A short clinician-led video in which Dr. Nicole Cain outlines natural and lifestyle alternatives to benzodiazepines for anxiety. She emphasizes non-drug approaches (CBT, naturopathic care), describes a ‘Happy Sleepy Powder’ that she says increases GABA and lowers cortisol, recommends kava kava root (fast-acting) and Passiflora (used as a glycerite mixed with chamomile), and cautions about liver monitoring and discussing options with a physician.
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Hi, this is Dr. Nicole Cain, and I'm here to talk to you about solutions for anxiety. Anxiety can afflict millions Americans at one point or another throughout the lifespan. In fact, over 50% of people report having anxiety or panic attacks at a given time. There are things that you can do to help you feel better, and you don't have to depend just on medications. I had a patient come into my office recently, and he had been struggling with anxiety, and he was given the options of cbt, which is cognitive behavioral therapy, and benzodiazepine therapy. He ended up taking these benzodiazepines for over a decade. And then he found that he was getting higher and higher doses, and he wasn't getting better. The anxiety was getting worse, and he was dependent on the medication. So there are things that you can do to help with anxiety that are herbal, homeopathic, natural, and lifestyle things. Seeing a really great medically trained naturopathic doctor can help you identify what can specifically help you feel better. But today, I want to give you a couple of tips of some of my favorite tools. So, in one of my videos about insomnia, I talked about the Happy Sleepy Powder. This can be used to help us relax and sleep. It works by increasing GABA and decreasing cortisol. GABA is a relaxing neurotransmitter. And so if we're kind of in a fight or flight state, increasing that amount of gaba, which is what a benzodiazepine medication does, increasing that GABA can relax you and decrease your anxiety. Anxiety and then cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is released by your body when we're in a state of fight or flight. And so if you're having anxiety, it's likely that your cortisol levels are up. And so decreasing that with some phosphatidylserine can be really powerful and effective. And so if you want to learn about the formulation for the Happy Sleepy powder, then watch my insomnia video. There are also a couple of other things that you could try. One of my favorites as an alternative to benzodiazepines is an herb called kava kava. The part you want to use is the root. Kava kava root is very effective, and it kicks in within about 10 or 15 minutes. The nice thing about kava kava is that it doesn't sedate you and make it difficult or inappropriate for you to operate a vehicle. Of course, talk to your doctor about any of these recommendations to make sure it will be a right fit for you. There is some limited research talking about high doses of kava kava causing inflammation in the liver and so of course when you see your doctor, it's good to get liver testing done just to make sure that everything is healthy. While that is in a couple of articles of research, I haven't seen it clinically and I've had patients use this herb in high doses for long periods of time, quite safely, but with any medication, with any herb and any supplement, make sure that you do your research. Another thing that I love to recommend that's very safe and gentle and I've used in my pediatric patients is Passiflora. Pasiflora is a wonderful plant that is very gentle and very relaxing. My favorite way to use Passiflora is in a glycerite form which is a non alkaline extraction and then mixing about three teaspoons of that in chamomile tea. Chamomile tea is very relaxing as well and it's a great nightly ritual to help you reduce your anxiety and reduce your stress. Again, this has been Dr. Nicole Cain talking to you about natural solutions for your anxiety and if you want to learn more, go to www.drnicolecane.com. thanks again for watching and check out my other videos. RA.
