At this Perth naturopathic clinic homeopathy and other natural approaches are used to treat all aspects of anxiety. That can range from the most occasional and trivial episodes to the most persistent and severe attacks. To be successful, any natural treatment must be holistic, focusing not just on the symptoms of anxiety but the person as a whole. We must treat the whole person if we are to treat the cause.
Anxiety is often confused with or complicated with depression. Please visit our separate page on depressive disorders. For an overview of the homeopathic and naturopathic understanding of the holistic importance of a patient’s mental state see our page on mental and emotional treatment. The page homeopathy explained will explain the fundamental importance of the patient’s psychological condition to the treatment of any illness, even if purely physical.
We can treat generalised anxiety, where the anxiety is unspecified and persistent. This is the most common presentation we see. But it may also be used where the anxiety is in relation to relatively normal triggers. These may include finances, health or well-being of the children or loved ones. Or the anxiety may caused by other specific mental states, such as jealousy, resentment, guilt, or anticipation stress. Homeopathic remedies may be used occasionally and acutely for anxiety in specific circumstances, when needed. For example, during anxiety before a performance, public speaking or exams.
Where the anxiety arises in specific circumstances, it is known as a phobia. There may be fears of thunderstorms or the dark. Fear of animals, such as dogs or cats, or insects, mice or snakes. There are phobias related to health and disease, like cancer or heart disease. Of crowds, of narrow spaces (claustrophobia), of heights, of hearing bad news, of going outside (agoraphobia), of flying, of evil, or of strangers.
We have mentioned all those things specifically. That is because homeopathy has medicines for all these conditions and almost any fear you can think of. But as always in a chronic condition the choice of remedy and treatment is based on all the patient’s complaints.
We must treat the person as a whole, taking into account their digestion, headaches and any other things presenting. Of course, treatment is only prescribed after a private, in-depth consultation. Phobias and anxiety disorders often improve quickly, in a matter of days, especially in children. We certainly expect improvement within a week or two.
Even where the anxiety is non-specific, we can usually trace it back to some trauma in the patient’s past. This trauma can be physical or emotional or both. That is the beauty of our individualised approach, which takes all aspects of the person into account. The remedy chosen fits all aspects of the person. In that way, it acts in a balancing way and helps the patient’s own life force heal and regenerate. It is a totally different approach to drug treatment, because it treats the cause. It is also completely free of side-effects.
We can also help post-traumatic-stress disorder with our approach.
Homeopathic treatment is also effective for sudden attacks of anxiety. When associated with severe mental and physical stress these are known as panic disorder, panic attacks or anxiety attacks. Symptoms include shortness of breath, choking, chest pains, palpitations, sweating, dizziness, numbness and tingling and fear of dying.
By looking closely at symptoms of the complaint and those of the whole patient, including their life experience, the homeopath is able to successfully treat panic attacks. The chosen remedy will suit their exact pattern of symptoms. Unlike a drug, which imposes its own pattern and numbs the pain, this treatment is providing information to the body at how to heal itself.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is effectively treated by homeopathic medicine.
Here there may be obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviour and varying degrees of anxiety, depression and depersonalisation (feeling their body does not belong to them). There can be internal debates and arguments about the simplest everyday action. Obsessive doubts develop about turning off the gas or the iron or locking the door. They may check these things dozens of times before leaving home.
Obsessional impulses to perform certain acts may develop, such as pushing someone in front of a car or yelling blasphemies in church. Such things would be typical in Tourette’s Syndrome.
Rituals can take hold, such as washing the hands or making the bed a dozen times a day. Homeopathic medicines individually prescribed, depending on the unique picture, may be used to treat these compulsions.
We have seen good and lasting improvement in OCD with homeopathic treatment.
For reference, please see our page on the treatment of mental and emotional conditions in general, and our page on natural depression treatment.