By Mina Weight, Homeopath, IMI-Integrated Medicine Institute
Chinese version 跳至中文版
It’s completely natural to experience anxiety and stress from time to time. You may feel anxious and worried when delivering a presentation, preparing for a tough conversation with colleagues, or juggling children’s schedules, for example. As scenarios like these are interpreted by your body as threats, your adrenal glands will automatically make and release cortisol (the ‘stress hormone’) to activate your ‘fight or flight’ response. As a result, you may experience symptoms of anxiety like the pounding of your heart, rapid breathing, and excessive sweating. Once the challenging situation has passed, you may relax and return to a more calm and balanced state.
But what if you don’t? What if you feel stress and anxiety about a wide range of situations and it’s impacting your daily life and causing sleep issues too? What if you’re experiencing panic attacks?
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a more severe and chronic form of anxiety which, left unmanaged, can lead to insomnia, digestive issues, weight gain, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure and more.
Stress and anxiety do not have to take over your life. Homeopathy is one of a number of tried and trusted approaches to help manage stress and anxiety.
Homeopathy – a natural treatment for anxiety
If you are experiencing severe anxiety, you may have been prescribed conventional medicine, which fight or suppress symptoms. If your condition is chronic, you may be required to take medication indefinitely. However, conventional medicine is rarely required as often as it’s prescribed. Not only does it come with side-effects, prescription drugs mask the underlying causes of stress, anxiety or depression. The root of your mental health challenge is left untreated.
Homeopathy is a gentle, safe, and entirely natural treatment tailored to treat a variety of health concerns including stress and anxiety. When worries spiral out of control, a small dose of the appropriate homeopathic remedy taken regularly can help to ease concerns, restore confidence, and enhance your resilience to cope with daily life.
How does homeopathy work?
The belief behind homeopathy is that “like cures like”: in small doses, a substance that causes certain symptoms can in turn help to treat an illness with similar symptoms. Introduced to your body, homeopathy stimulates your body’s own healing capabilities, so it corrects the imbalances and weaknesses that allowed the illness to emerge in the first place.
Homeopathy works only when the correct remedy is found for an individual patient, and the correct dose given. This is why we begin a personalised treatment plan with a comprehensive first consultation to discuss your whole medical background, your daily lifestyle, your personality and preferences. The time spent reviewing your health is the start of the healing process; it helps you understand why you feel the way you do. I can then prescribe a remedy exactly tailored to your needs.
Depending on your needs and challenges, homeopathic medicine can be taken on its own or safely alongside prescription drugs.
As a registered Homeopath, I have helped many people overcome their panic and anxiety challenges. I’m sharing two stories with you here:
Case study: Homeopathy for depression
William* identified as a depressed and anxious gentleman who, amongst other symptoms, found traveling on the MTR intolerable due to the crowds and noise. Even watching the news on TV caused him to feel anxious and depressed.
“My depression problem started about thirty years ago and it hit me several times,” William recounts. “Every time I consulted my psychiatric doctor, he prescribed me medicine and anti-depressants. I recovered thereafter periodically, but my moods continued to fluctuate. I felt fragile.”
When William experienced some big life changes and events, he was hit hard by stress, anxiety and depression. Again, he turned to his psychiatric doctor, but this time the medicine did not help. One of his friends suggested he see me at IMI.
After consulting with William, I prescribed CONITUM NAPELLUS (Acon.), ARSENICUM ALBUM (Ars. Alb.) and PHOSPHORUS (Phos.) – commonly used homeopathic remedies to break the cycle of fear and panic.
During the weeks that followed William emailed me with updates about his condition and I gave him further advice on what to do with the remedy.
Now much happier, William shares: “My condition gradually improved thereafter – without any side effects. After several visits to Mina, my depression problem was remedied. I would say [Homeopathy] is indeed an excellent alternative to conventional treatment with drugs, and Mina Weight is an expert in dealing with depression.”
Case study: Homeopathy for social anxiety and panic attacks
Jenny* is a 21-year-old Psychology student who needed help for her panic attacks. Whenever she tried to join a group of friends in a crowded setting, she’d experience shallow breathing, clammy hands, racing pulse, and a pounding heart; recently, she had even fainted.
Jenny became anxious about leaving her flat. Panic attacks were preventing her from leading a normal social life.
PULSATILLA NIGRICANS (Puls.) is a homeopathic remedy used in the treatment of anxiety-related disorders. I prescribed this remedy to Jenny to support her whole self, taking into account her mental and emotional state, her physical symptoms like dysmenorrhea, and her lifestyle habits, such as a dislike for certain foods and sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures.
ACONITUM NAPELLUS (Aconite) is a homeopathic remedy prescribed to support people struggling with panic attacks. I gave Jenny the remedy to carry around with her should she find herself in a “trigger” situation likely to induce a panic attack. She was to take one pill as soon as she felt the anxiety starting.
At the next follow up, Jenny shared that the acute remedy Aconite was reducing her anxiety levels in panic-inducing situations. Overall, she was worrying less and some of the physical symptoms she had struggled with improved.
Six months later, Jenny felt more confident about attending parties and being in crowded venues. She no longer experienced the physical symptoms of anxiety. Whilst she still did not particularly like such situations, she was able to go out and socialise once more.
Homeopathy for emotional and mental health
As you can see in the cases of William and Jenny, homeopathy can be highly effective for emotional and mental wellbeing. Whether you’re struggling with panic attacks, exam nerves, anticipatory anxiety, mental exhaustion and more.
If you would like an effective, safe and natural treatment to cope with stress, anxiety, fatigue or depression, please get in touch. If required, homeopathic medicines can be taken at the same time as standard medication because they act on a deeper level and will not interfere with the effects of whatever medicine you may be taking. In some cases, if you are improving progressively with homeopathic treatment and only with the consent of your medical doctor, you may be able to reduce the dose of your standard medication or come off it all together.
To arrange a consultation with Mina, call 2523 7121 or fill in this enquiry e-form. For more information about how natural medicine, psychology and counselling can support anxiety, click here to visit our anxiety page.
順勢療法如何治療焦慮和恐慌症
我們很多時都會有焦慮或緊張的時候。例如進行匯報或演講時、參加考試前或與老闆進行討論時，我們都可能會感到焦慮或緊張。當事情結束後，我們就會放鬆下來，恢復到正常狀態。
然而，有些人被經常性的焦慮所困擾，如驚恐發作可能會導致驚恐障礙或社交焦慮症。他們會對普通的社交場合感到持續的恐懼，或者對特定的物件或事情有恐懼症, 如蜘蛛、高空或飛行。
廣泛性焦慮症（GAD）是一種嚴重和慢性的焦慮症。患者的憂慮、懷疑和恐懼嚴重地影響日常生活，做成極大的生活壓力，導致難以入睡，並可能伴隨著心悸和消化系統不適等身體症狀。有一些實用的方法，可以用來幫助自己克服症狀。包括呼吸練習和放鬆技巧、認知行為療法等。
除此之外, 你知道順勢療法也可以溫和而有效地處理焦慮問題嗎? Mina是一位註冊順勢療法師，在沒有使用藥物情況下, 已經幫助了不少人克服他們的恐慌和焦慮問題。以下是他們的故事。
當焦慮支配著生活時
William是一個患有抑鬱和焦慮的人。每當他乘坐地鐵時, 會無法忍受人多和噪音。即使是看電視新聞也會讓他感到焦慮和沮喪。“我的抑鬱症問題大約在三十年前開始，復發過幾次,”William說 。”每次我諮詢精神病醫生，他都給我開一些抗抑鬱藥，後來康復後, 我的情緒一直起伏不定, 感覺很脆弱。”去年，由於一些事件和重大的生活變化，他的抑鬱症又再次復發。Willian再次向他的精神病醫生求助，但這次藥物對他沒有幫助，於是他的一個朋友建議他到IMI尋求Mina協助。
順勢療法不僅可以幫助治療身體症狀，還可以舒緩和平衡情緒問題。當一個人的憂慮失控時，定期服用適當劑量的順勢療法藥物，可以幫助他們舒緩憂慮, 讓他們重拾信心。Aconitum Napellus (Acon.), Arsenicum Album (Ars. Alb.) 和 Phosphorus (Phos.) 都是比較常用舒緩憂慮的順勢療法藥物。
“第一次診症時，Mina對我的病歷史做了非常徹底的查詢，並了解我的日常習慣，然後她給我開了一個順勢療法的藥方，”William憶述說。順勢療法對於不同的人, 有不同的藥方和劑量。所以首次諮詢必需要徹底查問，包括病人的性格, 討論他們的整個病歷史，日常生活方式和習慣如飲食、運動、作息等。諮詢病人健康狀況就是治療的開始。
隨後的幾星期, Mina向William 提供進一步的療程建議。“自此之後我的病情逐漸改善, 並沒有任何副作用。經過Mina的幾次治療後，我的抑鬱症問題得到了改善。順勢療法確實是一種非常好, 可替代傳統藥物治療的方法，Mina是處理抑鬱症的專家!” William高興的說。
社交焦慮和驚恐症
Jenny, 21歲, 是一名的心理學學生，她到IMI 向Mina 尋求驚恐發作的幫助。每當她在擠擁的場所內試圖加入一群朋友聚會時，她的驚恐症就會出現。她的症狀包括呼吸急速，手心發冷，脈搏加快，心臟快速跳動等, 她還試過因驚恐而暈倒。情況越來越嚴重。她甚至對離開住所都感到焦慮。驚恐發作已嚴重影響她的正常社交生活。
Mina給她開了一種叫Pulsatilla Nigricans (Puls.）的藥針對她的整體狀況。不僅幫助她的精神和情緒狀態，還對她的身體症狀，如痛經，以及她的生活習慣，例如不喜歡某些食物和對温度敏感作出了改善。Mina 還給了Jenny 另一種藥 Aconite，讓她隨身攜帶，以防她驚恐發作。Mina建議在她感覺開始焦慮時立即服用一片。Aconite確實對Jenny 的焦慮起了很大作用, 大大降低了她的恐慌情況。總括來說，她的焦慮減少了，一些身體症狀亦有所改善。在服用療程六個月後，她能順利參加聚會。在擠擁的場所內身體也沒有出現任何症狀。雖然她仍然不喜歡這種場合, 但她能夠再次外出並參與社交活動已經是一大進步。
順勢療法與情緒健康
順勢療法是溫和、安全、不會上癮和沒有副作用但效力强大。就如William和Jenny的案例中所見，順勢療法對情緒健康是非常有效的。除了以上提及的藥, 順勢療法還有一些治療考試緊張、預期性焦慮、精神疲憊等的藥方。更重要的是，順勢療法藥物可以與一般西藥同時服用，不會干擾任何藥物的效果。在某些情況下，如果服用順勢療法令病情得到改善，並且得到醫生同意，你可以開始減少西藥的劑量。
如果你想與Mina 預約進行諮詢，請致電2523 7121或填妥電子表格查詢。欲了解更多關於自然療法和心理學如何幫助焦慮，請點擊這裡到訪我們關於焦慮的頁面。
