Acupuncture Questions Psychologist

Are there natural treatments for anxiety?

I have anxiety and want to get rid of that. Are there natural treatments for anxiety?

11 Answers

I’m a big proponent of emotional freedom technique or “tapping” to manage anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy is great for panic attacks.
Far and away the best is outdoor physical exercise
Yes, often by starting at the gut, we can heal the brain. That is what functional medicine is based upon. The gut is the gateway to all health and all chronic conditions. My clients often eliminate anxiety by following my protocols based on healthy diet and other self care.
Anxiety and stress can be treated with acupuncture, massage and herbs. I recommend 2-3 sessions a week for 4-6 weeks to get the best result.
Yes, there are a host of natural treatments to support individuals who are struggling with anxiety. However, the goal should never be to 'rid oneself of all anxiety'. Some anxiety is protective in nature and can also help self-direct people towards goals. A simplistic way to think about how anxiety can be somewhat protective and help people stay on track with goals is the issue of exams. If one has an important exam that they are worried/anxious about, most people find ways to curb this by studying to secure their success on the exam. When anxiety becomes a problem is when it manifests to such a degree that it impacts one's daily functioning. At this point, there are natural, cognitive/behavioral, and pharmaceutical treatments available.
If you mean treatment that does not involve medication, psychotherapy is the best option. Other options include meditation, yoga, exercise. Taking vitamins and supplements on your own rarely helps, if you really want to try it get an alternative medicine doctor to evaluate you and recommend specific supplements to take.
There may be calming supplements. Talk with your doctor about options
Yes acupuncture and qigong
Chinese medicine has several shen calming natural herbal formulas and acupuncture is very calming, its premise is to relax mind, body, and spirit in order to relax, rest, and repair. Good luck on your wellness journey.
There are plenty of natural treatments for anxiety. I'll assume by 'natural' you mean non-pharmacological. There are plenty of routes to address anxiety, and addressing the mind-body interplay is essential in most cases. You might try therapy, somatic healing, journaling, learning self soothing and regulation techniques as a first step. Next you might try receiving treatments like acupuncture, massage, exercise, etc. And finally we might try herbs and supplements that can help calm the anxiety response. Some work as more in the moment treatments, others build over time. It's essential you work with someone to help you determine which are right for you because many can interact with other medications, supplement, herbs etc that you may also be taking. Also no one person's picture is the same. One person's anxiety might stem from unexpressed anger or feeling stuck in a situation they cannot change - in which case learning to discharge that anger is a great way to combat anxiety. Other anxiety is more like overwhelm which can be a symptom of ADHD or other reasons. Getting to the root of the anxiety can go a long way in helping you treat it for good instead of just slapping on a bandaid of a supplement (although sometimes we definitely need bandaids.)
A lot is going to depend on how severe a case of anxiety we're talking about.

There are some natural treatments that can work. Herbal medicines and, especially, acupuncture almost always work better when you're also participating in some form of talk therapy. If your case is in the more moderate to severe category, you're looking at extended treatment - likely months at least.