HELP DURING ANXIETY RIDDEN TIMES
By Catharine Walkinshaw, Herbal Consultant and Reiki Practitioner

According to Christine Northrup, MD, the fear and anxiety generated by the current world events are the biggest health challenges we face today. Indeed, we're seeing more clients at the wellness center with anxiety symptoms such as insomnia, heart palpitations, digestion problems, and recurrent colds and flus.

• It's normal to be anxious during these uncertain times, to be otherwise is abnormal according to Bob Rosenblatt, a psychologist recently quoted on WebMD. Our health definitely suffers in a climate of fear, but there are ways to cope:
• Reduce your exposure to the newspaper, radio, and television. Listen to calming music instead. Eat without the television on.
• Talk about your fears or write about them. Don't keep fears bottled up inside where they can affect your health.
• Take warm baths. Drink herbal teas, such as chamomile, lemon balm, rooibos, and passionflower.
• Keep regular sleep, exercise, and eating patterns. Now more than ever take care of yourself.
• Herbs and supplements which help with anxiety include: vitamin Bs, calcium, magnesium, passionflower, shankpushpi, hops, oats, chamomile, catnip, and lemon balm. Kava kava and valerian are also calming herbs, but should be used with caution.
• See a qualified health professional if your anxiety symptoms are significant and interfere with your life.

If you would like to submit a question for a future column, please email us at cwalk@mashell.com or write to us c/o Eatonville's Wellness Center, P.O. Box 543 Eatonville, WA 98328.

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