• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

A Nutritional Approach to Anxiety

Featured Content

in Mental Health
October 21, 2020
0
Finding Solace

Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in the United States, affecting over 40 million people a year over the age of 18. They go on to say that anxiety disorders are treatable but only 36.9% of people receive treatment.

The many different types of anxiety include, but are not limited to, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Many factors can cause or contribute to anxiety including stress, trauma, genetics and environment… to name only a few.

Anxiety involves an area of the brain referred to as the limbic center. The amygdala, the most talked about area of the brain, involves fear and anxiety. Other structures involved in the limbic center are the cingulate and the insular cortex. The frontal lobe is one of the main regulators of the limbic system and represents an inhibitory top-down control of these emotional centers.

When evaluating anxiety, it is important to look at the health of both frontal lobe structures and limbic structures. Most often, a disruption is seen between both of the higher cortical areas of the limbic center. The limbic center can be overactive and/or the frontal lobe can be underactive. A natural approach for support will include evaluating and understanding the functionality of the overall brain, specifically the higher cortical areas and the limbic center. Practitioners who specialize in this type of rehabilitation can provide a treatment plan that works toward reducing the dysfunction between the two systems.

Consideration needs to be made with the neuroendocrine and the neurochemistry aspect of anxiety. The inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, can be decreased, leading to an increase in limbic activity as well as an increase in the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. There are mechanisms that can impact neurotransmitters. One example is the stability of glucose on GABA. Many have experienced this imbalance when they go without eating for a long period of time. The decrease in glucose can lead to a decrease in GABA and lack of inhibition to limbic centers. Another example is the impact of progesterone on GABA, which is often seen with fluctuation in hormones during a menstrual cycle and could explain the changes in mood at times during the cycle.

A stress response causing an increase in cortisol can activate limbic centers. This is widely discussed in the role of stress and PTSD. Therefore, an imbalance in hormones, blood sugar, and cortisol can lead to anxiety. A natural approach would be to stabilize blood sugar through proper dietary habits and stabilize and provide proper support of hormones, if needed, as well as stress management. Stress management can be via natural supplementation, counseling, exercise, mindful meditation, and much more.

Other neuroendocrine influences are neuropeptides, which can be found in the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Examples of neuropeptides include cholecystokinin (CCK) and Galanin. CCK is found within the GI system and the vagus nerve. CCK and galanin have influences into the limbic system, giving way to the brain-gut relationship.

Gastrointestinal disorders can cause or contribute to anxiety disorders. A natural approach would be to evaluate your own dietary habits and work on proper digestive support. This can be done with supplemental support such as l-glutamine, aloe, and DGL. Eating foods that cause inflammation will result in neuroinflammation and, potentially, increased anxiety.

It has also been clinically understood that there is no “one-size-fits-all” therapy. Many therapies have been developed over the years to address anxiety and the many subtypes, including natural approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy (ET), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). They are offered by most licensed therapists.

Anxiety may seem like something easily treated but it is often difficult to manage. The intricate web of function and dysfunction is real, but working with someone who understands the intricacies, untangling the web can be successful.

Each individual is unique in their own struggles, genetics, trauma, environmental factors, and physiology. With proper evaluation and management, there is hope. The obstacle becomes finding a practitioner that has a holistic approach and willing to keep digging. The natural approaches to anxiety, such as working on blood sugar stability, stress management, and dietary habits may be simple but can be powerful. Working on the foundations can provide the ability for therapies and/or treatment to have a bigger impact.

Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS is the owner and clinic director of Integrated Brain Centers. To learn more about how we can help with concussions, stroke and TBIs, please visit www.integratedbraincenters.com. For a free consultation, please call 303-781-5617.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
Finding Solace

The Nocebo Effect: When Our Thoughts Make Us Physically Ill

SIGN UP

BLOG

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]

Read more
Resilience After a Brain Injury

Resilience After a Brain Injury

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]

Read more
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]

Read more
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton  said it best when he wrote, […]

Read more
Stress Away Essential Oil

Stress Away Essential Oil

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]

Read more
Resiliency and the Courtroom

Resiliency and the Courtroom

By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]

Read more
The Quality of Resilience

The Quality of Resilience

by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]

Read more
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]

Read more
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

  • It was such a pleasure to keynote at the @biaofms NeuroTrauma Symposium last Friday. What an amazing group of professionals and survivors. I found some new resources I didn’t even know existed out there!! 

#bia #braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #keynote #brainhealth #neuroplasticity
  • Neuro fatigue is beyond tired, it’s when you’re brain says “I’ve had enough” and shuts down everything. It often a sneaks up on you when you least expect it, making it hard to manage. 

If you’ve never experienced it, it’s truly hard to understand. But please believe us when we tell you we’re done and need to rest. And that rest may look different for everyone. Some may need a nap. Some may just need a quiet space. There’s no right or wrong way to rest. 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • A traumatic brain injury is the ultimate “invisible injury” as no one can see what’s happening inside your brain. Even imaging doesn’t show a TBI (unless you have bleeding or severe trauma). It’s impossible to explain to others, and even doctors don’t take us seriously or know how to help us. 

It is incredibly frustrating to go through life being told “there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just have to give it more time and see what happens” and even more frustrating when you find out that there are doctors out there who truly DO know how to help us!  Like @integratedbraincenters 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #functionalneurology #braininjuryawareness
  • I remember how I would literally need to lay down after taking a shower because it was so exhausting. And something like going to the grocery store and bringing them in and putting them away would require me to do nothing else for the rest of the day. It was a one-chore kind of activity. 

These are normal, every day things we take for granted before brain injury, and afterwards they require soooo much energy and effort. It’s truly hard for someone who hasn’t experienced a brain injury to understand. 💚

#braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #braininjuryawareness #TBIsurvivor
  • You totally got this!! 
Is it gonna be easy? Nope. 
Is it gonna be worth it? Absolutely! 

#tbi #braininjury #concussion #pcs #TBIrecovery #TBIsurvivor
  • The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide is trending on Kickstarter! We’re over half-way to our goal! Can you help us get there by pre-ordering an autographed copy of the book?? 

LINK IN BIO 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brainhealthmag/the-chair-yoga-pocket-guide

#chairyoga #accessibleyoga #chairyogateacher #chairyogabook #chairyogaworkshop #accessibilityinyoga #kickstarter @kickstarter #chairyogaauthor #author #mnyoga
  • I remember folks would talk to me and my brain would take forever to process what they were saying. They would be into the next subject and I’d still be trying to decipher their first sentence. It was frustrating and exhausting. 

Friends would tell me to “try harder” and concentrate. But that’s not how it works with brain injury. 

It’s like if you drop your laptop and scramble it’s processor. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • #Repost @integratedbraincenters
Recovery as defined in the dictionary is a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. 

Missing from this definition is that recovery is a continuum. We often hear in recovery post surgery that a patient is a percent recovered (Sue is 80% recovered post hip replacement) demonstrating that recovery is not an all or nothing situation but is rather a spectrum. 

Not everyone will make a 100% recovery but most people can move forward in their recovery in some way, even if it is only 10% or 70%. 

To say that recovery is not possible in any capacity is probably untrue. The more severe the injury the more likely you will never be the same person you were prior, but that does not mean that you can’t get back to doing the things you love and contribute to your family and community.

#beaininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #resilience #resiliency #TBIsurvivor
  • No two brain injuries are the same, therefore, no two recoveries are the same. Don’t compare yours against someone else’s, as you never know what they’ve already gone through. 

Focus on YOU and your recovery. What could you try differently? What should you maybe give up? I personally gave up alcohol and gluten and that was huge for me and my inflammation. 

#braininjury #concussion #tbi #pcs #neuroplasticity #functionalneurology #funcneuro #neuronerd

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.