The Whitaker Wellness Institute's natural therapeutic approach to anxiety is more likely to provide long-term relief than prescription drugs. Our treatment program includes diet changes, moderate exercise, and targeted nutritional supplements aimed at easing symptoms and improving quality of life.

The Conventional Approach to Anxiety

Anxiety is not "all in your head"—it can affect your entire body and jeopardize your health. The word anxious comes from the Latin word meaning to strangle, an apt description of acute anxiety, which can result in rapid heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, trembling, dry mouth, and a choking sensation. But even if your symptoms are less dramatic, chronic anxiety takes a toll.

The usual treatment for anxiety is prescription tranquilizers such as Valium and Xanax and antidepressant drugs like Prozac and Paxil. These medications may mask the symptoms of anxiety but do not address the underlying cause. Even worse, they have terrible side effects. Tranquillizers (benzodiazepines) are highly addictive, and withdrawal symptoms are similar to those of barbiturates and alcohol (convulsions, tremors, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, and sweating). And Prozac, Paxil, and other SSRI antidepressants are linked with increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Natural Treatments for Anxiety

Whether you experience periodic acute anxiety or feel anxious all the time, the Whitaker Wellness Institute’s natural treatments for anxiety are more likely to provide long-term relief than prescription drugs. Our successful anxiety treatment program includes diet changes, moderate exercise, and targeted nutritional supplements aimed at easing symptoms and improving quality of life.

Personalized Lifestyle Program for Anxiety

Diet Can Worsen Anxiety Symptoms
During our Back to Health Program at the clinic, you will learn how everyday choices such as diet and exercise can affect your mental and physical health. Anxiety tends to elevate blood levels of lactate, a metabolic waste product. Alcohol, caffeine, and sugar also elevate lactate levels, and eliminating these and other substances may help relieve anxiety symptoms. During your stay at the Whitaker Wellness Institute, we will teach you how to prepare healthy meals free from ingredients that can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety. You’ll also learn how to make these dietary changes a part of your daily routine once you return home.

Exercise Is a Powerful Relaxant
Exercise is useful for any type of anxiety. It literally changes your brain chemistry, releasing “feel-good” endorphins in the most natural and health-enhancing way. At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, our exercise physiologist creates a personalized exercise program tailored to your individual concerns and designed to be easy to follow when you get home.

In addition to getting adequate exercise, learning to relax is a vital part of controlling anxiety. During our one-, two-, or three-week educational program you will be guided through simple, effective relaxation techniques you can practice anywhere, anytime.

Unique Therapies for Anxiety

Thankfully, there are safe, natural remedies to relieve anxiety. At the Whitaker Wellness Institute we use several anti-anxiety supplements including magnesium, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). These supplements and minerals help calm nerves, elevate mood, and reduce anxiety, and are far safer than prescription drugs.

For our patients with anxiety-related sleep problems, we use gentle aids like the herb valerian root and the hormone melatonin at bedtime. We do not recommend prescription sleeping pills or benzodiazepines, as these drugs often interfere with deep sleep and can be highly addictive.

Check Hormone Levels
Our experience has shown that many patients with anxiety have hormonal imbalances. When you come to the clinic, we will measure your blood levels of thyroid, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and adrenal hormones. If levels are low, you will be prescribed an individualized program of bioidentical hormones. For many patients, this alone goes a long ways toward relieving anxiety.

Real-Life Success Stories

Click here to read about how other people just like you have overcome Anxiety and continued on the road to health.

Additional Information

Click here to read more about our natural treatments for Anxiety.

Contact Us

For more information on the Whitaker Wellness Institute’s treatment of Anxiety, contact a Patient Services Representative at (800) 488-1500 or click here.