I first experienced anxiety while pregnant with my second daughter when 20 minutes of Cormac Mcarthy’s post apocalyptic movie version of “The Road” threw me into a month long panic attack. 20 minutes of a movie was all it took to trigger my prenatal hormone frazzled amygdala into full blown cortisol driven alarm mode. This Anxiety ruined any semblance of sleep I was able to catch with a 2 year old in the house and sent me on a high tech home security search that became an obsession. As if the only thing standing between my family and a post-apocalyptic mob of cannibalists was an alarm system. I knew I was being ridiculous, but my nervous system was beyond reason. Fortunately my initial glimpse into the discomfort of anxiety was short lived as a few weeks of hormone regulating Acupuncture (and perhaps a few glasses of wine) was all it took for me to get back my calm. For many though, Anxiety is a constant and relentless companion and something which I treat every day at Durango Acupuncture Clinic.
Introducing the Amygdala and Hippocampus and their role in Anxiety
The amygdala is like a family dog who spends his days in a kind of obsessive vigilance at the window just waiting to alert you and your brain to the presence of impending doom and danger, usually in the form of a UPS man. This normally serves to keep us out of harm's way, but hormonal fluctuations, extreme trauma and stress can throw our amygdala’s off, resulting in everything suddenly becoming a major threat.
The hippocampus is a lot like your mother, in that it takes certain scary or threatening events (like that time you thought it would be fun to ride your bike with no hands and ended up in a cast for the summer) and never, ever lets you forget about them. The hippocampus stores these frightening events in fragmented flashbacks in the brain to remind you to stay away from dangers in the future, but when your brain is imbalanced by severe trauma, these memories can lead to PTSD.
These two parts of the brain can act like sugar crazed kids at a slumber party who just had a seance and are freaking out! They can trigger the increase of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine (which increases heart rate and blood pressure) and dopamine (which can increase feelings of dread) and decrease GABA and 5HTP, your body's go-to transmitters for inducing a state of calm and happiness.
These brain centers and neurotransmitters are designed to make us safe and keep us out of harm's way, but when stress, trauma, thyroid issues, or hormone fluctuations come into play, they can lead to neurological imbalances and anxiety disorders.
Fortunately, there are effective ways to reduce anxiety:
Get Acupuncture: which has been shown in studies to reduce anxiety by altering the functional release of neurotransmitters to stop the autonomic response. Which is like giving your amygdala a bone to gnaw on and your worried mother-like hippocampus a cocktail. It can also affect the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems by reducing cortisol and adrenaline and increasing serotonin levels. There's a reason why you always seem to float out the Acupuncture room. Anxiety is something that I work with everyday at Durang Acupuncture Clinic and Acupuncture is completely safe for those currently taking anti-anxiety or SSRI medications.
Practice mindfulness through yoga and meditation. Yoga is a wonderful way to soothe the nervous system through movement, you can join Michelle Lawrence and I at Yogadurango November 11th for a workshop of heart opening yoga followed by Acupuncture and guided meditation specifically geared toward treating anxiety. This workshop sold out last year and we are so excited to offer it again!
Give your brain the building blocks for GABA and 5HTP: Sometimes your brain needs a little help and there are a number of powerful herbal supplements that can give your body the building blocks it needs to create this vital neurotransmitters. I carry a number of supplements by the brand Neuroscience, which are carefully designed to recalibrate your neurology in a way that is safe and incredibly effective. I love helping patients find the right one for them.
Get on the Adaptogen bandwagon: Adaptogens are getting a lot of buzz lately and it's easy to see why. Adaptogenic herbs like Ashwagandha, ginseng and Astragalus are herbal pharmaceuticals that work to counteract the effects of stress on the body. They regulate a stable balance in the hypothalamic, pituitary and adrenal glands to essentially hack the stress response.. Reducing fatigue, depression and calming the central nervous system.