Stress is a part of life—unavoidable and sometimes needed. Yet, too much of it can be debilitating, which can often trigger a reaction—anxiety. National Public Radio’s partners at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health found that one in every four Americans have combated a significant amount of stress over the past month. And according to the American Psychological Association, the number of those who are suffering from stress and anxiety has dramatically increased by 44 percent over the past five years. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America indicated that there are various types of anxiety: generalized anxiety disorder (affecting 6.8 million adults, women twice as much as men), social anxiety disorder (15 million adults), and specific phobias that start in early childhood around age 7 (19 million adults).
Those numbers are staggering, and numerous factors are to blame. Cheryl Myers, chief of education and scientific affairs at Wisconsin-based EuroPharma, Inc., said, “It varies. It can be situational, brought on by rushed deadlines, uncomfortable family get-togethers or social fears. Or, it can start slowly in childhood and become worse over time, brought about by illness, traumatic events or learned responses.” These factors can take a toll on the body physically and mentally, manifesting as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, change in appetite, a fast heartbeat, feelings of impending doom, nervousness in a social setting, irrational behavior and difficulty concentrating.
To curb the hazardous effects of stress and anxiety, natural approaches in regard to treatment should always be the first line of defense. Raina De Graaf, a clinical nutritionist and wholesale representative for U.K.-based Good Health Naturally, advised, “The first thing we recommend as health advocates at Good Health Naturally is diet, exercise and supplementation. They all work synergistically.” Good Health Naturally started selling dietary supplements in the early 90s and experienced a surge in growth after the CEO Robert Redfern wrote, The Miracle Enzyme is Serrapeptase.
Often times, when one is stressed or anxious heavy medication is prescribed and a “comfort diet” is adhered, ultimately promoting a more difficult road to recovery. With that said, De Graf noted that at Good Health Naturally, “We guide our customer to choose foods for a healthy brain, such as fish, hemp, avocados, coconut and nuts as well as healthy fruits and vegetables.” Maintaining a balanced diet while combating stress and anxiety is vital not only for cognitive function but overall wellness—creating equilibrium amongst stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Other natural ways of coping with stress and anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which allows a person to work through their responses to everyday occurrences that trigger anxiety. Meditation exercises are also useful to create an appropriate amount of emotional space.
All in Good Health
To help foster a healthy lifestyle, Good Health Naturally offers Real Focus, which is their newest product for those who are crippled by stress-inducing factors. Real Focus contains KSM-66 ashwagandha extract, which is produced by Ixoreal Biomed. KSM-66 has had 11 completed clinical studies and several benefits: reduced stress, cortisol levels, stress-related food cravings, improved memory and cognition and sexual function.
Along with the benefits of that compound, Real Focus also contains the “depression herb,” Rhodiola rosea. This herb works to rejuvenate the body by decreasing fatigue and enhancing mental sharpness. De Graaf said of the herb, “It can be taken as a daily supplement to improve physical performance and mental performance, with the potential to naturally relieve depression by increasing serotonin levels in the brain.” Serotonin has been deemed as the happy hormone.
Aside from Good Health Naturally’s latest product, it also offers Good Health Naturally Blockbuster AllClear, Good Health Naturally Lithium Balance, Good Health Naturally Hemp Oil, Krill Oil, and Brain Power. Good Health Naturally Blockbuster AllClear promotes blood flow around the brain with its powerful combination of serrapeptase, nattokinase and protease. This synergistic blend can also support circulation through the fat barrier that surrounds the brain. Good Health Naturally Lithium Balance contains 250 mg of lithium orotate, which is known to help manage depression. And its final depression-fighting products are all fatty acids to assist in fostering cognitive function.
Be Present
As mentioned, stress and anxiety can bring hampering effects to the body, ranging from nausea to irrational behavior. When it comes to treatment, “fixing” stress and anxiety has been a mainstream practice whereas the overall health of someone is a lower priority. It’s important for dietary supplements to not only target the power of the mind but the body as well. And Himalaya Herbal Healthcare helps to do just that. Omar Cruz, clinical herbalist and director of education at Himalaya Herbal Healthcare said, “If we could put our mental hygiene at the same level of care we give the physical aspects, we’d be worlds better off.” Because of that, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare stresses several products that target both aspects.
For starters, the company was founded in India in 1930, marketing products for people’s mental health and clarity since their earliest beginnings. And they’ve been in North America for more than 20 years, where their StressCare formula has been a top-seller. Another pro-mind product to take note of is MindCare. Cruz said of each product, “Both of these formulas have been subjected to double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials on people with various levels of anxiety and stress with remarkable results, some even competing with more mainstream and conventional therapies.” He continued on, “Our approach is less mono-symptom specific and more synergistic and far-reaching. We want to reduce your stress level, sure. And we do. But we also want to address things you may not be thinking of when you look at how stress affects the different organs and systems of the body.”
Moving forward with that information, StressCare works to support crucial endocrine glands like the thyroid and the HPA-axis, functioning as a natural communication passageway between adrenal glands and the brain. The supplement also helps the body return to a normal state of blood pressure where a sense of calmness can be felt. And for it to be all that efficient, StressCare contains a synergistic blend of ashwagandha, holy basil and turmeric. Among the bunch, holy basil is a unique herb for combating stress because its mechanism of action is to reduce histamine responses in the blood, thus decreasing skin redness and irritation. In India, the herb is primarily used as an antibiotic for colds and respiratory infections, but Cruz considers it a “good full-body herb.” He said, “It’s a mild nervine, so it will relax you a little bit right away, and it’s a very good insomnia herb. We use it somewhat like arjuna in terms of the heart.” It’s also important to keep in mind of holy basil that the soil in which the plant is grown in is the multi-vitamin of the plant, meaning its environment has total control regarding the quality.
While StressCare targets the endocrine glands, MindCare’s focus is to assist in occasional absentmindedness and loss of concentration. To do that, the supplement aims to support the HPA-axis and normal levels of stress and hormone production—ultimately reducing age-related memory problems.
It’s a Balancing Act
Another body-boosting company to be aware of is Texas-based Natural Vitality, which offers organically grown, plant-based ingredients. The product Natural Calm emphasizes healthy magnesium levels and calcium intake. But what’s magnesium and calcium’s role in regard to stress and anxiety? The answer: they are fundamental nutrients on a cellular level. In a healthy, stress-free person, calcium excites nerves while magnesium produces a calming effect and calcium triggers muscle contractions where magnesium relaxes the muscle. Calcium is also needed for blood clotting, yet magnesium keeps blood moving. Simply put, it’s all a balancing act.
Natural Vitality sees it as an on-off switch when the body is stress ridden because the cells will experience a significant change, having altered levels where a person is deficient in magnesium. Considered an “orphan nutrient” by the journal, Nutrition Reviews, 48 percent of the U.S. population consumes less than the required amount of magnesium from food. The recommended dietary allowance according to Oregon State University for this forgotten nutrient is 400-420 mg a day for men and 310-320 mg a day for women. And the nutrient provides more than muscle relaxation and blood flow—magnesium is needed for hormone and DNA production, making and using proteins, and for day-to-day tasks like sleeping.
Natural Calm aids in restoring the orphan nutrient along with calcium intake. Called the anti-stress drink, Natural Calm is made up of a proprietary formula that provides the body with rich absorbable, water-soluble magnesium in an ionic form, taking effect right away.
Proven Points
Discussed earlier, EuroPharma Inc. offers proprietary formulas that hit several health aspects of the body. But the one that has been especially studied for anxiety relief is AnxioCalm, offering Echinacea angustifolia, which is one type of echinacoside, and not the full herb. Echinacoside is a natural phenol that’s popular in traditional Chinese medicine, containing nueroprotective and hepatoprotective properties. Regarding AnxioCalm, Myers said: “After comparing echinacea species, Echinacea angustifolia, provided the levels of anxiety reducing compounds to be used as a source for these dramatically effective echinacosides.” She also mentioned that the drug doesn’t cause any drowsiness—a common side effect of prescription drugs for anxiety.
To further prove the effectiveness of AnxioCalm, one study was conducted where after one day, participants experienced a decrease in stress and anxiety and a 25 percent reduction in just seven days. Another study published by the journal of Phytotherapy Research, highlighting the efficacy of the echinacea extract for one week, participants experienced strikingly reduced stress and anxiety in three days. This study involved 33 volunteers who were around the age of 40, all experiencing mild anxiety. Their anxiety was measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), a validated method in measuring anxiety levels. After one week’s worth of use of the echinacea extract, STAI scores also decreased in three days.
Higher doses of AnxioCalm were also studied, targeting individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The study began with a screening phase, followed by a six-week double-blind treatment. Myers said of the study, “During treatment, participants received either 40 mg of AnxioCalm twice daily or placebo tablets. Between visits one and six during the treatment period, the number of severely anxious patients (HADS-A score larger than 11) decreased from 11 to zero in the echinacea group. So, AnxioCalm significantly reduced anxiety in GAD patients, with a full effect within about 21 days.”
In addition to AnxioCalm, EuroPharma Inc. offers CuraMed 750, which contains BCM-95 Curcumin—a patented form of curcumin incorporating turmeric essential oils. Myers said of the compound, “In terms of mental health and depression—often seen in conjunction with anxiety—the ongoing research of BCM-95 curcumin has yielded some impressive results.” One of the clinical studies had patients who experienced major depressive disorder (MDD) take a combination of fluoxetine (Prozac) and BCM-95 Curcumin over a six-week period. The results: a 77.8 percent response rate as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), indicating that both can be used together safely and effectively as complimentary therapies. There are two important keys to take away from the MDD study. First, curcumin worked as well as fluoxetine regarding measurable changes in the HAMD-17 score. Second Myers said, “Curcumin can be an effective and safe treatment for patients with MDD without the side effects of suicidal thoughts, libido loss, dry mouth or other adverse effects.”
And if you are curious about BCM-95 curcumin alone, another study showed that 56 individuals with MDD were treated with the compound (500 mg twice daily for eight weeks) and it exhibited anti-depressant effects. Curcumin’s mechanism of action is by influencing biomarkers associated with depression, including plasma endothelin-1 and leptin. Plasma endothelin-1 is a protein that raises blood pressure, constricts blood vessels, and impacts neuronal activity; leptin is a hunger hormone that affects metabolism and hunger-related behavior. VR
References:
www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2011/final-2011.pdf.
Micronutrient Information Center. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2016, from http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium.
Neighmond, P. (n.d.). For Many Americans, Stress Takes A Toll On Health And Family. Retrieved January 28, 2016, from www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/07/07/323351759/for-many-americans-stress-takes-a-toll-on-health-and-family.
Understanding the Facts | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2016, from www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety.
Rosanoff, A. (2012). Suboptimal magnesium status in the United States: Are the health consequences underestimated? Nutrition Reviews, 70(3), 153-164.
For More Information:
EuroPharma Inc., (920) 406-6500
Good Health Naturally, +44-203-746-3283
Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, (713) 863-1686
Natural Vitality, (800) 446-7462
