Thousands of people are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder every year in the United States. It's estimated that almost 20% of the entire adult population suffers from anxiety in one form or another and a large percentage of these people are using prescription medication to control its effects.

Prescription medication certainly works, there is no denying that. However, it only works to mask the symptoms of anxiety so that they are not so bothersome, instead of working to improve or eradicate the root cause of the problem. Also, prescription drugs often cause unwanted side effects such as a dry mouth, insomnia and physical addiction. Of course, many doctors prescribe medication temporarily so that the sufferer can undergo therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy uninterrupted by their symptoms. In many cases this works, but prescription drugs needn't be the answer when there is a plethora of natural anxiety treatment options available that could work just as well.

Take the diet for example. Some people react particularly strongly to caffeine; a substance that gives us energy and keeps us alert. Someone who is already a bit jittery with anxiety will find the extra rush too much which could bring on a panic attack. Cutting out caffeine from the diet entirely (which includes not eating too much chocolate or drinking soda) may help the severity of anxiety a lot. Indeed, caffeine use is common in people with anxiety as they find it hard to sleep and therefore feel tired and nervous the next day. They assume caffeine will help and so the cycle perpetuates. At the weekends someone with anxiety might also drink a lot of alcohol to make them relax and able to socialize. Alcohol also makes anxiety worse, as does the substance that goes hand in hand with it: nicotine. It might seem like this dietary change takes all the fun out of life, but once the anxiety has been removed you should find your life becomes more fun than it could ever be with alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes.

Other dietary changes you can make are eating porridge oats for breakfast as they stabilize your blood sugar levels and actively calm you down. If you don't fancy that or don't have time then bake your own flapjack bars to have as a breakfast snack on the way to work. Taking passiflora complex tablets on a daily basis will also ease anxiety as the compounds they contain bind to the benzodiazepine receptors; something that prescription drugs do, but this way is 100% natural.

If you find yourself wanting a quick fix for an especially panicky day then try doing some moderate exercise until you feel suitably tired, followed by a warm bath complete with a few drops of bergamot, cedar wood or lavender oil.

Natural anxiety treatment needs to come from a number of directions if it is going to work. You need to improve your lifestyle if required, eat healthily, do regular exercise and take time out two or three times per week, or even per day if you feel like it, to relax, meditate and keep calm.

Stan Tian

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