After living with crippling anxiety attacks for more than ten years and
trying numerous different approaches that were unsuccessful, I discovered that
the true causes of anxiety attacks have a physiological basis, not an emotional one.
I had all the standard mental health labels applied to my
experience. Anxiety attacks, anxiety disorder, panic attacks etc.
etc.
This was before my journey into holistic living, so at the time I took
all the standard prescribed steps to alleviate my symptoms. There was visit
after visit to psychologist after psychologist. Prescription drug
after prescription drug.
I became severely addicted to the anti-anxiety medication, Ativan, and
never did alleviate my anxiety attacks. Later I had to go to
rehab to overcome my addictions.
I participated in group therapy, individual therapy and read all the
latest books. Delved into my deep psyche and explored all my
childhood traumas. None of these things were bad things, they
were essential in their own right, but not the root causes of anxiety
attacks.
After over a decade of suffering, I stumbled upon a book "The Missing
Diagnosis" by Dr. Orion C Truss and it was here that I learned the true
root of my anxiety and was able to find relief. That true root
was Candida overgrowth and sugar addiction.
By incorporating a
holistic treatment for anxiety into my life I was able to alleviate my anxiety
attacks completely.
Can anxiety be a response to an emotional trigger? Absolutely,
but my experience reveals to me that this is a very different kind of
anxiety in comparison to anxiety attacks or panic attacks.
Normal levels of anxiety are much easier to deal with, less intense and
they pass after a period of time when the situation that is triggering them is over.
Anxiety attacks that come out of no where for no apparent reason, and
that can't be controlled, have another root cause. It is usually a
reaction to something physiological going on in the body.
One of the most common causes of anxiety attacks is an overgrowth of
Candida and eating white refined sugar.
The most important step in controlling Candida overgrowth is the
removal of sugar from the diet. It was removing sugar from my
diet that stopped my anxiety attacks, almost instantly.
I had to remove sugar from my diet in all forms. This included
fruit juices and fruits and any food that is high in carbohydrates.
This was not an easy task either, I was addicted to the sugar, and I
fell off the sugar wagon several times before achieving success.
Every time I gave in to my cravings my anxiety would return.
I was amazed and horrified
at the same time. I couldn't believe that such a simple solution
had existed all these years and not one mental health professional had
ever made this suggestion to me.
Over time I discovered that many other things could also trigger
anxiety attacks. My holistic treatment for anxiety
consisted of addressing many issues simultaneously and that's usually the case for
most people.
I soon learned I was chemically sensitive and had to give up hair spray and perfume,
as well as all other personal care products that contained chemicals and
fragrances. Every time I put on my make up or sprayed my hair with hairspray a panic
attack would come on. I had to switch to natural and non-toxic cleaning alternatives
found in health food stores as the chemical based ones were also triggers.
A large glass of orange juice would also bring on the anxiety, just as
badly as a candy bar, because of the natural sugar content. So I could no longer drink juice.
If I had to take an antibiotic for any reason, the anxiety would
return. The reason for this is that antibiotics make Candida yeast
proliferate. So antibiotics are now avoided at all costs, unless
absolutely necessary to save my life.
Any food that is high in carbohydrates would bring back my anxiety, partially because it
feeds Candida and partially because it impacts blood sugar, and caffeine must be completely avoided or it sends
me to the moon.
An exposure to herbicides or pesticides will bring back my anxiety
attacks on an unbearable level and it takes a long time to recover from
this. Herbicides and pesticides are neurotoxins that disrupt the endocrine system
and the nervous system and alters function and production of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Avoidance of herbicides and pesticides is essential to my being able to function. Pesticides and herbicides are another one of the most common causes of anxiety attacks for many people.
Foods that are high in natural phytoestrogens, like flax seed or evening primrose oil, will also trigger my
anxiety to extreme discomfort. This is because I am estrogen dominant - my body
has too much estrogen.
An environment that is high in mold can also trigger high levels of
anxiety. This can be the result of mold allergies or because mold
aggravates Candida.
At certain points of my menstrual cycle I can experience high levels of anxiety and now I'm going through Menopause and find that the fluctuation in hormones also brings on anxiety. It can be pretty intense at times and is extremely common for women. Keeping natural sweets and carbohydrates to a minimum and daily exercise helps keep this
manageable.
Another common contributor to anxiety attacks, that wasn't a factor in my case, is nutritional deficiencies.
People with anxiety disorders often have deficiencies in the B vitamins, Vitamin C, amino acids, magnesium and essential fatty acids like Omega 3 or Omega 6. Many people find significant improvement by supplementing the diet with nutrients they are deficient in.
Primary Causes of Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorders or Panic Attacks
The one thing that all these causes have in common is their impact on neurotransmitters in the brain. Each of the issues above alters, disrupts and/or depletes neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that the brain uses for communication. Among other things, one of their primary responsibilities is the regulation of mood states, as well as weight, pain, sleep and mental and cognitive functioning and processing.
Some neurotransmitters are excitatory and some are inhibitory. Meaning as they sound, they excite and inhibit. Too much or too little of these brain chemicals will result in anxiety and/or depression.
The primary neurotransmitters related to anxiety disorders are norepinephrine, GABA, serotonin and Dopamine. GABA, dopamine and serotonin are inhibitory, they keep us calm, relaxed, confident and happy, while norepinephrine is excitatory and keeps us alert and enables us to handle stress.
People with anxiety usually have not enough GABA or too much norepinephrine or not enough serotonin, their excitatory neurotransmitters are too high and/or their inhibitory neurotransmitters are too low. People with depression, usually don't have enough serotonin or dopamine, their inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters may be too low. So you can see why some people may have both anxiety and depression, because if they don't have enough serotonin, it results in both anxiety and depression. It's rare that someone has an imbalance in one neurotransmitter, they usually occur together.
Anytime you have high levels of unexplainable anxiety and depression it is because something is disrupting the neurotransmitters in the brain and the factors that cause this disruption are listed above.
These are the triggers that affect me. Each person can have
different triggers. Any food or environmental substance can be a
possible trigger depending on your vulnerabilities.
To pinpoint your own causes of anxiety attacks you must become a detective and
investigate your lifestyle and diet. They may be the same as mine
or there may be some differences. Be sure to read each of the issues listed above in blue
to get more in depth information on addressing them sufficiently.
Sometimes knowing the causes of anxiety attacks is not enough, you may have exposures that you can't control that set off an attack, or it takes time before you are able to master a healthier diet and stick with it, therefore developing a variety of coping strategies is crucial for management.
In addition to addressing all the factors I listed above to alleviate my anxiety attacks, I also incorporate a variety of other techniques in my holistic treatment approach:
Breathing Exercises
Meditation
Physical Exercise (such as
brisk walking)
Understanding why something is happening makes it a lot easier to get
through. Part of the overwhelming fear that accompanies anxiety
attacks, are the questions: "what the hell is happening to me" "am I
going crazy" or "is this ever going to go away." I find that
understanding what is happening to me and knowing what it is and that
it will pass is immensely helpful.
Many people find that certain herbal combinations are another effective
holistic treatment for anxiety. Valerian Root, Bach Flower
Remedies, Kava Kava, Chamomile and Passion Flower are some of the most
popular.
Herbs are preferred over drugs because they are natural, non-addictive
and don't cover up the problem. They are great to use in
conjunction with other holistic methods such as exercise and meditation.
However, my experience tells me that herbs don't work very well on anxiety attacks that
are triggered by things like sugar, Candida and chemical sensitivities. You must get to the
root causes of anxiety attacks to find true relief.
By adopting a holistic treatment for anxiety into your lifestyle, you may find the much needed
relief you've been searching for.
Want More Info?
Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed. is an author, researcher, holistic health counselor and sobriety coach with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in counseling. She has researched the role of diet, nutrition and environmental toxins on our mental and physical health for more than twenty years. Talk with Cynthia One-on-One.
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