A comprehensive approach to help you better manage your anxiety, have more regulated
and balanced moods, and experience more ease in your day-to-day life.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a general term to describe a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. It is a completely normal and common feeling designed to help keep us safe. The problem arises when anxiety becomes unmanageable and takes on a form that becomes excessive and interferes with a person’s ability to function in daily life. Clinically, anxiety can manifest in many different ways and take on many different forms including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, relational anxiety, performance anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobias, and more.

Common symptoms include:

• Muscle tension

• Excessive sweating, heart palpitations, and shakiness

• Digestive issues including cramping and loose stools, as well as constipation

• Low appetite or emotional eating

• Headaches

• Irritability

• Jaw clenching or teeth grinding

• Insomnia or poor sleep

• Ruminating thoughts

• Catastrophic thinking (i.e. worst case scenarios)

• Avoidance or withdrawal from friends and family, appointments etc.

• Procrastination

• Perfectionism

• Burnout and chronic fatigue

• Inability to rest or sit still

• Nail biting, skin picking, or constant fidgeting

• & more

Possible Causes

No two people are the same, which means that how we treat our ailments should be customized as well. Anxiety can come in all shapes and sizes, present in various different ways, and be caused by many different factors. By uncovering some of the common possible causes through working with a naturopathic doctor, we can then target our holistic plans to treat the root cause(s) for short and long term improvements.

Possible causes include:

• Nutrient deficiencies: Iron, B12, vitamin D, and magnesium are often big players when it comes to mood management among other things (*always speak to a naturopathic doctor or qualified health care practitioner before beginning new supplements).

• Gut dysfunction: They’re called ‘gut feelings’ for a reason! Our digestive tract has it’s own nervous system called the Enteric Nervous System. Our gut microbiome is also a huge player when it comes to our mood and overall health.

• Blood sugar dysregulation: Blood sugar imbalances can result in symptoms of anxiety. This often comes from skipping meals or not having adequate quality protein and healthy fats in the diet. Learning how to balance our blood sugar and fuel our body with high quality nutrition can not only help balance blood sugar levels, but can also result in better moods, more energy, and less brain fog.

• Life stressors: Poor work-life balance, low quality relationships, and high stress can all contribute to anxiety as well. While we need to assess our physical, mental, and emotional health, our day-to-day environment and life stressors also play a large role in our overall wellbeing. Learning how to manage our time, prioritize our values, delegate, lean on support systems, and develop a resilient mindset can help offset stressors and redirect our lives towards more peace and balance.

• Upbringing and/or traumas: a large component of our outlook on life comes from the way we were raised. Did we have room to make errors growing up and still feel supported? Did we have a significant amount of anxiety in our household growing up? Have we had healthy relationships modelled to us or experienced them ourselves? Do we have good nervous system flexibility - i.e. how do we bounce back from hardship or adapt to uncertainty? Understanding some of our patterns and origins can help us develop more compassion towards the up’s and down’s of life while also better understanding where we can take action.

How We Can Help

There are many ways to support anxiety naturally.

Our Approach:

1. Comprehensive Health Assessments: This is an opportunity to dive deep into your health history, use targeted lab testing to rule out any imbalances or deficiencies, identify contributing causes to your symptoms, and get really clear on your short term and long term goals.

2. Lifestyle & Nutritional Support: Your naturopathic doctor will create a plan specific for your needs and lifestyle. This will often include nutritional and lifestyle recommendations that focus on building daily habits that nourish your body and mind in a consistent and sustainable way.

3. Herbal & Supplemental Support: Herbs and supplements can be great additional tools to calm the nervous system, support quality sleep, and prevent further agitation of stress and anxiety.

4. Acupuncture & Cupping Therapy: Acupuncture and cupping can be might be suggested as additional methods of support to further calm and balance the system from a physical and somatic perspective.

5. Integrative Care: We always want to make sure you have the best possible health care team supporting you. That means, knowing when to refer you to your medical doctor, psychotherapist, or other specialists that might be most indicated to ensure your safety and best care is a priority and that your health care is well rounded.

Our goal is to have you feeling empowered and more in control of your health and wellbeing.

With a well designed strategy in place that is customized to you, we can create space for your system to thrive. If you’ve been struggling with anxiety and want to learn more, book in for a complimentary discovery call to better understand how naturopathic medicine can support you.