Sometimes, meditation, exercise and rest is not enough to curb anxiety. We live in a busy world that is often filled with things that set our minds racing. If you are at the point where you are considering taking an anxiety medication, there are some things you can try first, without going the route of a traditional prescription. All prescriptions have side effects and some are addictive. It might be best to try a supplement first, if needed.
Bach Flower Remedies (www.bachflower.com) are tinctures derived from flowers.
“Dr. Edward Bach (September 24, 1886 – November 27, 1936) was born in a village called Moseley, near Birmingham, England. Dr. Bach studied medicine at the University College Hospital, London and obtained a Diploma in Public Health at Cambridge. He was a house surgeon and a casualty medical officer at University College Hospital. He worked at the National Temperance Hospital and practiced for over twenty years in London as a Harley Street consultant and bacteriologist. After research in immunology, he developed an interest in homeopathy, and joined the laboratories of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital in 1919. He developed seven bacterial nosodes (the seven Bach nosodes), which have received only limited recognition.
Despite the success of his work with orthodox medicine he felt dissatisfied with the way doctors were expected to concentrate on diseases and to ignore the people who were suffering them. He turned to alternative therapies. He believed that illness is the effect of disharmony between body and mind. Symptoms of an illness are the external expression of negative emotional states. In 1928 he began work on his own remedies made from plants. At the age of forty-three (1930), he gave up his lucrative Harley Street practice and left London in order to concentrate on finding a new system of healing involving plant remedies. He was sure a new system of medicine could be found in nature and so he left to work in Wales and the English countryside. In spring and summer he discovered and prepared new herbal remedies, and in winter he treated patients for free.”1
The story of Dr. Bach is an interesting one, especially if you pay attention to the fact that he believed in treating the whole person. Medical doctors then and even more so today, treat the symptoms. They do not look at the underlying cause of any illness, especially anxiety. As you work through the dilemmas in your life that make your anxiety worse, you might try the Bach Flower Remedies. Of special interest is the one called Rescue Remedy. This is a blend of three flowers and is used to calm the nerves. It can be taken in different ways (lotion, gum, tincture) but the best for me is the drops that go under the tongue. It can be used as often as necessary for a calming effect.
There are other flower combinations that can be found on the Bach Flower site. There are actually 38 single flower remedies that can be used, each designed for different symptoms. These remedies can be purchased in most health food stores and for a cheaper price online at vitacost.com or luckyvitamin.com
If the flower remedies do not work, another supplement that sometimes helps is GABA. Gaba is an amino acid which helps calm the nerves. It can also be purchased online and can be taken in tablet form under the tongue. It dissolves over a few minutes and can have a calming effect for some people. Serenagen is another supplement that is Chinese in origin and has been said will nourish and calm the heart. It can be purchased online in pill form and can be taken as directed on the bottle.
To quiet anxiety, meditation is a critical practice to get to the underlying root of the disquiet in your system. Try to quietly meditate daily and think about what causes you the most anxiety and why. If you need to take a supplement to help quiet your thoughts so that you can meditate, you might consider one of those mentioned above. As with anything, it is always good to talk to your doctor about taking any supplement.
The alternative clinic that I go to in Yarmouth, ME, Women to Women, is usually quick to suggest supplements in place of prescriptions as a place to start. I have found that some of these work well for me as needed. My goal is always to get to a place where I do not need them but in reality, life is just too busy at times.
1. www.bachflower.com
Contact me today!
- Do You NEED Vitamin Supplements? - November 12, 2016
- Real Women’s Healthcare – A Missing Link - December 27, 2014
- Touch Matters - August 13, 2013
I also attend the Women to Women clinic in Yarmouth. They have helped me sort through issues not only dealing with my body, but my mind and spirit. I would also suggest trying them out if you are a woman in need. I have found that relaxtion techniques and even simple breathing exercises can calm down nerves, pains, aches, etc.