Anxiety and Depression Treatment
Anxiety and Depression May Have a Nutritional, Physiological or Psychosocial Basis
The awareness that mental health has on our overall wellbeing including our physical health has increased significantly over the last few years. Once upon a time it was considered separate to your physical health. Now research is increasingly showing that the link between mental and physical health is inseparable. Most people will experience anxiety and/or depression at some stage in their lives.
People experience these conditions differently. For some, anxiety and depression are triggered by challenging or difficult life circumstances and they eventually return to a sense of normal. For others, anxiety and depression can be chronic state of being that holds them back from living a full life.
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Anxiety is a state of worrying about a future which has not yet happened, and depression is a state of worrying or ruminating over the past and not being able to move forward. Both keep people from being fully alive and well in the present. For some people, there are physiological reasons for experiencing anxiety or depression which becomes especially evident with age. A comprehensive review of your overall health condition will provide us the information we need to understand the cause of your anxiety and/or depression. With this in mind, our naturopathic treatments focus the body, mind and spirit as a whole.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety can range from mild to severe nervousness.
Common anxiety symptoms include:
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ï‚· Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
ï‚· Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
ï‚· Having an increased heart rate or heart palpitations
ï‚· Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
ï‚· Sweating
ï‚· Trembling
ï‚· Feeling weak, tired or fatigued
ï‚· Insomnia
ï‚· Excessive worry
ï‚· Dry mouth
ï‚· Loss of appetite or increased appetite
Long term anxiety can play havoc with bodily systems including the adrenals, thyroid, heart, brain function, hormonal system, inflammatory pathways and gut microbiome. If any of these systems are not in balance, they may be the cause of anxiety or depression symptoms. Other factors which can contribute to anxiety are neurotransmitter imbalances, heavy
metal toxicity, nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, genetic predisposition (gene SNP’s), gut microbial imbalance, pyroluria and psychosocial factors.
Symptoms of Depression
Symptoms of depression vary between people and you may be depressed if you have felt sad, down or miserable most of the time for more than two weeks.
Common symptoms of depression include:
Behaviours
ï‚· Lost interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
ï‚· Not wanting to go out anymore
ï‚· Not getting things done at work or school
ï‚· Withdrawing from close family and friends
ï‚· Relying on alcohol and sedatives
ï‚· Unable to focus and concentrate
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Feelings
ï‚· Overwhelmed
ï‚· Guilty, ashamed
ï‚· Irritable, frustrated
ï‚· Lacking in confidence
ï‚· Indecisive
ï‚· Disappointed
ï‚· Constantly unhappy, sad or miserable
Thoughts
ï‚· I’m a failure
ï‚· It’s my fault
ï‚· Nothing good ever happens to me
ï‚· I’m worthless
ï‚· Life’s not worth living
ï‚· People would be better off without me
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Physical
ï‚· Tired all the time
ï‚· Sick and run down
ï‚· Headaches and muscle pains
ï‚· Churning gut
ï‚· Sleep problems
ï‚· Loss or change of appetite
ï‚· Significant weight loss or gain
Depression can be outright debilitating and have a huge impact on people’s lives and their relationships. You don’t have to live with depression, there is a way forward. After taking a full case history, we will organise the most appropriate testing to find the cause of anxiety or depression symptoms. This includes obtaining a thorough understanding of your gut health and its impact on your mental and emotional health.
Our naturopathy treatments use a holistic approach to support the body back into balance physically, and we address emotional and psychosocial issues with holistic counselling if we both agree this is a good step.