Best Herbal Remedy for Anxiety

Before we look at the best herbal remedy for anxiety it's important to look at what physiological imbalances cause anxiety.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views symptoms of anxiety, nervousness, restlessness and depression as the result of blood deficiency or lack of yin. And so naturally the best herbal remedy for anxiety will include herbs that specifically build the blood and yin or fluids in the body.

Why is building blood crucial for treating anxiety permanently? An easy way to understand how the yin/yang balance affects anxiety is simple. Your body, like everything in the universe is a balance of yin and yang, or hot and cold, water and fire.

You have blood and fluids in the body or yin that is transported and transformed by yang or energy processes such as digestion, eliminating toxins and breathing. Without sufficient water or yin to hold the yang /fire it escapes and like heat, yang energy rises.

This untamed energy rises to your heart or mind causing anxiety, heart palpitations, hot flashes, headaches, hypertension and a variety of troublesome symptoms. Building blood is the first thing acupuncturists and other TCM practitioners focus on when treating patients with anxiety.

For the purpose of this article we will be investigating TCM herbs as the best herbal remedies for anxiety. They include these three herbs which specifically enrich blood and transport it to the heart; Dang Qui (Angelica Sunensis), processed Rehmannia Root (Rehmannia Glutinosa; in mandarin: Shu Di Huang) and Red Sage Root (Salvia Miltorrhiza; in mandarin: dan Shen).

Dan Qui and in combination with processed Rehmania, a warming remedy, is especially effective for conditions with signs of coldness. Red Sage root a bitter herb is more useful when there is a tendency to develop dampness or mucus excess in the body.

Another very powerful blood and yin builder although not an herb is Royal Jelly.
Royal jelly is a thick, extremely nutritious, milky-white, creamy liquid secreted by the hypopharyngeal glands of nurse bees. Queen bees live exclusively on royal jelly and it accounts for their incredible size and longevity. They average 42 percent larger and weigh 60 percent more than the worker bee. Amazingly, they live 40 times longer than worker bees, seven years as compared to seven weeks.

Royal Jelly has been used in TCM for centuries an interestingly enough is a significant source of Vitamin B12, folic acid and Iron, the nutrients most often needed to cure blood deficiencies.

Severe blood and yin deficiencies can eventually lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes. Tonifying yin is always a lengthy process as it takes many years for such an imbalance to take root.

TCM aims to re-balance the whole body-mind-and spirit system using natural alternatives such as herbs that speed up the process.

If you suffer from anxiety consider this route if you are willing to be patient for the root problem to be rebalanced permanently, this is not a quick fix alternative, neither a band aid patch job. Always consult a professionally trained practitioner before taking any herbs.

Vanessa Simpkins is an alternative health practitioner who specializes in teaching others how to stay healthy using natural traditional Chinese medicine and acupressure. If you want to get in touch with Vanessa or learn more about alternative health please visit: http://www.naturally-a-womans-way.com

10 Simple Techniques To Initiate Stress And Anxiety Relief At Work

Ricky Gervais and the BBC's stunningly successful sit-com "The
Office" has been a huge hit around the world spawning countless
spin off's and remakes.

The fact is that the comic situation transfers across cultural
barriers. The exact idioms of the language may alter but
essentially we see people in the show that we relate to in our
own workplace - sometimes we even see ourselves.

The people are not the only aspect of the show tat transfers,
so do the situations the characters find themselves in. Do these
two quotes from The Office strike a chord?

Jim Halpert: Because right now, this is a job. If I advance any
higher, this would be my career. And if this were my career, I'd
have to throw myself in front of a train.

Michael Scott: This is our receptionist, Pam. If you think
she's cute now, you should have seen her a couple years ago.

These lines may be funny yet they point to something basic and
fundamental pertaining to the work place: stress and more
specifically work related stress.

The UK Health and Safety at Work Executive (HSE); the UK
government's Work related health and safety body define work
related stress as: "the adverse reaction a person has to
excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them."

A certain degree of stress is healthy, t keeps us on our toes
and drives us to achieve. In essence stress will cause us to
lead more fulfilling lives. The difficulty is here however, is
how do we create a healthy balance of stress because too much
stress and anxiety is certainly harmful to your health and
well-being? What techniques can we apply to encourage stress and
anxiety relief in our lives? Stay with me for a short while and
we'll look at 10 simple ideas to initiate stress and anxiety
relief at work.

Tune Into Your Body

A simple idea it may be, but one that is the key to unlocking
the box to the other stress and anxiety relief techniques that
we shall examine. Be aware of the degree of stress that you're
experiencing at any one moment in time. First of all you need to
know when your stress levels are rising.

Measure your stress level on a scale of 1-10. While you're at
home find a time when you are alone and when you can lie down
with your eyes closed. Put on your favourite music for relaxing
or just sit in silence, whatever works best for you. Just let
your mind wander and do not seek to hold your thoughts, no
matter how fleeting. After 10 minutes or so you should be aware
of level zero stress.

this is the gauge for measuring all other stress levels. During
the day check into the scale and not the level of tension that
you're feeling: are your shoulders hunched and tense; how does
your gut feel, is it tight and churning; is your jaw clenched?

Take time to move

Movement is a great way to reduce stress levels. Just by
getting out of your seat and moving around you will find that
you will feel a measure of stress and anxiety relief. A brisk
walk during your lunch break and a short jogging session at the
end of the day will reduce tension. Generally aim to keep fit
anyway.

Take time for deep breathing

Simply breaths deeply, inhaling through the nostrils, after
holding the breath for a count of three exhale slowly through
the mouth.

Take time to use your minds power of imagery

This is another great way to bring stress and anxiety relief
into the workplace. Just take a moment or two to imagine that yo
are somewhere else. Hear the sound of the sea, create the vivid
colours of the sky in your mind, soar of to your favourite place
and do not wait for that distant vacation; go there today. The
more vivid the images the better this stress and anxiety relief
technique will work.

Take time to challenge your irrational thoughts

Be aware of you inner voice and the messages that it is sending
to you. Often these thoughts are based on previous mind
conditioning and the thoughts will be harmful and create
unnecessary levels of stress. For example if you are under
pressure to get something done by a particular time you may find
yourself thinking" I must get this done or else I'm fired and
I'll need to find another job!" This is probably not the case
and if it is then you're probably better looking for another job
anyway.

Take time to plan work into smaller manageable tasks

A large taks can be overwhelming and may need to be broken down
into simpler easier to complete jobs. We meet more step by step
targets this way and feel agreater sense of achievment after
each step is finished. Give yourselfa reward for completing the
smaller taks and do not wait for the final task before you give
yourself a pat on the back.

Take time to reduce cafine intake

Have you ever seen a two-year old completely wired after
chomping through a few cookies or drinking cola? Well that's
exactly what happens to all of us when we take in too much sugar
or caffeine. However, unlike the nipper at home we can't very
well run around the office making airplane noises, we just carry
the excess stress.

Take time to have a play break

Some professionals keep "squish" balls, or stress balls, in
their work space a simple squeeze is all that is needed for
rapid relief of stress and anxiety. Other people take a few
minutes to play a game at www.addictinggames.com. They're quick
(less than five minutes), easy to play, and many don't require a
download.

Take time to Blow Off Steam - but fairly

don't think that you can't vent a little, but just remember
words spoken in anger can haunt you for a long time if they're
read or overheard by the wrong person. Don't put anything in
email you don't want the whole office to see.

take time to understand that a little stress is worthwhile

Finally, remember that it's natural to feel stress when you
leave your comfort zone. Some stress must be endured as you
expand your horizons, learn new tasks and earn new
responsibilities. That kind of stress may not be much fun, but
in the long run, it's worth it!

About The Author: Peter Wellington writes for
http://www.shrinkstress.com/, a website providing a
comprehensive archive of free information on simple techniques
to rapidy reduce stress in your life

Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=172760

Stress

One of the most usual yet deadliest enemies we face in this modern, trying world is STRESS. And I have to stress that out because it is often ignored, yet it can really damage your health and your life. It can finally contribute to depression.

Probably the leading type of stress is job stress or work-related stress. It is not unusual for workers to be grumpy on Monday and cheerful on Friday night. Work-related stress has been the root of a number of ailments such as extreme fatigue, headaches, anxiety, nervousness, respiratory illnesses, muscle ache, back pain, ulcers, insomnia, hypertension, high blood pressure, depression of course, and even obesity! If you've been so busy with your work and you haven't got the time to take a short break, you'll have tendency to pig out on dinner or midnight snacks. And of course, job instability can lead to depression.

Other factors that lead to stress are relationship problems, health problems, and financial problems. Things like a contention with your sister, not being able to clear your debts on time, supporting a family on a meager income, having an terminal disease, can definitely bring about depression. Even positive events such as obtaining a job advancement or having increased job responsibilities, getting married, or getting pregnant can also lead to tension, and depression.

Some Drugs Can Cause Depression

Certain drugs can change a person’s moods. All drugs affect the body and the mental processes in one way or another. If a drug creates noxious results in the brain or nervous system, extreme depression could be the result. Toxic depression occurs when a person takes too much of a drug or tranquilizer over a long duration of time. This kind of depression and drug toxicity will disappear in a day or so after the drug is no longer in the system. You must remember that when you begin to experience weird feelings while taking a medication, consult your medical doctor.

How does depression affect the individual's behavior

Depressed people have some or more of the following characteristics:

• They lose interest on their love life, career, friends, and family.
• They experience loneliness, hopelessness, gloom, and indifference to their surroundings. It is a feeling of extreme despair.
• They seek to escape from problems and even from life itself. Thoughts of leaving home, running away or avoidance of others is common. They feel life is hopeless and worthless. Suicidal thoughts are lurking in their minds.
• There is a tendency to escape from the company of others because of an unexplained fear of being rejected. Their withdrawal consequently brings on some rejection by other people. They cancel scheduled activities, become uninterested to return phone calls, and seek ways to avoid talking with or seeing others.
• They are overly sensitive to what others say and do. They may misinterpret actions and suggestions in a negative way and become irritable because of those mistaken assumptions. They complain and cry a lot.
• They have a general loss of self-esteem. They feel more and more negative about life’s events, and they even question their own personal worth. Their self–confidence level is extremely low.
• They experience negative changes in physical activities––appetite, sleeping and sex. Some lose interest in sexual activities. Some lose interest in food while others gouge themselves with all the stuffs they can eat. Some sleep constantly while others cannot get to sleep easily, or they wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep again.
• There is usually an underlying feeling of guilt. They often feel overly responsible for other people’s feelings.
• Depression often makes the depressed dependent upon other people. This further aggravates a feeling of helplessness, which makes them more upset.
• They have difficulty expressing and handling their feelings. Anger is especially difficult for them to control. Because of a sense of worthlessness and lack of knowledge in dealing with their situation, they get more enraged in themselves. This can be directed outward at others.

Above 95% of even the most depressed individuals can be totally cured if the condition is identified at the early stages. It is essential to know and take action when the early warning signs of depression are manifesting.

Are you safe from depression?

Did you know that words related to depression have been searched over 993,000 times on the Internet for May 2005 alone? Much attention has been centered to this international health problem as the rigorous challenges of modern times continue to devastate those who cannot cope with it. Extreme depression can ultimately lead to suicide.

No one is safe from being affected by depression because it affects everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. Once a person starts becoming depressed, he or she usually behaves in a manner that intensifies the illness.

How depression and diabetes if combined be fatal

According to researchers at the University of Washington and at Group Health Cooperative, higher mortality rates are found in type 2 diabetes accompanied by minor or major depressionthan those with type 2 diabetes alone.