Update: I am finding meditation to be Extremley helpful... but bare in mind. This is a long process.
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This is just my adivce on my personal expierience. Nothing else helped, this helped me so it might help you too.
First off, I notice what I eat affects how I feel and think. So.. go vegan and go gluten free. Gluten is a known inflammatory producing.
Plan it out. You can't just go eat processed vegan junk food. You have to eat real foods. Fruits, Vegtables, Hummus... Replace bread with nuts\seeds\Corn-Tortilla Chips.
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Second, get a blender. Put LOTS of leafy greens in the blender. Limit sugary fruits, eat whole instead.
Do research on anti-inflammatory vegtabales. Some of the top are Ginger and Turmeric. Get a turmeric supplement, include Ginger in Green Smoothies.
Overall, put handfulls of greens in your smoothie. Eat enough calories... and this will improve your situation. BUT.. give it time. It takes a while to get there. Trust me, i know it's hard but you will.
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Excercise often but not too streneous. Just sweat. Get 180 mins a week. Getting 60 mins of walking on the treadmill is helpfull.
Meditate daily, keep a meditation journal.
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Supplements
Turmeric 1000 mg (Very important)
Ashwaganda
Flaxseed oil (Very important)
ImmortalSpace
Thanks for your input. A few things to clarify. Meditation is wonderful and I try to do it preventatively as part of my spiritual practice, but it is very difficult to do when in an anxious state or while having panic disorder. It's difficult to even close one's eyes in a hyper state, much less try to sit still. Gentle rhythmic exercise helps the most, vigorous does not until the anxious state is lessened. Dancing always works unless my balance is wonky. Some of us have methylation issues whereby certain foods and supplements, notably folates, are not good. Dark leafy greens unfortunately fall into the folate category and are high in histamines. But they're so good otherwise that it's a harm/benefit balance and I eat them anyway. For me, pea and hemp protein are better choices in my Ninja blender than handfuls of greens or fruit. Too bad, I love them. These intuitive natural choices are great for most, but those of us with confirmed chemical imbalances have to be on guard always. It's not just about food or chemical sensitivies, neurotransmitter levels, or nutrition, but what's happening at the molecular level way upstream. Epigenetic medicine seems to hold the most hope, and I sure hope mainstream medicine is headed that way, but I very much doubt it.
I think that most of us on this board are savvy with nutrition and do not eat junk food, although your's is a good reminder to not. A vegan diet works for some but not for most, definitely not for me, and processed foods are of course out of the question. Those who are trying to be advocates for their own health are always trawling the internet for information and are probably aware of processed and genetically engineered foods enough to avoid them. Poor lifestyle choices will always makes things worse, but good lifestyle choices do not necessarily makes things better and this is a hard, cold fact. Not all supplements work for everyone, and some can hurt. I am a low-methylator with high histamine, high copper and low GABA transferase enzymes, and am on a specific nutrient therapy that will a lot of take time to note any improvement. I've started DAO enzymes for the histamine, so we shall see. Unfortunately, ashwaganda does nothing, nor does passion flower, gaba supplements, gluten free diet, curcumin, all the big players, although I keep trying to find a magic bullet and am always open to new things. I've learned that indiscriminate supplementing can hurt my chemical make-up and these days I have to research what they're actually doing biochemically - the why and how - beforehand. I've spent a lot of money and hurt myself too many times. You are absolutely right about the inflammation angle, and I take lots of omega-3's to help out there.
We all have to keep up with healthy life-style choices no matter what, but in the meantime, trying to identify potent interventions that balance my anxiety-prone chemistry or lessen my symptoms is an ongoing process and the only way I know how to cope with anxiety and insomnia that doesn't seem to respond to much of anything. I always appreciate any suggestions, but unfortunately, this is where I'm at. In other words, I've tried 'em all, got the T-shirt, and am looking for something that will actually work and not hurt. I'm a big proponent for a healthy lifestyle, have been for most of my long and adventurous life, but unfortunately, lifestyle and natural supplements are not enough. I guess you could say I WANT A NEW DRUG!!!
Edited by BarbCat, 25 April 2015 - 07:40 PM.