In this episode I will address a few things that work for me as home remedies for anxiety. They do not have to work for you. And if you are unsure about any of this, please consult your healthcare provider. Thank you.

That first antianxiety pill feels like a miracle. After ten to fifteen minutes, you feel that the edge of your physical symptoms is being taken off. Your fists suddenly are relaxed. You are not sweating, and you feel calm. And you can catch a breath again. A deep, solid breath. You are not afraid anymore that you will die. The dark cloud of fear is lifted, and you can think again. Yes. But only after that first one. After some time, you need to bring the dosage up, and then up again. And when you want to stop, it is hard. No wonder that there is a strict regulation around medications and who and how long can take them. It is serious. It is simply put, a drug. Useful, helpful, extremely necessary at times, but non the less, a drug. What else can we do to help ourselves except taking medications?

Hello, my name is Selena, and I am on my own journey of healing myself. Throughout it, I have realized that I can also transfer what I know to others, to you, and try to help anyone who wants help as much as I do.  I am a molecular biologist and physiologist, with a PhD in Biochemistry and a Postdoc year in structural biology, but also, I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a spirit, a child of God, a creation of stardust. I am a part of nature, part of anyone of you, really. We are one.

Last time we talked about what anxiety is and the anatomy of the brain, the reasons behind it. Why is it happening? What are the neurotransmitters that are involved in the process?

I have mentioned in the beginning of today`s episode that usage of medications is very common if not the first line of defence. If you go to the doctor, and you explain your symptoms, you will for sure get some kind of medicine for some period to help your body equilibrate. Is this a bad thing? I personally do not think so. If a person has a really difficult time, and is dealing with serious emotions, trauma, something that cannot just be talked through in a few sessions with a therapists/psychiatrist, medications are more than welcome to stabilize the chemistry in the brain that has been compromised by different things, one of them being lifestyle, aka, stress.

However, what can we do ourselves, at home, to feel better, that does not depend on doctors or medicines?

One of the major things that influences anxiety is the GABA level in our brain. By naturally stimulating GABA levels through diet and supplement intake we can see improvement. *

In which foods we can find source of GABA?

• Fresh vegetables (broccoli, spinach)
• Fruits such as bananas and berries.
• Nuts like almonds and walnuts.
• Yogurt and fermented foods.
• Lentil beans.
• Brown rice.
• Halibut, shrimp, and soy are lean proteins that are also helpful for increasing GABA.

(Green, black and oolong tea. soy and adzuki beans, chestnuts, mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, sprouted grains and sweet potatoes.)

I am sure you can find something that you like and that you implement in your diet! 😊

Another thing is essential vitamin to take – vitamin B6; other supplements: L-threonine, Magnesium. Another important thing, especially in our life style is a good sleep. And it is not a surprise that people who suffer from anxiety have issues falling asleep or staying asleep. Natural remedies can be ashwagandha with melatonin at bedtime to help you sleep.

Regular exercise will help release other hormones, like serotonin, which will help the upward spiral of events, for example, inducing better sleep, which will reduce stress, which will keep levels of GABA up, that will keep you anxiety free.

Some small but actually crucial things can help a lot, small but crucial, yes– like hug, people – hug!, smile, laugh, singing, listening to music, listening to a stand-up comedy. And of course, the thing that you probably expected I would mention in the beginning: breathing. Conscious, deep, meditative breathing. Even if you do not know how to do it, there are so many apps that can teach you and, I will dedicate several episodes of the podcast only on meditation and breathing. Please, be aware that this is all about anxiety relief, but the situation in which you are can be much more serious if also includes panic attacks. They are stronger, they last longer, and sometimes it is necessary to have doctor’s checkup. Panic attacks can be treated with home remedies and breathing techniques, but when that does not help, sometimes we need something more.

*GABA, I was mentioning also in the last episode, if you want to check that out, listen Episode 2, or read Blogpost 2.

So, I am talking about anxiety, panic attacks are basically the next level, and we will have an episode that will talk about panic attacks, because they are much more serious and I want to talk specifically about them.

So, what I have noticed, it became a trend, especially in California, to use products that stimulate Vagus nerve. And they are really available and spread out. So, I want to tackle that a bit.

The Vagus nerve aka the “wandering nerve” is a multi-branched nerve that extends from the cerebellum in the brain down to the lowest viscera of the abdomen, reaching out to the heart and other organs on the way down. It is this nerve that is responsible for the communication between the gut and the brain. Very important nerve! Nowadays, we can find a lot of products that can be used to stimulate the Vagus nerve, for the specific reason to reduce stress and anxiety. A group from the university of Texas was working on a very interesting study how vagus nerve stimulation enhances the extinction of conditioned fear, e.g., subjects with PTSD, and fosters changes in the pathway from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala. And very important when talking about anxiety. (1)

It has also been shown in studies by University of Virginia psychologists that Vagus nerve stimulates the release of norepinephrine into the amygdala, strengthening memory storage in limbic regions of the brain that regulate arousal, memory and feeling responses to emotionally laden stimuli. Even though Vagus nerve and amygdala are not directly connected, there is chemical that Vagus nerve basically realises to connect them still. And amygdala is, as we know, responsible for our responses during anxiety and further panic attacks. (2)

I will mention just some examples that I am using or better to say, testing, and are involved in activation of the vagus nerve and promote “melting away signs of stress”. I won’t advertise specific products, I will just say the type they are, and how I use them. Due to time limitations of the day, we all 24 hours and I want to use up as much as I can of the day, I use both products that I have at once, it is very easy to do so. One is a device that uses a mix of infrasonic frequencies and sounds that stimulate the Vagus nerve and can be controlled with an app. While you use it, you feel the sounds and frequencies resonating throughout the body. Also, I use a headset, to hear the sounds and an eye mask, so that I am completely shut off from my environment, in my “meditative state.” With that, I am using another product, it is an oil combination, designed again specifically for Vagus nerve and it should be applied on specific spots on the body. So, I do that before I start my device. Then I have my smell sense occupied as well. Needless to say, it happened, several times that I did fell asleep during the process. But that is just a plus, right? That means it is working, I am relaxing. My parasympathetic is working. 😊

Advice – Moon Milk recipe: 1 cup whole milk or unsweetened nut milk (such as hemp, almond, or cashew), ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, ¼

teaspoon ground ashwagandha (or another adaptogen, like shatavari or astralagus), 1

teaspoon honey, preferably raw, pinch of ginger. Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in cinnamon, turmeric, ashwagandha, ginger. Whisk vigorously to incorporate any clumps. Continue to cook until warmed through, 5–10 minutes Then let it cool slightly. Stir in honey, pour into your favourite mug, and climb into bed, and get ready to relax. 😊 (Once upon a time, I was using this with 1mg of Melatonin for sleeping.)

I think it would be nice to finish each episode with a mantra or motivational quote, and for this episode it can be: Do not choose people who choose others instead od you, choose only the once who will go out of their way to make it obvious, that they want you to take them in your life.

I wish you a wonderful day and a wonderful week. I hope you really enjoy your days. Have faith. Have a nice rest and a nice sleep in the next days. Keep believe. Until next time.