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antianxiety diet

Nine Ways to Stop the Worry Wheels in the Sacramento Magazine

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Here are Nine Ways to Stop the Worry Wheels. These were featured in the July edition of the Sacramento Magazine. I’m thrilled to have contributed to this super article and I am happy to share it with you here! I hope you enjoy it and find these nine ways helpful for stopping your worry wheels and anxiety.

  1. Put your worries in a (mental) basket
  2. Consider your locus of control
  3. Exercise
  4. Adopt an antianxiety diet
  5. Practice mindfulness
  6. Tune in to the five senses
  7. Connect with others
  8. Cognitive behavioral therapy
  9. If all else fails, medication

I really like that this fits in perfectly with the holistic approach that Richard and C.R. Zwolinki advocate on their Therapy Soup blog on Psychcentral

(Click on each image below to enlarge.)

Yet again, writer Cathy Cassinos-Carr has done an excellent job with this article. You can read another of her great articles here: Sweet Misery: Seven spoonfuls of wisdom about sugar

If you’d like more information on the antianxiety diet, a great resource is my book The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings, available in major books stores, at Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com

Bipolar, disruptive mood or gluten and junk food?

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A national study published in 2007 showed a surge in use of the bipolar diagnosis in children: the frequency of visits to doctors’ offices by youths 19 and younger for treatment of the condition increased from 25 per 100,000 visits in 1994-95 to 1,003 per 100,000 visits in 2002-03. I wonder what the numbers are now?

The above quote is from a story that appeared in the Boston Globe earlier this month [thanks to my friend in Boston who shared this story with me and urged me to write a commentary!]

The story, “Proposed diagnosis for bipolar disorder divides psychiatrists” by Patricia Wen, discusses issues with proposed revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSMIV). The psychiatric association is expected to make final decisions for its fifth revised edition to be published in May 2013.

A panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association is urging that a new, potentially more transient and less-stigmatizing diagnosis – “disruptive mood dysregulation disorder’’ – be added to the official manual of mental illnesses, which is undergoing a sweeping revision [this new disorder would be included in the manual in addition to the existing bipolar disorder, and this is where the division is].

The new condition would apply to children who have chronic irritability, as well as recurrent temper outbursts – three or more times a week, on average – that are “grossly out of proportion’’ to the situation the child confronts.

It can be as disabling to a young child as bipolar disorder, but would probably be treated with antidepressants, not antipsychotic drugs. As adults, these children would be more likely to develop anxiety or depression, rather than bipolar disorder.

Wow! chronic irritability, recurrent temper outbursts, “grossly out of proportion’’ to the situation, likely to develop anxiety or depression as adults

This sounds a lot like a combination of poor diet/junk food and food intolerances. And it’s no surprise when you consider what diets kids are eating these days! Let’s also throw in low blood sugar for good measure – how many kids do you know who eat a good breakfast that includes protein?

Let’s first look at food quality and bipolar disorder:

In the Journal of Affective Disorders, a 2012 paper titled “Diet quality in bipolar disorder in a population-based sample of women”, found a lower risk of bipolar disorder in those eating a quality traditional foods diet. Granted, this is epidemiological evidence, but this is exactly why more research is imperative. The authors do actually state: “Longitudinal studies are warranted”.

Lead author of the above paper, Dr. Felice Jacka , is also the lead author in a 2011 PLoS One paper that found diet quality in adolescents was associated with a lower risk of mental health issues. The author stated that this “study highlights the importance of diet in adolescence and its potential role in modifying mental health over the life course”

Let’s also look at gluten and bipolar disorder:

In the journal Psychiatry Research, a 2012 paper titled “Markers of gluten sensitivity in acute mania: A longitudinal study” states that individuals “with mania had significantly increased levels of IgG antibodies to gliadin” “which is derived from the wheat protein gluten”.

When I read this section in the Boston Globe story a light bulb went off….

What is ultimately added, subtracted, or revised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, first put out by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952, is loaded with practical and cultural implications.

It will help define what is considered normal behavior. It largely determines how clinicians diagnose conditions; what health insurers will pay for; what drugs are made and marketed; and what research will be funded by governments and foundations

Perhaps the division between bipolar disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is less important than my whole-hearted proposal to add gluten intolerance and celiac disease, junk food addict (and low blood sugar and a host of other nutritional factors) to the DSMIV!!!

I’m obviously saying this tongue-in-cheek but imagine a world where we:

  • Do get government research funding and studies done on mental health issues related to or directly caused by gluten intolerance and a junk food diet
  • Do get insurance coverage for nutrition coaching and consulting
  • Do see subsidies for organic food farmers
  • Do make this the first approach instead of medications…or at least use this approach in conjunction with lower doses of medications
  • Do see huge improvements …leading to say a 40-fold (or more) decrease in bipolar diagnoses in children (and adults) in a less than a year!

Yes! Add these now… please! If we need research for it to become mainstream then so be it! I’m volunteering to be part of any research in these areas. It works – I already know this, as do countless of other practitioners and people who have made these changes. Just read Michael Ellsberg’s compelling bipolar story on Forbes to be inspired!

Dr Katherine Falk, MD is in private practice in New York City and is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She endorsed my book The Antianxiety Food Solution and said this:

Trudy Scott is an expert on the relationship of food and mood, an often neglected area in the health of persons with mental illness. This book provides practical information, clearly presented, which I believe to be an important adjunct in the treatment of not only anxiety and depression, but also of serious mental illness.

I would like to end by saying that I have no intention of minimizing the seriousness of bipolar disorder or any mental illness, I just believe there is so much more we can do on the food-mood front!

Aubrey Huff anxiety attack: could it be a food-mood issue?

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Photo by Jeffjeff08 (from Wikimedia Commons)

Do world-class athletes actually have performance anxiety and panic attacks? And could there be a food mood and nutrient connection?  Yes, food does have a big impact on our mood. And yes, anxiety can affect anyone and many athletes are affected! The most recent example is baseball player Aubrey Huff, from the San Francisco Giants. Henry Schulman wrote about Aubrey’s panic attack in SFGate in an article titled Aubrey Huff opens up about his anxiety attacks :

Aubrey Huff says his first panic attack lasted for eight hours.

Aubrey Huff was standing in his New York hotel room at 5 o’clock in the morning in the early stages of what would be an eight-hour panic attack. The Giant were to play a doubleheader against the Mets that afternoon and evening. Baseball was the last thing on Huff’s mind.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Huff recalled. “I felt I was taking short breaths. Right then and there I thought I was having a heart attack. I told myself, ‘I’ll be damned if I’m going to be sitting in this hotel room and die of a heart attack. I’ve got to get out of here.'”

I used to have social anxiety and panic attacks and it was horrible! And very scary! I really feel for Aubrey and would love to be able to help!

If I was working with Aubrey this is what I’d have him do (this is my approach for anyone who is experiencing anxiety and anxiety attacks/panic attacks):

  1. I’d have him keep a 3 day food diary and we’d look at his intake of real whole food (including grass-fed meat) compared to junk food and fast food
  2. We’d look at caffeine and sugar intake and reduce this and eventually eliminate it. Caffeine can induce anxiety and for many people it’s a tough one to eliminate so we’d have to address the underlying fatigue and reason for “self-medication”. For Aubrey, it could possibly be burned out adrenals. High sugar consumption also affects the adrenals and results in nutrient depletion of minerals like zinc and magnesium, both of which help with anxiety
  3. We’d also look at his gluten intake and assess for gluten intolerance and/or celiac disease and have him start right away on a 2 week gluten elimination trial. Whether or not gluten is a contributing factor to the anxiety, as Melissa Mclean Jory says in the Gluten-Free Edge, athletes perform better when gluten is not a part of their diets
  4. We’d have him start on the first of the 4 antianxiety diets: real whole food, good quality protein, good fats, plenty of organic veggies and fruit, and with no gluten. And make sure he eating a good breakfast that does include protein – keeping blood sugar stable is key for anxiety
  5. We must also always consider neurotransmitter imbalances. In the same SF gate interview Aubrey said this “I couldn’t control one thought in my head. There were so many thoughts going through”. Low serotonin can cause anxiety, panic attacks and ruminating thoughts, so assessing for low serotonin would be key. If low serotonin is a factor then using the amino acid supplements tryptophan or 5-HTP would be worth considering. Research supports the use of 5-HTP for panic. GABA is a calming amino acid and it’s likely that Aubrey would benefit from this too, especially if he has stiff and tense muscles
  6. I would also consider the possibility of pyroluria. In an interview on his blog, Aubrey stated: “I was very shy in high school, if you can believe it. I broke out of my shell at the University of Miami when I got around guys like Burrell. I learned how to believe in myself – and I learned how to project confidence even when I didn’t feel very confident.” As reported by Carey Vanderborg, “the Social Anxiety Institute says that social anxiety disorder, also known as performance anxiety, is a persistent fear of performance situations–such as an athletic event–in which you’re exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible judgment by others.” Zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil can completely eliminate social anxiety in someone with pyroluria. Here is the pyroluria questionnaire that I’d have Aubrey use for assessing if this is part of the issue. Raising serotonin levels also helps with boosting confidence so it doesn’t have to be learned or forced.

Each person has their own unique biochemistry and there may be other factors involved but this would be a great start. This is what I wish for Aubrey Huff with this food-mood approach: totally free of anxiety, no more panic attacks, zero performance anxiety, feeling super-confident, have no ruminating thoughts, plus playing his best baseball ever!

I would LOVE to send a copy of my book to Aubrey so if you know how to get fan-mail to him please let me know. I tried the Giants office and didn’t have any luck.

You can find out more in The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings, available in major books stores, at Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com.