As for the correcting insulin resistance and hypoglycemia, I’ve tried just about everything that claimed to balance blood sugar. Many things dropped me too low. So caution: if a product claims to support diabetes (high blood sugar) it does NOT mean it will balance low blood sugar.  Some supplements (cinnamon, ocotea, green tea extract) gave me anxiety because it caused my blood sugars went down into the 50’s.  So anytime I change my supplementation program I only introduce one new thing at a time, test my sugars frequently, and note how I feel until I’ve determined if it’s working well or not.

Through research and personal experimentation, this is what I’ve found that helps regulate my high / low blood sugar swings:

1. Fiber.  I get 7 grams of fiber through my Power Meal. I also eat a lot of non-starchy vegetables, so there is more fiber there. But, the one thing my body really loves as a fiber source is … an apple.  Very complex and hard to find, right?  Every day I have one along with raw almond butter as a meal or snack and my body is happy.  Fiber has been well documented to help regulate blood sugar levels.
2. Omega 3 fatty acids.  These help anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, etc. but as far as blood sugar goes – they are terrific. They help insulin sensitivity as well as cell membrane fluidity.  Huh?  Helps fix the root problem of hypoglycemia and insulin resistance at the cellular level.  Plus, they help perk up my mental attitude.  My prefered Omega 3 source is Omega Blue and my doctor recommends about 5 grams a day.
3. Reservatrol.  This has been shown to support insulin regulation.  I get reservatrol from my True Source food based vitamin / mineral.  I prefer “food” versus synthetic vitamins.
4. Vitamin E.  Another thing shown to improve insulin sensitivity.  The source that I get my Vitamin E from pairs it up with CoQ-10 – which also has been shown to assist with insulin resistance.  I use CoQ-10 from Ortho Molecular Products. It’s available through health practitioners.
5. Coriander oil.  Historically coriander oil has been used for anxiety and to regulate blood sugar.  Makes sense because many times anxiety is caused by blood sugar swings. This has been a LIFE SAVER for regulating my blood sugar levels immediately while all the other nutritionals I take repair the actual problem over time. I ONLY USE THERAPEUTIC GRADE CORIANDER OIL.  Stuff from the health food store is cheap and it can be very unsafe. I just rub 3 drops on veins close to the surface, usually on the wrists or neck once or twice a day.
6. Herbs.  I have played with many herb combinations over the course of the past few years. Some with wild success, other times not.  The most success I’ve seen is through Ortho Molecular’s Diaxinol and Amazon Herb’s Metabazon. I do only 1 Diaxinol a day and 2 Metabazon’s with each meal.

The combination of items above is what I used that addresses swinging blood sugar levels in the now as well as cellular repair in the long run. Because of their role in blood sugar balance, I also support my liver and adrenals. I did a report on called Loving the Liver that outlines what works for me.  Plus, there’s a recorded training I did called Adrenal Intro Audio that’s accessible HERE.

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Looking for GLUTEN FREE recipes that taste good?   Elana Amsterdam’s blog is outta sight!  She has recipes that range from meat preparation to after dinner treats. It’s heaven for anyone who has gluten related food allergies.

I made the chocolate cake made with coconut flour.  Oh my goodness!  This cake was so moist and flavor rich. I even brought it over to my parents for dessert and they loved it; they aren’t even gluten avoiders!   I used turbinado sugar instead of agave in the batter at same ratios and it came out great. In the frosting I used raw honey instead of agave and it was out of sight.

Her book The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook just arrived at my home a few days ago. I found her blog when looking for gluten free goodies and noticed Elana had a fantastic looking book. Then, I realized I ordered it and it was already on it’s way.  At least I’m consistent!  The woman is pure genius when it comes to creating recipes that are so delicious that even the most discriminating gluten eater will love. You can find it listed HERE with a few other recipe books that I just LOVE!

Because some of the recipes are higher in sugar, I will be blogging about how to do substitutions to things are still SWEET but without the blood sugar impact.  Hypoglycemics still want a little sweetness in their life. Don’t we?

Are your adrenals happy?

So what does the flu have to do with anxiety therapy?  Well, one of the key set of glands involved with anxious feelings are also critical for proper immune health.  It is the ADRENALS and when you have adrenal fatigue the immune system can’t do it’s job properly.  The other organs which has a critical role in mental health and immunity are the intestines.  My experience has been that when the adrenal and intestines are in good health, my immunity is exceptional and my mind feels strong!

Because of my personal beliefs, I choose not to vaccinate.  Instead I take a pro-active position of creating a healthy body that will fight off anything I am exposed to.  Of course there are good hygiene practices like washing your hands and not putting things into your mouth!

I will share with you what I do to support my little adrenals and help protect them from adrenal fatigue.  Do with this information what like, it’s up to you to choose what’s best for your body.  Here’s the list of my daily adrenal protocol:

• Vitamin C – Between 1000 and 2000 mg per day (Super C)
• B Complex – Super high doses of these. For example, 8000%+ for B12 (Super B)
• Adrenal Herbal Support Complex (Endogize)
• Super Smoothie in the morning for protein and nutrition for daily adrenal support (PowerMeal, 2 tblsp coconut oil, 1 raw egg, 1 drop cinnamon essential oil, 5 drops orange essential oil, 1/2 dropper of stevia)
• Apply an adrenal support essential oil blend called En-R-Gee everyday – 3 drops on the bottom of my feet. It’s absorbed into the skin super quick!

Pretty simple, huh?

To assist with my intestinal health I eat a very clean diet free of gluten grains, sugar, fast foods, processed grains, and prepared foods.  Primarily I eat protein (meat & beans), non-starchy vegetables, nuts, low glycemic fruits (berries, cherries, apples) and eggs.  The side effects of eating like this have also been a significant loss in extra weight, 55 pounds!  Besides my diet, every night before bed I supplement with a super strain of probiotic (Life 5) and with each meal I use enzymes to assist in the proper break down of my food (Detoxyme & Essentialzyme). As the ‘ol saying goes, “It’s not what you eat, it’s what you ABSORB!”

If I was concerned I was going to be exposed to any of the flu strains, I would take extra precautions using items to protect my body.  For years I have been blessed with not contracting any seasonal illnesses. I feel it is because I use essential oils from plants that have been proven to kill and inhibit bacteria and virus. My favorite choice is called Thieves blend.  I’ve used it successfully on my horses for killing a virus that plagues their ears.  Most vets say it’s untreatable, the virus was gone in a month! I’ve also used it internally for myself and family whenever a sniffle or “fighting something” feeling comes on.  Funny, the “bug” never takes hold.  My trick is a one, two punch.  2 Inner Defense in the morning, 2 at lunch, and 2 Life 5’s at night – it’s that simple!

I’m not a doctor, these are things that have successfully worked for me over the course of the past 8 years.  Nothing stated in this article is meant to replace medical advice and is strictly for educational purposes.  The products mentioned in this article are not meant to cure any medical condition. I suggest them because I have fully researched the sourcing and quality and have used them safely and successfully with my family and in practice for many years.

Studying!

Since the launch of this blog I have had many people contact me for consultations.  I’m not a doctor, so I cannot give medical advice. However, there is much experience to share regarding how I healed myself from anxiety, panic attacks, adrenal fatigue, hypoglycemia, and food allergies.  My anxiety therapy can now be your anxiety therapy!

I have decided to broaden the scope of my local practice to the internet.  If you’d like to schedule a consultation with me, send over an email at Jen@NaturalAnxietyTherapy.com. I’ll then send you my schedule of fees and we’ll book a time.  My schedule is very limited, I am accepting only a few clients a week.

When I work with someone I pull from the nutrition and wellness coursework I have completed, my bodywork training, and most important – my experience. If you are my client, it is my intention for you to understand why you feel the way you do, as well as how & what to do about it. “A-HA” moments for my clients are a regular event!

Clients have sought me out for issues such as:

• Adrenal Fatigue
• Weight Loss
• Hormone Health
• Food Allergies
• Chronic Inflammation
• Mental Wellness
• Blood Sugar Balance

My approach is that if you give the body what it needs and remove what’s causing problems, it will automatically heal itself.  One of my teachers said in a class, “The body never makes a mistake.”  We have identify WHY we are seeing symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, panic attacks, blood sugar swings, bowel issues, foggy thinking, weight gain, and hair loss – then address those root causes.

Note that I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to be.  One of the most important components of a successful recovery program is finding a physician who has your health as their top priority.  If you do not already have a doctor that can run tests that target the causes of your  un-wellness, I can direct you to sources to find one. My role is to help guide you back on the path of health in partnership with your doctor.

Are You Frazzled?

Why do always write about the adrenals? Anyone who follows my posts on Twitter, Facebook, or on this blog knows I am always promoting adrenal health as anxiety therapy. The adrenals are in charge of the “Fight or Flight” response in the body. When we are experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, or restlessness – our body is on alert and the adrenals are blasting out adrenaline.

As the adrenals get fatigued from chronic emotional stress, a diet devoid of nutrients, lack of sleep, and improper digestion – they cannot make the neurotransmitters epinephrine and it’s counterpart norepinephrine. That’s when all sorts of “crazy” feelings set in. The other hormone the adrenals make is cortisol. Cortisol levels cycle throughout the day and when the adrenals are fatigued, the cycle gets disjunct. We can’t sleep well, pain levels raise in the body, blood sugars are erratic, and weight is gained around the belly.

So how do we fix this? First, listen to the adrenal audios on this blog found under the FREE DOWNLOADS tab. Diet & sleep have a huge component to recovering from adrenal fatigue. Next, find a doctor who can run the right tests to determine neurotransmitter levels. I get mine tested through NeuroScience. I contacted them and had them find a local doctor that ran their tests and used nutrients to balance brain chemistry and adrenal function. Based off my test results, they make nutrient recommendations. All of my neurotransmitters were messed up – serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, epinephrine, and GABA. That is why I felt like a loony tune!

You can contact NeuroScience as I did. They are happy to locate a doctor in your area that will fit your needs. I don’t encourage people to read books and just start taking amino acids and nutrients without testing done first. How do you know what to take if you have no idea what’s deficient or in excess?

To learn more about the role adrenal fatigue and neurotransmitter imbalances have with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and other mental stuff – read about them in my ebook Let’s Get Physical. My full recovery program is included too. Remember, it’s NOT all in your head!

Possible Food Allergies

Many of us would never link what we eat with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, auto-immune disorders, chronic fatigue and over all feeling like “junk”. A few years ago one of my doctors suggested doing Dr. Doris Rapp’s Allergy Elimination Diet. This is where a select group of foods that are potential allergens are eliminated for two weeks. Then they are re-introduced one by one and any reaction is observed. The items that are common allergens are wheat/gluten, corn, sugar, soy, dairy, additives/preservatives, chocolate, sugar, caffeine, nightshades, eggs, citrus, and peanuts.

The results indicated I had issues with wheat/gluten, soy, corn, chocolate, sugar, nightshades, and caffeine. Since then I eliminated these items from my diet my health has increased tremendously, especially anxiety. But, I felt I was missing something. The Allergy Elimination Diet is a great place to start to know what may be creating problems. Recently, I asked my doctor about doing an ALCAT test that uses blood to determine allergies and intolerances to food and chemicals.

The results came back with some additional items that I was completely unaware were giving me problems. Results indicated a severe reactions to casein (milk protein), peanuts, pinto beans, yellow squash, baker’s yeast, and moderate reactions to whey (the other milk protein), apples, garlic, mustard, apples, brussel sprouts, and cottonseed. These are things that I had been eating on a regular basis. I definitely was missing A LOT!

In essence, the Allergy Elimination Diet helped got me off to a good start. However, there were still other lingering symptoms that were probably food issues (congestion, tiredness, foggy thinking) and were identified using the ALCAT comprehensive diagnostic panel. Consider food allergies as part of anxiety therapy!

Is this the right doc?

Help anxiety, find the right doctor to add to your health care team. There are some of the important tests to have your doctor run to help determine what’s going on in your body that might be causing anxiety. But first it’s important to find a doctor who is on the same page as you. Even when I had worked with doctors who were supposedly holistic and not as likely to prescribe drugs, they did not know what tests to run to find the root causes of my relentless panic attacks and anxiety.

In hindsight, here are 5 simple questions that I wish knew to ask could have been:

1. Do you do 12 hour cortisol tests? Answer should be YES.

2. What do you find the causes of your patients anxiety to mostly be? Answer should be things like hormone imbalance, thyroid disfunction, hypoglycemia, vitamin/mineral/amino/fatty acid acid deficiency, candida overgrowth, damaged digestive tract, and /or insomnia.

3. How do you go about treating anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc? Answer should be nutritional changes, nutritional supplementation, hormonal balancing, detoxification, and medication only if absolutely necessary.

4. If you prescribe a medication for me, what is your approach to get me off of it? Answer should be that as your body gets stronger, you will feel better. They should closely monitor your progress and wean you off medication properly when the time is appropriate.

5. What is the most important item you address first with your patients? Answer should be getting you to feel like a human being again ASAP!

Relief  from your symptoms is your #1 priority. It can be achieved fast if your doctor knows what tests to run based on your symptoms. I floundered around with incompetent doctors for over 6 months. When I found a doctor who knew what tests to run and was given the appropriate amino acid formula for my deficiencies, I experienced almost 80% symptom relief OVERNIGHT! Of course it takes time to really heal the my core issues which were be lifestyle, digestion, nutritional deficiency, food allergies, toxicity, etc. But feeling like a sane person was my first priority, I was at my wits end. Asking the right questions to your physician is the most important part of your anxiety therapy.

BRAINS!

I learned about an interesting therapy today about brain waves. There is a therapy called neurofeedback that uses flashing lights and sensors on the scalp that dislodge “stuck” brainwave patterns. For some people it has been very effective in treating mental disorders, addictions, sleep problems, seizures, inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and even Tourette’s.

Treatments usually continue on for twenty to forty sessions. Sometimes maintenance sessions are needed for maintaining optimal wellness. This is a very non-invasive treatment that corrects brainwaves that are out of balance. Brainwaves like Alpha, Beta, Delta, SMR, and Theta are mapped and reprogrammed. So cool!

When searching on the web for information on this therapy, use terms like “LENS Low Energy Neurofeedback System”, “ROSHI neurofeedback” or visit http://www.isnr.org. Talk about cutting edge anxiety therapy!

"Hey, lean on me!"

When in the thick of anxiety, panic attack, depression, and the other ‘not so fun stuff” – it can be tough to hang in there. It feels like an endless journey with no road to the end, I’ve been there myself. You keep asking yourself, “When is this going to stop? Am I ever going to feel normal again What’s wrong with me?”. Those were the very questions I asked myself many times a day when at rock bottom.

How did I hang in there?

Looking back I found solace in researching and studying to find answers of what might cause severe panic attacks and anxiety. I talked with friends and family that were encouraging and positive. Found doctors that were on the same page and willing to assist me in the search for the root causes. Sought out other people with similar stories that successfully made it through the dark night and finding out how they did it. And lastly, putting myself first and not giving a rip what anyone thought about it.

My intention with this blog is for it to be a great part of your anxiety therapy. Visit this site to read and listen to audios that can help you “hang in there” until you feel better. Eventually there will be videos too! Please share this blog with loved ones and dear friends that might also benefit. Sometimes it’s funny what little things help us make it through the day. Keep reminding yourself that you are one day closer to feeling better.

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Ask yourself the same question, are you trying to be everything to everyone?  When you are at work are you always coloring within the lines with a nice neutral and safe color like BLUE?  Do you hold back saying things to loved ones and friends in fear that it’s not the right thing to say?  Holding STUFF inside us creates great stress and it wears us down. Eventually it can be a great source of anxiety – there is not doubt it was for me.

Anxiety therapy assignment: today do something you consider silly. Something that can help release the pent up emotions you’ve been holding inside in order to stay “politically correct” and in the “safe zone”.  Haven’t we all heard, “Now Johnny/Joannie, you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. Be a good boy/girl and behave yourself.”  Maybe go outside and yell at the top of your voice, buy that new neon orange shirt you’ve had your eye on, run around in the rain barefoot wearing your work clothes, get into a playful food fight – just let go!