I'm starting to feel unglued. Anxiety meds don't work for me.

Is there anything natural to help with this stress?

Photo by Nathan Cowley

Dear Readers,

This week’s column was inspired by a question I received during the pandemic. Amy wrote me, saying she was a frontline healthcare worker and her partner had lost his job. The weight of being the only breadwinner as well as the stressors of her job and parenting were wearing on her nerves. The family meals had dwindled to mac n cheese and grilled cheese, since her partner was now doing meal prep. She knew that wasn’t healthy but had no energy (or time) to focus on turning that around. She needed help to get energy just to cope:

“The problem is I can’t sleep from the stress and I can’t get up to prepare my food for the day because I’m so tired! My feet are always aching now and I feel like I’m just spinning! I’m usually a person who has her ducks in a row, but right now I’m starting to feel unglued. I’ve tried anxiety meds before and they trigger depression and insomnia in me so I don’t dare do that now. I don’t want to use sleeping pills! Is there anything natural I can take to help with the nerves and the sleep so I can get the energy to turn my diet around?”

While the stress of the pandemic was unique, stress in our current culture, sadly, is a chronic health problem. The rate of inflation is creating a pressure cooker situation for many families. Chronic, low grade stress can be as catastrophic to health as intense intermittent stress. In fact, it’s the low grade stuff our bodies are not equipped so well to recover from.

Recognizing Stress and Burnout

I’m just going to touch on stress first because we don’t always recognize it. It can manifest through symptoms that don’t always seem related: regular or chronic headaches, low energy and fatigue, malaise, lack of focus, memory problems, sleep irregularities, bowel problems, outbursts and anger, irritability, anger, digestive issues, changes in appetite, excessive cravings for carbs and sweets, and lack of sex drive. It can manifest as depression in some people. Or a desire to escape into alcohol or drugs. Or to run away. It can manifest as too much fantasy or other addictive behaviours that are actually just behaviours to soothe the internal angst. It’s really important to check in with yourself and examine your own stress levels and coping mechanisms to determine if it’s a problem in your life.

When Pharmacopeia Fails

When these symptoms are addressed by prescriptions, the underlying cause really isn’t addressed and over time the body will find new and louder ways to speak about the underlying problem. The symptoms get progressively more serious (deeper) when suppressed or ignored. This is how the body, in its great wisdom, teaches us when we are out of alignment.

Thus, while in the short term it’s understandable that we may need some help getting through a tough time with a prescription from our doctor, in the long term it’s not the best solution. These medications all have side effects and can be habit forming even at low doses, or very difficult for some people to come off of. Jordan Peterson’s benzo addiction is a good example of this. He didn’t realize it had become a problem, and that is not uncommon for this class of drugs.

It’s really better to address the underlying reason(s) for our stress, understand if it’s avoidable or not, and examine where and how our bodies aren’t coping with it well. For example is our stress impacting our sleep, our productivity, our relationships, our ability to drive safely, or other areas? With that information in hand we can discern if anything is unsafe or avoidable. We can determine if we can take action to resolve or reduce a stressor. We can enlist others to help. And we can implement measures to increase our capacity to handle stress. Taking prescriptions is a band-aide solution that, in the long term, reduces the body’s ability to cope with stress on its own.

Other holistic healthcare practitioners have put out many articles on how to minimize stress, so there is an abundance of that info online for anyone seeking it. I will instead focus on the holistic therapies that target the hormonal systems and organs that are depleted or imbalanced during times of stress. I will focus on actions and products you can implement or take without a lot of energy or hassle, especially herbs, as they are particularly gentle, well tolerated, and effective for stress and anxiety. 

The products work by boosting our nutrient reserves and strengthening and regulating the affected organ systems. And these same supplements and herbal remedies can help with regulating sleep and recovery - some without sedation. I’m also going to address those aching feet and some nutrition advice that even the busiest person can use for extra energy and nutrients without abundant extra work.

A Holistic Approach to Stress

1. Epsom salts: Soak in epsom salts. This works because magnesium is depleted during times of stress and it’s absorbed through your skin. Everything is, but we won’t get into that right now. If you find you get muscle cramps, stiff muscles, aching muscles (sore feet), twitches, headaches, tension in the neck or shoulders, back aches, jaw troubles, teeth grinding, hyperactivity, racing thoughts, restlessness, sleeplessness, inability to unwind, or other muscle or energy issues from stress you need to do this nightly. If you find you are overstimulated or you drink a lot of coffee or crave chocolate - you need to do this nightly. For more info on Mg, read my article here. You don’t have to sit in a tub, just make a warm foot bath for yourself with at least a cup of salts and soak for an hour while you watch some tele or read a book or whatever you do to unwind. Unscented epsom salts are best. The scented ones can be highly perfumed, rather than using true essential oils. This also works for kids with difficulty relaxing at night and those that self-stim. I’ve had several parents with kids on the spectrum use this effectively to stop self-stimming before bed. It really works that quickly.

2. Adaptogens: Drink adaptogen and immune modulating teas or tinctures daily. Adaptogens are a class of herbs that regulate the nervous system. They help your body unwind if it’s having trouble unwinding while also boosting energy. They do this by nourishing and toning the nervous system, rather than sedating it. You can buy teas that are made from one adaptogenic herb, but in my experience blends are the most potent. These are usually gotten through herbalists or someone who compounds herbs (as I do). There is a great adaptogen tea blend online here. The tinctures I would use for the type of acute stress and immune threat you described are a blend of Astragalus (adaptogenic, immune strengthening, inflammation, infection, stress, fatigue), Holy Basil (adaptogenic, anxiety, fatigue, stress, sleeplessness), and Reishi (immune strengthening, adaptogenic, depression and fatigue). I would put 15 drops of each in water 3x a day. As a general rule, be sure you are not known to be sensitive to any of the ingredients in herbal remedies and check the contraindications closely before using. This is especially important if you take medications. In that case, I advise a 1:1 appointment to go over safety prior to using these.

3. Medicinal Mushroom Coffee: Replace one of your morning cups of coffee with mushroom coffee. While also being adaptogenic, medicinal mushrooms are highly nourishing and balancing. This is especially good for those who get jitters or crashes or aching joints from caffeine. It sounds odd, but there are certain mushrooms that are esteemed to be highly medicinal by herbalists and Chinese medical doctors. They work specifically on the nervous and immune systems as modulators (adaptogens as above) and contain nutrients that help with chronic stress. The best ones are made with a blend of organic/ wildcrafted mushrooms or with ganoderma. It comes like an instant coffee, sometimes loose and sometimes in packets. There are some I’ve had good results with here and here and here and here. Note: these are contraindicated for those with autoimmune disorders or on immunosuppressive therapies, as are all potent immune stimulants.

4. B Complex: Take a good B complex supplement daily. You may find you need 2 of these per day, in divided doses during periods of high stress. A good B complex should contain a broad spectrum of B vitamins, including B1, niacin, B6, folate, and B12. Ideally you want to know if you need the methylated form of B12 and folate, for which you need to see someone like myself to guide you. But if you don’t know, try the methylated form first. These go by the names methylcobalamin and 5-MTHF OR L-5-MTHF. Only get a small bottle at first and try these every morning or morning and night for a minimum of 2 weeks. If you don’t notice improved energy and reduced stress, try the non-methylated form. It’s best to get a blend that has different amounts of the different nutrients, vs a 50 or 100 across the board. For B vitamins I recommend professional brands only. I carry them in my online dispensary, which you can access for free via my website. Professional-grade are those that have quality control measures in place and have established a reputation for creating beneficial products of high caliber, using the most potent and safe ingredients. Using generic and knock off brands can be dangerous with supplements, as many have tested high for heavy metals and other contaminants you don’t want in your body.

5. Melatonin: Take melatonin at night, about a half hour before bed. I prefer the sublingal tablets. It’s best to start with only 3-5mg and then go up if needed, after 2 weeks. It can take 2-4 weeks to fully notice any benefit of taking melatonin. It doesn’t always help people sleep better, but it helps regulate sleep/ wake cycles to help adrenaline shut down at the end of the day. It also helps the body rejuvenate as you sleep, as melatonin is a potent antioxidant that recycles other antioxidants and gets into the mitochondria. This is unique and makes it essential during times of stress. I don’t recommend slow release or high doses to start with. They can leave you feeling groggy in the morning, especially as you adjust.

6. Herbal sleep teas: Try a herbal combination specifically for sleep to help your body wind down and help strained nerves relax. I recommend the herbs passion flower, chamomile, lavender, rosemary, catnip, hops, and valerian for sleeplessness. But do note, some people do not tolerate valerian well. In some people this herb does the exact opposite and winds them up, so I recommend getting valerian on its own as a capsule or tea (it smells like feet so be warned!) to add to your other herbal sleep tea. When it’s tolerated well, valerian is incredibly sedative and soothing to the overstressed body. You can get some nice herbal tea blends here and here. You can get one with valerian here. 

7. Probiotics: Take probiotics or probiotic foods daily during times of stress, as they are often disrupted by stress reactions in the body. Studies show stress changes the microbiome adversely. A healthy gut biome regulates digestion, mood, stress responses, and immunity - so you can see why it’s so important!  Most of us understand what a nervous tummy or stressed out bowel feels like. If stress hits your digestive system, be sure to be eating fermented foods or taking quality, professional grade probiotic supplements. I provide direction for these via my dispensary for anyone who asks. I really like bio-K and renew-life brands and get good results with them.

Therapeutic Tremoring:

The most interesting and effective treatment for stress related disorders to date is a technique called therapeutic tremoring by founder, David Berceli, PhD. His approach uses movement - shaking - to stimulate the part of the nervous system that induces relaxation and release tension. He’s done the most advanced research on trauma and healing PTSD that I’ve read about - using this technique.

When we are stressed the fear stimulates the fight or flight part of our nervous system, which releases adrenaline and cortisol. These act as drugs to wind us up and help us have energy to handle the threat our biology perceives. But when we’re stuck feeling that way all the time, it can become impossible to relax. Deregulation by shaking and moving can help bring energy levels back down, lowering heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. This brings the nervous system back to neutral and resets bodily functions.

This is why mothers / parents intuitively rock upset babies to soothe them. The motion actually helps reset the nervous system. We can also use low intensity, repetitive motions like long, slow walks, dancing, shaking, rocking, yoga, Thai chi, and swimming to do this.

The motion can help ease an overstimulated nervous system and calm the body back down to enter the opposing, more restful state. To read more on this, go here.

Diet Can Help, Too

The dietary recommendations I give for periods of stress are super simple and can be incorporated rather easily. Do what you can, as you can. These may help you get more nutrients and even manage meal planning with more ease.

1. Don’t skip meals. When we’re under stress we need more nutrients than usual. This does not mean we need meals plus snacks, which sets us up for obesity and insulin resistance. It means 2 large or 3 small meals a day, roughly the same time every day. Routine is our friend when we are stressed.

2. Make sure meals focus on complete protein. When under stress meals should be up to 50% protein to ensure our neurotransmitters and muscles have all the fuel they need to keep us going. Our need for protein increases with stress and age, so adjust accordingly. 

3. Follow a meal template, incorporating leftovers. Give yourself a template to follow that meets your nutritional needs. If you need help with creating this for your family, book an appointment with me. Do you remember Meatloaf Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, etc? Having a template for what to buy each week can make meal prep and shopping a lot easier. There is a need to make a master list once, which you can print and cross items off of each week. Once you know the recipes, you’re good to go. This is even more economical and easy when every second day uses leftovers from the previous day, for example roast chicken and broccoli one day, then chicken fajitas the following day, with chicken noodle soup with tofu or sprouts the next day from the bones. Try meatloaf one day, then quiche that uses the leftover loaf the next day. Fish one day, then fish tacos or fish cakes the following day. This is the way our grandmothers used to do it - for good reason! And with today’s inflation level, it just makes good sense.

Mustering the Strength for Change

While making changes can be overwhelming when we are in a crisis, in the long term living on empty demands that we muster the strength to make lifestyle changes - or get help to do so. Ultimately, our health is our primary responsibility. Avoiding that responsibility or deferring it to pharmacopeia for too long will cause suffering in the long term. Using these techniques will help our body’s ability to handle stress over time. I encourage you to try them and share this article with loved ones who may need the information, as well.

As always, if readers have their own health questions, I welcome them. Just send me an email. And if you’re looking for more specific health information or help to create a family menu plan, check out my website at hopenotdope.ca. 

Namaste! 

Nonie Nutritionista