These days people will do anything to relax, even if just for a few minutes. Some will take a short walk, some will meditate and some will even play a video game to get their mind off things. The same goes for depression. Many consumers who struggle with this health issue will do anything to pull themselves out of the doldrums. But it’s not about getting rid of these mood states entirely. Rather, it’s about finding an appropriate range of emotions that makes for a healthy mind.
As Robi Ludwig, PsyD, psychotherapist, contributor to CARE.com, television commentator and author of Till Death Do Us Part: Love, Marriage and the Mind of the Killer Spouse, points out, “There is a misperception that we should always feel good and happy all the time. The truth is that we all have a normal range of moods as part of life; having a range of appropriate emotions is part of being mentally healthy.”
“Sometimes it is normal and appropriate to feel depressed as a reaction to a set of circumstances. People put pressure on themselves constantly to always feel good and happy,” she added. “When low mood is persistent in a way that is creating trouble, this is when an intervention may be a wise step.”
Besides a person’s biological make-up, there are several external factors that can lead to anxiety and depression. Mitch Skop, senior director/new product development, Pharmachem Laboratories, Kearny, NJ, offered some contemporary examples. “The economic downtown, which will be going into its third year, unemployment, foreclosures and an overseas war in its ninth year are all factors negatively affecting the mood of the masses. Add these events to everyday stresses and strains, and you have a perfect prescription for a melancholy mood, interrupted sleep and poor health.”
<b>Review Supports Use of Herbs in Treating Anxiety</b>
Nutritional and herbal supplementation is an effective method for treating anxiety and anxiety-related conditions without the risk of serious side effects, according to a systematic review of studies published in Nutrition Journal in October.
Researchers said strong evidence exists for the use of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine as treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders. In addition, magnesium supplements and other herbal combinations may hold promise. Interestingly, they also said St. John’s Wort monotherapy “has insufficient evidence for use as an effective anxiolytic treatment.”
“Over the past several decades, complementary and alternative medications (CAM) have increasingly become a part of everyday treatment,” the study authors wrote. “With the rising cost of prescription medications and their production of unwanted side effects, patients are exploring herbal and other natural remedies for the management and treatment of psychological conditions.”
Nearly 7 million Americans suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. Many also suffer from side effects related to treatment.
Researchers analyzed a total of 24 studies that investigated five different CAM monotherapies and eight different combination treatments involving 2619 participants. There were 21 randomized controlled trials and three open-label, uncontrolled observational studies.
Most studies involved patients who had been diagnosed with either an anxiety disorder or depression (n = 1786). However, eight studies used healthy volunteers (n = 877) who had normal levels of anxiety, were undergoing surgery, tested at the upper limit of the normal range of a trait anxiety scale, had adverse premenstrual symptoms or were peri-menopausal, reported anxiety and insomnia, or had one month or more of elevated generalized anxiety.
Heterogeneity and the small number of studies for each supplement or combination therapy prevented a formal meta-analysis, but of the randomized controlled trials reviewed, 71% (15 out of 21) showed a positive direction of evidence. Any reported side effects were mild to moderate.
Researchers acknowledged that any positive effects seen could be due to a placebo effect, which may have a significant psychological impact on participants with mental disorders. However, based on the systematic review, “strong evidence exists for the use of herbal supplements containing extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine as treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders.”
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