calm

Green tree-lined streets reduce anxiety, making you feel more positive and calm, improving your attention and help with recovery from stressful situations.

January 11, 2019 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

I’m a nature-lover and don’t need to be told that seeing trees or walking under them or driving along a tree-lined street has research supporting their benefits. I just feel the sense of wonderment, the calming effects and a heightened sense of joy and pleasure as soon as I’m in amongst trees in a street like the one above.

This is a quiet side street in the small town of Richmond in NSW, Australia. It runs perpendicular to a really busy road that heads up to North Richmond and beyond. Now the traffic doesn’t come close to comparing with Los Angeles traffic but for a small town it can be rather hectic from 4pm. If we happen to be heading towards North Richmond, we always take a detour along this wonderful tree-lined road and other similar tree-lined roads to get to where we’re going. As well as avoiding the bumper to bumper traffic we get this sense of ahhhhh!

I mentioned that I don’t need to be told there is research supporting the calming effects of tree lined-roads. But you know me: I’m always curious about the science so when I heard there was research I was of course intrigued about it and wanted to understand why they make us feel so good.

Here is some of the research I found: In Benefits of nature: what we are learning about why people respond to nature we discover that in general we respond in a positive way to nature and to trees in particular, especially “trees with spreading forms” reminiscent of trees on the African savanna. I was born in Africa and spent 32 years there so I find this so interesting! This paper also reports that

all colors were calming, but bright green trees were more calming than other tree colors, including less bright greens and oranges

and that

Adult responses to plants are also influenced by their childhood interactions with nature. We have shown that the more interaction people have with nature as children, the more positive are their attitudes towards nature as adults.

In this study: Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments, the 120 participants were exposed to “color/sound videotapes of one of six different natural and urban settings” after watching a stressful movie. Watching the natural settings had a measurable impact on parasympathetic measures such as heart rate and muscle tension and they felt more positive, experienced improved attention and had better stress recovery.

In another study The View From the Road: Implications for Stress Recovery and Immunization, drivers were presented with a stress-causing stimulus and their reactions measured as they recovered from the stress. The Safe Streets report from the University of Washington summarizes the outcome:

Those viewing built-up, strip-mall-style roadside environments in a simulated drive after the stressful experience showed a slower and physiologically incomplete recovery and reported more negative feelings. Study participants seeing more natural roadside scenes (forests or golf courses) returned to normal baseline measures faster. An “immunization effect” was also detected, as initial exposure to a natural roadside setting decreased the magnitude of response to a subsequent stressful task.

And finally, the research about forest-bathing (known as Shinrin-yoku), although not directly related to stress-reduction from driving along tree-lined streets is worth mentioning. Just the word “forest-bathing” makes me smile.

Research on forest-bathing shows how spending time in forests can lower high blood pressure, and help ease modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress”. In one study, Effects of Short Forest Bathing Program on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and Mood States in Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals:

The Profile of Mood States negative mood subscale scores of “tension-anxiety”, “anger-hostility”, “fatigue-inertia”, “depression-dejection”, and “confusion-bewilderment” were significantly lower, whereas the positive mood subscale score of “vigor-activity” was higher.

In summary, in this study, the 128 middle-aged and elderly individuals spent only 2 hours in a forest setting and felt less tense, had reduced anxiety, experienced less anger and hostility, felt less fatigued, were not depressed or dejected, felt less confused/bewildered and had more vigor and energy. This was after only 2 hours of forest-bathing!

Here are some ways you can get the most out of this information for your own sense of calm:

Take a detour like we do if at all possible and enjoy the calming effects of driving along a tree-lined street. Better yet, take a moment to get out the car and soak in the beauty while walking down the road. And best of all, take a full-day hike on a weekend or go camping for 2 days.
Plant a tree (or more than one) outside your home or get involved with a tree-planting committee at your child’s or your grand-child’s school or place of work to do the same
Talk to your local mayor and council members to make tree planting in your community a priority
If you live in a built-up city and can’t do any of the above, make an effort to spend quiet time in a nearby park
Find a tree-planting charity that is a good fit and make a donation in the name of a loved one in lieu of a gift or just do it for yourself
If you’re housebound (with agoraphobia for some other reason), find some pictures or a poster of green trees or dig out some old photos. Just looking at pictures of nature and greenery have a stress reducing effect.

On that note here is the bigger version of my Richmond tree-lined street image so you can enjoy looking at it while reading this blog AND get some of the stress-reducing benefits…until you’re in your own tree-lined street or out in nature.

I hope this motivates and inspires you to drive down more tree-lined streets and to do something tree-related in your life in addition to all the nutritional changes you’re making to eliminate your anxiety!

We’d love to hear how much you love trees and the outdoors. Do you have a favorite tree-planting charity? Feel free to share your feedback and questions too.

Tyrosine for alleviating anxiety and panic attacks and creating a feeling of calm focus

August 31, 2018 By Trudy Scott 50 Comments

If you had anxiety, felt hugely stressed and were having panic attacks would you consider using tyrosine to help calm you? It’s not the first approach I use with a client as I typically want to calm things down first by addressing the low serotonin symptoms of anxiety (such as worry, overwhelm, insomnia and panic attacks) and the low GABA physical symptoms of anxiety (physical tension, stiff and tense muscles, overwhelm and panic attacks).

However, for some individuals addressing low catecholamines with tyrosine is the best approach to take, even if it feels counter-intuitive. Since everyone is different using the trial method is the best way to figure out what you need.

Here is another success story from someone using tyrosine, as shared in the comments on a recent blog post on tyrosine:

Tyrosine for anxiety has done wonders for me! I have tried GABA and Tryptophan. The GABA seemed to take the edge off a little when panic attacks occurred but wasn’t keeping anxiety from occurring.

I have been under tremendous pressure at work. The internal stress has been overwhelming! I haven’t been able to remember anything, even things I’ve done for years! I am in the process of learning new software at work. In the very first class my mind just went blank. The more I tried to focus the more stressed I became. All I could do was sit and stare at my screen while the rest of the class moved forward.

In short order I developed a migraine and panic. The internal pressure felt as if someone was wringing out my brain like one would do to a wash rag! I had to leave the class earlier. From this point on I was struggling to even do my job as I have done the last few years. Every time I tried to think I’d immediately become overwhelmed and shut down. I felt like crying most of the time from the sheer force of the internal pressure (this is embarrassing to admit as I’m someone with a competitive career). This stress just completely shut down my ability to learn and problem solve.

So, I decided to start some tyrosine. I was hesitant because I have heard it can cause panic attacks and I definitely don’t need more of those! I bought some powder and took 400mg on an empty stomach about 30 minutes before breakfast. WOW!!! Within an hour the stress just melted away!

I wasn’t stressed on my way to work either which normally I am. I was able to sit down and think thru my problems without feeling overwhelmed at all. Also, I was communicating with people much more easily. I noticed better eye-contact. I seemed less concerned of anyone’s opinions too.

I take another 400mg 30 minutes before lunch. I simply cannot believe how much better I am doing!

Just a few weeks prior I was telling my wife that I may need to start thinking about starting the process for disability because I simply could not function well enough to do my job.

I’d also add that the stress from the anxiety was so bad I felt like I had the flu for a few weeks. This also has dissipated since starting the tyrosine.

It’s still early in this experiment but I am hopeful for once. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING has worked so well so fast for me than tyrosine. It’s the closest thing to a miracle I’ve ever experienced. A night and day experience!

What wonderful results! I’m thrilled to hear about his “miracle” and that he’s doing so much better, that he has hope and that the stress from the anxiety has dissipated!

What approach to follow if you can relate to this situation

Of course, I thanked him for sharing his success story with tyrosine and added my response for other blog readers who may relate to this situation and may consider a trial of tyrosine as a first step when anxiety is an issue.

I still stand by my advice to start with GABA and tryptophan when you have anxiety whether it’s the low serotonin-type anxiety (worry in the head) or the low GABA-type anxiety (physical anxiety). I always have clients start by addressing these deficiencies first before adding tyrosine for the low catecholamine symptoms because tyrosine is too stimulating for many and can increase anxiety and insomnia (and may also cause a panic attack).

With the majority of the anxious clients that I’ve worked with, the order of doing trials is as follows: tryptophan or GABA first and then tyrosine.

Addressing his low catecholamine symptoms was what he needed

For this gentleman, clearly GABA and tryptophan support was not what he needed or was not enough to ease his anxiety. Addressing his low catecholamine symptoms was what he needed to do.

In case you’re wondering how he’s doing now – I reached out to him and he reports he’s still taking tyrosine and is still doing great!

He is the third person that I know of who has experienced these types of results with tyrosine so I expect there are others who could benefit too – which is why I decided to share his story.

Increased anxiety because of lack of focus and low motivation

Here is another similar story from a prior client of mine. She had terrible anxiety, and we trialed both GABA and tryptophan. While she did get some benefits with both it just wasn’t enough.

She was sleeping better but still felt so stressed and anxious when preparing for an important meeting at work which she was in charge of running. The anxiety also seemed to get worse during the meetings. She did also score high on the low catecholamines section on the amino acid questionnaire (poor focus, low motivation, fatigue, ADHD, depression) but were working on the low serotonin and low GABA types of anxiety before addressing poor focus and low motivation.

It turned out that her anxiety escalated around her work meetings because of her lack of focus and low motivation – she was pushing herself to get through them. Once she added tyrosine her anxiety was under control. In this instance tyrosine actually helped ease the anxiety because her ADHD symptoms diminished and her motivation and drive improved!

This is what biochemically individuality is all about and how we all have our own unique needs. And is why I love the trial-method for determining which amino acid is best for your own unique needs.

Here are some related blog posts that you may find helpful:

Do let us know if you have experienced less anxiety and a sense of calm focus when taking tyrosine?

GABA, the calming amino acid: products and results

December 18, 2015 By Trudy Scott 56 Comments

gaba

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a calming amino acid that when taken orally works to relax, calm, ease anxiety and social anxiety, quiet the mind, help with sleeping better, reduce neck tension, remove uneasiness and worry, and give hope.

Even though we have recent research that it does work we still hear the naysayers saying “why bother to take GABA, it just doesn’t work unless you have a leaky blood brain barrier.”

The blog post from last week – GABA, the calming amino acid: expert opinions generated so much interest and feedback, so I’m sharing some of this feedback so you can hear first-hand from people who have tried various GABA products. I’ve corrected typos but what follows is their actual feedback.

As you’ll see, it does work extremely well for many people. You’ll also see that there are many different products that work well. I’m sharing all of them even though I have my favorites.

There are some people that don’t benefit from it. I share some questions below and you may want to go through these if GABA doesn’t work for you.

Here is the feedback for many of the products that were mentioned. It starts with products I like/recommend and have experience with.

Allergy Research 200mg of Zen product contains 500mg GABA and 200mg Theanine 200 mg per 2 capsules. Dee likes the instant calm and compared how it worked as well as Xanax had worked for her in the past:

I have taken Xanax in the past for panic attacks. My functional medicine doctor suggested this product as I wanted a natural product. I was amazed how it works just like the Xanax did – instant calm feeling within 10 mins of taking 2 capsules. I use them as needed when I am having heightened stress and anxiety.

I’ve had a number of clients who really liked this GABA/theanine combination. This product together with Nutritional Fundamentals GABA-T SAP, also a GABA/theanine combination, comes highly recommended by me. They both contain a small amount of GABA, the theanine works really well with the GABA and the capsules, when opened on to the tongue, are pleasant tasting.

Source Naturals GABA Calm was only mentioned once which surprised me! Together with GABA/theanine combination products above, it’s the GABA product I use most with my clients because it’s sublingual, easy to take, great tasting and works so exceptionally well. It contains GABA, taurine and glycine, and a small amount of magnesium and tyrosine. The tyrosine means this product cannot be used if you have melanoma, high blood pressure or bipolar disorder. You can see all the amino acid precautions here.

Country Life GABA Relaxer contains GABA, taurine, glycine, inositol, niacin and vitamin B6. Melissa shares how much it helped her:

After my first panic attack I thankfully found Julia Ross’s work. I began taking 250 mg GABA every night. That really helped! Now a few years later I don’t need it every day, and I take a half pill during my cycle anxiety – more like uneasiness and over worried now, just as needed. I then heard you speak Trudy and share more info, bought your book, and put into place supportive lifestyle changes, and I have my life back. GABA is a great supplement for some of us!

I really like this product and used it when I worked with Julia Ross in her clinic. It was also a product I personally used when my anxiety and panic attacks started. I used this at night and GABA Calm in the day.

Seeking Health GABA 500mg was mentioned by a few people. Sherie said she loves it and takes it 2-4 times a day (she also takes theanine). This is what she shares:

It helps lower my overall anxious feeling all day (anxiety for no reason). I just started increasing the dose slightly and am beginning to take it a few times a day to help with social anxiety. I have lifelong problem of severe blushing and sweating from social anxiety and need that to stop.

I asked her if she’s looked into pyroluria and she said hadn’t but said it fits her to a T so this would be the next thing for her to address. It’s seldom just one underlying cause and the great thing is that the zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil of the pyroluria protocol help us make more GABA (and other brain chemicals).

I’d like to add that 500mg can be a high amount for many anxious individuals so it’s not something I typically start with. I like to have my clients start on either Source Naturals GABA Calm (which has 125mg of GABA) or one of the GABA/theanine combination products that have around 200mg GABA, and increase as needed.

I recommend GABA over pharmaGABA because over the years I’ve simply found more people seem to do better on GABA. But clearly, pharmaGABA does work for some individuals.

Thorne PharmaGABA-100 contains 100mg pharmaGABA and Cheryl shares how this product works great for her:

I usually only take it at night only when I know I need it, to quiet my mind and relax my body so I can sleep better. I need it less now because I am following MTHFR and adrenal fatigue supplement protocols and diet.

PharmaGABA Stress Relax from Natural Factors is another pharmaGABA product and Gina chewed two 100mg tablets and said this is how they helped:

It changed my life in minutes! Take it every day now. No more hopelessness!

April also finds that the Natural Factors pharmaGABA works great for her:

I take 100mg a day for about a week and then take time off until I feel I need it again or I feel I have too much. I know if I take too much, I get spacey, unmotivated, depressed even. Helps a ton with head/neck tension and anxiety.

I just want to add that this product does contain sugar (3.5 g with 300mg pharmaGABA) and fruit flavors (which sensitive folks may have an issue with) so this one would not be high on my list of recommendations. But if it’s the only one that works for you then go for it!

Quicksilver GABA is a liquid that contains GABA, theanine and sunflower lecithin, and is promoted as being a very effective form of delivery. Candy shares:

It is a liquid that I keep in the fridge. I squirt and leave it under my tongue for a couple minutes. It has been helpful.

I look forward to hearing if you or your clients have found this to be superior to other forms. I’d like add that it’s not suitable for children and alcoholics due to the ethanol.

A few other products were mentioned (neither of which I’ve had feedback on until now):

Source Naturals Theanine Serine which has GABA, theanine, taurine, magnesium and holy basil.
Pure Tranquility from Pure Encapsulations contains GABA, theanine and glycine. One person was suspicious that it was triggering migraines. I wonder if it could be related to one of the other ingredients like the natural apple flavor, potassium sorbate or purified stevia extract?

GABA won’t work for everyone and a few people said GABA didn’t work at all.

Karen appreciated me dispelling the blood-brain-barrier-GABA myth and pointing out that phenibut is not GABA. But GABA didn’t work for her and she shared this:

I have tried GABA, my mother swears by it and my husband uses it. It has a calming effect on me, but I like holy basil better.

I checked with her and she hasn’t tried it sublingually, which I find to be more effective for most of my clients. This could be something like Source Naturals GABA Calm or one of the GABA /theanine combination products opened on to tongue and held there for 1-2 minutes.

GABA also didn’t work for Sheri and she said:

I’m one of those folks for whom it seems to do nothing. Zip. I have found some relief using niacinamide, however.

Dr. Jonathan Prousky really likes niacinamide for anxiety and I find it helps a lot with my clients who have runaway thoughts and paranoia.

If GABA doesn’t work for you that’s fine, not everything works for everyone. But if you really feel GABA should work for you or feel you need additional support for your anxiety then I wouldn’t give up and ask these questions:

do you have an underactive thyroid (amino acids may not be as effective)
did you take it sublingually (it’s often more effective taken this way)
did you take it away from protein (it needs to be taken this way)
how much did you take (amounts can vary by person)
do you have low GABA symptoms/physical anxiety (it will only work if you do) or
are you taking a benzodiazepine (for some people on benzos many supplements don’t work or are just too much for them)

Here is the facebook post if you’d like to read the whole discussion. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this great discussion!

I’ll cover phenibut (which is not GABA) in a future blog post. It’s always a hot topic and is not something I recommend but more on that next time.

A heads up that I’ve shared links to the products that were mentioned so you can check them out. Some of the links are from Emerson, the online distributer I use. If you’d like to order from them you can find out how to set up an account here.

Now I’d love to hear from you. Have you used any of these GABA products (or had your clients use them) with good results? How much did you/they use and what were the results?

If GABA doesn’t help do you say “yes” to any of the 6 above questions?

Calm, a cool new meditation tool to help you with anxiety and stress

May 15, 2015 By Trudy Scott 23 Comments

You heard me mention this new cool online tool called Calm in my Anxiety Summit interview with Dr. Eva Selhub

If you’re working and can’t get out in nature, try this very cool online meditation tool. It’s not nature but may help until you can get into nature. You can pick what nature scene you like, the background sound and then pick the meditation duration. I love it!

Of course I love mountains….

online-meditation

Maybe this is the one for you? Just seeing this is calming….

online-meditation2

In this image you actually get to watch and hear the waves …

The Harvard Medical School newsletter shared this:

Although the practice of meditation is thousands of years old, research on its health benefits is relatively new, but promising. A research review published in JAMA Internal Medicine in January 2014 found meditation helpful for relieving anxiety, pain, and depression. For depression, meditation was about as effective as an antidepressant.

Enjoy! Go to Calm now and use it when your day gets hectic! Use it even when your day isn’t hectic! And do let us know what your favorite image and sound is! Right now mine is the breaking waves.

If you’re looking for other ways to ease your anxiety do check out the amazing speakers offering nutritional solutions on the Anxiety Summit www.theAnxietySummit.com

The Anxiety Summit – How to Heal Anxiety with Nature and the Body, not just with the Mind

April 30, 2015 By Trudy Scott 6 Comments

Dr. Eva Selhub MD, author of Your Health Destiny and Your Brain on Nature, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

How to Heal Anxiety with Nature and the Body, not just with the Mind

Why the “the body whispers before it screams”
What stress has to do with anxiety
Mind/body interventions and why they help
Why nature is so important for reducing anxiety and even improving cognition
What love has to do with any of this
The role of our genes in anxiety and depression
Why sleep is so important?

Here are some gems from our interview:

Listen to your body’s whispers before they become screams

We are always looking for a state of balance or relief

We develop coping skills to manage bad feelings

Adaptive coping: we’re hungry so we eat

Maladaptive coping: we’re anxious so we eat

Oxytocin, the trust molecule, is necessary for survival of the species

Here is my oxytocin blog I mentioned: Oxytocin and social anxiety, pyroluria and depression?

We know that low serotonin can cause anxiety, worry and depression and research shows there are interactions between oxytocin and serotonin levels.

I loved the discussion about getting out in nature. This 2011 study titled: Effect of forest environments on human natural killer (NK) activity found that visiting forest parks found:

enhanced human natural killer (NK) activity, increased anti-cancer proteins, such as perforin, granzymes A and B, and granulysin in NK cells, and reduced the level of stress hormones in both male and female subjects

this effect lasted for more than 30 days after the trips, suggesting that visiting a forest park once a month is beneficial

Here is another paper we mentioned: Is love of nature in the US becoming love of electronic media? 16-year downtrend in national park visits explained by watching movies, playing video games, internet use, and oil prices.

This advice was smart: if you’re working and can’t out in nature, get a plant for your office or use a tool like Calm.com, a very cool online tool I recently discovered. It’s not nature but may help until you can get into nature. You can pick what nature scene you like and then pick the meditation duration. I love it!

Here are the books we mentioned:

Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness and Vitality (with Alan Logan)

The Love Response: Your Prescription to Turn Off Fear, Anger, and Anxiety to Achieve Vibrant Health and Transform Your Life

Your Health Destiny: How to Unlock Your Natural Ability to Overcome Illness, Feel Better, and Live Longer

Get sample preview chapters from Your Health Destiny

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

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 and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – The power of music for mood and inspiration

November 13, 2014 By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

AMMA JO, singer/songwriter and entrepreneur was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

The power of music for mood and inspiration

Why music is inspiring and uplifting
Coming together to create the ‘Top of the World” song
A big food change she made

This is the lovely blog post we mentioned in the interview: Smile, help someone, dance/sing, say positive things

GET UP AND MOVE! Honey, sometimes, when I’m feeling down, I just GET ON UP and DANCE. Let’s not make things complicated. Get up and get moving! Put your favorite song on my friend! Put on some Beyonce or Gaga or U2 or put on some Elvis! Put some MUSIC on and get moving. There’s something about music and something about moving your body that seems to cut through emotions. I know it sounds simple, but try it! Works for me 🙂

We came together to create a special song for you! Here is a video clip of Amma Jo introducing and singing a few lines from the new “Top of the World” song

This is what Amma Jo said about Top of the World:

This TOP OF THE WORLD song is soothing and also empowering. The song is really about adopting a holistic mindset. From the power of good food to feeling great to feeling at peace, this song is a great way to start any day! When you really look at the words, you’ll see that the song itself is actually a positive affirmation set to music! The content was really created using the concepts and messages that Trudy uses in her programs.

Here are some the lyrics to the song (get all of them from this link) and be sure to get a copy of the actual song from the speaker gift page (under my introduction) – to inspire you and give you hope! and to simply enjoy!

A new beginning, a brand new day
All of my fears are gone away
I feel so calm, so free, so whole
Right now, I’m feeling on top of the world

Enjoy listening to Amma Jo singing on stage at Ali Brown’s SHINE event (this is where I first heard her sing) – No Stopping Me Now!

Get your own copy of ‘Finally Free’ an amazing and inspiring song about stepping into a brand new season by AMMA JO

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