Anxiety can be a debilitating condition with many individuals seeking natural ways to try and overcome their symptoms. An interesting paper (1) was recently published that closely looked into anxiety disorders and whether naturopathic care could be helpful to sufferers.
The authors of the study note that “anxiety is a serious personal health condition and represents a substantial burden to overall quality of life. Additionally anxiety disorders represent a significant cost to the health care system as well as employers through benefits coverage and days missed due to incapacity” “Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent type of psychiatric disorder with an estimated lifetime incidence ranging between 7.9% and 14.5% worldwide”.
The study(1) was small but well designed, employees with moderate to severe anxiety of longer than 6 weeks duration received naturopathic care or a psychotherapy intervention over a period of 12 weeks. Participants in the naturopathic care group received dietary counselling, deep breathing relaxation techniques, a standard multi-vitamin, and the herbal medicine, ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, known as Indian Ginseng) (300 mg standardised to 1.5% withanolides). The Psychotherapy group received psychotherapy, deep breathing relaxation techniques, and placebo (inactive ‘dummy’ pills). Various measures were used to assess anxiety, mental health and quality of life (1).
The participants in the naturopathic care group has significantly decreased measures of anxiety compared to the psychotherapy group, significant differences between groups were also observed in mental health, concentration, fatigue, social functioning, vitality, and overall quality of life with the naturopathic care group exhibiting greater clinical benefit. No serious adverse reactions were observed in either group. In conclusion the study authors state “The whole system of naturopathic care for anxiety needs to be investigated further including a closer examination of the individual components within the context of their additive effect” (1).
“Naturopathic medicine (also known as naturopathy) is a school of medical philosophy and practice that seeks to improve health and treat disease chiefly by assisting the body’s innate capacity to recover from illness and injury. This alternative medical system of care employs the use of many therapies including acupuncture, herbal medicine, osteopathy, nutrition, homeopathy, and lifestyle counselling in a combined manner to address the underlying cause of disease”(1).
The herb, ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), in the study has been used for over 3000 years and previous evidence indicates that it might be useful for anxiety, inflammation, cognitive (mental function) and neurological disorders. Ashwagandha (or Indian Ginseng as it is often known), is often used by naturopathy practitioners for people with nervous exhaustion, insomnia, debility due to stress, and as an immune stimulant in patients with low white blood cell counts. It is considered to be an adaptogen – I have written about adaptogens previously when discussing rhodiola & Siberian Ginseng. Adaptogens are considered to be herbal preparations that increase tolerance to mental exhaustion and enhance attention and mental endurance in situations of decreased performance. The beneficial stress-protective effect of adaptogens appears to be complex, these herbs seems to work via several mechanisms including actions on the hormonal and immune systems (2). Sometimes adaptogens are simply referred to as rejuvenating herbs and their use dates back thousands of years in China and India.
The lifestyle and nutritional counselling given during the study was specific to the individual patient but special emphasis was placed on: reducing intake of stimulants such as caffeine and cigarettes (since these are known to aggravate anxiety), eating small, meals at regular intervals (this helps to keep blood sugar levels stable which is useful to prevent anxiety), and increasing the consumption of fruit, fish, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Participants were also encouraged to exercise on a regular basis. This kind of healthy lifestyle advice is relevant to the population as a whole! A healthy diet, rich in nutrients can impact so many areas of health.
Anxiety can be a very distressing condition, if you feel that your life is being trongly affected by anxiety and stress I would urge you to visit your doctor.
(1)Cooley K et al. 2009. Naturopathic care for anxiety: a randomized controlled trial ISRCTN78958974. PLoS One. 4(8):e6628 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006628
(2)Panossian A, Wikman G. 2009. Evidence-Based Efficacy of Adaptogens in Fatigue, and Molecular Mechanisms Related to Their Stress-Protective Activity. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2009 Sep 1.
Written by Ani Kowal
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