The conventional approach to dealing with the sometimes debilitating symptoms of anxiety is to prescribe an anxyliotic – a class of medications to reduce the symptoms. Since anxiety symptoms can disrupt work, relationships, sleep, and socializing, most people want a reduction in symptoms quickly. Investing time and money in out-of-network specialists to explore the root cause of anxiety can be overwhelming at the onset of symptoms.
There are many side effects for anxyliotics, but their benefits can bring relief quickly. If used for a few days and not regularly, they can be really helpful for symptom management. The downside to long-term use can bring on negative side effects and difficulty in withdrawing from long-term use.
For instance, most medications prescribed for anxiety are called benzodiazepines. This class of anxyliotics builds tolerance quickly, meaning someone will need increased doses to get the same calming effect. Benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax, or Klonopin can be very helpful in the short term or intermittently. However, long-term use can make it torturous to get off of this class of medication. Symptoms of anxiety can come back quickly when stopping this medication. It can then turn into a vicious cycle — needing more for calm and feeling tortured by anxiety if getting off. Additionally, this cycle can make investigating root causes of anxiety impossible. Instead, treatment focuses on the ups and down of the cycles of biological addiction.
Other medications widely prescribed for anxiety are anti-depressants. SSRI’s or SNRI’s can lessen the intensity of symptoms but have many side effects, some being as severe as suicide or mania. Usage of this class of medications for anxiety can be justified by some doctors who claim anxiety is related to a chemical imbalance. In a previous post, we discussed how depression is not merely a chemical imbalance, but could have a root cause related to systemic inflammation. For instance, systemic inflammation in the body could be caused by food intolerances, nutritional deficiencies, stress, trauma, and/ or environmental toxins.
The same is true for anxiety.
Anxiety is a Symptom
Anxiety is a symptom…a symptom with a root cause (or causes). If you’ve opted to treat your anxiety with medication, there’s absolutely no shame in it. Medication can be a useful short-term solution to ease the discomfort while building a bridge from “illness” to “wellness”. We can explore the root cause while symptoms are managed. Then taper the medication to facilitate long-term healing.
In addition to being habit-forming, the problem with benzodiazepines is that they do nothing to restore balance in the body. Similar to antidepressants, these medications suppress uncomfortable symptoms without addressing the underlying cause. The root cause never goes away.
Think of anxiety like a splinter in your foot. Do you get the splinter out? Or, put a Band-Aid over it and take a pill for the pain? Instead of muzzling the pain of anxiety, try to approach the problem with a gentle curiosity. Ask yourself, “What is my body trying to tell me?”
Common Root Causes of Anxiety
1: HPA Dysfunction and Adrenal Fatigue
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) controls our response to stress (fight, flight, or freeze) when faced with danger. It is a very intelligent system for dealing with life-threatening situations. But in today’s modern world daily stressors can show up within us as a perceived threat.
Driving in rush hour traffic. Eating junk or fast food with little nutritional value on-the-go. Constantly being exposed to artificial light and chemicals in the environment. Worrying about how you’re performing at work and as a parent. All of these are modern day stressors that put our bodies into fight or flight. These sources of stress can lead to increased levels of cortisol production and chronic activation of our sympathetic nervous system. When we are engaged in our sympathetic nervous system, also known as ‘fight or flight’, we will feel symptoms of anxiety.
The HPA axis can also be disrupted by inflammation stemming from hormone imbalances, infections, biotoxins, and chronic illness. As the body gets more and more out of balance, it induces a state of panic that can become debilitating.
Prescription: work with an expert who can help reduce stress through mindfulness meditation and exercise, and support adrenal function.
#2: Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiome
Your gut is the foundation of your health. If it is inflamed, you can bet that your brain is inflamed, too. Intestinal inflammation, infections, “leaky gut,” and other digestive disorders can make us feel irritable, angry, and antisocial.
More than 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut; about 50% of the body’s dopamine is produced there too. These are our “happy chemicals,” referred to as neurotransmitters. Gut dysbiosis can lead to decreased production of these neurotransmitters, essential to a healthy mood.
Prescription: work with a functional medicine practitioner and/or nutritionist; have lab tests run to determine if there is dysbiosis and identify possible food intolerances; discontinue use of unnecessary medications like NSAIDs and hormonal birth control, which can disrupt the gut microbiome; remove harmful bacteria, restore beneficial bacteria, and repair the gut.
3: Nutrient Deficiencies
Nutrient deficiencies can manifest as anxiety. It is common for those experiencing anxiety to be deficient in nutrients that have a direct impact on mood. We need nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, B6, Inositol, folate, B12, copper, zinc, and magnesium to support mood and autonomic nervous system function.
Prescription: solicit the advice of a nutritionist who can run appropriate lab tests, work with you to develop a personalized diet, and provide supplement recommendations.
4: Environmental Toxins
Toxic mold and heavy metal exposure could illuminate the cause of several seemingly unrelated symptoms, including depression and anxiety. Pollutants in our air and water, and chemicals in our food and grooming products can affect our mood. Many of the chemicals commonly found in skin care products are endocrine disruptors. This means that they interfere with hormone function and can lead to developmental, reproductive, and neurological damage.
Prescription: get tested for mold allergy and heavy metals; eat organic as much as possible; discontinue use of household and beauty products that contain chemicals like phthalates, parabens, BHA, and BHT.
5: Development Trauma from Childhood or ‘Shock’ Trauma
When you are a child, small interactions with family members or caregivers that have you feeling upset, judged, or insignificant can add up over the years. If no one notices you are upset, the body stores these experiences as a trauma. A shock trauma can be similar – a one-time experience that is shocking, tragic, or very frightening for a child or adult can also be stored in the body. Again, if no one notices you need comforting or help, the body protects this experience, buries it underneath internal protectors, so you do not feel the despair of being alone in something horrifying. Sometimes these buried traumas, from childhood or a shock, can get ‘woken up’ in the here-and-now and show up as symptoms of anxiety.
Prescription: work with a trauma-informed licensed mental health professional to resolve the held experiences.
Let Us Help You Flourish
At Flourish! we take a holistic and integrative approach to treating mental health symptoms like anxiety. Our approach is to set aside diagnostic labels and explore possible root causes before considering a referral for a pharmaceutical. By evaluating our clients as a whole person with many experiences and unique biology, we’re able to get to the root cause of your symptoms and provide the most effective treatment plan so that you can live a fuller, happier life.
The most important value that all of our practitioners share: mindfulness. We believe mindfulness is key to cultivating well-being, but we understand that getting there often requires the guidance of an experienced and trusted facilitator.
If you struggle with depression, anxiety, or a mood disorder, coupled with chronic illness and/or digestive problems, you could benefit from the integrative nutrition and mindfulness-based treatment options available at Flourish!
