Anxiety 2 Calm

October 1, 2009

Seredyn for Anxiety







Filed under: Natural Remedy, anxiety, medication, supplement, treatment — admin @ 11:42 pm

Seredyn is an anxiety treatment that can be obtained without prescription. It includes none of the chemicals you would associate with other anxiety medications such as SSRI’s and Benzodiazepines. But Seredyn does claim to have much the same effects – a reduction in anxiety.

So what exactly is Seredyn? Well, as far as we know it is a blend of Valerian Root, Passion Flower and Suntheanine. Suntheanine is a registered trademark version of the amino acid L-theanine that I have blogged about before. L-theanine is basically a key ingredient of GABA, which when taken promotes anxiety relief in the same way as a Benzodiazepine such as Xanax.

Both Valerian Root and Passion Flower (Passiflora) have been used as stress-relievers and anxiety cures for countless years.

Although the ingredients are clear, the actual amount of each ingredient is not clear. Some say this is because Seredyn want to protect their intellectual property (after all, Valerian Root, Passiflora and L-theanine are available in pretty much any self-respecting health food store). Other, more cynical, people say that Seredyn doesn’t contain enough of each ingredient to be effective.

As products like Seredyn don’t need to be licensed in the same way as new drugs do, there will never be extensive, peer reviewed, clinical research. I guess that means you either take advice from people you trust, or try it yourself and see if it works.

Elsewhere on the Internet people have said you should watch Seredyn if you have low blood pressure, as it can supposedly exacerbate the problem. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but basically there isn’t much else in there that’s likely to do the normal person any harm!

September 19, 2009

Anxiety Niacinamide







Filed under: Natural Remedy, anxiety, supplement, tryptophan — Tags: , , , — admin @ 7:34 pm

Does Niacinamide work for anxiety? Well, There are a few reasons why I think it might be worth a try. Firstly, a proper scientific study found that Niacinamide had anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) effects in animals (Tallman JF, Paul SM, Skolnick P, Gallager DW (1980).

Some  people have hypothesized that Niacinamide works on the same receptors as Benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. Relying on drugs and supplements might not be that wise, why not also consider something like Panic Away to help you relax and cure anxiety.

Further more, if the body does not get enough Vitamin B3 through diet, it can make it from Tryptophan. This is not good for anxiety sufferers as Tryptophan is the amino acid the body uses to make the good mood chemical Serotonin, a lack of which causes anxiety and depression. Therefore it might be the case that taking on more B3 in the form of Niacinamide lessens the necessity to divert Tryptophan away from Serotonin and therefore boosts mood and calm anxiety that way.

On top of that, B Vitamins are essential for correct brain and nervous system functioning.

Lastly, other people with anxiety that have expressed an opinion swear by Niacinamide. Not everyone of course, nothing works for everyone. But when someone else has tried something and had success it is generally worth a shot!

How much Niacinamide should I take for anxiety? That is another very good question which it is quite hard to answer. I have read conflicting advice and of course there is no decisive answer from medical circles. The Reference Daily Intake (The Recommended Daily Allowance in the UK) varies from country to country but is often around 50-20mg depending on age and gender.

Doctors that advocate Niacinamide as a treatment for anxiety recommend much much higher doses. Sometimes as high as 3000mg a day. It is thought that doses beyond that can cause liver toxicity.

In terms of dosage I would say you have to be careful. Take medical advice if you can and start on a lower dose and move up and see if you get any anti-anxiety effects. If so, why not check with your doctor that the dose is safe in their opinion, or see if they can monitor you for liver function if the dose you are using is extreme.

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September 17, 2009

L-Theanine for anxiety







Filed under: supplement — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 5:39 pm

L-Theanine has been described by some as Nature’s Valium – a miracle natural anxiety cure. This is not a bad description, as L-Theanine increases levels of the Amino acid GABA, which works in the same way as drugs like Xanax and Valium to calm anxiety and panic.

GABA can, in some countries be bought over the counter, but it is not really known if it crosses the blood-brain barrier sufficiently to make a difference to stress levels, anxiety and panic attacks. By contrast L-Theanine does cross the blood-brain barrier and is known promote alpha wave brain state, the state in which the awake mind is at it’s best: relaxed but able to to concentrate.

Does It Work?

So does it work? My personal experience has revolved around taking the Solgar Brand although others are available. It is claimed that L-Theanine gets to work in 40 minutes, helping beat insomnia and promoting relaxation. Relying on drugs and suuplents might not be wise, why not also consider things like Panic Away to help you relax and get over anxiety.

I must say, to me the results were very subtle. I have experienced taking Xanax and found L-Theanine to be quite different. I have also only ever taken one 100mg capsule (as per the instructions), but some people advocate taking much more, up to but not exceeding 600mg in 6 hours.

I am not sure if taking such a high dose is a good idea because like most supplements L-Theanine has not been thoroughly tested in the same way a new prescription drug would be. All in all, I would say for me the recommended dose provides some level of relaxation, but it isn’t revolutionary.

The supplement of L-theanine in capsules is expensive. Alternative sources are basically limited to tea, practically speaking. The problem with taking l-Theanine in tea form is that you have to drink a lot of tea to get enough, and there is no way of knowing how much there is in the tea, so it is much harder than getting it in supplement form where the standardized dosage is trustworthy, broadly speaking.

Another problem is that drinking tea ups the amount of caffeine in your system. Black tea has plenty of caffeine and green tea, despite what “gurus” may say, also stimulates you…in high doses both start to do the things you are taking L-Theanine to avoid. So why not get L-Theanine from decaffeinated tea? Because as luck would have it the process of decaffeination removes the L-Theanine!

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September 13, 2009

Natural Anxiety Remedies – Passiflora







Filed under: Natural Remedy, anxiety, drugs, panic, supplement — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 7:48 pm

Passiflora has long been used as a natural remedy for anxiety. There have been some studies which actually proved its effectiveness for treating anxiety when compared to a commonly prescribed tranquilizer. There is also a scientific reason for it’s calming, soothing action: the flavonoids that passiflora contains work on the areas of the brain that cause anxiety. Chamomile is relaxing for the same reason. The flavenoids in Passiflora may well also be one of a number of natural depression remedies. Interesting link on flavonoids here.

While supplements and herbal remedies are good for anxiety, remember to tackle the psychological causes. Panic Away is good for that.

So how is it best to take Passiflora? Well, there are two main choices really: you can buy a supplement which you take daily, normally as a capsule full of powder, or you can buy a tincture which you add to water and drink. passiflora does not taste particularly pleasant, but it’s not so bad.

The tincture has two distinct benefits: firstly you can control how much passiflora you want to take. Personally I like to try things at small doses first. Secondly, it often comes as a complex meaning it has other ingredients with it that are also natural anxiety remedies.

Side effects of Passiflora: depending on who you listen to passiflora is either as safe as houses or carries the same side-effect profile as every other drug/natural remedy on the market. This product might cause dizziness, drowsiness, upset stomach etc. If effected do not drive or operate machinery. Personally I have never had any trouble with passiflora and I don’t know anyone who has.

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September 10, 2009

Tryptophan Anxiety Depression Cure







Filed under: anxiety, depression, supplement, tryptophan — Tags: , , , — admin @ 6:36 pm

Tryptophan for anxiety and depression is now being touted as one of the best natural anxiety cures you can buy. It is always hard to know if something like Tryptophan is effective or not because it is not marketted by big pharma companies and is therefore not widely researched.

Hydroxytryptophan, to give it its full name, is an essential amino acid which the body cannot produce itself and therefore needs to find through diet or supplement. There are many food sources but you can buy a supplement in most countries called L-Tryptophan.

Tryptophan is thought to be useful as a treatment of anxiety and depression (and other mood disorders) because it is a precursor to Seratonin. Your body uses Tryptophan to make Seratonin which is one of the most important neurotransmitters effecting mood. It also makes Melatonin, which helps control sleep.

Common dietary sources are things such as egg, cod, soya and some cheeses and some meats. Turkey is always said to be high in Tryptophan, but actually cod has more per kg. While many people get enough through their diet others do not. It is hard for Tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier because it has to compete with other amino acids. The best way round this is to eat some carbohydrate with the Tryptophan, which will release insulin which helps Tryptophan’s passage into the area of the brain where it is needed.


It is hard to say if Tryptophan works as an anxiety cure or a depression cure. Certainly many people find that carbohydrates make them relaxed which is likely due to elevated Seratonin levels in the brain. If that strikes accord with you then maybe supplementing is worth a try.

In may be better to supplement with Tryptophan than with its nearest neighbour 5-HTP, which has a habit of converting to Seratonin outside the brain and is thought to cause heart valve damage. The only real way to know if Tryptophan works for anxiety is to try it!

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March 1, 2006

5 – HTP Anxiety Remedy?







Filed under: anxiety, depression, medication, supplement, tryptophan — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:21 pm

5 HTP has been touted as a cure for various Serotonin deiciency related illnesses such as Anxiety, Panic Attacks, weight los, insomnia, and depression. 5 HTP, or 5 hydroxytryptophan to give it it’s full name, is manufactured from an African Plant called Griffonia simplicifolia, it is not really practical to get enough of this in your natural diet, so concentrated supplement form is the only way forward. It is commonly found in Healthfood shops and is not normally classed as a drug. Relying on supplements might not be wise, why not also consider something like Panic Away to help you relax and cure anxiety.

Dosage of 5 HTP. When it comes to supplements slack regulations allow manufacturers to be vague. For anxiety, depression, panic attacks and agoraphobia normally 50-100 mg are recommended three times a day. This can be adjusted depending on success and tolerance. For insomnia a single dose half an hour before bed is recommended, again of approximately 50-100 mg. For weight control the same dosage is suggested twenty to thirty minutes before eating. To avoid side effects it is better to start on a low dose and gradually increase.

Dangers: 5-HTP is pretty safe ***but*** there is some evidence that 5-htp can cause damage to heart valves over time…I can find no definitive scientific answer to this question, so maybe more research is needed.  It is not associated with the same number of severity of side effects as traditional medical antidepressants such as Prozac, Celexa, and the other SSRIs. There was a rumpus in the past about a contaminated batch of l-tryptophan in the USA which caused serious illness and death. This was not due to the supplement but to the contamination of one brand in one factory.

Side effects: nausea, constipation, gas, drowsiness, or a decreased sex drive. These are usually mild if present at all, and pass quickly. Generally 5-htp’s side effects are considered to be much less than SSRIs. Check this post on 5-HTP side effects as well.

Length of time
Generally it can take 2-4 weeks for 5 htp to start working, or achieve clinical effectiveness

Efficacy of 5 HTP
Definitely some clinical trials have found that 5-htp is for some people more effective than SSRIs. As ever the results of all the studies are hard to interpret and be sure about as researchers are oftened skewed. Pharmacology is a dirty business.

Warnings etc
Speak to your doctor! 5 HTP can react badly with SSRIs, MOAIs, some over the counter medications and may not be suitable for everyone. Speak to your doctor! (worth saying twice!)

In my opinion, 5 HTP can do good things for the anxiety, panic attack, and agoraphobia sufferer. It may be possible to get the same effect by increasing tryptophan rich foods into your diet! More about that tomorrow!

Cheers.

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February 27, 2006

Anxiety Supplements







Filed under: Natural Remedy, Uncategorized, anxiety, supplement — admin @ 7:27 pm
Although plenty of people have success with anti-anxiety medications (i.e a marked reduction or removal of symptoms including panic attacks and obsessive worry) many do not. Those who do not have success with anti-anxiety medications fall into two categories: those for whom the tablets have no effects, and those for whom the idea of taking tablets is abhorrent or the side effects are too great. Relying on drugs and supplements might not be wise anyway, why not also consider something like Panic Away to help you relax and cure anxiety.

Whatever your reason for avoiding anti-anxiety medication (and it’s a perfectly reasonable personal decision to make) the idea of supplements becomes alluring. There are two major drawbacks to using supplements. Firstly, proper scientific research is generally lacking and books and practitioners tend to rely on anecdotal data or historical records. Historical proof that a herb has been used for millennia doesn’t mean that it works! The second drawback is that there tends to be as many different recommended doses as there are books and manufacturers.

Should this stop you trying supplements to help beat anxiety? Of course not, it’s just a reminder to do your homework before you spend your money. Of course consult your doctor before you try them, and that is especially true if you are on medication of any sort or pregnant as some supplements can not be taken with other medication.

Then you’re into the minefield. What supplement should I take?

The list goes on and on and any self respecting salesperson in a healthfood shop can send you away with empty pockets if you are not careful.

I will be putting a page on Anxiety 2 Calm shortly with more info on herbs and supplements. Until then remember that B vitamins are important for the nervous system, tryptophan is good for building serotonin, flax seed and fish oils contain omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for a healthy brain. As for the rest…watch this space and do your homework!

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