Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Anxiety

Prescription anti-anxiety medications are limited by safety problems Prescription medications used to treat generalized anxiety include the benzodiazepines such as diazepam and clonazepam, and SSRI antidepressants such as paroxetine and sertraline.  Chronic benzodiazepine use is associated with dependence, sedation and mental … Continue reading

Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch for Anxiety and Stress

Ancient healing techniques but unknown mechanism  Non-contact and so-called ‘energy’ healing techniques have been used in all world regions for thousands of years. Although widely used to treat a range of medical and mental health problems, research findings are difficult … Continue reading

Acupuncture of Anxiety: A Safe and Effective Therapy

Acupuncture has diverse mechanisms of action Animal and human studies suggest that the beneficial effects of acupuncture on health including mental and emotional functioning are related to different mechanism of action including changes in neurotransmitters involved in emotional regulation such as serotonin, … Continue reading

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback for Anxiety Conditions

Several mechanisms are involved Abnormal low heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with both medical and psychiatric disorders. HRV biofeedback is a recently developed technique that aims to modulate HRV in ways that have beneficial effects on mental and emotional functioning. The … Continue reading

Massage Therapy for Chronic Stress and Anxiety

Massage alters EEG activity, increases parasympathetic activity and decreases cortisol levels Massage is widely used in all cultures to evoke feelings of deep relaxation and reduced anxiety. The anxiety reducing and mood enhancing benefits of massage are probably related to … Continue reading

Regular Physical Activity Improves Anxiety

Psychological and physiological mechanisms are involved The relationship between physical activity and anxiety is multi-factorial. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the anxiety reducing benefits of regular exercise. Psychological theories include distraction, enhanced self-efficacy, mastery and psychological benefits of … Continue reading

Inositol: a promising treatment of panic disorder

Inositol: a promising treatment of panic disorder Inositol has been the focus of renewed research interest because it is a necessary building block of phosphatidyl-inositol, a molecule in the brain that plays a central role in the functioning of receptors that bind with several … Continue reading

The amino acid 5-HTP is a natural, safe and effective treatment of anxiety

The brain needs L-tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) to manufacture serotonin L-tryptophan and 5-HTP are widely used alternative treatments of generalized anxiety. Both amino acids are essential for manufacture of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a … Continue reading

Conventional Treatments of Anxiety Disorders: Benefits and Limitations

In this post I review the benefits and limitations of conventional treatments of anxiety disorders. Future posts in this series will discuss complementary and alternative approaches used to treat different anxiety disorders.  Conventional treatments of anxiety Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), supportive … Continue reading

Acupuncture in Mental Health Care: A Concise Review

Challenges in acupuncture research Acupuncture is widely used in Asian and Western countries to treat diverse mental health problems. Evaluating the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in depressed mood and other mental health problems poses many methodological challenges because of differences … Continue reading