A Holistic Approach To Treating Anxiety and Depression
We Live in a Culture of Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are among the most common disorders in the United States. Recent research indicates that about 1 in 13 people suffer from chronic anxiety, and there is no doubt that this statistic is increasing. With modern technology providing access to information to us at lightning speed, we as a culture are facing more and more stress as we are expected to utilize this information at the same lightning speed both in our personal and professional lives. Because we live in a world that exalts productivity and defines success primarily through achievements and because of our intrinsic need for a sense of belonging, we can easily find ourselves striving to be more productive in order to receive society’s approval even if it is at the expense of our own health and happiness. We fall pretty to the false promise and the illusion that our health and happiness is dependent on what we do rather than who we are. We work harder than we would like to and harder than our bodies can handle, often without the recognition that it is this behavioral tendency that keeps us from experiencing the healthier and happier life we seek. We are encouraged to exhaust ourselves in our efforts to do more, be more, and experience more and before we know it we have been transformed into “human doings” rather than “human beings”.
If you can relate to what was just written above, there is a 99% likelihood that you have experienced both anxiety and depression. Yet don’t worry you are not alone. The experience of anxiety and depression has become “norm” in our modern way of living, is now weaved into the fabric of our being, and has become part of our expected modern human experience. When we are in this mode of being, our nervous system gets stuck in sympathetic mode, neurochemically informing our brains that we may experience a potential threat if we were to dare to stop all of our doing. With our brains remaining in a heightened state of arousal and becoming hard wired to remain on the go, we lose the ability to live in the present moment. We forget that all we ever really have is this moment, this body, this breath and if we do not sense an end in sight, we will naturally first experience feelings of panic and then subsequently feelings of defeat, depression, and hopelessness.
How Our Mental Health Influences Our Physical Health
Those who suffer from chronic anxiety and depression know the debilitating effects that this state of being has on one’s body, mind and spirit. When we remain in a chronic stress cycle, sleep patterns are often disrupted and digestive health is often significantly compromised creating complaints such as abdominal bloating and/or changes in bowel motility (constipation and or alternating with diarrhea). Further, because of the body’s hardwiring to prioritize our own survival, hormones often become significantly imbalanced causing premenstrual complaints, hot flashes, and those relating to sexual dysfunction (low libido, erectile dysfunction).
Those who suffer from chronic anxiety and depression often find difficulty in making every-day life decisions and being in environments where they are not fully comfortable. They may become phobic in many arenas (socially, nutritionally, physically) afraid to face what is not understood or known. And while some individuals remain stuck in freeze mode while others remain stuck in flight or fight mode, all individuals who experience chronic anxiety and depression all share one thing in common: they don’t know how to stop having these experiences and symptoms from controlling their life.
Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Medications are Not the Solution
Today, the number and frequency to which antidepressant and anxiolytic medications are being prescribed is increasingly high. And while these medications may temper the intensity of uncomfortable feelings, these medications do not solve the underlying issue or reason for why an individual is suffering from chronic anxiety and/or depression. Anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs do not provide us with a way out of this constricting and confining experience. In fact, the use of them is now known to increase our likelihood of having chronic anxiety and/or depression.
I am here to tell you that there is a better way.
As a Naturopathic Doctor and a “Soul Medicine” coach, I use a comprehensive and transformative approach to treating anxiety and depression. My approach is not about symptom management and the use of algorithms in order to prescribe a medication. Rather, my approach is about identifying and removing the existing obstacles that prevent one from living a vibrant happy and healthy life. With an in depth understanding of how our nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset programs our physiology in a way that either sets on a path towards health or dis-ease, I take time to evaluate each patient individually at the level of mind, body, and spirit. Food sensitivities, immune dysregulation, toxins, as well as blood sugar, neurotransmitter, and hormonal imbalances can all have a negative impact our mental health. Thankfully, a thorough evaluation of one’s medical history, symptoms, and laboratory test results can often reveal which systems need to be supported in order to support healthy mood balance while also informing us of how the imbalances came to be in the first place.
Everything from the way we sleep, eat, and move our bodies to how we think, breathe, and love ourselves and others has a dramatic impact on our overall mental health. Our neurochemical pathways are wired together out of habit so in order to heal we must break the habits that promote dis-ease. Helping others experience emotional freedom (the ability to access and feel all emotions without getting stuck in constricting emotions) requires addressing all aspects of that individual and addressing imbalances that exist at the level of mind, body, and soul. Treatment strategies include everything from dietary and lifestyle modifications, herbal remedies, homeopathics, hormones, and energy medicine modalities to restore alignment and coherence between mind and body. This dynamic approach provides long lasting relief at the level of one’s being where improvements in mental health are experienced along with improvements in one’s overall vitality.
If you are ready to break free from a life constricted by chronic anxiety and depression, book an appointment with me to begin taking the initial steps to get you on the right path to health and wholeness.