Tag Archives: anxiety

Natural Treatments For Phobias

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There are various types of phobias that many people suffer from. They typically involve a strong fear and avoidance of one particular type of object or situation. The fear is quite often strong enough to interfere with day to day activities depending on the situation, and can cause quite a bit of distress. Phobias can cause symptoms of anxiety, and spontaneous panic attacks. Listed below are the most common phobias:

ANIMAL PHOBIAS – These can include fear and avoidance of snakes, bats, rats, spiders, bees, dogs, and other creatures.  They quite often start in childhood, where they are considered as normal fears.  If they persist in adulthood, they can create significant distress and disrupt your life, they can be classified as a phobia.

ACROPHOBIA – (fear of heights). With acrophobia, there is a significant of heights – could be high floors in buildings, hills, mountains, or bridges. One may experience significant symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo, or an urge to jump – where they feeling is where you have an external force drawing you to the edge.

AIRPLANE PHOBIA – This phobia is the fear that the plane will crash. Quite a few people do have anxiety around flying – and can suffer from significant symptoms of anxiety and panic.

ARACHNOPHOBIA – Abnormal fear of spiders or crawling insects.

CLAUSTROPHOBIA – is usually described as a significant fear of enclosed places and the inability to get from a space.  Other types of phobias include – dentist or doctor phobia, phobias to thunder and lightning, injury or illness phobias among others.

ELEVATOR PHOBIA – This phobia relates to fear of being in elevators and travelling in them. There is fear of the cables breaking or the elevator crashing, or getting stuck or trapped inside. You may experience panic in these type of phobia.

Specific fears / phobias can develop after a traumatic events or repeated exposure to certain elements. Up to 10 % of the population suffers from phobias and a very small percentage may seek treatment for their fears. Various natural treatments exist for  general anxiety and panic, and are quite helpful for phobias. Before being exposed to the situation, you may take preventative natural supplements. Homeopathic medicine is fantastic for this, as are certain flower essence remedies. These work really well to alleviate the symptoms of panic and distress – for example – while flying or driving.

Other treatment methods that are currently in place include relaxation therapy and training, which when used on a regular basis help to reduce symptoms of anxiety. Cognitive therapy where fearful thoughts that tend to perpetuate the specific phobia are challenged and replace. Other therapies include: incremental exposure, panic – control therapy and interoceptive exposure (desensitization).

By: Sushma Shah, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.

Naturopathic Ways To Reduce And Treat Hypertension / High Blood Pressure

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HYPERTENSION – HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious condition that affects 50 million Americans – one in four adults. It is defined as an average systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg, a diastolic blood pressure above 90 mm Hg, or both. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, the first and third most common causes of death among Americans.

In the early and middle adult years, men are more likely than women to develop the condition, but as men and women age, the reverse is true; more women older than the age of 55 have high blood pressure than men of the same age. While hypertension generally develops in people older than 20 years of age, more than half of all Americans over the age of 65 have the condition.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Most people who have high blood pressure do not know they have it because they generally experience no symptoms at all. Occasionally, some individuals may experience a mild headache when their blood pressure is high. Serious cases of hypertension, which happen infrequently, may produce the following symptoms:

•   Severe headache

•   Confusion

•   Nausea

•   Visual disturbances

•   Seizure

CAUSES

There are two major types of hypertension: essential (primary) and secondary. Essential hypertension is by far the most common, accounting for more than 95% of all cases. The cause of this form of hypertension is not known for certain, but is likely a combination of factors, including:

•   Genes for high blood pressure

•   Low levels of nitric oxide, a naturally occurring agent responsible for the dilation of blood vessels (African Americans are believed to have low levels of this substance)

•   Insulin resistance

•   Obesity

The causes of secondary hypertension include:

•   Kidney disorders

•   Endocrine disorders, such as Cushing’s syndrome

•   Obstructive sleep apnea (episodes during sleep when breathing stops due to obstruction of the air passages)

•   Stress

•   Chronic heavy alcohol consumption (accounts for 10% of cases of secondary high blood pressure)

•   Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), particularly in the elderly

•   Use of certain medications, including oral contraceptives, pseudoephedrine, hormone replacement therapy, and steroids

•   Heavy coffee drinking (5 or more cups per day), particularly in those who have previously had high blood pressure

•   Use of cocaine, nicotine, Ginseng or licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) can cause or worsen existing hypertension.

RISK FACTORS

The following factors increase an individual’s risk for high blood pressure:

•   Family history of hypertension

•   Alcohol abuse

•   High sodium intake

•   Inactive lifestyle

•   Being overweight

•   Mood disorders, particularly depression and anxiety (they may have a direct impact on blood vessels or they may lead to unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and substance abuse or poor weight management)

Hypertension is more common among African Americans than Whites (this may be due to nitric oxide levels or to social factors such as chronic life stressors)

NATUROPATHIC HEALTH MODIFICATIONS TO HELP PREVENT HYPERTENSION:

1.   Maintaining a desirable weight

2.   Maintaining a normal body weight is one of the most effective ways to prevent high blood pressure. Weight reduction, therefore, in overweight individuals of any age should be a priority in the prevention of hypertension.

3.   Reducing salt intake

4.   Although population-based studies suggest a link between salt intake and prevalence of high blood pressure in particular groups of people (African Americans, for example), how each individual responds to sodium in his or her diet is quite variable. Since reducing dietary salt is generally considered safe, however, low-salt diets are recommended, particularly for those at risk for developing hypertension or heart disease.

5.   Increasing physical activity

6.   Several studies suggest that physically inactive people may be at an increased risk for developing hypertension. Moderate exercise, brisk walking, swimming, yoga and jogging may all be helpful in improving heart health and reducing the risk of hypertension.

7.   Limiting alcohol consumption

8.   Limit your alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day.

9.   Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

10. People who consume vegetarian diets have significantly lower blood pressure than those who do not.

11.  Keep your cholesterol under control.

LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS TO TREAT HYPERTENSION / HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

The same lifestyle modifications that help prevent hypertension are useful in treating it. The following steps are recommended for people with hypertension, regardless of whether they are taking prescription medications.

•   Lose weight if overweight.

•   Limit alcohol intake to no more than 1 oz. of ethanol per day for men (this roughly equals 2 pints of beer, 2 glasses of wine, or 2 shots of 100-proof whiskey) and 0.5 oz. for women and lighter-weight individuals.

•   Increase and maintain aerobic physical activity (30 to 40 minutes most days per week).

•   Reduce salt intake to less than 2,400 mg sodium or 6,000 mg sodium chloride per day.

•   Improve overall cardiovascular health by quitting smoking and reducing saturated fat and cholesterol intake.

•   Reduce stress—since ongoing stressful circumstances, such as job dissatisfaction, may contribute to the development of hypertension, stress management may lower elevated blood pressure.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic.