Herbal / Natural remedies

Q.I've just been checking out your Anxiety web pages. My Girlfriend suffers from Anxiety and Panic attacks regularly. I am trying to help with her disorder. She wants to help herself - The natural way- self relaxation and overcoming her fear. Do you know of any herbal, or non-medical, natural remedies which may help in the control of her condition.

A. The most important thing your girlfriend can do is to learn Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) This will assist her in managing the thoughts which create so much of what is happening to her. CBT is not positive thinking. Positive thinking doesn't work for many people in the early stages of recovery. Once she learns to manage her thoughts she will recover.

We don't usually recommend herbal medications, simply because they can work for some people, but not for others. The current trend is to use St. John's Wort and while some people are saying it is great, we have also had other people telling us of quite severe side effects. Can you arrange for your girlfriend to see a Naturopath? They may be able to help, but learning to manage the thought process is the most important.

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