Anxiety and Mood Management

Common concerns:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress Management
• Insomnia
• Seasonal Affective disorder
• ADHD

Anxiety and mood disorders often come from a combination of altered brain chemistry and maladaptive coping strategies. Society has become more aware of how common and serious mental health is these past decades. Conditions like anxiety, depression and insomnia affect many and negatively affect their ability to function in life. Even without overt disorder everybody needs to learn how to cope with stress in healthy ways.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral condition that interferes with a person’s ability to pay attention and exercise age-appropriate inhibition. With increased awareness of the condition, more individuals are seeking help from the medical profession.

Conventional Care

Both medication and psychotherapy are used to manage mental health conditions. There are many classes of medications for treating mental health conditions. Some examples of anti-anxiety drugs include Alprazolam, Diazepam and Buspirone. Some examples of anti-depressants include Amitriptyline and Fluoxetine. Recently, atypical anti-depressants such as Burpropion and Trazodone are often prescribed.

However, due to the possible side-effects, a lot of patients are reluctant to take medications. Also, some patients lack the discipline to take the medications regularly.

Naturopathic Care

Naturopathic doctors also employ a dual approach for treating anxiety and mood disorders. Therapies such as mindfulness, breathing exercise, meditation, counseling and cognitive behavior therapy are often used at the same time as herbal or nutritional supplements.

There is a range of herbal or nutritional supplements that are beneficial to mental health conditions. Herbal supplements such as L-theanine or melatonin are often used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha or rhodiola can be prescribed to help with energy levels and reduce biomarkers of stress like cortisol. These herbs are not recommended to be used in conjunction with mood altering drugs without supervision since they can interact. Acupuncture can also be used to regulate the smooth flow of Qi and blood and maintain calm and restful mood.

For children with ADHD, maintaining adequate nutrition is particularly important as deficiencies can exacerbate the condition.