Stress

The Anxiety Summit: Rooibos – A Functional Food in the Management of Stress

June 26, 2014 By Trudy Scott 28 Comments

Amanda Swart, associate professor from the Department of Biochemistry at Stellenbosch University in South Africa was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Rooibos: A Functional Food in the Management of Stress

The role rooibos plays in the maintenance of normal cortisol levels
The influence of rooibos on cytochrome P450 enzymes
The polyphenols and flavonoids found in rooibos
Other health benefits of rooibos

I am such a research nerd, and I like to keep up with the latest research on anxiety and stress and mood. I immediately contacted the author when I came across this study, “Rooibos Influences Glucocorticoid Levels and Steroid Ratios In Vivo and In Vitro: A Natural Approach in the Management of Stress and Metabolic Disorders.” For you research nerds out there, this was published in March this year, 2014, in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

Here are some great gems from my interview with Amanda:

The plant world is amazing, that’s where our medication comes from usually. The drug companies base most of their drugs on what is available in nature, and they just change structures a little bit.

If you can remember… back in the seventies and eighties, people weren’t really that stressed out yet. Stress is a very modern disease.

In the human study, they drank rooibos for six weeks, and they had six cups and they soaked the teabag for ten minutes. We didn’t see that cortisol levels decreased significantly, but what we did see is that the ratio of active to inactive was vastly improved.

If the ratio active cortisol to inactive cortisol is high, this is normally associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Here is a link to the rooibos publications on Amanda’s ResearchGate site

Here is the prostate cancer study that Amanda discussed – how one of the adrenal androgens – 11 hydroxy androstenedione, may be implicated in castration resistant prostate cancer. (This in unrelated to rooibos consumption but Amanda’s rooibos cortisol work lead her to this work)

~~If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com~~

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts + interview highlights and listen when it suits you

The Anxiety Summit: Roots, Leaves and Vitamin Bs for Anxiety

June 16, 2014 By Trudy Scott 27 Comments

This is day 8 of the Anxiety Summit. Dr Corey Schuler, MS, DC – Board-certified nutrition specialist, chiropractic physician and known as the “good mood dude” is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Roots, Leaves and Vitamin Bs for Anxiety

Oral lavender for anxiety: safety, research and mechanism of action
4 key B vitamins for anxiety and HPA dysregulation
3 types of sex hormone dysregulation in women and the role of Femmenessence
Unique non-supplement approaches for anxiety

Here is are a few gems from my interview with Corey:

My favorite herb lavender now has research supporting oral use for anxiety and Corey shared some of the very interesting research on how it can serve as a natural alternative to Paxil. Here is a great blog post Corey wrote on the Integrative Therapeutics site: New Study on the Efficacy of Oral Lavender Oil
You’ll learn more about maca for hormonal balance in women
And lovely tips for stress reduction – these will rock your busy world!

Get your free gift from Dr Corey Schuler: “Balancing Hormones in an Unbalanced World”

And be sure to find him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/drcoreyschuler

~~If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com~~

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts + interview highlights and listen when it suits you

Using Essential Oils to Survive and Thrive with Anxiety and Depression

July 5, 2013 By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

Essential oils can be a powerful addition to help relieve your anxiety, stress, depression and other mood disorders. There is much research supporting the use of aromatherapy as we can see from this summary in a 2013 paper:

“Molecular medical research on aromatherapy has been steadily increasing for use as an adjuvant therapy in managing psychiatric disorders and to examine its therapeutic mechanisms. Most studies, as well as clinically applied experience, have indicated that various essential oils, such as lavender, lemon and bergamot can help to relieve stress, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Most notably, inhalation of essential oils can communicate signals to the olfactory system and stimulate the brain to exert neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin and dopamine) thereby further regulating mood.”

Today, I’m sharing a guest post on how to use essential oils, written by AnnaLaura Brown:

As anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression knows, it’s really hard on your life and can make it difficult to live a normal life. The drugs that are often prescribed can help but in many cases they don’t completely fix the problem and the side effects can make your health and the rest of your life even worse. So what can you do? While there are a variety of available options, essential oils have been proven to be a great natural solution. Essential oils are extracted from plants and because they are not a synthetic drug they have virtually no side effects. That said as with all products that are a form of medicine if you are currently taking drugs, then you want to talk with your doctor before you begin using essential oils.

Here are some tips to help you survive and thrive with anxiety and depression while using essential oils.

If you are not on drugs now, don’t start using them and begin using essential oils instead.
If you are on drugs now, talk with your doctor about your desire to gradually stop using them and work out a program to get off them over time and to begin using essential oils.
Start slowly by trying one essential oil at a time. Identify your biggest health problem that you suffer with as a result of your anxiety and depression. For example, if you have problems sleeping, then you should start by using an oil that will help you sleep better. The best oil for this is lavender.
Keep using that same oil for at least 2 weeks before you try another one.
Take the time to do some research and to learn about different essential oils and how they are used for anxiety, depression and to help with moods. For example, citrus oils such as lemon, and orange can help uplift the moods of a lot of people. There are several books written on using oils for moods so you can probably find one with a lot of details at your local library or bookstore.
Experiment with different ways of using oils. The most common ways that people use them are by either rubbing a few drops on the bottoms of your feet or your wrists, or by putting a few drops with some water into a diffuser or humidifier. You will want to try both ways and see which way works the best for you.
Work on improving other aspects of your life so that you can live a more balanced life overall.
Keep small amounts of the oils with you at all times so that if you start to feel depressed or anxious you can rub a little bit or smell the bottle to get some relief.

AnnaLaura Brown is passionate about helping others discover the power of essential oils for health and wellness. She personally discovered the oils while suffering from asthma and was able to get rid of her inhalers and use essential oils instead. In the past 2 years she has helped lots of people discover the power of essential oils for a variety of health and wellness uses. Grab your free copy of her report 50 ways to use essential oils at Health and Wealth with Oils.

Smile and laugh to de-stress, calm down and boost your mood

June 14, 2013 By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

laughter

My biggest stress-relief and mood-boosting tip is to smile and laugh! It is one of the many things I encourage my clients to do! And I personally love a good comedy and opportunity to smile and laugh! I almost feel like I need my “fix” of laughter by the end of the day. It really relaxes me, boosts my mood and helps me sleep better.

I was further inspired to make a commitment to laugh each day when I read all the research supporting the many and varied health benefits. Many days I’ll just take a break and engage in spontaneous laughter for no reason at all – just the act of laughing leaves me feeling SO good. I do food-mood presentations around the country and typically end my talks with a laugher session with the audience! It’s a great hit and they leave my talk feeling great!

A 2012 research paper in Physiological Science actually showed that if you smile, you feel less stressed. Also in a 1999 study, “Personality traits such as warmth, calmness, extroversion, and low anxiety were closely related to an attractive smile.”

Laughter falls into a similar category as smiling and is wonderful for improving mood and reducing anxiety and stress and pain. This 2012 paper. showed that laughter “is associated with feelings of wellbeing” and improved mood, likely related to “the release of endorphins.” The release of endorphins also reduced pain levels.

Recent research also shows that the “combination of a laughter and exercise program might have physiological and psychological health benefits for the elderly”. Laughter may also “be an effective strategy to motivate the elderly to participate in physical activity.”

Laughter is actually good for the heart as indicated by the title of a 2009 paper: “The effect of mirthful laughter on the human cardiovascular system.”

Here are some things to make you chuckle: a fun post I did awhile ago about a wonderfully funny and romantic blog called The Musings of a Romantic Comedy Girl and a video of a laughing baby. Enjoy!

And of course, the added bonus: if you eat foods that raise serotonin (like grass-fed read meat and wild fish like salmon), you’ll be happier and more inclined to smile too – and feel even less anxious and less stressed. Tryptophan or 5-HTP will help boost your serotonin levels and are wonderful if you do have low serotonin. You can check for low serotonin levels using this Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Overcoming Monkey Mind in Experience Life magazine

March 22, 2013 By Trudy Scott 9 Comments

“Three experts offer tips for overcoming mental chaos and reclaiming a balanced brain.”

The first expert is Eric Maisel, PhD, psychotherapist, creativity coach, and author of 40 books, most recently Natural Psychology: The New Psychology of Meaning (Natural Psychology Press, 2012) recommends:

“monitoring your breathing and monitoring your thinking at the same time” as a “quick way to get centered and quiet monkey mind.” He shares his 10-second technique.

The second expert is Henry Emmons, MD, integrative psychiatrist and author of The Chemistry of Calm: A Powerful, Drug-Free Plan to Quiet Your Fears and Overcome Your Anxiety (Touchstone, 2010) recommends:

reconnecting with your body by getting “out of your head and into your body.” He suggests techniques like “placing your hand on your lap” and paying attention “to the feeling of warmth that’s exchanged between your hand and body” or simply listening to music

I was thrilled to be third expert and share tips for rebalancing your biochemistry and neurotransmitters…Trudy Scott, CN, nutritionist and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings (New Harbinger, 2011)

I suggest the amino acid tryptophan and quality grass-fed red meat if low serotonin is the issue. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that “helps produce feelings of well-being and also helps you switch off worry and ruminating thoughts.” I also recommend eating a protein-rich breakfast – something that is key for every one of my clients.” If you experience “poor focus, scattered thoughts, ADD-type symptoms and fatigue” “the supplement to try is tyrosine.”

Have you been able to switch off monkey-mind with any of these tips?

You can read the whole article in the April 2013 edition of Experience Life magazine here or pick up a physical copy from bookstores or grocery stores.

It’s a great magazine and I love this summary on the about page: “Experience Life is your guide to a healthy way of life. Your road map toward real and lasting self-improvement. Your antidote to all the fuss and nonsense that dominates the vast majority of health and fitness publications. Because being healthy is a revolutionary act.”

How women entrepreneurs can reduce business stress and anxiety with food

April 30, 2012 By Trudy Scott 5 Comments

It was wonderful being a guest on Spotlight on Success, hosted by Dr. Shannnon Reece and I was honored to share food-mood-stress-anxiety information with her viewers and readers. It’s so important for balance in our often hectic lives! Now I get to share it with my readers too! The topic was Food & Mood: Calm Your Anxious Mind and covered all aspects of how women entrepreneurs can reduce business stress and anxiety with proper nutrition. (It also applies to all women and men too).

Today I had a delicious and satisfying breakfast of boiled eggs on a bed of cooked spinach. What a difference a good breakfast makes to how we feel the rest of the day – mood, energy, anxiety and stress levels, and focus and mental clarity! I also often enjoy a fruit smoothie with whey protein and coconut milk so do whatever appeals to you. The important thing is to ALWAYS eat breakfast! This is just one of the many tips shared in this interview – enjoy…breakfast and the interview!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_e_aDNbW5g[/youtube]

Shannon shared before the interview: “Trudy believes (as do I) that life is meant to be spent feeling well, mentally and physically, and that stress and anxiety don’t have to be the status quo that we accept.”

Here is what we covered:

Do women really need to focus on doing something about their stress and anxiety?
What are the 3 biggest food-related factors that contribute to stress and anxiety?
What other dietary factors play a role?
And, what should you do if you’re eating a healthy diet but are still feeling anxious and stressed?

After the interview Shannon shared this “It was a pleasure to have you on the show to share your expertise with me and my audience. I always learn something new from each guest, and that makes each one so exciting. Women often don’t take their health needs seriously, so I am thrilled to have had you give us all a good “kick-in-the-butt” reminder. 🙂 Shannon”. This is your good “kick-in-the-butt” reminder!

Dr. Shannon Reece is an amazing business resource for women entrepreneurs and I thoroughly enjoy her blogs and interviews. This is from her website: “My background as a competitive athlete, sport psychologist, and a woman in the male-dominated business world taught me the importance of hard work, effective strategy, sound tactics and leveraging my strengths. If you want to succeed, conformity is not an option! After too many years “working for the man” I turned my life right side up becoming an entrepreneur and I’ve never looked back. With a global reach, I am helping like-minded women — just like you — through the start-up and launch of their entrepreneurial dreams and am having loads of fun in the process.”

I encourage you to check out her articles and other Spotlight on Success interviews! And to follow these tip to reduce business stress and anxiety!

You can also 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.