HOUSTON (FOX 26) -
About forty million Americans suffer from severe anxiety, which can cause fearfulness and uncertainty. Many others suffer from a milder form of anxiety. Doctors are concerned that many people don't seek treatment for it, because they don't want to face the stigma of a mental disorder.
We went to the Heights of Health in Houston to find out if there are natural ways to ease the nervousness. Owner Tracy Wakefield-Southwick has plenty of suggestions. She says first of all, take a close look at your diet.
"Are you eating a lot of foods with sugar or drinking caffeine? That exacerbates anxiety. If that's not the case and you cut that out and still feel nervous, wonderful supplements can help. L-Theanine is one of my favorites. It's an Amino Acid that causes alert relaxation, so you can take it at night if you're having 'busy brain,' but you can take it during day and it can give you that calm," explains Wakefield-Southwick.
She tells us herbs, like Passion Flower, can also calm you down. She also suggests Valerian Roots and Hops.
"You'll find a lot of combinations of those herbs. They even come in tea forms, and just drinking a cup of tea can be soothing."
Wakefield-Southwick also says it's always important to talk with your doctor, if you suffer from anxiety to make sure that herbs are a safe choice for you. She says "clinical anxiety" may require a prescription or even counseling, so it's important to know how severe your problem is.
To learn more about how Wakefield-Southwick helps her clients through natural medicine, visit http://www.heightsofhealth.com/.
