Non-medication treatments for anxiety?

Outfield

I had a recent scare on a scan, and had myself so worked up that even after I got the good news I had to take a day off work.  I really don't want to rely on medications to deal with this.  I'm seeing a therapist, trying to meditate more, and I do exercise a lot.  I really don't have the time to keep appointments for acupuncture anymore.  At a previous time in my life, I used lavender sachets for anxiety and sleeplessness with some good results, but the problem is that I now associate the smell with that time in my life (not such a good thing).  But I do hope to find something else in that general realm.

Does anybody have any ideas of something as similarly non-invasive?  Any suggestions about how to find a provider for advice about this, like what sort of qualifications I should look for?  

GG27

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but this is what I use.  http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-information/  

You can buy it over the counter at drug stores.   They also have a rescue sleep, which I find really good for those nights when I can't shut my brain off.   HTH, GG

Moderators

Outfield, the section Complementary & Holistic Medicine from the main Breastcancer.org site includes information and resources about the many non-medication treatments available to help with anxiety, from Aromatherapy to Yoga.

Best wishes,

• The Mods

lightandwind

I use a product called natural calm. It is a powdered magnesium drink. Helps me to wind down and sleep.

Claire_in_Seattle

Outfield, since lavender worked for you in the past, what about trying the aromatherapy route?  Lots of other scented options out there.  I can't tell you what works for your nose, so you need to pay one of these shops a visit.

It is always fun and even going there should lift your spirits.

I am laughing as I purposely didn't use silk scarves on my head during chemo as knew I wouldn't want to wear them later.  I am so glad now that I went down that route.

Good luck....and have fun shopping. - Claire

curveball

You might look into progressive muscle relaxation. There's a book about it, called Progressive Relaxation. I've read this one, but it's rather expensive and I never felt as if I needed to refer to it again after understanding the concepts, so you might want to see if your public library has it or can get it on interlibrary loan before you go to the expense of buying it. The same author also wrote a book called You Must Relax, which I haven't read, but I think is the same information written for a general audience. Progressive Relaxation is more technical. The basic idea is that tense muscles go hand in hand with tense emotions, and relaxing the muscles relieves the emotional tension too. Hope that helps.

Outfield

Thanks all, these are perfect suggestions, exactly the kinds of leads I was hoping for but don't know well enough myself to put names on.  I don't know why it never occurred tome to think of using lavendar sachets for sleep as a relative of aromatherapy, but it never did.  

SpecialK

outfield - I participated in a study right after chemo - it was a quantified study specifically for breast cancer patients employing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.  We submitted saliva (ick - a lot of saliva) and blood samples which were tested for cortisol.  Then we were taught several different types of meditation, did dome exercises concerning control and the lack thereof, were to practice daily and attended classes weekly.  We were tested again after six weeks to see if our cortisol levels dropped.  Much of the study materials were based on the teachings of Jon Kabat-Zinn.  The instructor endorsed the book Full Catastrophe Living.  Linked below are some CDs (we were given them as well) that might be helpful, as well as the study.

http://www.mindfulnesstapes.com/

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00584142

indenial

Yeah, essential oils are great, you can make your own sachets or put a few drops on a hankie or your pillowcase or the inside of your wrist. Takes some experimenting to figure out the right scents for you, I always lean toward the outdoorsy scents because that is what calms me. You'll probably want to avoid citrus, peppermint, etc. as they are more energizing/invigorating.

Also like the suggestion of progressive muscle relaxation.

Slow, deep breathing can help.

Also visualizations/guided imagery. There are lots on youtube you could try out. 

As far as a provider, look for someone with holistic training or who advertises a whole-body/holistic approach. It can be hard to find someone really good though, took me some time!

Oh also exercise... walking & yoga are good, calming, managable activities but any kind of exercise can reduce anxiety.

curveball

if you are ER+, you might want to avoid lavender, because it may have estrogenic effects. Unfortunately this link doesn't say whether it produces those effects by inhalation, or only when eaten or used on the skin. I wish there was more definite information about that, because I have used a lavender-scented spray on my pillow in the past when unable to sleep and I'd like to know if it's safe to use for that in the future.

ruthbru

I found a great hypnosis 'Stress Relief' CD, and was absolutely amazed at how well it worked for me.

Outfield

Curveball, thanks for that info.  Sad that lavendar may have a downside.  That's an interesting website - I'll have to go through it in more detail because I'm impressed by first glance.  A lot of links to original research, which is always promising.  

Anonymous

5-HTP as well as kava are also anti-anxiety.  My sister, who was a birthing coach, used to give her laboring mothers Rescue Remedy, which could also help. 

Claire