Being fearful or stressed can be considered a natural adaptation to keep us safe and protected from potential experiences that we might deem threatening to us. However anxiety as a default setting or chronic state isn’t healthy or the norm for us as humans.
Conventional psychiatry views anxiety as a manifestation of neurotransmitter imbalances with psychotropic drugs to “correct” this being the first line of treatment. Whilst medication can play a beneficial role and might be crucial for some individuals, the question of what might be the underlying trigger/s impacting neurotransmitter levels to begin with very rarely gets asked.
As a psychologist, it has been my clinical experience that psycho-social stressors, trauma and our resultant cognitive responses (thoughts and beliefs) that result from them can definitely be a significant trigger that requires working through. However, I have also come across many patients and clients for whom medication and talk therapy simply isn’t enough to fully address their presentation and experience of anxiety.
Beyond neurological and psychological factors, there are a few key body systems that functional medicine’s root cause approach seeks to highlight as possible significant contributors for anxiety as well.
- The Gut-Brain Axis – any inflammation or dysbiosis in the gut, parasites, bacterial or fungal overgrowth etc can in turn affect the brain. Furthermore, there is a significantly higher production of neurotransmitters in the gut than in the brain hence gut issues will definitely have an impact on efficient production of neurotransmitters.
- HPA axis dysregulation – The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis is responsible for regulating our response to stress. When there is chronic stress/perceived stress, this system becomes dysregulated and stress hormones and neurotransmitters can get out of balance as a result. Artificial light exposure and blood sugar dysregulation can also impact the HPA axis negatively as well.
- Nutritional Deficiencies – there are many nutrients that play a significant role for our mental well being. Low levels of B vitamins, Vit A, Vit D, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron, Iodine, Riboflavin, Choline, Omegas, amongst other nutrients, have been shown to be associated with anxiety, cognitive and behavioral challenges.
- Food sensitivities – intolerances to certain foods that you may be consuming are a burden to your immune system and can be a significant contributor to inflammation in the brain. Reactions can be less obvious and harder to identify as they can result in symptoms that one may not easily associate to food and may take much longer to show up than an allergy.
- Hormonal imbalances – anxiety can be a tell-tale sign of sex hormone changes and imbalances. Some women are prone to anxiety around the time of their period whilst for others estrogen dominance or declining progesterone during perimenopause can bring on symptoms of anxiety that we previously foreign to them.
- Other medical conditions – It is possible than anxiety can be associated with other medical conditions such as thyroid and auto-immune diseases.
If you or a loved one struggles with anxiety and you would like to learn more about integrative strategies that encompass both psychological tools as well as lifestyle strategies taking the “whole” person into consideration, then do get in touch.