Table of Contents
Stress Remedies
"Stress is the condition that results when person-environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy, whether real or not, between the demands of a situation and the resources of the person's biological, psychological or social systems.
In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. Stressful stimuli can be mental, physiological, anatomical or physical reactions. The term 'stress' in this context was coined by Austro-Canadian endocrinologist Hans Selye, who defined the General Adaptation Syndrome or GAS paradigm in 1936." (Wikipedia)
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.
TED'S REMEDIES
Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "Remedy-wise, I tend to approach dealing with stressfrom a biochemical aspect through the use ofsupplements and aromatherapy.
Stress is not only psychological but biochemical. Ofcourse dealing on psychological levels require onlycommon sense, such as avoiding stress.
Since stress affects the adrenal systems, certainsupplements can be used whenever there is stress suchas DHEA 12.5 mg (for woman) and 25 mg for men. HoweverI approach it whenever there is stress and those canhelp. Other remedies that I have found to reducestress which helps support adrenal issues that controlstress are vitamin B5, panthenol, usually between 300to 1000 mg. In a rat study in dealing with stress byputting rats to swim in a cold water after removal ofadrenal glands, the rats could not cope this and itsability to survive was reduced by half the time of thenormal rats. So if the rats without adrenal glands cansurvive in swimming in cold water for 30 minutes anormal rat can survive under the same condition for 1hour. So if the vitamin B5 supplements were given,their ability to survive even with removal of theglands were about that of a normal rats. Therefore, Ifound that vitamin B5, if I take anywhere for 300 to1000 mg would help cope with stress better. Vitamin Bcomplex are also supportive in dealing with stress aswell, but it is the B5 that helped the most.
As to other ones that I have seen to worked well isthe amino acid supplements, which I have foundwhenever people get stressed easily an imbalance ofamino acid is implied and I have noticed after takingthe amino acid supplements, usually just 1000 to 2000mg (at least from the soy protein supplements) thestress was clearly reduced within an hour.
In certain events where supplements were notobtainable, two aromatherapy oils I found were quitehelpful in reducing stress, one is lavender and theother narcissus oils. While lavender oil's effect onstress is relatively mild, narcissus oil are strogner.The use is relatively simple, put a couple of drops ona cotton balls and just use it to smell it. Thearomatherapy goes to the nose, and reaches the brainaltering the brains biochemical process to allow thebrain to relax. It is well known that the shortestdistance between a essential oil reaching the brain toeffect reduction of stress is actually the nose andthe nose neural system is closes to the brains'hypothalamus which is the seat of human emotion. Theeffect of the essential oil's effect on allergies andinflammation is clearly seen whenever lavender oil isapplied to the skin after a bee sting or possibly fromsome skin allergies. An analogy can be seen that ifthe hypothalamus is inflammatory, the effects of suchoils will result in reduction in irritations,nervously and even perhaps stress.
My experience in discovering narcissus oil's benefitswere at the time I had a severe depression from reallyno reason at all and was suffering for weeks. At thetime I was trying to prepare a mixture of the oils tocause people to quit smoking easier. An accidentalspill caused me to realized the effect of depressionjust went away within seconds of smelling thenarcissus oils and it never came back for quitesometime. Therefore certain aromatherapy oils which isdescribed as "narcotic" which does not mean addictive,but means it has a strong sedative effect can resultin reductions of stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, andother problems, all without the use of dangerous sideeffect ridden anti-depressants.
The ones that I have seen stress to worked the bestfor older people who are in the 50s and above is seento be either a well balanced protein or amino acidsupplements, where the later effect is much morequicker as well as the DHEA supplements. Apparently aspeople get older, the body's ability to produce DHEAis reduced, and the lack of body's DHEA can in someinstance the person's face become more round and moonface whenever the body's DHEA is lacking and this cansometimes be used as a weight loss supplements, forpeople whose DHEA levels were already going down,which often occurs after the age of about 40 andabove.
There are other essential oils or aromatherapy thatcan also reduce stress that can also be used where itssmell have a sedative effect.
Certain adaptogens, where adrenal exhaustion occursmight also result in stress and licorice extract haveproperties mimicking cortisone can also be used but Ithink its effect are milder than either narcissusoils, DHEA or amino acid supplements.
In many of my private emails of people with suicidaltendencies, the common remedies to deal with thosepeople is actually the use of narcissus oils,niacinamide B3 (I found that when I took more than theusual dose, which was about 300 mg), sodiumthiosulfate 10% drops added to a drinking wateranywhere between 3-6 drops (too much can have alaxative effect, but it helps detoxify). It should benoted that people with suicidal tendencies anddepression have low HDL cholesterol and eating yellowyolk eggs where the yolk is still liquid, either inthe form of partially boiled eggs (the white eggsshould be removed), or eggs sunny side up, will raisethe HDL fairly quickly while the LDL, which is the badcholesterol, can reduced or at least stay the same.Most LDL in my opinion comes from high temperaturecooking of vegetable oils, hydrogenated vegetableoils, and the worse one partially hydrogenatedvegetable oils. Vegetable oils actually cannotwithstand high temperature cooking and can break downin to not only free fatty acids (a free radical) orforming a cancer causing acylamide with sugar andstarch potatoes, for example. Therefore to reducestress, toxic chemicals and pollutants can also leadto higher free radicals where the body's inability tocope with toxins can also result in irritationsleading to stress. Detoxification in some instancesthrough getting normal bowel movements, raisingurinary pH to at least a neutral pH of 7, instead of a"burnout" highly acidic urine pH of 5.5 can help.Acidosis can quickly cause stress and therefore twoalkalizing remedies can be used to reduce stressrather quickly in some instances such as 2 tablespoonof apple cider vinegar plus 1/4 teaspoon of bakingsoda in 1/2 glass of water taken 3 times a day, or one whole freshly squeezed lime (about 8 teaspoon or 2tablespoon) plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2glass of water taken twice a day.
Alkalinity I have noted to reduce stress within thehour or two, although its effect on depression issomewhat limited and amino acid supplements and eggyolk remedy are more effective in dealing with thatkind of a problem. However, amino acid supplements,narcissus oil, B5, niacinamide B3, and sodiumthiosulfate 10% drops seems to be more effective ondealing with stress, generally speaking."
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3 YEA
[YEA] 11/30/2007: Susanne from Indianapolis, In writes: "I began taking 5-HTP for depression and anxiety and sleeplessness during a very emotionally stressful breakup. I have Not had an anxity attack since 3-07 which I had suffered from off and on for several years. I sleep so much better. I am able to think clearer and stay focused and concentrate so much better as well as improved my memory. I am thankful for this. My dr. wanted to put me on Wellbutrine. NO Thank U!"
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[YEA] Kathryn from Toronto, Ontario writes: "I am taking 5-HTP to help me with sleeping. My 16 yr old daughter is also taking it to help with stress and weight control as well as sleeping. We have found it has helped a lot and I don't have to take it every day . My kids call them the turkey pills because the amino acid they contain are the same as the one found in turkey, milk, bananas etc. We both take 100 or 200 mg a day."
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[YEA] Charlotte from Richboro, PA writes: "My 6year old grandson was diagnosed with "Select Mutism" 2 years ago and rather than put him on "Prozac", my daughter did some research and learned about 5HTP and chose to try it first. He started on 50mg every night. His psychologist saw the same results with the 5HTP as children on prescribed drugs. It's been a miracle for him. I have since then also taken it since our family seems to have anxiety problems and ADD runs in the family and it has helped very much with these problems. I usually take 100mg to 200mg daily depending on my stress levels at the time. We are so grateful our little grandson did not have to take Prozac or a similar drug. I would highly recommend it as a first choice to try at least."
EC: Selective Mutism is a childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a childs inability to speak in select social settings, such as school. These children understand language and are able to talk normally in settings where they are comfortable, secure and relaxed.
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1 YEA
[YEA] 03/27/2009: Amber from Portland, Oregon writes: "Elsewhere on this site someone wrote that drinking Apple Cider Vinegar (1-2 tbsp) in a glass of water (8oz) helped to alleviate stress/anxiety. I recently started to try this, as I was practicing drinking ACV a few times each day already. I noticed immediate improvement in my mood, and the ability to calm down and feel at ease. EWhen my boyfriend upset me yesterday, instead of speaking my mind, I went and made the ACV drink and felt more balanced before we discussed matters. : ) I will continue doing this, along with taking an extra B vitamin, when under stress or feeling upset. Sometimes I also take a GABA sublingual supplement for calming effect, but i think the ACV actually worked just as well!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/07/2007: David from Titusville, FL writes: "I just turned 60 and I still have my brown hair. I attribute this to taking B vitamins in a 50 mg. complex (50 mg. of each B vitamin in one capsule), and two or three 800 mcg. of folic acid tablets. The B vitamins are known to be a stress reliever. Remember the old saying how kids can give you gray hairs? It's true! Stress can make the gray come in! The B vitamins inositol and choline are important for the color of your hair. Did you know that some wool companies deliberately make their sheep deficient in these two B vitamins so that the wool will be much whiter?! Folic Acid also helps with hair growth and had been named after the word Folicule, meaning hair! Looking younger than your age and knowing that you didn't dye your hair to look younger makes people ask if you found the fountain of youth! Try the B vitamins and folic acid for at least 6 months and you make notice a great change!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/07/2008: Veronika from Frankfurt, Germany writes: "I use dayly 4 bags of chamomile tea, sometimes green tea. Just to calm my nervous system while fighting with the sharks of 21st century."
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1 BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
[BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS] 05/11/2010: Seaangel from Colorado Springs, Co writes: "Hi Ted, I took your advice a couple of months ago regarding the dhea during a period when I was under high duress. it was amazing how it turned me around, un fortunately now i had to stop due to a horrible breakout in acne, i cut my dosage down to 25mg a couple of times a week, but ended up having to stop still. Would keto dhea have the same effect (as far as acne) or would it be the solution?
I have been a user of the ACV and VCO for a long time, so ive tried everything to pinpoint the acne probblem, including starting and stopping dhea. thank you, have a blessed day!!"
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DIETARY SUGGESTIONS FOR STRESS
[YEA] 05/04/2008: Mohammed from Birmingham, U.K. writes: "stress and depression is caused when the nervous system becomes weak and starts breaking up similar to a phone connection. following are excellent cures for stress:
1 fresh pineapples.
2 cauliflower.
3 guavas.
4 bananas.
5 coriander soup.
6 barley,- soup, porridge or bread made from this is one of the best cures with a multiple arrange of other health benefits.
7 pistachio nuts, guarantee you smiling throughout the whole day and also increase facial beauty. more effective when taken with milk.
8 grapes, help you have really good dreams.
9 sheep's milk. eat these on a regular basis and enjoy life.
Please note some people are upset due to some tragedy and find it difficult to be happy. i urge those people to try these cures and promise them that by praying and asking to god they will have no reason to be upset. wish you best of health and wealth, love you. "
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/11/2009: Slusan from Townsville, Queensland, Australia writes: "I am 50, and have noticed over the years that whenever I take a course of GINSENG that Life is Fine. BC (before children) I didn't take it all the time, and always just for endurance and stress.... a month or 2 on then a month or 2 off. I seemed to know when it was time to start another course of it, because that's when I'd remember to buy it. I had my first child at 33, and started having extremely uncontrollable angry episodes each month, I could put my fist through the wall I would get so angry.....Ranting and raving over the stupidest things...it was like I was possessed, I could feel myself doing it but couldn't stop. But I noticed that if I was on Ginseng, I wouldn't get angry... Life was better. So I started to make sure that I took it religiously, 3 months on, 1 month off. The episodes stopped completely.
I have stopped menstruating now, and have had no (touch wood), menopause side effects. Except for the occasional hot flush when I have a glass of wine (that's a pain). Amazingly though, I would go without a period for 3 or 4 months, then when I stopped the Ginseng, I would get one....that night. It's now been 6 months since I had a Ginseng tablet, and I have just started another course. It will be interesting to see if it still has the same effect when I stop. I will let you know.
Hope this is helpful to someone. The added benefit of taking Ginseng is that my energy levels increase, and people say I don't look my age."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 02/01/2008: Gabriela from Pahoa, USA writes: "I have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis almost 25 years ago and was suffering on and off with painful inflammation in my hands. After taking all the usual prescribed medicines for about a year, I had enough and went on to cure myself. I did 4 weeks of juice fasting and afterwards ate only vegan and mostly raw foods (all organic). I also let the dentist remove all my amalgams. Over the years when my diet got poor and my stress levels high, I would get inflammation again. Whenever I went back to juice fasting (the ultimate detoxification, I would do this for all kinds of diseases) and eating RAVE diet (google it) foods, I get symptom free. Stress in life is often unavoidable, but we have power over the foods we eat. Juice fasting and RAVE diet are my cure for Rheumatoid arthritis. If I find myself eating too sweet (sugar is poison, I use Stevia and Agave syrup only), I counteract with greens. (alalize again). Industrial food (all prepared food) is poison. I don't eat it."
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10/15/2009: Deirdre from Earth Clinic writes: "You should have heard our household last night when we watched this fantastic short movie called Bodhisattva in metro. Snicker, snicker, ha ha ho ho hee HEEEE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu7VrZBUT60
Enjoy!"
10/15/2009: T from Maryland, Usa replies: "Thank you for sharing this - absolutely brilliant! It says so much, yet without a word. Nice to have a good laugh, too (you really can't help yourself!). Loved it!"
10/15/2009: Lisa from Thousand Oaks, Ca, USA replies: "So, I called everyone over as I began this and could see it was the metro of France- at least it appeared to be. Paris is one of our all time favorite places and we all gave a collective sigh to see it. Well, we watched and then the laughing became infectious here as well as in that metro car! What fun and a good laugh! Laughing definitely lifts the spirits..."
10/15/2009: Hope from Sacramento, Ca replies: "Thank you Dierdre - It made my day - pure Delight!"
EC: Glad you guys enjoyed it!!
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1 YEA
[YEA] 10/18/2009: Tim from Berkeley, Ca writes: "Stress Remedies - Meditation
The best way for me to reduce my daily mental and emotional stress is to meditate. It is not as easy as taking a pill but it is more effective in the long run. There are many different styles of meditation but the basic theme is that you sit down and calm your mind, slowing down or stopping the stressful thoughts that you don't even realize are zipping through your mind.
Here is a good article to give you a brief overview.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070
I would recommend that you also go to youtube.com and do a search for "meditation" and watch some different videos to get a sense of what it is all about. You might also want to go to the library and get some books on meditation or find a local meditation group where you can practice and learn from others. Don't expect overnight results, as a matter of fact it will probably take you about 10 sessions before you start to get some results, but hang in there because it is worth it."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/17/2009: Jane from Pasadena, CA writes: "i recently survived a stretch of great stress combined with physical exhaustion. i read up on many of the remedies on the adrenal fatigue and on the stress page in order to take the best care of myself during these months. i have had adrenal fatigue hit me a few times in the past, though this time i think what i had is classified as 'stress exhaustion'. either way, after all the chaos, i knew well enough that there would be an aftermath of exhaustion and fatigue. i think that each person's system is different or has different causes/susceptiblities. And I believe there are 2 phases, one is the hectic stress or adrenaline-robbing phase, and the next is the adrenal crash, or exhaustion phase that one is left in. in my experience some of the things that helped me feel pretty good even on my worst days were:
1) Getting as much extra sleep as possible, even if it meant going to bed hours early when i could. This REALLY helped in the long-term.
2) Taking a multivitamin and B-complex vitamin
3) (I also read that extra C, Zinc, and the other 'essentials' is great for a.f. recovery. I did this as well)
4) Taking a teaspoon of baking soda with Apple Cider Vinegar in the a.m. and afternoon to keep my energy and sharpness going. ACV is also a great immediate stress-soother.
5) NOT drinking coffee
6) Eating an extrodinarily healthful diet; Keeping myself full (avoiding any low blood sugar spells)
7) Drinking Matcha green tea which is amazing for soothing stress and not over-caffinating (though completely limiting caffeine is ideal)
8) As much soothing relaxing activities as necessary, "Self Care".
9) Taking Bee Pollen (I read this is excellent for a.f. recovery)
10) avoiding unnecessary stressful conversations whenever possible, limiting conversation with 'draining' people, or avoiding anything else that might rile or tense me up.
10) I also took advice from the stress page about 'stress foods', particularly adding pistachios and barley to my diet.
11) I also tried to educate those close to me about how one under stress/adrenal fatigue might react or be very in need of elevated support and gentle treatment during this time, and that helped immensely.
I hope this information will help someone else as well, and I'll keep reading these pages for more insights."
09/26/2009: Sheila from Toronto, On, Canada replies: "Thanks very much for the advice. I find it very helpful.
Take care,
Sheila."
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2 YEA
[YEA] 03/25/2008: Sara from West Palm Beach, Florida USA writes: "I took this for fatigue, stress and a bit of low mood. I took it for 2 months and noticed I wasn't tired anymore and could deal with things more. I finally had energy to do things that I didn't before . Caffeine didn't work because I believe I stressed out the adrenals.
I really noticed that this worked when I stopped taking it for a week to cycle it. Back to being tired and not wanting to do much.
This herb has given me my life back. It sounds cliche, but it's true."
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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!"
06/07/2008: Claire from New Orleans, Louisiana replies: "I find this info very helpful. I am currently taking Effexor for anxiety and have been wanting to get off of it. Did you just stop taking it or did your doctor lessen the dosage slowly? Did you have withdrawls? I have attempted to stop taking it a couple of times and have had awful withdrawl symptoms! I would appreciate your suggestions."
06/10/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "To the lady on Effexor and had withdrawal symptoms when tried to stop it. The way to wean yourself off any medicine is to decrease dosage a little each day or two until you are down to none. ie: If you are on a tablet that is breakable, take 1/2 of prescribed dosage for 1 or 2 days - then decrease to l/4 of prescribed dosage for the next two days. Unless your tablet is unusually big, you'll have to start decreasing the number of doses per day until you are down to none. I think that if you add a magnesium supplement while decreasing the Effexor, it will also help the anxiety."
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