real whole food

I shared these 60+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes of Anxiety on my closing call  of the The Anxiety Summit season 3.   I hope they will help you put the puzzle pieces together to resolve your anxiety.

The Foundational Causes from The Antianxiety Food Solution :

1. Food – real whole food, organic (pesticides may be problematic), quality protein (grass-fed, wild, pastured), healthy fats; avoid junk/processed food with additives/colors/trans fats/GMOs
2. Sugar – depletes zinc and magnesium and fills us up. We should not feel the need for treats/fruit should satisfy our desire for sweet
3. Low blood sugar – breakfast/protein/healthy snacks/no coffee
4. Caffeine/Coffee – even decaf coffee may be an issue. Coffee has high-levels of pesticides, affects blood sugar and affects hormones
5. Tobacco – depletes key nutrients like zinc, vitamin C      
6. alcohol – depletes key nutrients like zinc, vitamin C
7. Food sensitivities – gluten (plus glyphosates/roundup affect serotonin/zinc etc), dairy, GAPs, grains
8. Digestive system – low HCl
9. Digestive system – Low good bacteria/probiotics
10. Digestive system – other enzymes are low
11. Digestive system – candida
12. Digestive system – parasites
13. Digestive system – leaky gut
14. Digestive system – liver/gallbladder issues
15. Digestive system – SIBO
16. Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low GABA (covered in detail in season 4 of the Anxiety Summit) 
17. Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low serotonin
18. Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low endorphins
19. Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low catecholamines (need for coffee/sugar) or high catecholamines. Gut health, what you eat, coffee, gluten all affect the brain chemicals
20. Pyroluria/social anxiety – zinc, vitamin B6 and EPO (addressing this improves brain chemical imbalances and hormone imbalances)
21. A need for zinc
22. A need for vitamin B6
23. A need for EPO
24. Toxins/pesticides/plastics/BPA
25. Medication side-effects/withdrawal (benzos are the worst)
26. Sex hormones imbalances (especially low progesterone)
27. Thyroid problems – hyperthyroid/Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can cause anxiety symptoms; low thyroid symptoms – amino acids are not as effective
28. Adrenals issues: cortisol imbalance can affect how you handle stress, digestion, inflammation; high cortisol can have direct impact on anxiety levels
29. Low total cholesterol (<150)
30. Low levels of vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C
31. Low levels of vitamin B12
32. Low levels of folate
33. Low levels of iron (test ferritin)
34. Not getting exercise
35. Not working on stress-reduction (tai chi, meditation, guided imagery, yoga)
36. Not getting out in nature
37. Not getting at least 8 hours of sleep

[the above are all covered in great detail in my book  The Antianxiety Food Solution ]

Other possible nutritional/biochemical/physical causes of anxiety/depression

38. Drug-induced nutrient deficiencies (for example: the birth control pill depletes vitamin B6, folate, magnesium)
39. MVP (mitral valve prolapse) – it feel like the “heart is skipping a beat” (magnesium may help)
40. Infections – strep can cause OCD/PANDAS/PANS. Also consider: H/Pylori, Lyme disease, clostridia
41. Heavy metals like mercury or lead.  We covered mercury in season 2 – Your hidden mercury burden: A likely root cause of the other root causes of anxiety and mercury/lead detox in season 4 with Dr. John Dempster
42. Anything that increases inflammation in the body (high CRP is a good clue)
43. Herbicide/Roundup use in the home/garden
44. Genetic polymorphisms – MTHFR, COMT, MAOA, GAD – Dr. Ben Lynch is an excellent resource and has shared his expertise on season 2 – Anxiety: Biochemical and genetic predispositionsand season 3 – How Methylfolate can make you Feel Worse and even Cause Anxiety
45. Apolipoprotein E ?4 (ApoE ?4) gene polymorphism
46. Other possible hormone issues: high prolactin, low oxytocin
47. Histamine reaction to certain foods (Yasmina covers this in her interview in season 3: Histamine-containing Foods: their Role in Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia )
48. Oxalates reaction (berries, leafy greens, nuts). A good resource is lowoxalateinfo
49. SIBO and FODMAPs/fructose malabsorption (affects serotonin levels)
50. Too much of some nutrients: fish oil, a B complex, tyrosine, folate
51. Low lithium (impacts GABA levels)
52. Copper toxicity i.e. high copper and low zinc
53. EMFs, air pollution, noise pollution, cell phone use, smart meters
54. Marijuana use – used recreationally or as medical marijuana (Dr. Hyla Cass covers this in season 4 of the Anxiety Summit – cognitive issues, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, social anxiety)
55. Toxic mold exposure (Dr. Jill Carnahan covers this in season 3)
56. Fluoride exposure
57. Poor mouth health
58. Toxoplasma gondii
59. Metals/chemicals/drugs in the tap water
60. Low leptin (signals satiety/fullness) and high ghrelin
61. Over-the counter drugs, inner ear issues/cochlear damage, light sensitivity (Sharon Heller shared Hidden Causes of Anxiety on season 2) 
62. Physical pain (from an injury)
63. Gas leaks
64. Plastics/BPA
65. Accutane, the acne drug can lead to psychiatric disorders in some people

May 14, 2016 updates after Season 4 of the Anxiety Summit:

   66. Leptin resistance, obesity, skinny-fat and high body fat % (Mike Mutzel covers this in season 4 – anxiety, inflammation, microbiome, PTSD, cortisol and HPA axis)

   67. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Lisa Bloomquist covers this in season 4 – anxiety, psychosis, connective tissue damage, mitochondrial impacts)

   68. Low histamine/histapenia/overmethylation or high histamine/histadelia/undermethylation – read more here and the season 4 interview with Dr. William Walsh

   69. Lack of community and social connection (James Maskell covers this in season 4)

Note: these causes do not include psychological or physical trauma or abuse (both past and current).

If the idea of 60+ causes feels too overwhelming and scary for you start with the basic food changes and look at the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. GABA and serotonin support benefits most of my clients.  You can see how to do a trial here  and find the products I use with my clients here – such as tryptophan and GABA.

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.