Natural Treatments for Childhood Anxiety
By Diana Zitserman, ND
ety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, social anxiety, obsessive-compul- sive behavior, post-traumatic stress, selective mutism, separation anxiety, and specifi c phobias. Anxiety disorders are closely related and often overlap with other conditions, including depression, attention-defi cit/hyperactivity disorder, mood imbalance, and body dysmorphia. One common denominator that raises anxiety levels and alters mood is chronic stress.
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Researchers in the fi eld of psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease, have identifi ed that chronic stress can lead to or exacerbate anxiety and mood disorders. More specifi cally, it is our emotional signals or molecules that generate an adaptive stress response which directly affects our immune cells, hormones, and nervous system. As a result, anxious individuals experience signs and symptoms, such as body fi dgeting, biting fi ngernails, tapping feet, racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, nausea, and stomach discomfort. As persistent thought patterns associated with anxiety can lead to feelings of impending doom or helplessness, increased anxiety can also leave individuals vulnerable to depression, bipolar disorder, cognitive (thinking) problems, personality, or behavior changes.
Every child experiences some temporary and usually harmless form of anxiety. While stress and anxiety are considered a nor- mal factor of life that can drive growth and motivational change, prolonged stress and anxiety that goes unmanaged can negatively impact one’s health and sense of well-being. Furthermore, untreated children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school, miss important social experiences, engage in substance abuse, experience intense thoughts of fear and nervousness, and at worse engage in self-harm.
Reasons for Increased Anxiety Childhood and teenage pressures are high when it comes to
home-school-friend-life balance. These include parental pressures (such as: moving to a new location, losing a parent or grandparent, experiencing parental divorce or separation, building parent-child relationships, witnessing abusive parental relationships, establishing family roles, abiding family rules), peer pressures (such as: building friendships, overcoming bullying, achieving popularity, growing a self-image, social groupings, and social media), school pressures (such as: starting school, achieving good grades, graduating), soci- etal pressures (such as: terrorism/racism, media fears, social media pressures, perceived threats, social groups, gender conformity).
While the cause of anxiety stems from increased pressures as mentioned above, factors including a combination of genetic, en- vironmental, psychological, developmental factors, over-scheduled children, poor sleep, and improper nutrition all play key roles.
26 Natural Nutmeg - September 2018
nxiety disorders are becoming more prevalent in recent years. Adults and children alike suffer from various forms of anxiety, including extreme fear or worry, generalized anxi-
Natural Ways to Improve Anxiety States
1. Diet: There is a direct relationship between nutrition and brain function. As our food today is more processed and deplete of nutrients, it is important that steps are put in place to enable your child to receive vital nutrients to build their immune and nervous system. Good food builds good mood is the motto!
• Eat Organic Fresh Living Foods. To provide the maximum amount of natural nutrition, eat whole organic fresh fruit and vegetables. Living vitamins and minerals and plant com- pounds provide active ingredients to one’s living body.
• Increase Protein and Healthy Fats. Seek out grass-fed meat from animals and poultry that have been fed on hormone- free organic foods. Increase wild-caught fi sh that’s high in omega 3 fatty acids and low in mercury. Extra protein can also be obtained by eating eggs, legumes, beans, nuts and seeds.
• Reduce Sugar Intake. Highly refi ned or processed sugar is simply glucose, and can stimulate the brain and rapidly crash in energy soon after. It’s not sustainable energy and can create symptoms of ADD/ADHD, brain fog, fatigue, and irritability. Replace processed sugary foods with com- plex carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables. Try healthy snacks such as carrot, jicama, cucumber, bell pepper and celery sticks.
• Increase Water. Water is one of the most essential ingredi- ents for a healthy mind and body. Our bodies are composed more of water than actual proteins. Encourage your child to drink half of their body weight in fl uid ounces. Drink infused fruit water or dilute fruit juice to only one-third juice and rest as fi ltered water.
• Check for Allergies. The most common allergies and food sensitivities are gluten, dairy, sugar and yeast. Food sensitivi- ties are essentially altered immune signals that trigger a scat- tered and unfocused mind, asthma, hay fever, skin reactions, or digestive issues.
2. Avoid and Reduce Toxic Chemicals: Chemicals in food, envi- ronment, and household products contribute to weakening your child’s immune, endocrine, and nervous systems. In particular, plastics, pesticides, and heavy metals have been shown to alter immune function (e.g.: allergies, food intolerance), disrupt hormonal signaling (e.g.: obesity, early menses), and arrest nerve growth (cognitive delay, ADD/ADHD), respectively. Therefore, it is best to limit chemical exposure when possible, and replace toxic products with chemical-free alternatives.
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