Anxiety - Wide-Ranging Health Effects

Humans appear to be hard-wired for modest levels of Anxiety as a fear-arousal warning mechanism. This relates to our survival instinct and is controlled by the Autonomic Nervous System.

Anxiety may be characterized as uneasiness, fear, worry, and apprehension.

Anxiety is a common psychological state in which the basic message is "get away from this situation". The state is usually accompanied by numerous physiologic components including:

• surges of the hormone adrenaline,
• increased heart rate 
• elevated blood pressure, and
• increased blood flow to the major muscle groups as the body prepares for "fight or flight".

These are all normal responses to environmental threats.

The overall process is orchestrated by the amygdala and hippocampus, two regions of the brain's Limbic System which process memory, emotional response, and spatial navigation.

What Happens When It Becomes Abnormal?

For many people, if Anxiety states become frequent and prolonged by various developmental circumstances in childhood and their teenage years, they may begin to respond to "perceived threats" rather than real threats. The Anxiety state may persist and even become the default condition for the individual.

What Happens When It Becomes Chronic?

Those with Chronic Anxiety may experience chronic back pain,^1,2 chronic muscular tension, fibromyalgia,³ headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.

Chronic anxiety may cause a person to

• anticipate the worst,
• to have ongoing feelings of dread,
• to be constantly irritable and tense, and
• to experience panic attacks.

Eventually the person may become worn out from the constant drain on their inner resources and a likely outcome is depression. The person simply cannot take any more stress.

Chronic anxiety has a specific impact on the musculoskeletal system. Persistently elevated levels of adrenaline create ongoing tension in the postural muscles of the lower back and the weight-bearing, antigravity gluteal muscles, pelvic musculature, and hamstrings.

The long-term results may include: 

• chronic lower back pain,
• inflammation of the sciatic nerve, and
• lumbar disc disease.

Of course, any of these health problems create more Anxiety for the person, establishing a vicious circle of Anxiety, pain, more Anxiety, and more pain.

Why Do People Get Anxiety?  What Is The Underlying Cause?

Anxiety is a defensive response to a simple cascade of normal stimuli that are processed in a person's brain in an abnormal fashion.  When a person feels out of control with how to deal with their current stress and stressful situations, this leads to an exaggerated response that ultimately creates a reactive pattern in the brain.  Once this process begins, it spreads throughout the body, thus triggering a repetitive loop in the person's thinking.  This, unfortunately, becomes a self-feeding mechanism and traps a person in their abnormal pattern.  And believe it or not, this is something that can be addressed quite easily, once you understand the mechanism of cause and have tools to access and correct the corrupt patterning. 

What Controls Brain Chemistry?

Brain chemistry is controlled by

• Our Hydration Levels

When we are dehydrated, as most people are, our brain is the first part of the body that begins to suffer.  Your body is made up of 70 % water; and your brain is made up of 80 % water.  So when one is functionally dehydrated, the brain is the first part of the body that will become compromised.  This is why, when someone is admitted to a hospital, the first thing they do to help the person is hook them up to an IV and rehydrate them.  This, alone, will make 95 % of all symptoms go away.  So staying properly hydrated will surely help a person who experiences Anxiety.

• Our Digestive System

When our Digestive System is out of balance, because we have been exposed to the Digestive System Disruptors, this too results in altered brain chemistry.

• The Types of Foods We Feed Our System 

Compound that imbalance with all the Completely Refined And Processed (CRAP) foods we consume, and you will begin to understand why there is a change in the way the brain processes information.

We Are All Subject To This Problem  

Knowing that our Digestive System is always being assaulted, and we have a sugar addiction, this leads the person developing a Digestive Yeast/Candidia imbalance.  This alters their self-esteem and leads to things like worry, fear and lack of control over events.  That puts a person on the repetitive "dwindling spiral" that ends with Anxiety. 

These are all related to the Stomach, Spleen/Pancreas, collectively known as the Earth Element in the Chinese 5 Elements of Health.  When the mechanism of CAUSE for this dwindling spiral is properly addressed, people are given back their control and can recognize and stop the negative habit pattern for themselves BEFORE it gets past the first stage.  This empowers the individual to restore proper brain function.  Then proper thinking returns quite easily.

Jake Brock 

5 STAR Review 5 months ago-

"Dr Huntoon helped turn my life around. When I first saw him, I was at the worst point in my life; depressed, suicidal, and failing at school. But with the help of Dr Huntoon, I was better able to understand my health problems and one step at a time, we worked together to fix my health and now I'm in the most prosperous time of my life. Thank you Dr Huntoon."

Your Solution

Solutions for Chronic Anxiety usually require multidisciplinary holisitic approaches.  Dr. Huntoon specializes in this type of care, as he takes the time to understand his Practice Members and what their lives are about.  He also addresses the whole cycle of imbalance by addressing the 7 Pillars of Health, one being the emotions.  Here are 2 of the 7 for you to consider:

• Nutrition 

A key factor in restoring a person's homeostatic mechanisms. 

Significantly reducing (STOPPING) one's intake of simple carbohydrates - soda, muffins, cookies, cake, fast food, and even juice - will often have a substantial impact. Making sure to have five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day will also provide great benefit.

Addressing the reason for being addicted to these foods by addressing the underlying imbalances within the Digestive System, while explaining the Mechanism of Cause associated with addictive behavior, puts the person back in charge of their health.

• Emotional Treatment

Using NeuroEmotional Technique (NET) to help address the "perceived threats" and "altered reality" of the person that creates the cascade leading to Anxiety is important.  By addressing the corrupt emotional patterning using this gentle and effective technique has always proven beneficial for the individual.  It empowers them to take control of their emotional reality in a way that restores balance and harmony.  

Holistic Chiropractic care can frequently provide considerable assistance to those with Chronic Anxiety. By normalizing activity within the Musculoskeletal System and reducing muscular stress and tension with your Holistic Chiropractor, this form of chiropractic care helps eliminate an unnecessary source of biochemical and physiologic stress.

¹Newcomer KL, et al: Anxiety levels, fear-avoidance beliefs, and disability levels at baseline and at 1 year among subjects with acute and chronic low back pain. Phys Med Rehabil 2(6):514-520, 2010

²Hurley DA, et al: Physiotherapy for sleep disturbance in chronic low back pain: a feasibility randomised controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 11:70, 2010 [11 pages]

³Silverman S, et al: Toward characterization and definition of fibromyalgia severity. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord 11:66, 2010 [9 pages]