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I am 32 year old mom with anxiety

Posted By Kristina (Camp Foster, Okinawa Japan) on 08/28/2011

Hi there, I had some questions for your contributor Ted.

I am a 32 year old mom of 2. About 6 years ago I started to take medication for depression and anxiety. I have had to continually take this medication for the last 6 years. I was also recently diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) with heartburn. IBS made my anxiety worse. I was having so many attacks that it was hard to get out of the house. I don't want to have to take medication for the rest of my life. The medication they gave me for the IBS was prilosec and fiber.

I am new to the holistic/homeopathic care. I know that a good diet and exercise is always the place to start. So I started a workout program about 7 weeks ago. I notice that my mood is better and that I am sleeping better. I guess my questions are. What should I be taking daily to help with all of this? My stomach seems to be so sensitive to vitamins that I get from the store and I would love to avoid that. The medications that I currently take are Celexa for the anxiety and prilosec for the heartburn. I want to make sure I am getting the vitamins and nutrients that my body needs since I have started exercising. What would you recommend for a beginner to holistic care?

Thank you so much,

Kristina from Okinawa

Replied by Jen (Bozeman, Mt, Us) on 09/08/2011

I know your question was for Ted but I thought I might chime in since it has been a few days since you posted your question. I would definately start with taking a tblsp or two of organic apple cidar vinager twice a day for the heartburn and IBS. It should be taken in at least an 8 oz glass of water. The next thing I would try is to get the anxiety under control. If you want to go off the medication make sure to wean yourself slowly as cold turkey is a very bad idea for those type of meds. For my anxiety I use both magnesium and a product called theonine serene which I take twice per day. It would be best if you take the apple cidar at least two hours before you attempt to take the magnesium and theonine serene. This way your stomach may be settled enough to be able to tolorate the supplements better since they upset your stomach. The magnesium will probably help with the IBS as well since it relaxes the muscles and if you are an anxious person your bowels are as well. The bowels are surrounded by muscle. It would help to know what your symptoms of IBS are since there are so many different ones but in general lay off any white grains and sugars like rice, wheat, and bleached sugar. I would even attempt to stay away from breads and pasta's for a little while and see if that helps the IBS. Hope this helps a little.

Replied by Camjamgram (Washington, Il) on 01/15/2012

In regards to the post: 08/28/2011: Kristina from Camp Foster, Okinawa Japan writes: "Hi there, I had some questions for your contributor Ted.

These all sound like a gluten intolerance. My friend has suffered with the diagnosis of IBS for 30 years, she was recently counseled by a mother of a child with Celiac and said she had all the symptons. From that day she has been gluten free and has not had an issue unless she "accidently" ingests gluten. She has a new life at the age of 42!

Replied by Sally (Chennai, India) on 01/16/2012

Please try Bach Flower Remedies for your anxiety. Look up www.bachcentre.com. At the very least you could use Rescue Remedy initially to ease the anxiety. Other remedies are indicated but more details about yourself would be necessary.

These are gentle, natural and non-addictive. Believe me, they work and help ease physical symptoms.

Replied by Yvonne (Los Angeles, Calif.) on 01/16/2012

The link below is interesting. I had IBS badly! With IBS all of a sudden you have to get to a bathroom quick or you can have an accident!

I was prescribed Paxil for OCD. Amazingly the Paxil helped my IBS perfectly. I read that Paxil seems to help the stomach. Eventually I got off Paxil and I still had the good effects of IBS after I left Paxil. (ask your doctor for instructions to get off Paxil) I do not have this IBS problem anymore.

http://www.webmd.com/ibs/news/20040510/paxil-may-help-irritable-bowel-syndrome

Paxil May Help Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Antidepressant Has Strong Effect in Those Not Feeling Fit After Fiber

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

May 10, 2004 -- The antidepressant drug Paxil may help some people with irritable bowel syndrome feel better.

A new clinical study shows that Paxil, a type of drug called an SSRI, improves some irritable bowel symptoms. Although Paxil is mainly used to treat depression and anxiety, none of the patients in this study suffered from depression. In fact, says study leader George Arnold, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, patients with no hint of depression responded well to the drug.

"Paxil worked extremely well, " Arnold tells WebMD. "These drugs are designed to treat anxiety and depression, but they work on irritable bowel in people without depression."

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