Treatment of anxiety with Ayurveda

If you suffer from anxiety, Ayurveda may be your salvation

Anxious people look like people who cannot get rid of their worries even for a moment – they worry for everything at all times. The severity of the condition may vary from time to time. It can be lighter at one point, allowing us to do our daily duties and having a social life without any particular difficulty.

But when anxiety returns again, we may feel that even the simplest daily situations are too much for us, or we may begin to find our daily routine tasks unbearable.

But how to distinguish the „normal“and „excessive“levels of anxiety in us? It is normal to worry about an upcoming life event, or to wonder how we can cope financially when we need unexpected repairs at home. But there are also degrees of excessive anxiety that promote and contribute to the development of anxiety disorder as a serious psychological condition.

In such cases, for example, you may hear on TV news that there is a new diseases in a foreign country, and then you cannot fall asleep the entire night because of it. You will probably spend the next few days or weeks in a constant state of worry for the well-being of your family and you will experience anxiety that is exhausting, compulsory, excessive and constant.

Symptoms of the disease

Anxiety disorder may have various manifestations and symptoms – both psychological and physical. Some of the most common symptoms are:

• A state of constant worry
• Muscle tension or pain in the body
• Stress
• Difficulty concentrating and disturbed attention
• Low tolerance towards feelings of insecurity, obsession with control
• Fears
• Obsessive thoughts, usually negative and worrying, which are hard to get rid of and make us even more restless
• Intense emotions that are hard to control
• Sleep problems – at night, usually the obsessive thoughts and all other symptoms of anxiety increase
• Stomach upset
• Fatigue and rapid exhaustion
• Palpitations
• Tremor
• Sweating
• Dryness in the mouth
• Disturbed breathing , shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Cold and hot flushes
• Weakness or tingling
• „Lump“ feeling in the throat
• Irritability

People are usually diagnosed with anxiety disorder when experiencing a constant state of worry with regard to different daily situations over a period of at least six months.

In addition, at least three of the following six main symptoms should be present:

• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Difficulties to concentrate
• Sleep disorder
• Rapid fatigue

Unfortunately, there is usually no clear answer to what causes the anxiety disorder and how it can be diagnosed. But it, like many other mental illnesses, is probably caused by a combination of factors such as genetic predisposition, lifestyle and living environment.

In terms of anatomy, the anxiety disorder is closely related to the amygdala – the brain center responsible for the control of emotions, and for the way it processes the feelings of fear and anxiety.

Genetics also play a role in anxiety disorder. People who have relatives diagnosed with anxiety disorder in their families fall into the risk group. If there are stressors and traumatic life moments, the chance to develop anxiety disorder increases significantly.

Long-term use of narcotic drugs also increases the risk of development of generalized anxiety disorder, as well as the excessive alcohol abuse. Interestingly, although the use of tobacco and caffeine itself is unlikely to cause a serious mental disorder, it is also associated with increased levels of anxiety.

Treatment with the help of Ayurveda

Ayurveda recommends a diet, proper lifestyle and use of herbs to treat anxiety. But the word „diet“should not be perceived incorrectly. Here we are not talking about an ayurvedic nutritional regime, based on deprivation and avoidance of foods that we think are „harmful“. On the contrary – it is believed that the more fatty foods, especially when consumed warm, have positive effect on relieving fear and anxiety, as they help us nourish, relieve and release the irritated Vata dosha.

Some spices have a very good effect, for example, the ginger, dill, cumin and coriander. They can heal our anxiety because they have stimulating effect on Pitta dosha, which can bring the excessive Vata back into balance.

It is a fact that Vata dosha is the most delicate of all three doshas. This means that it is more susceptible to the influence of subtle energies compared to Pitta dosha and Kapha dosha. It is very important to bring it back into balance and we can do so with the help of the Ayurvedic therapies that work on our own way of life. We must not forget that the aggravated Vata dosha is also prone to suppress the Agni fire in us. This can make our digestion irregular and unpredictable. It is important to try to avoid this because if the digestive fire  weakens, this affects also the efficacy of any food and herbal therapy that could help us to return to our harmonious life.

After all, even the most beneficial food or herb could not help us if we are not able to absorb it properly. Key to an easy and rapid return of our Vata to balance is cultivation of healthy habits in our everyday life.

If the prana is disturbed, this leads to weakening of the nervous system. To deal with this, the ayurvedic medicines are selected in a way to control and reduce the excesses, while at the same time they help us to accumulate Satwa guna – the divine impulse of nature.

Thanks to Ayurveda, our mind becomes more stable and peaceful. Apart from the herbal treatment, it also involves the transformation of the way we eat and live. A properly selected exercise program is also essential for healing anxiety and anxiety disorder.