Drug Free Treatments For Anxiety

If you have been suffering from an anxiety disorder, you may need to take anti-anxiety medications.  However, these drugs are often addictive and they have unwanted side-effects.  Incidents of accidental overdose of these prescription medications have resulted in deaths.  Medical practitioners and scientists are exploring some alternatives to anti-anxiety drugs.  Below are some alternative treatments for anxiety that you may want to try:

1) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Cognitive behavioral therapy may significantly improve your condition.  This is a form of treatment that aims to help you learn and use new thinking skills to change your behavior and correct your ingrained negative thought patterns.  Simply put, your mind will be trained to think and respond differently. 

2) Herbs - The following herbs have been found to relieve anxiety: arctic weed (also known as golden root), brahmi, St. John's wort, chamomile, kratom, passionflower, valerian and kava.

Before taking any herbal supplements, you need to be aware of the side effects and risks associated with them. You also need to know if they interact with certain drugs and what necessary precautions you need to take. It is always best to consult a doctor before taking any herbal supplements.

3) Aroma Therapy - Essential oils can do wonders to your frazzled nerves. You may add these oils to your massage oil, to infusers or to baths. Some of the oils that relieve nervous tension and anxiety are: lavender, bergamot, geranium, cypress, rose, ylang-ylang and sandalwood. The most commonly used among these plant oils is lavender. It is almost often found in relaxing oil blends.

4) Mind/Body Techniques - Physical exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, taichi and self-hypnosis are only few of the many ways to reduce stress and relieve anxiety. You may try different techniques until you find what works best for you.

5) Massage - Nothing relieves stress and soothes the mind better than a good massage. It eases muscle tension and improves sleep. You may combine aromatherapy with massage therapy for best results.

Chemical dependence is one of the dangers of taking anti-anxiety medications, but you do not have to be a slave to drugs.  However, your doctor knows what is best for your condition.  Thus, whatever you decide to do, make it a point to discuss it with your doctor.