (vapor) with the use of Herbs to infuse the medicinal value of herbs like Passionflower into the cells, creating the most benefit from your Hydrotherapy experience. Imbalancces must be communicated ahead of the appointment in order to customize the herbal infusion. Otherwise, a general steam vapor is used.

General Stress-Reduction Therapies

Use prayer or meditation to alleviate and prevent anxiety. Positive mental imagery and meditation are useful. Whenever you feel your mind racing ahead to upcoming deadlines or unpleasant situations, try to bring it back to an awareness of the present. Focus for a moment on something beautiful: the sound of a singing bird, the color of the sky, the steam drifting up from your cup of tea. Many people with anxiety have cold hands and feet, because the panic response pulls blood away from the extremities. A Yoga and Meditation practice can really increase awareness of the body while decreasing anxiety overall. In The Freedom Haus online, there are many meditation examples and exercises that help with overall health and mental wellness. We have also included yoga poses for each Chakra to support energetically and physically.

Don’t let stress management itself become a source of stress. You’re not a failure if you have a panic attack or an episode of anxiety; no one can manage anxiety perfectly. Just keep practicing tension-relieving techniques daily, and try to accept whatever comes your way as best you can.

Other Recommendations

Regular exercise, prayer, deep breathing, and counseling will help reduce your susceptibility to anxiety. Tap into TFH for Ritual and Routines that keep you focused on your healing process.

CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR THERAPIES AND SUPPLEMENTS FOR ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION RELIEF. CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO SEE OUR STRESS & ANXIETY RELIEF STORE IN OUR ONLINE APOTHECARY.