The New Sun Newspaper

Alleviate Anxiety

I have suffered from occasional anxiety for years, managing the symptoms with propranolol. Last spring, it became worse and chronic so that for about 8-9 months I was having to medicate 2 - 3 times a day.

My GP advised me to start anti-depressants, but I went to my naturopath first, hoping for a more holistic approach.

He started me on a preparation called "Kavacin" (main ingredient is kava-kava), along with some homeopathic drops for symptomatic relief (called "L.72"). This treatment, like those using tri-cyclics, takes up to a month to show noticeable progress.

After that month, he added an adrenal cortex compound which didn't agree with me. We switched to a Ginseng preparation and it is doing well.

I have found that as the anxiety has diminished, my whole outlook on life has brightened, and I see the connection between depression and anxiety. It seems now like I have been borderline depressed all my life, but didn't realize it, (having nothing to compare against).

I believe this is why some anti-depressant drugs work against anxiety.

So, for anyone suffering from chronic anxiety, I would strongly recommend seeing a good naturopath before starting any allopathic treatment.

By Judy Johnson, Seattle, Washington, USA

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