Anxiety and your Health
By Maggie Dulcio, LMHC, CAP
Anxiety can be very debilitating to those who suffers from it. It can be described as exaggerated worries and expectations of negative outcomes in unknown situations. Anxiety can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations. It can manifest in many different ways such as General Anxiety, Phobias, Social Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Separation Anxiety. In many instances, anxiety co-occurs with Depression. Often times, anxiety will keep people from sleeping, concentrating, talking to others or even leaving their home. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. About 18% of the American population is currently suffering from an Anxiety Disorder.
Anxiety symptoms may vary but common symptoms are muscle tension, headaches, stomach cramps, frequent urination, obsessive thoughts, sweating, heart palpitations, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, trembling or shaking and ritualistic behaviors. Causes can vary from one individual to another. There’s rarely one concrete cause of an anxiety disorder. Contributing factors include brain chemistry, genetics, environmental conditions, upbringing and life events. Other factors which may increase the risk of developing an Anxiety Disorder are long-lasting stress, chemical imbalance, family history and other mental health issues, trauma, and a history of abuse.
Anxiety disorders are treatable. Medications alone have proven to not be effective in treating Anxiety. There can be many side affects associated with anti-anxiety medications. Often times, tranquilizers are usually prescribed for people suffering from Anxiety. Common medications for treating anxiety are Xanax, Klonopin, Valium and Ativan. Options for treatment include Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), group therapy and of course, medication. There are alternative treatment as well such as Mindfulness, Meditation, Acupuncture, Yoga and Aromatherapy. People my choose alternative treatment due to side effects associated with the use of medication. Some common side affects are drowsiness, slowed reflexes, slurred speech, confusion and disorientation, Depression, impaired thinking and judgment, memory loss, nausea and blurred or double vision.
Many studies have shown that some essential oils are helpful in decreasing anxiety symptoms. Essential oils can be inhaled or applied topically. There are also some oils which may be safe for ingestion. Be sure to read labels carefully prior to ingesting any oil. Oils should be pure and not diluted or blended with synthetics that are unsafe for ingesting. I’m a distributor for Zija International, they manufacture a line of essential oils and the oils are pure and pharmaceutical grade. These are top oils on the market. For additional information visit: https://dulciomagdala.myzija.com/zija_nation/zn_ameo.html?country=us&language=EN