Table of Contents
Anxiety Remedies
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DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
2 YEA
[YEA] 10/27/2006: Mike from Chicago writes: "Omega-3 fish oil works great for anxiety"
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2 YEA
[YEA] 02/05/2007: Ryan from Lasalle, Quebec writes: "Peanut Butter cured a anxiety panic attack. When I am having a panic attack or feeling one coming on; I just eat 1 or 2 table spoons of peanut butter (right off the spoon) and I feel calm almost instantly."
[YEA] 05/19/2008: Doris from Murfreesboro, Tennessee replies: "Anxiety Remedies: I saw Ryan's comment about peanut butter and it reminded me of when I had anxiety for five months in 1993. I couldn't eat, sleep, or do anything. I was as nervous as a cat and had to take a leave of absence from working with school children. I lost about 30 lbs. I didn't have a computer at that time so couldn't look anything up about my condition. (I was too nervous to look anything up, anyway.) All I could eat was a peanut butter sandwich or toast with peanut butter. I couldn't even drink coffee because it felt like it was taking my breath away. My medical doctor wanted me to see a psychiatrist, but I wouldn't because I was not going to get hooked on pills with all the side effects. With a lot of prayer I finally got better and went back to work. When I got my computer three years later, I read that peanut butter has lots of magnesium and is good for anxiety. I believe the magnesium is what my body needed to get better (not drugs). I've never had anxiety again and I make sure I take magnesium supplements everyday."
05/20/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Hi, glad you figured out what helped get out of the doldrums. In the future keep in mind that bananas are also an excellent source of magnesium and that the arginine in peanuts has been linked to herpes! If you should have the same problem again, consider it an alert to improve your diet by getting rid of junk foods/drinks & as I told a psychiatrist one night: "I consider a good stress tab at meal times and bedtime the best nerve pill in the world". Her reply was: "Shhh - you'll put us out of business"."
12/19/2009: Adam from Tucson, Arizona replies: "Add another Yea! to peanut butter --and bananas too! I am currently overcoming my anxiety, very successfully using natural foods, medicines, and remedies. I have to add that, sitting down and eating 2-3 bananas with peanut butter is one of my all-time favorite past-times. It's like ambrosia, so I say go for it!
I only recently began eating bananas again, because I was allergic to them for several years.(?) I missed them, so much, especially with peanut butter. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Feeling calm and being healthy has never tasted so good.
I'd also like to reply to 'Joyce from Joelton, Tn', that the arginine found in peanuts is very very healthy for you. There is no link between herpes and the arginine found in peanuts. That is a fallacy.
There IS a link between consuming LESS arginine in your food intake for people that have herpes, and spreading their herpes during an outbreak. This is limited to people with herpes, it does in NO WAY cause herpes. I just wanted to point that out so no one gets scared and quits eating delicious peanuts and peanut butter, because I LOVE it and it's AWESOME! Thanks E.C.!"
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1 QUESTION
12/16/2009: Z-block from GA, USA writes: "I had bad nerves for years, I'm very jumpy fidget & I sweat alot. I need too know what I can take for bad nerves because it gets worse over time and I'm only 22"
12/17/2009: Kerry from Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada replies: "My suggestion would be to add lecithin and magnesium to your diet. Lecithin will make your nerves rock steady and magnesium should help with the sweating and will help you sleep better if you take it before you go to bed. Cucumber is also supposed to be good for sweating and helping you to stay cool on hot days."
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[QUESTION] 03/24/2009: Dee from Greensboro, NC writes: "I'm a 35-year-old female who blushes severely, usually when in a group of more than 3 people ... sometimes when being introduced to someone, sometimes when I'm just talking. I do not like attention at all - it just makes me blush worse. I've blushed my entire life, but I think it's getting worse, which is BAD in a professional business setting. I would guess it's some type of social anxiety but I have no desire to get on a prescription medication for it. I know this is some kind of issue I probably need to deal with emotionally, but in the meantime, has anyone had good results to prevent or lessen blushing naturally?"
EC: Sorry, we don't have a page for Blushing, so we're posting this on the Anxiety remedies page instead.
03/27/2009: Matthew from Brisbane, Australia replies: "Hi Dee, I don't know of any remedy that you can take for blushing but would recommend hypnotherapy or NLP (neuro linguistic programming) to assist with a blushing response. I was a pretty good blusher most of my life and then I studied how to communicate with and reprogram the unconscious mind and discovered how easy it really is. Unresourceful states such as blushing can be a result of learned reactions from childhood that are long outdated in our unconscious mind. In other words as we mature in life our view of the world and how we relate to it changes but that does not mean that our unconscious mind automatically updates in all areas. Very often a symptom or response that is limiting us will get worse or become stronger as we get older. We get better at doing it eg blushing. This can be viewed as valuable feedback from our unconscious mind that we need to pay attention to this area of ourselves.
Masking it with medications for anxiety may help in the short term but we will never overcome the power of our unconscious in such a way in the long term.
Sometimes issues such as blushing can be resolved with only a few sessions but I would not want to predict how many you may require personally.
Let's consider that some people find it very hard to blush and try as they might they simply cannot do that.
I would be confident though that your days of doing blushing will become a fond and distant memory of a great opportunity to learn something valuable about yourself, and you may be curious and surprised to realise how much you... look forward to meeting 2,3, 4 or even more people, interesting people...and people can be interesting can they not?"
03/29/2009: Dee from Greensboro, NC, USA replies: "Matthew - thank you for taking the time to answer my question in such detail. I had never considered hypnotherapy, but after reading your response I've decided to at least pursue the possibility."
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02/25/2009: Rick from Vancouver, BC Canada writes: "Urgent.......Anxiety
First of all I'd like to start by saying this site is amazing and a big thanks to all the people for allowing me to read their stories and recommendations.
My question is for anyone out there dealing with anxiety and how they've managed to eliminate it from their lives.
I'm a 42yr old male and suffer from mild anxiety, infact I can isolate most of my attacks to flying in airplanes. I'm not at all afraid of flying just hate knowing that when the door closes I'm stuck on that plane and can't leave when I want(closed in feeling)
I love to travel, infact I'm going to South America next week and I'm getting really nervous about the long flight. I should be excited and trust me I wish thats what I was feeling, but I'm nervous already and its a week away.
I'm currently taking GABA to see if this helps, but I'm not 100% sold on this. Is there anyone out there with some really good advice to help me get rid of this horrific feeling I'm having.
Thanks for listening
Rick"
02/26/2009: Candy from Fort Madison, iA replies: "there is a nutritional supplement called L-theanine. it really helps with anxiety. it is made from green tea. hope this helps."
02/26/2009: Graeme from Tauranga, NZ replies: "hi there....yes I have (had) exactly the same issue with planes and the feeling of being "trapped". People kept saying to me to just get drunk......and so I did! Problem fixed! i wont advise getting "legless" in fact just mildly intoxicated may do the trick. I was totally relaxed both getting on and leaving the plane even when i was expecting to have a panic attack while waiting to exit plane and being trapped at the back (where I was)....didnt happen....never felt so relaxed and calm in my life. Highly recommended and i now dont hesistate going flying.....in fact cant wait to get up there again.!!
Good luck.
Graeme from NZ"
02/26/2009: Emma from Greenwich, CT replies: "To Rick: I know exactly what you are talking about. I have a similar plane anxiety which started up after seeing one too many grim plane crashes on television. My treatment is to do an intense cardio workout before I get on the plane (or the night before). I am exhausted when I get to the plane and end up sleeping for most of the flight. When I was younger I used to take Dramamine, which is for sea sickness, but I found it knocked me out for the flight. I don't take it now because I try to avoid chemicals in my body. There is also a bach remedy called Rescue Remedy that my friends have had success with on flights but I haven't tried it yet. Good luck. Let us know how it goes this time."
05/18/2009: Sue from Queensland, Australia replies: "It's claustrophobia. I have it too. The only way to get on a plane for a long haul for me, is to take St John's Wort, Herbal sedative. A couple before the flight, is enough to help me take control, and concentrate on deep breathing while entering the plane, and walking down the aisle to my seat. I can't look at the number of people around me while walking, that makes me panic. If I concentrate only on walking and deep breathing, I can make it with the help of St John's Wort. (I think it's proper name is Hypercerium.) The other thing is when you reach your seat, and sit down, close your eyes and keep deep breathing. If I don't do that my throat wants to start closing up when I look around in the confined space. It's the most awful feeling, but if you keep saying that you can beat it you can. I have nightmares about getting stuck in an elevator. So I tend to avoid those when I can. But if I have to use one, then the deep breathing helps then also."
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7 YEA
1 WORKED TEMPORARILY
1 QUESTION
[WORKED TEMPORARILY] 02/17/2010: Nw from New York, Ny writes: "Severe social anxiety
Dear ec, I love this site so much. Its helped me with so many things and I tell all my friends and family all that I learn on your site. I'm having such a problem with social anxiety, I don't know what to do. I'm so lonley and I want to be with people but I get such panic attacks. I was taking 150mg Effexor for a few years that seemed to work sometimes but I still had problems. About 2 weeks ago I had another attack when being introduced to someone and had enough. No matter who I'm around I immediatly get hot and my face turns bright red for no reason. I get so embarrased, I want to run away and it makes others feel uncomfortable because I'm so uncomfortable. So 2 weeks ago I read about Rhodiola on ec. I stopped taking the effexor and started the Rhodiola rite away. For the past 2 weeks I've felt good, more energy, depression gone but anxiety seems to be coming back and worse than ever. I went and got magnesium, l-theanine and b12. I was wondering if its safe to take the effexor and all these other things. I'm desperate and so frustrated I feel like I'm becoming a shut-in because I'm avoiding people. Please help me if you can, I feel so trapped. Thank you so much."
02/18/2010: Rob from Manhattan, New York replies: "Hi NW... I too suffered from panic attacks in social situations when all the focus was on me..(when I had to perform) Strictly staying away from coffee/caffeine sources or any stimulants helped. Daily yoga & breathing. (check out YTTP, & they have a Sunday candle light class, so no one can see you if you're self conscious) And most important seek out a good therapist, (which I have yet to find) to visualize yourself through these situations..Rhodiola I found too stimulating but you could lessen your dose to see if it helps still."
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[QUESTION] 03/05/2009: Someone from Ont, CA writes: "Rhodiola dose for anxiety and panic attacks? I have a question for those who took rhodiola and it cured panic attacks and helped anxiety. What does did you take ? was it standardized? I started with 100mg (incase I would get more nervous) and it is helping a little bit."
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[YEA] 05/13/2008: Barbara from Minneapolis, MN writes: "Works within an hour. I have outrageous anxiety. Glad I found this web site for an herbal remedy."
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[YEA] 02/21/2008: RR from Vancouver, Canada writes: "Rhodiola is amazing! I've been taking rr for about 6 months with fantastic improvements. I suffer from major anxiety/stress disorder, minor depression, was taking effexor xr for 5 years prior to this wonderful herb..the effexor caused me to gain 35lbs, made me sweat heavily, and actually gave me more anxiety, the sweating is still a problem, but is getting much better since taking rhodiola, almost gone, except when i get really anxious - socially, i start to sweat from my head/face..which is pretty dam embarrassing..DONT TAKE EFFEXOR! as this never happened before even with the anxiety i had.
Since taking rhodiola and stopping the effexor..i've lost the 35lbs that i gained..alot faster then iv'e ever lost weight before...so YES..it does help you lose weight..as long as you exercise hard and eat reasonably healthy. I dont eat that great, still eat pizza,wings, and drink beer occasionally. Just cut that deep fried food..mcd's etc to a minimum. EXERCISE is the key to losing weight with this herb, although when i took a break from working out...i still dropped a couple pounds.
Thanks to rhodiola, i'm almost back to my old self, except for this lingering little bit of anxiety. rhodiola works best with other herbs, acutally makes those other herbs work better then if u were to take them alone. My stress is so dramatically reduced, i almost feel normal again.
I'm currently on the search for the best combination to combat this left over anxiety issue, looks like i'll try 5-htp as people seem to have success with this combo.
I've been using the Arctic Root brand, from proactivebio, and currently trying out the
Ameriden brand..just google ameriden..you'll find it...apparantly its from Siberia where this
root was first discovered.
And as far as i know..you cannot grow it properly here, the active compounds will not be present
if grown here, needs that cold arctic condition to grow properly.
U have nothing but to benefit from taking this herb. I'm getting my whole family on it now!
and usually takes about 2-3 weeks before you really notice the effects!"
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[YEA] 04/03/2007: Margie from Upper Marlboro, Maryland writes: "While visiting earthclinic's site to see what I could fine to help my anxiety, I saw information about 5HTP as another source to use for anxiety. So I wanted to find out more information about this little pill, because it was a toss up between the two (Rhodiola) I decided to use the Rhodiola which worked out perfect. I then did some more research on 5HTP to see what other benefits it was good for, and I found out that it was recommeded for Fibromyalgia. Such as sleepless nights, waking up 4-5 times in the night, the headaches, the pain in the joints, stiffness upon waking up in morning, I felt like the tin man on the wizard of oz. I also had other related problesm. I have been taking it now for five months and I am a happier person, more energetic, not as moody as before, mine is more clear and well the list goes on, and I don't wake up stiff like before; so getting more rest has made me more alert.
In addition, I have a question for anyone out there to answer if possible. Since I take Rhodiola and 5HTP together I wanted to know if this harmful since both are a mood relaxing vitamin. I take the one for anxiety the other for the Fibroymyalgia. In addition, after reading more information about 5HTP and some side affects I was wondering if I should stop using it for awhile. If anyone has an answer please respond. I want to say though that since I have been using it I have had no side affects that were bad only good ones."
[YEA] 01/15/2009: Moira from Manchester, NH replies: "I know its been a year since asked, but in case anyone else wanted to know if 5HTP and Rhodiola are safe together, the answer is yes (although I am not a health professional - just know from my own research and experience). Your body naturally creates the transmitters that 5htp stimulates - its harmless. In fact, I noticed no difference in my severe anxiety when I took 5 HTP. Rhodiola is an herb that helps regulate serotonin levels and is not affected by 5HTP's process.
Chances are, if you take RR, you'll not need the 5HTP which can have uncomfortable side effects if you decide to quit it. Always remember to taper off any supplement or med to give your body a chance to keep up!"
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[YEA] 12/13/2006: Margie from Upper Marlboro, MD writes: "I want to thank the person who said that Rhodiola was the best for anxiety attacks. I read the article and immediately searched the internet to find get more information regarding this vitamin. I then went out to get it for my symptoms and it worked. I feel normal again, before I was having a panic attack daily. I didn't know what triggered it, but I was suffering regularly. I also tried the 5HTP and I take them both together, the 5HTP helps with my stiffness in my joints and relaxes my body and mind. I take both daily and had not had any problems in three weeks. It feels good to be normal again."
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[YEA] 08/21/2006: Kristine from Belle Chasse, LA writes: "Rhodiola is the best stuff ever for anxiety."
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[YEA] 07/12/2006: Missy from Portland, OR writes: "Rhodiola cured me of anxiety, depression and fatigue."
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ST. JOHN'S WORT, SUNSHINE, EXERCISE, PETS
[YEA] Catherine from Eureka, MT writes: "St. John's Wort works well for me, and I definitely benefit from Sunshine (#5)! plus: Movement. It doesn't need to be strenuous exercise. Animals. Being around people increases my anxiety and depression - they wear me out. Animals are great companions; they're honest, clear spirits, and keep your mind in the present. My depression stems from a spinal cord injury - animals don't recoil from my appearance or look down on me. Riding horses provides freedom - I can't run anymore but I can ride well. If animals aren't your cup of tea, try gardening - it helps, too!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 07/26/2007: John Thomas from Salisbury, England writes: "I found a simple and natural cure for very frightening panic attacks in a relaxation technique taught by Dr Ainsley Meares in his book "Relief without drugs""
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3 YEA
[YEA] 06/10/2007: Arica from Athens, GA writes: "A few days before my period, I often find myself getting extremely anxious and paranoid. The same thing happens on day 5 of my period.. Not sure what is happening to my hormones, but I don't like it! I have discovered that a 200 mg of Sam-e will immediately stop the anxiety and paranoia. I still feel quite emotional up until the day I get my period, but it is way reduced with sam-e. Great supplement. I don't take it every day, just when necessary."
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[YEA] 02/04/2007: Sharon from Boston, MA writes: "My husband had a habit of waking up at 2:00am in terrible anxiety every night. The rest of the night was toss and turn, toss and turn. I started him on SamE and overnight, the pattern ceased. Now he loves it and takes it every night. No more insomnia, no more anxiety, no more depression. Good stuff!"
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[YEA] Shelly from Sioux City writes: "In the fall when the time changes, I often have a very difficult time with anxiety and depression, especially as the holiday season approaches. After being on Effexor for a couple of years, I decided I needed to find a natural solution as I was tired of always feeling 2 steps behind. I experimented with the supplement SAM-e and discovered that it worked wonders fairly quickly. I also realized that some brands are better than others as it is a very unstable molecule. I took the lower dosage 2x a day for about a month. At that point I had to stop taking it for a while because it appeared that my brain chemistry had corrected itself and I no longer needed supplementation. Now I take it as needed, which is about 1 pill every few months. I hope others coming off the anti-anxiety medication will give this supplement a try. It was a wonderful discovery! By the way, doctors in Europe prescribe this remedy more often than prescription meds."
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1 QUESTION
[QUESTION] 01/06/2010: Alittlebitsassy from Langley, Bc Canada writes: "I was wondering if any knows if it is ok to take L-Taurine, Passion Flower, GABA and anti-depressants together? I suffer from Panic attacks and am trying to find a more natural way to alleviate them than taking the antidepressants. Any help would be appreciated!
Thank You!
alittlebitsassy aka Diane"
01/07/2010: Candy from Fort Madison, Ia replies: "you should try the transdermal magnesium. it really helps with that. i soak my feet in a small tub of it every night and i can't believe how much it helped me with that same problem. hope this helps."
EC: Here's the page: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/transdermal-magnesium-therapy.html
01/07/2010: Pr from Houston, Texas replies: "The book, Break Your Prescribed Addictions by Dr. Sahley, will have the answers to your question. This book is about using the amino acids, 5 different ones, to get off of prescribed drugs. It also addresses the amino acid reactions with any drugs you might be taking. Great book and the amino acids do work for panic attacks with no withdrawal. I had to take more of the Gaba than was recommended for it to work for me. Good luck."
01/09/2010: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Hello Candy from Fort Madison,
Perhaps the magnesium oil works to counteract your panic attacks because magnesium competes for the same receptor sites in the brain and central nervous system as the monosodium glutamate which all our processed foods are loaded with, along with aspartame. Both of these excitotoxins are being connected to many problems involving our brains and CNS.
You might get rid of the problem completely by trying to eliminate these two toxins from your foods, but you won't find it easy to avoid them, and you'll need to learn all the names they hide them under."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/09/2006: Lad from Maryland writes: "GH3 (I used a more complexed type "GH7") is a mild, reversible MAO inhibitor. It does lift your mood. Sceletium, or "Kanna" herb is reputed to work faster and better than SJW, and I found it to be very useful too. Also, gotu kola is a good all around herb for depression and anxiety."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/30/2008: Janet from St. Andrews, FL writes: "I have dealt with anxiety disorder for many years now, in particular, GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). I am on an antidepressant which helps a great deal. However,I also take 1000mg of Taurine everyday when I get up in the morning. It is better to take it on an empty stomach. I was feeling very anxious one day and did not want to take a benzo (xanax), so I decided to try the Taurine I had bought just for this purpose. I admit that I was not too optimistic that it would help as I'd tried many natural remedies for anxiety and they never really worked. But in desperation, I decided to give the Taurine a try. I took 1000mg and in a few minutes, I actually felt so much more calm! I could not believe it! I told a friend of mine with the same problem about it and he started taking it too and he is 100% better now!
Taurine is very cheap and is abundant in the human body. Being Taurine deficient can cause anxiety.
I read up on this at the following site: http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/011500.htm
If this helps just one person, I'm glad I took the time to share it!
Janet"
07/12/2008: Dinah from Cleveland, Ohio replies: "Taurine: Another helpful remedy is adrenal supplements; since taking them, I've gotten my life back. I noticed an extraordinary difference in less than a week. I take them every day, although now at a third of the original dose prescribed by a nutrapath."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 05/21/2009: greenbeanz39 from Clarkston, Washington writes: "cure for anxiety attacks: I wanted to share this remedy that has continually helped me. Valerian root. I have made a believer out of my husband after a family outing almost turned deadly as we almost slid off an icey cliff. My husband got so rattled that he could hardly breathe and could not control his heart rate. I gave him three caps of valerian root and fifteen or so minutes he was able to feel the difference in his heart rate and ability to breathe. Beware that the smell is foul but it does not cause an odor coming out of you like garlic and somethings might. It says on the bottle that it may cause sleepiness, but has never had that effect on either of us. This is always in my car in case of serious anxiety or just having one of those days.I recommend everyone to try this."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 11/03/2006: Leia from New Baltimore, MI writes: "I FIND THAT WHEN I HAVE AN ANXIETY ATTACK JUST WALKING HELPS. IT KEEPS YOUR MIND BUSY. IT CURES MY ANXIETY."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 03/08/2006: Courtney from Caldwell, Idaho writes: "A tall cold glass of water with a slice of lemon and peter sterling's cd's cures depression and anxiety. i have not been diagnosed with depression, but it runs in my family and i get it often. it is always accompanied with anxiety. i have found that if you just put peter sterling's music on, and just sit back and SLOWLY sip a glass of lemon water, it will help you relax and brighten your mood."
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