Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety that May Help You

Homeopathic remedies are among the numerous and varied treatment options for anxiety. Despite the fact that the field of homeopathy has been around for over 200 years, just what it is and who it can help remains a mystery to many. There are indeed homeopathic remedies for anxiety. Do they work, and are they right for you? While there isn’t an automatic answer to these questions, the following information can help you decide if you want to explore more and find homeopathic remedies for anxiety that may help you.

What are Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety?

Homeopathic medication is an approach to making people well that uses natural medicine. The word “homeopathic” comes from roots meaning “same/similar” and “disease.” The idea behind homeopathy is that discovering a medicine that is similar to the whole person and his/her illness will effectively and quickly treat whatever it is that is ailing someone—including anxiety and anxiety disorders.

In concept, homeopathy is similar to the phrase “fighting fire with fire,” or to make a more medical comparison, to the vaccination process in which someone is injected with a small or weak amount of a disease in order to teach and strengthen the immune system to fight the given disease.

A doctor of homeopathy treats the whole person rather than his or her “disease.” Rather than listening to a patient’s anxiety symptoms and then prescribing pharmaceutical medication to treat those symptoms, a homeopath will visit with someone at length to learn things about his or her personality, activity level, experiences with anxiety, and more. Then, the doctor will recommend one homeopathic remedy for anxiety based on the unique make-up of the patient, his or her anxiety, and the underlying cause.

Helpful Information about Homeopathic Medicine for Anxiety

Because homeopathy is so highly individualized, there isn’t a certain remedy for generalized anxiety disorder or particular treatment for panic attacks, for example. The medicine is matched to the person rather than the anxiety. To be sure, a person’s experience with anxiety is what the homeopathic doctor is attempting to treat, so that anxiety is taken into consideration. It’s part of the picture, but not the entire picture by itself.

Other important things to know about homeopathic medicine for anxiety:

• Homeopathic medicine is natural, which means it’s made from natural plant, mineral, or animal sources.
• The natural sources from which medicine is derived are sometimes toxic; however, when the medicine is made, it undergoes a process of extreme dilution to render it safe (critics argue that the dilution is too great for the medicine to actually work).
• It’s regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); however, there are producers of homeopathic medicines that manage to slip under the radar. If you purchase from an unknown source online, the safety or effectiveness of your product could be questionable. Buying from a homeopathic doctor will ensure that your natural anxiety medicine is regulated.

List of Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety

This abbreviated list includes some of the most common natural treatments used for anxiety. Each of these is very specific in both what and how it helps, so selecting a natural medicine isn’t the same as choosing pain relievers from the grocery store shelf. If you decide to see a homeopathic doctor, you’ll likely hear about many of these anxiety medicines.

• Aconite
• Aconitum napellus
• Anacardium
• Argentum nitricum
• Arsenic album
• Borax
• Bryonia
• Causticum
• Calcarea Carb
• Gelsemium
• Ignatia
• Natrum muriaticum
• Sulphur

Do Homeopathic Remedies for Anxiety Really Work?

Unfortunately, as of yet, there is no definitive answer to that question. Some traditional doctors, prescribing traditional pharmaceuticals, assert that homeopathy does not work and that any reports of success are mere coincidences. On the other side, some homeopathic doctors, prescribing natural medicines, staunchly support the efficacy of homeopathy and cite numerous examples of success.

Typically, what decides arguments like this, or at least tips them one way or the other, is research. However, there isn’t much reliable, valid research on the overall effectiveness or ineffectiveness of homeopathy.

Homeopathic remedies for anxiety, while not proven effective for everyone, do have a place in anxiety treatment. If you are curious about taking a homeopathic approach to anxiety, the next step is to visit with a practitioner. The American Institute of Homeopathy offers an online directory so you can find a reputable doctor in your area and explore homeopathic medicine for anxiety.

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