Inositol for Anxiety

Every once in a while a natural product or food supplement comes into the public domain which promises a lot:

• Anxiety Relief
• Cheap
• Drug Free
• Side effect free
• Permanent

Let's face it, 5-HTP, tryptophan, amino acid complex, kava kava etc didn't really do it for the most part. That isn't to say that they don't have their place and many people have got some kind of good results from them, and from a balanced diet that includes the main sources of them. But the holy grail of anxiety sufferers they ain't.

Recently there has been a lot of interest in Inositol for the treatment of OCD, anxiety and depression. Sometimes, when substances like this are sold as a cure all, it is hard to believe that they are any other than just hype as a result of poor research. I say this as I have just read that Inositol is sold as a solution to baldness and hair loss. That said, there is some evidence to suggest that Inositol is as good as SSRI anti-depressants in the treatment of mood disorders.

Rather than buy expensive food supplements, I would be inclined to moderate your diet to make sure you are getting sufficient ability for your body to produce Inositol. Good sources of Inositol include wheat germ, brewers yeast. bananas, liver, brown rice, oat flakes, nuts, unrefined molasses, raisins and vegetables.

del.icio.us tags: anxiety, ocd, inositol, 5-htp, kava kava, amino, acid, complex, tryptophan, cure, sources, natural, food supplements