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8 NATURAL PRACTITIONER WWW.NATURALPRACTITIONERMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2016

Stress is a funny word. Loaded with theemotional bias of being a “bad” thing,the word stress can be quite deceiving,making it harder to handle than it

needs to be. So, we will offer a new way tolook at it—and very effective ways toaddress it.

As the healing arts grows, it is importantto remember that there are four key domainsin healing:

1. Biochemistry. This includes herbals,nutrition and medications.

2. Structural. Including areas such asmanipulation, surgery, breathing, exerciseand ergonomics.

3. Biophysics. For example: acupuncture,chakra work, yoga and NAET.

4. Mind-Body-Spirit. Understanding howthe body is a metaphor for what is occurringat a deeper level. For most illnesses, includ-ing anxiety and even cancer, complete heal-ing is unlikely to occur unless this is alsoattended to.

You will find that healing occurs bestwhen all four of these areas are addressed.No individual healer is likely to have com-plete expertise in all of these areas, making itimportant that we learn to network with

practitioners in many disciplines. This runscounter to the training many of us havereceived, with different disciplines treatingeach other as if they were hostile religions(which, in fact, they often are). As our newhealth care system evolves, and the currentone heads to extinction, it is good to seeCAM practitioners communicating andworking together more.

So let’s look at how a ComprehensiveMedicine approach works when addressinganxiety and stress. I will focus predominant-ly on mind-body and biochemical aspects, asthese are where my expertise is.

Treating Mind/Body IssuesStress is not inherently good or bad. In fact,stress can be used to force flowers to bloom,and this analogy applies to people as well.The problem is when stress becomes chron-ic, and is no longer enjoyable. This then con-tributes to chronic elevation of the stresshormone cortisol, directly triggering anxiety.As the excessive stress becomes chronic, cor-tisol levels then go too low—ironically alsotriggering anxiety by causing recurrent boutsof low blood sugar.

A simple way to tell if stress is healthy?

Simply check in to see how it feels. If it feelsgood, it is healthy. What is enjoyable canvary markedly from person to person. Forexample, I enjoyed the stress of skydiving,while for my wife, it would feel awful.

A Novel TreatmentThe key stress antidote? Check in to see howthings feel. This is so important that I ambeing purposely redundant. Learn to say noto things that feel bad. Leave your brain outof it. Our brain is the product of our societaland family training. It simply feeds back tous what we were taught that we should do tomake others happy. Our feelings, on theother hand, tap into our own personalauthenticity. So choose to focus on, and do,those things that feel good. Once you’vedetermined what feels good, then your mindcan figure out how to make it happen.

And yes, it is okay to simply choose tofocus on what feels good in life, withoutbeing in constant battle mode against things you don’t like. Like food choices at abuffet, we don’t have to protest for theremoval of those foods we don’t choose toeat. Simply ignore them and pick thosethings you like. You will find that the rest

PRACTITIONER CORNER

By Jacob Teitelbaum, MD

A PracticalGuide

to TreatingStressAnxiety

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will soon stop appearing in your life. This ispart of how I suspect “free will” works. Ourfocus is like the remote control on our TV.What we focus on keeps showing up on ourscreen. This is why our constant “Warson…” just seem to create more of what weare attacking.

Is it truly okay to do what feels good?Some will make the argument that “Heroinfeels good, and perhaps also smacking thatperson who makes me angry over the headwith a two-by-four.” This is why we add twocaveats:

1. Don’t hurt others2. Ask yourself, “How is that working out

for me?”Doing this, people will find their anxiety

is often coming from their choosing whatthey think they should do over what feelsgood (i.e. doing what others want, instead ofwhat is authentic to them). Notice if you areconstantly feeling “I should do this, or Ishould do that.” This is euphemisticallycalled “Shoulding on yourself.” I invite youto change that toxic behavior.

If hyperventilation is present, the personwill usually have buried feelings that arebubbling to surface during periods of rela-tive calm. Counseling to help them learn tofeel their feelings helps over time. Also, aspanic attacks often leave people feeling likethey are going to die, understanding that thesymptoms are not dangerous helps. Simplytelling them may not be enough to reassurethem though. They can confirm hyperventi-lation is the cause by breathing rapidly forup to 30-60 seconds and seeing how itamplifies their symptoms. Unfortunately,this can also precipitate a full blown panicattack, so they need to be forewarned, andpick a safe time and place to do this test!

My e-book, Three Steps to Happiness—Healing Through Joy, can guide peoplethrough the mind-body healing process.

Balance the BiochemistryBegin with ruling out and treating overtissues, including:

1. Overactive thyroid. Consider this if theirFree T4 is even in the upper 20th percentileof the normal range.

2. Low progesterone (women). Progesteroneis like our body’s natural valium. Considerthis if anxiety is worse around menses andovulation.

3. Low testosterone (men). Consider iftestosterone levels are in the lower quarter ofthe normal range.

4. Adrenal fatigue. Caused by drops inblood sugar. A key tip off? Irritability andanxiety that triggers sugar cravings andimproves after eating.

Also optimize nutrient status, especiallymagnesium and B vitamins. Instead of bloodtesting, which is of questionable value here, Isimply recommend (for most people—whether or not they have anxiety) a highpotency multi powder called the DailyEnergy Enfusion (by IntegrativeTherapeutics). With this, one drink replaceswell over 35 pills, optimizing levels of mostnutrients. Also, have the person decreasesugar and caffeine intake to see if this helps.

Herbals can also be very helpful. Forexample, there is a unique extract, which canbe as effective as Xanax, but is very safe. Thisspecial extract stimulates one of the mostabundant neuroreceptors in the body, thecannabinoid receptors. Many of you mayrecognize this as the marijuana receptor, andin fact many people use cannabis to self-medicate for their anxiety.

But what if they could get the benefitswithout the sedation and side effects?

The good news is that now they can.Recent research showed that a special extractof the roots of the narrow leafed coneflower(Echinacea angustifoliae) was more effectivethan the tranquilizer Librium, with none ofthe side effects. It also worked quickly, witheffects building with continued use. This isnot the same component used for immuneenhancement, and isn’t found at needed lev-els in standard echinacea. It is availablethough as AnxioCalm (by EuroPharma—20mg per tablet).

Let’s look at a few studies of this uniqueextract.

A study published in the March 2012 issueof Phytotherapy Research included 33 volun-teers. All experienced anxiety, assessed usingthe validated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI). The extract decreased STAI scoreswithin three days, an effect that remainedstable for the duration of the treatment(seven days) and for the two weeks that fol-lowed treatment. There were no dropoutsand no side effects.

Another study looked at higher dosages(40 mg, 2x day) in a multi-center, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase II studyinvolving 26 volunteers diagnosed with gen-eralized anxiety disorder (GAD). Over athree-week period, the number of severelyanxious patients (HADS-A scores larger than11) decreased from 11 to zero.

So I begin with two tablets of AnxioCalmtwo times per day for severe anxiety. Afterthree weeks, the dose can often be droppedto one 20 mg tablet twice a day. It can alsosimply be used as needed, and serves as anexcellent sleep aid.

Other helpful herbals include valerian,passion flower, hops, theanine and lemon

balm. These can be found in a combinationcalled the “Revitalizing Sleep Formula,”which helps anxiety during the day and sleepat night. I personally use both AnxioCalmand the Revitalizing Sleep Formula at nightto ensure eight to nine hours of deep sleep.

The smell of lavender oil is also calming,and a small drop on the upper lip, or evenhaving a lavender bouquet in one’s room,can be helpful.

Structural and BiophysicsSimply going for regular walks in the sun-shine, and doing yoga, tai chi and medita-tion can be very helpful. A technique calledcentering can help people feel that they arein the calm “eye of the cyclone” when panicattacks hit. In addition, it is helpful toexplore a technique called Butyko breathing,which can be very helpful for anxiety andhyperventilation.

For PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder)or old emotional traumas, a technique calledEFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) cangive near miraculous benefits in as little as20 minutes (see EFT.Mercola.com). It mayseem odd, but try it and you’ll be amazed.Releasing old traumas through a simple“trembling” technique is also helpful, andthe person can do it on their own. It is easyand simple instructions can be found in thebook Waking the Tiger.

By having the entire healing arts toolkitavailable, and not just the “medical ham-mer,” anxiety can now be effectively treated!

10 NATURAL PRACTITIONER WWW.NATURALPRACTITIONERMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2016

PRACTITIONER CORNER

Jacob Teitelbaum,MD, director of thePractitioners AllianceNetwork, is one of themost frequently quot-ed integrative medicalauthorities in theworld. He is theauthor of the best-

selling From Fatigued to Fantastic!,Pain Free, 1,2,3!, Beat Sugar AddictionNow!, Real Cause Real Cure, TheFatigue and Fibromyalgia Solution, TheComplete Guide to Beating SugarAddiction, and the popular free smart-phone app Cures A-Z. He is the leadauthor of four studies on effective treat-ment for fibromyalgia and chronicfatigue syndrome, and a study oneffective treatment of autism usingNAET. Dr. Teitelbaum appears often asa guest on news and talk showsnationwide including Good MorningAmerica, The Dr. Oz Show, Oprah &Friends, CNN, and FoxNewsHealth.

Learn more at Vitality101.com.

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