Around 40% of the population in the United States uses complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy in a given year. Some still use it with the conventional medicine approach. Others choose to shift fully to alternative medicine to reduce anxiety because it aligns with their beliefs and values. As to its effectiveness for relieving stress and other mental health related issues, researchers have proven that it does make an impact like conventional medicine prescriptions.

In the last blog, I shared about how to manage stress and anxiety by doing simple yet helpful ways to improve your overall health and wellness. After all, I believe that stress is a part of our daily lives but the good news is that if we take good care of our wellbeing, we can overcome the symptoms so that it doesn’t interfere with the quality of life we want to enjoy. In this post, I would be emphasizing one of the best anxiety relievers so join me as I share what makes it on top of the list.

These stressors may affect sleep, energy, and relationships. Unfortunately, when you go to some doctors and share about your symptoms, most of them would just prescribe every single pill that (to them) might help you without even knowing what the real root cause is. It might reduce the symptoms for some people and it might not give positive results to you.

Maybe now you’re in this situation where you want to just go with a natural remedy because you’re already at the ceiling of testing if anxiety medications work for you or not. Worse, you’re already feeling some other side effects of these medications like weight gain, drowsiness, sexual dysfunction, and others. If so, then let’s get right into what you need.

What is the best alternative medicine for anxiety?

Functional medicine therapists and doctors recommend meditation as an alternative medicine to relieve anxiety and stress. It helps you come back to your present moment and reset your mind and body. It does an amazing transformation to your whole system and provides other benefits such as decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease, headaches, heartburn, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels.

After meditating and your full energy and power has returned, you may then be able to assess and monitor your own triggers.

Answer questions like

• “At what part of the day is your anxiety level at its peak?”

• “What event made your heart rate beat fast?”

• “What are the emotions you’re actually feeling and how does your body respond to it?”

• “How can I let go of this fear?”

By being mindful of specific information like these, you’ll be able to discover the best natural anxiety reliever that will work for you.

What foods reduce anxiety fast?

If you’re feeling anxiety, what’s your favorite go-to food? Ice cream? Chocolate? Pizza? Sadly, these are the least helpful foods if you want to reduce anxiety fast with foods.

Alternative medicine practitioners recommend chocolate but the dark ones with at least 70% cocoa. However, if you take too much, you might worsen the anxiety symptoms because of the caffeine content.

Here’s the safest list of foods for relieving anxiety:

• Oranges (Vitamin C)

• Lavender and Chamomile Tea (anti-oxidant)

• Sauerkraut (gut-healthy bacteria)

• Liver, fish, or eggs (for brain and heart health)

• Oats (with berries)

• Or Berries (and nuts) 

Drink Water to Relieve Anxiety Quickly

This is obviously one of the best ways to reduce anxiety fast. When was the last time you grabbed for a glass of water for someone who is having a panic attack or hypertension problem? If you experienced it yourself, you know that if your heart is beating fast and breathing heavily, you feel fatigue or loss of energy. That is because your body is losing fluid. Now, drinking water gives an instant feeling of relaxation. Studies have also shown that staying hydrated can increase your cortisol level.

Here’s a tip when drinking water during episodes of panic or anxiety:

Take your time. You don’t need to drink a glass of water in one gulp. It helps to gargle the water for about 15 seconds before you swallow it. Do this multiple times until you feel more relaxed.

Conclusion: Alternative Medicine for Anxiety

The abovementioned recommendations are truly my favorites in terms of taking care of my overall health and wellness. Aside from the quick relief they provide for anxiety and stress, these practices contribute to improved sleep, brain and heart health, and risk reduction to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. 

Mental health is a huge part of achieving wellness because having a healthy mindset provides an opportunity for growth in all other aspects of life. Valuing yourself should be at the top of the list to help with mental well-being. Treat yourself with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. Make time for your hobbies and favorite projects, or broaden your horizons.

If you were to ask me, I’d rather make time to integrate the above health and wellness practices regularly to my lifestyle. I have had a really sad experience with regards to my heart health and I wouldn’t want that to happen again to me and to any member of my family. Guess what, my wife is also loving our health and wellness journey and I shared about her yoga goals in the podcast.

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