• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

everywomanover29

Food, Mood and Women's Health – Be your healthiest, look and feel great!

  • Blog
  • About
  • Services
  • Store
  • Resources
  • Testimonials
  • Media
  • The Book
  • Contact

forest bathing

I have issues with perimenopausal anxiety a couple of weeks per month and don’t want to turn to SSRIs.

March 8, 2019 By Trudy Scott 6 Comments

My challenges with anxiety have been hormonal. I’ve had issues with both postpartum anxiety and now perimenopausal anxiety a couple of weeks per month as I’m approaching menopause. I don’t want to turn to SSRIs but some days are pretty miserable and most other days I feel fine. Any info you have to share regarding this topic or any natural solutions would be of great interest.

When I’m working with a client who reports symptoms like this we start with serotonin and GABA support; determine if they have low zinc, low vitamin B6 and low iron. I also always ask the question: are you on the birth control pill (now or in even in the past).

I’ve blogged about much of this in the past so I’m going to share snippets and blogs for further reading.

Serotonin support with tryptophan for immediate worry-type anxiety relief

In a study published in 1999, A placebo-controlled clinical trial of L-tryptophan in premenstrual dysphoria, tryptophan was found to reduce symptoms of PMS when used in the luteal phase or second half of the cycle (i.e. after ovulation).

This is very typical when I’m working with someone with both PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and perimenopausal anxiety, depression, irritability and mood swings. It typically takes 2 to 3 cycles for an amino acid like tryptophan to have an impact on the cyclical nature of your perimenopausal symptoms.

However, tryptophan does typically start to work right away on the less severe anxiety and mood symptoms assuming you find the ideal dose for your needs. I use the trial method to help my clients figure this out.

When you boost serotonin you also reduce the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety, and end to panic attacks and phobias, a boost of confidence, no more depression and negativity, imposter syndrome that is no more, an end to your anger issues and irritability, an improvement in sleep and no more afternoon/evening cravings for something sweet.

You can read more about tryptophan here: Tryptophan for the worry-in-your-head and ruminating type of anxiety

GABA support for relief from tension-type anxiety

During perimenopause progesterone is often low and when it is low, we can expect GABA to be low too. Research confirms low GABA and high glutamate-glutamine in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and that shifting hormones may lead to dysregulation of GABA which contributes to HPA axis dysfunction. The HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal) axis is your stress response system and when it’s not functioning well you are more susceptible to the effects of stress and more likely to feel depressed and anxious.

If your GABA levels are low you will feel increased physical tension and insomnia. The amino acid GABA, opened on to the tongue, can provide calming results within minutes.

Dee likes the instant calm and compares 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.

Low zinc, low vitamin B6 and/or low iron?

Low iron/ferritin is common if you’re still having a period and it’s one of the important -cofactors for making serotonin, thyroid hormones and the sex hormones. Low iron, together with low vitamin B6 plays a role in anxiety and panic attacks. In one study premenopausal women who had been admitted to the emergency room with panic attacks were found to have both low iron and low vitamin B6. I have an entire blog post on this topic here

The other key co-factor for making serotonin is zinc. You’ll want to look into and address pyroluria if you feel more anxious in social situations like family gatherings, going to church events or community picnics, or even while doing business networking or in work meetings. The key nutrients for pyroluria are zinc and vitamin B6 and both help with PMS and perimenopausal anxiety, and hormone balance.

Are you on the birth control pill?

I recently reviewed Beyond the Pill A 30-Day Program to Balance Your Hormones, Reclaim Your Body, and Reverse the Dangerous Side Effects of the Birth Control Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighten.

If you currently on the pill or have been in the recent past read the above review and get the book to give you an excellent understanding of what may be going on with your body.

Dr. Jolene shares that mood disruption is common and mentions a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association which reports the following:

women who began the pill were more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant – which means it contributes to a bit more than moodiness

She writes in great detail about Post–birth control syndrome (PBCS) which is “is a constellation of symptoms women experience when they discontinue hormonal birth control.” She has found the symptoms of PBCS typically occur in the first 4-6 months after stopping the pill. As well as mood swings and anxiety, you may also experience heavy bleeding or no period, acne, headaches, infertility, pill-induced PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), hypothyroidism, gut issues and even autoimmune symptoms.

You also want to reduce your stress levels. Here are some ideas for you:

  • Get into nature and experience the incredible benefits of forest bathing
  • Do some bird-watching in your backyard or at a nearby park: People living in neighborhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress
  • Get outside and start bouldering or go and “play” in a climbing gym: A growing body of research suggests that bouldering, a form of rock climbing, can help build muscle and endurance while reducing stress

All the above is a great starting point. You also want to consider adrenal support if needed; and support liver health, together with dietary changes, addressing gut health and thyroid health, getting toxins out of your life and figuring out whatever your own root causes may be.

Here is the link to the amino acids and pyroluria supplements I use with my clients.

Have you found that any of the above has helped you with your PMS or perimenopausal anxiety?

Do you have any stress-relief tips to share with other women who find themselves so stressed out at this age?

Feel free to post questions here too.

Filed Under: Women's health Tagged With: adrenals, anxiety, Beyond the Pill, bird-watching, bouldering, depression, forest bathing, GABA, iron, perimenopause, serotonin, stress, the pill, vitamin B6, zinc

Anxiety, stress and high cortisol: forest bathing to the rescue

January 25, 2019 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

On the way home from a snorkelling trip to the beach earlier this week we stopped at Centennial Park in Sydney and were wowed by the magnificent trees. It inspired me to write this blog about forest bathing to inspire you to think about the power of nature as a simple way to give you joy and contribute to a wonderful sense of calm and peace. I was quite giddy with these feelings while there and still feel waves of awe days later when thinking about it and looking at these pictures of the Paperbark Grove and the massive Morton Bay fig trees.

We know being in nature has a psychological impact making us feel calm and relaxed, happy and joyful, and even playful. But what exactly is forest bathing and are there really physiological impacts i.e. does forest bathing simply help you feel good or does it actually lower your cortisol levels or blood pressure?

This paper, The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan, defines forest bathing:

The term Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) was coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in 1982. It can be defined as making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest: a process intended to improve an individual’s state of mental and physical relaxation

The above study set out to measure and clarify the physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing with 12 young male university students who had no history of physical or psychiatric disorders:

12 subjects walked in and viewed a forest or city area. On the first day, six subjects were sent to a forest area, and the others to a city area. On the second day, each group was sent to the other area as a cross-check.

The participants sat and viewed the landscape for 12-16 minutes and then walked in the landscape for 14-18 minutes (in one of the 24 forests and then in one of the 24 city areas on the second day).

The subjects had the following markers measured before breakfast and both before and after the walking and viewing periods:

  • salivary cortisol
  • blood pressure
  • pulse rate and
  • heart rate variability

After this surprisingly short period of viewing and walking in the forests the following results were found:

forest bathing promotes lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity

So, what we have, is more activity of the parasympathetic system i.e. more of the calming “rest and digest” activity and less activity of the sympathetic system i.e. what we term as “fight or flight” or stress activity.

The authors suggest that forest bathing “may be used as a strategy for preventive medicine” and I wholeheartedly agree.

Given that GABA can lower high pressure and calm down the “fight or flight” sympathetic system (see this animal study) I won’t be surprised when we see research showing us that forest bathing boosts GABA levels just in a similar way that yoga boosts GABA.

If you don’t have everyday access to parks, trees or forests be sure to go out of your way to make detours down nearby tree-lined streets to get some of these wonderful health benefits.

And because we know that simply looking at images of greenery and nature can have a calming and stress-reducing effect, here is a bigger version of the photo I took of the Paperbark Grove for you to enjoy looking at!

My picture of the Paperbark Grove in Centennial Park, Sydney

We were so excited to “discover” this gem and got home and googled it only to find out it’s a popular avenue for wedding parties! I’m sure you can see why!

Right next to the Paperbark Grove are three giant Moreton Bay fig trees. These trees are estimated to be older that the park, which was opened in 1888.

Here I am being “hugged” by one of them (doesn’t it take tree-hugging to another level!?)

If you’re local to Sydney or come for a visit one day, I highly recommend a trip to Centennial Park to see these magnificent trees and do your own Australian version of forest bathing. You may just see me there!

Until then, I encourage you to get outside into forests, get “hugged” by trees, hug trees and gaze up and enjoy every calming and joyous moment. It can help to lower your cortisol levels so you can be free of anxiety and it may even help to prevent anxiety!

Please do share your favorite forest bathing locations and how they make you feel.

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: anxiety, calming, centennial park, cortisol, forest, forest bathing, GABA, Shinrin-yoku, stress, stress-reducing, trees, yoga

Primary Sidebar

anxeity summit season 5
Online
November 11 - 17, 2019

FREE REPORT:
9 Great Questions Women Ask about Food, Mood and their Health

You'll also receive a complimentary subscription to my ezine "Food, Mood and Gal Stuff"

Connect with me

Recent Posts

  • Increased sociability improves vagus nerve function: the role of social anxiety, pyroluria and low zinc
  • Recommended gut-brain books as holiday gifts for you or a loved one
  • Parasites, Anxiety and TUDCA for Your Liver with Dr. Jay Davidson: The Anxiety Summit 5
  • Spore-based Probiotics for Serotonin and GABA with Kiran Krishnan: The Anxiety Summit 5
  • Sage, gluten, CBD and gut-brain axis: highlights from The Anxiety Summit 5

Categories

  • AB575
  • Addiction
  • Adrenals
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Amino Acids
  • Antianxiety
  • Antianxiety Food Solution
  • Antidepressants
  • Anxiety
  • Anxiety and panic
  • Anxiety Summit 5
  • Autism
  • Autoimmunity
  • benzodiazapines
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Books
  • Caffeine
  • Cancer
  • Candida
  • Children
  • Cooking equipment
  • Depression
  • Detoxification
  • Diabetes
  • Diet
  • Drugs
  • EMF
  • EMFs
  • Emotional Eating
  • Environment
  • Essential oils
  • Events
  • Exercise
  • Fear of public speaking
  • Fertility and Pregnancy
  • Fish
  • Food
  • Food and mood
  • Functional neurology
  • GABA
  • Gene polymorphisms
  • General Health
  • Giving
  • Giving back
  • Glutamine
  • Gluten
  • GMOs
  • Gratitude
  • Gut health
  • Heart health
  • Histamine
  • Hormone
  • Inflammation
  • Insomnia
  • Inspiration
  • Introversion
  • Joy and happiness
  • Ketogenic diet
  • Looking awesome
  • Lyme disease and co-infections
  • Mental health
  • Mercury
  • Migraine
  • Mold
  • Movie
  • MTHFR
  • Music
  • NANP
  • Nature
  • Nutritional Psychiatry
  • OCD
  • Oxytocin
  • Pain
  • Paleo
  • Parasites
  • People
  • Postpartum
  • PTSD
  • Pyroluria
  • Questionnaires
  • Real whole food
  • Recipes
  • Research
  • serotonin
  • SIBO
  • Sleep
  • Special diets
  • Stress
  • Sugar addiction
  • Sugar and mood
  • Supplements
  • Teens
  • Testimonials
  • Testing
  • The Anxiety Summit
  • The Anxiety Summit 2
  • The Anxiety Summit 3
  • The Anxiety Summit 4
  • Thyroid
  • Thyroid health
  • Toxins
  • Tryptophan
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegan/vegetarian
  • Women's health
  • Yoga

Archives

  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • July 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • November 2009

Copyright © 2019 · Trudy Scott. All Rights Reserved.