I. What are nutrition and medication strategies for the treatment of Anxiety?

• greater energy
• vitality,
• better sleep
• prevention of long-term illnesses
• prevention of chronic conditions that can lead to anxiety, or are complicated by anxiety.

People dealing with their mental health concerns like stress may need to take special care of what they eat. Certain foods can elevate your heart rate, which can trigger anxiety symptoms. Certain foods may disrupt your natural energy patterns, which can disrupt sleep and complicate anxiety. Certain food and drink choices may lessen stress in the short term but put you at risk for chronic disease in the long term.

The relationship between food and anxiety can become more complicated when medication is added to the picture. Medications can be a very helpful strategy if you feel that your anxiety is keeping you from working, socialising, or maintaining relationships. There are, however, side effects to medication, and keeping track of your diet can help keep you in balance with your overall health and wellbeing. It is very important that you work with a doctor to plan out your use of medication so that you can minimize the side effects while getting the most benefit. With medication, your mind can very often be better equipped to learn other strategies for combating your stress so that you can move towards recovery. In recovery, you may no longer need medication because you will have the tools you need to prevent or deal with stress before it happens.

Research concerning nutrition and mental health is still in its early stages. While these complex connections are still being discovered, it is clear that what you eat can help or affect how you feel and what you can do, whether or not you have anxiety. Altering food and medication choices can complement (or hinder) other treatments you may use for anxiety. If you are using physical exercises as a treatment for anxiety, then your dietary habits can determine how successful your workouts can be.

The effects of some medications may sometimes limit your physical activities. At the same time, the positive effects of medication may free you to take part in other treatments that can help you to relax or improve focus. Please see lesson Relaxation Exercise for more information on how these therapies complement one another for maximum anxiety reduction.

In this lesson you will learn how nutrition and medication relate to your anxiety. You will also find other ways to lower or increase anxiety symptoms with medication and nutrition choices, including:

• General nutrition guidelines for overall health
• Substances that can affect anxiety
• Nutrient deficiencies that increase stress symptoms
• Alternative eating options
• Medications to treat anxiety
• Herbs and botanicals that may reduce anxiety

Like every therapy, finding the best nutrition and medication strategies to give you the most relief is based on your own personal experiences with stress and lifestyle preferences. You may find your best option by simply reading about the strategies and how to incorporate them in your daily life, but you may need to try some or all of them to find out which one works best for your level of anxiety. In the end, you have many choices about how you want to free your life from anxiety, including the choices of nutrition and medication.