Hi hrtw,
I have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and have pretty much overcome it. In also being a lay nutritionist, here are some tips on
overcoming any anxiety disorder as well as overall good health advice:
1. Cut down on your intake of sugar. Give up fruit juices for a while. Sugar can trigger an anxiety attack -- even a day later. Avoid it as much as
you can.
2. Eat lots of raw vegetables. Especially: eat at least one large salad a day with shredded carrots, celery and leafy lettuce (but not iceberg
lettuce, as that has zero nutritional value).
3. Eliminate pork and ham from your diet.
4. Eliminate all soft drinks and candy from your diet.
5. Eliminate all stimulants like caffeinated coffee from your diet. Green tea is okay but only if you get the decaffeinated version.
6. Eat beef sparingly and never past the late afternoon because it puts a strain on your body to digest it when you are asleep. You need to sleep well
in order to heal.
7. Drink lots of spring or filtered water daily that is of room temperature. With each meal, have a little freshly squeezed lemon juice added in a
glass of water (with no ice). This greatly aids in digestion.
8. Start taking (marine based) coral calcium at 1500 mg. a day. Calcium is what the body uses to regulate the heartbeat. It also helps to fight stress
and provide relaxation naturally.
9. Start taking Vitamin E daily. Start with a 100 IU capsule a day and gradually work up to a 400 IU capsule per day. This also helps one fight stress
and aid in heart function, as well as to lower blood pressure.
10. Start taking Ester-C daily. Take at least two 500 mg. capsules a day. This not only helps prevent illness but is also a good heart vitamin.
11. Start taking a garlic supplement. Test the products to find one that does not cause you any gastric distress, stomach upset or bad aftertaste.
Garlic also greatly helps the heart as well as to provide a plethora of other benefits to the body.
12. Start a low impact exercise program that you can do for twenty minutes, three times a week.
13. Learn the ancient Chinese system of self-healing (which is over five thousand years old) known as
Qigong (pronounced chi-gong) and do it for at least ten minutes a day. This alone will
greatly help you overcome ANY anxiety disorder.
14. Once you start noticing a positive difference from doing all of the above, end your intake of all medication for depression and anxiety.
[edit on 1-4-2005 by Paul_Richard]