Since a teenager I have had rather terrible anxiety: racing thoughts, gastro problems every day, OCD issues, touchy temper, etc.
According to blood, urine, and saliva tests done about a year ago, I have low serotonin and very high cortisol levels and I need to bring them back to normal.
I've gone to numerous therapists, and phychiatists, and taken countless SSRI's and Benzos with no success. I try eating healthy to get the vitamins and nutrients everyone needs. When I say "healthy" I am saying I try to eat these daily/weekly: fish, various types of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fibers, healthy oils, etc. I try to vary my diet to get different nutrients constantly. My family has a garden at home so some of my vegetables are home grown, otherwise I try to shop at whole/organic foods stores when possible.
I'm not going to mention which medications I've taken and I've recently decided to stop taking any, period. Plus, even with health insurance the cost of doc visits and medication gets pricy for dealing with very little if any anxiety support and too many side effects.
As far as supplements/vitamins here's what I've tried and their comments. I try to take new supplements for at least 2 or 3 months before seeing if they have any effect.
Vit-B complex x 2/day: I think it helps. I feel it supports energy, especially in long or intense activity.
Kavinace: Definintely helps temporarily but gets expensive
Calm-PRT: Definintely helps temporarily but gets expensive
GABA-plus with Inositol and Niacinamide: taken at night, sleep well and have odd but not bad dreams
Ashwaganda extract: seems to help overall mood and energy
Reishi mushroom capsule: seems to help overall mood and energy
5-HTP x 1/day: seems to boost mood. took 4 after quitting Effexor XR a few weeks ago and got extremely nausiated for about a day...had to miss work
Passionflower, skullcap, valerian, lemonbalm herb tea: calms the body and helps with the anxiety symptoms but not completely. definitely helps to relax and sleep
Caffeine: actually helps me when i'm not feel inundated with anxiety symptoms. I love strong, homemade coffee which is partially what makes me feel good.
Green tea: loose leaf oolong and other Chinese teas. makes me nervous some times in a tense situation but at the same time is calming.
Kava Kava: recently started taking this once every morning. I seem to feel very good in the morning recently so this may be working.
Prebiotic & Probiotic capsule: seems to balance my stomach a bit more than usual
The following vitamins/supplements I am still taking just to supplement my diet and are good to take, especially for an anxiety sufferer from what I know:
Vit C x 2/day
1000mg DHA/EPA fish oil
Supplements I tried but found no positive effects and stopped:
Holy Basil Extract
NAC: was prescribed by a Functional Medicine Doc to rid my body of possible contaminants. not sure if it did anything or not.
Keeping busy is about the only thing that allows me to unfocus from my anxiety symptoms and be happy and relaxed.
Yoga helps for that 1 hr of practicing it but after that the symptoms are all back.
Massages help for about a day or so.
I do aromatherapy at home which helps for a short period of time.
Any comments and/or support is much appreciated! My anxiety is here with me every day and is extremely hard to live with. I have a vast knowledge now of foods and supplements and have tried practically everything and would love to feel the best I can make myself feel.
I think that a B-50 complex twice daily is a good supplement, plus a Magnesium (citrate) capsule a couple of times per day.
Theanine is also good for stress/anxiety. A good quality Omega 3 fish oil is good to take. I see you're taking some already, but it should be in the natural triglyceride form, I use NOW brand liquid lemon flavored.
OCD is associated with high copper levels which can cause elevated Adrenal gland activity. This can cause cause anxiety and stress symptoms.
High copper levels in women can be inherited or caused by birth control pills or estrogen therapy.High stress which depletes zinc levels can also cause high copper levels.
Dr. Suzie Schuder who is one of the Grow Young and Slim team docs, wrote a book called "The Trauma Drama Effect" about cortisol. You can read reviews about her Here she is a psychiatrist who specializes in Hormones rather than drugs. It is her opinion that most anxiety is caused by cortisol deficiency.
There is a video that has kind of bad audio quality but tons of excellent information where Dr. Suzie Schuder and Dr. Nick Delgado (another GYS team member) are chatting about cortisol for about a half hour here...
If you prefer reading, you can read an article she wrote about Mental Health disorders based upon low cortisol Here
Mineral tests are good and can make a difference but really the biggest thing youre going to notice is cortisol.
Cortisol is responsible for driving free fatty acids into the cells. When cortisol is low, adrenaline gets used to do the job. Adrenaline is kind of like the "strike" workers of cortisol. It can do the job, but it doesn't do it very well and it has some side effects. Without the function cortisol/adrenaline play here, you would die, so its good adrenaline can step in but...
the side effects are exactly what youre experiencing. Racing throughts, Fight or Flight mentality, inability to deal with stress, and also inflammatory problems (an article I wrote about that is here Cortisol ) which very well may be the reason for gastro issues though thats probably a combination of things, including diet.
You've tried all these supplements and different things, I strongly recommend Adrenal DMG for a lot of reasons. (enter NatMedTalk in the shopping cart for 15% off)
It will restore cortisol balance, and also help regulate mood with dimethylglycine and I believe you will notice a huge difference.
Before any other test panel, I recommend cortisol first. Cortisol morning and night test through saliva or if you're more financially capable 24 Hour Urine Analysis. Our offices can get a doc to order the test for you (866 319 0566) if you are interested.
I highly...highly recommend you check into cortisol levels based upon the description of you symptoms.
I think that a B-50 complex twice daily is a good supplement, plus a Magnesium (citrate) capsule a couple of times per day.
Theanine is also good for stress/anxiety. A good quality Omega 3 fish oil is good to take. I see you're taking some already, but it should be in the natural triglyceride form, I use NOW brand liquid lemon flavored.
Along with all of my tests, I also had a toxicity and vitamin/mineral check. My magnesium levels are fine, not that extra wouldn't be beneficial. I'll look into all that you mention.
OCD is associated with high copper levels which can cause elevated Adrenal gland activity. This can cause cause anxiety and stress symptoms.
High copper levels in women can be inherited or caused by birth control pills or estrogen therapy.High stress which depletes zinc levels can also cause high copper levels.
Dr. Suzie Schuder who is one of the Grow Young and Slim team docs, wrote a book called "The Trauma Drama Effect" about cortisol. You can read reviews about her Here she is a psychiatrist who specializes in Hormones rather than drugs. It is her opinion that most anxiety is caused by cortisol deficiency.
There is a video that has kind of bad audio quality but tons of excellent information where Dr. Suzie Schuder and Dr. Nick Delgado (another GYS team member) are chatting about cortisol for about a half hour here...
If you prefer reading, you can read an article she wrote about Mental Health disorders based upon low cortisol Here
Mineral tests are good and can make a difference but really the biggest thing youre going to notice is cortisol.
Cortisol is responsible for driving free fatty acids into the cells. When cortisol is low, adrenaline gets used to do the job. Adrenaline is kind of like the "strike" workers of cortisol. It can do the job, but it doesn't do it very well and it has some side effects. Without the function cortisol/adrenaline play here, you would die, so its good adrenaline can step in but...
the side effects are exactly what youre experiencing. Racing throughts, Fight or Flight mentality, inability to deal with stress, and also inflammatory problems (an article I wrote about that is here Cortisol ) which very well may be the reason for gastro issues though thats probably a combination of things, including diet.
You've tried all these supplements and different things, I strongly recommend Adrenal DMG for a lot of reasons. (enter NatMedTalk in the shopping cart for 15% off)
It will restore cortisol balance, and also help regulate mood with dimethylglycine and I believe you will notice a huge difference.
Before any other test panel, I recommend cortisol first. Cortisol morning and night test through saliva or if you're more financially capable 24 Hour Urine Analysis. Our offices can get a doc to order the test for you (866 319 0566) if you are interested.
I highly...highly recommend you check into cortisol levels based upon the description of you symptoms.
I look forward to trying the Adrenal DMG.
I did have the cortisol tests done (urine and saliva) and my results proved high all day, extremetly high in the morning.
I look forward to trying the Adrenal DMG.
I did have the cortisol tests done (urine and saliva) and my results proved high all day, extremetly high in the morning.
I had a toxicity test done at the same time as the other tests, and all came up ok. I can try and post photos of the test results.
The test mentioned is not only a test for heavy metals but a test of whether you have your minerals in balance. Copper is not a toxin but an essential mineral which when not bound adequately by an enzyme, metallothionein,can collect in the brain and could cause most of your symptoms you quote including racing thoughts, stomach problems,OCD and temper problems.
Coffee and chocolate cravings are also classic signs of high copper levels.
Blood tests for vitamins, minerals and toxins are useless for finding out what is actually happening in the tissues and organs. The body is constantly regulating the blood to maintain homeostasis and will dump any excess minerals and heavy metals into the tissues . This is why a tissue mineral analysis test is the best way to ascertain what minerals and vitamins are actually out of balance.
The test mentioned is not only a test for heavy metals but a test of whether you have your minerals in balance. Copper is not a toxin but an essential mineral which when not bound adequately by an enzyme, metallothionein,can collect in the brain and could cause most of your symptoms you quote including racing thoughts, stomach problems,OCD and temper problems.
Coffee and chocolate cravings are also classic signs of high copper levels.
Blood tests for vitamins, minerals and toxins are useless for finding out what is actually happening in the tissues and organs. The body is constantly regulating the blood to maintain homeostasis and will dump any excess minerals and heavy metals into the tissues . This is why a tissue mineral analysis test is the best way to ascertain what minerals and vitamins are actually out of balance.
Dr Rich Malter is a retired licenced nutritional psychologist who I have spoken with a few times and is an expert on how mineral inbalances especially copper/zinc imbalances can effect behavior and emotions. You can email him with your symptoms and he will give you free advice.
Your test results show a very high CRP level. This is Creative Reactive Protein and is a measure of cellular inflammation which can be damaging for the heart and tissues.
Are you overweight (especially in the belly area) and how many years have you had the problem with high cortisol?
What is your blood pressure first thing in the morning?
Have you had a lipid profile done recently(HDL,LDL, Triglycerides)?
Your test results show a very high CRP level. This is Creative Reactive Protein and is a measure of cellular inflammation which can be damaging for the heart and tissues.
Are you overweight (especially in the belly area) and how many years have you had the problem with high cortisol?
What is your blood pressure first thing in the morning?
Have you had a lipid profile done recently(HDL,LDL, Triglycerides)?
I am not overweight; I am a 27 yr old male that is 6'2" and 180 lbs. Other than my "anxiety" symptoms in this thread I am healthy and fit.
I've had all of the symptoms mentioned in this thread my entire life from what I remember. Even when I was a small child I had racing thoughts and bowel issues at least. That attached cortisol test was the only one I ever had done.
I do not know what my blood pressure is in the morning.
I went to my PCP for "anxiety issues" about a month ago and got some blood work done. I got a call that everything was normal but I will get the results and check exactly was tested. It's possible that the lipid profile was done.
Anxiety: supplements, coping, help, cure
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