Anxiety has been a common feeling for many of the patients I have worked with in 2021.
My approach is multi-dimensional, but I start by looking at how a person’s biochemical processes might be making the anxiety worse and seeing if there are ways that we can work to get the body TO SUPPORT the brain so that the mind is in a clearer place to work towards peace.
Here’s just one example of getting BODY to support BRAIN:
Many patients know that as part of baseline bloods I always test for homocysteine (a byproduct of methylation). The homocysteine result gives me an insight into a patient’s methylation cycle, and the methylation cycle is involved in many things (hundreds in fact) including neurotransmitter production and breakdown.
Below is an excerpt from DNA Mind, which is another tool that I can draw on to formulate an approach to anxiety:
So for some people experiencing anxiety, once I see a high homocysteine count, I have a track that I can follow, and in certain cases, that track leads us to believe that one of the root causes of their anxiety lies in the methylation cycle.
For these people, once we address the methylation cycle, things calm down in the brain and they notice a respite in the incessant negative thought patterns or the fearful future projections. Of course they still have work to do, but at least they are in a place where the body is supporting the mind.
How can you improve your methylation cycle, and therefore your homocysteine, and therefore your anxiety?
It is food. It is movement. It is stress management. It is watching your alcohol intake. It is meditation, prayer, reflection, and connection. It is breath-work. And yes there are also options for supplementation and IV therapies. Below is an example of a supplementation combination, N-acetyl cysteine and MethylCare, that has been useful for certain patients (remember this is just an example).
A note on food, because you know I can’t help it. Dark green leafy vegetables are high in folate (vitamin B9), a key nutrient in the methylation cycle. Great if you can add them.
And sometimes it’s important to point out what would be better removed than added. For example, if you do nothing but remove ALL forms of sugar and alcohol from your diet, that in itself will improve biochemical processes.
Work with your biology, so that it can work with your brain, so that your mind and spirit are peaceful.
