The consequences of online classes for children 2:56
(CNN) --
In recent years, public figures who openly share their mental health struggles have helped lift their peers out of silent shame and stigma.
A few decades earlier, the introduction of new medications to treat depression and anxiety changed the description of mental health problems from a personal fault to an expression of brain chemistry.
Today, new insights into the two-way communication between mind and body make anxiety much more preventable than previously known.
In "The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response," holistic psychiatrist, Ellen Vora, MD, unravels the physiological underpinnings of stress and fear and shares pioneering strategies for both prevention and treatment.
In "The Anatomy of Anxiety," author Dr. Ellen Vora explains how steps can be taken to bring the body into balance, helping to relieve symptoms of anxiety.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
CNN: What's the biggest misunderstanding people have about anxiety?
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Dr. Ellen Vora:
Anxiety is not simply a genetic chemical imbalance.
It is largely based on the state of the physical body, which is something we can change.
Recognizing what I call "false anxiety" allows us to take steps to bring our bodies into better balance, which helps alleviate anxiety symptoms.
This is the hopeful and empowering message that I want to convey.
CNN: How does the mind-body connection influence anxiety?
Vora:
Today, many people recognize that mental health affects the body.
They understand messages from top to bottom: that a thought like "Oh no, I have a test tomorrow!"
it can affect your physical body, for example with an upset stomach.
What is less recognized is the delicate and deep web of communication between the body and the mind.
Modern life attacks our digestive tract through chronic stress, processed foods, and pesticides.
The compromised ecosystem of bacteria in our digestive system produces an unhealthy and inflamed intestinal lining, triggering a message to the brain: "Things aren't right down here."
When our physical body is out of balance, it tells our brain to feel anxious.
CNN: How has your research on anxiety influenced your perspective on depression?
Vora:
Many patients in my practice have both depression and anxiety.
Sometimes they alternate between the two.
Other times the two states coexist.
Chronic anxiety can wear us down over time and leave us in a state of depression.
Both are manifestations of the brain saying, "I'm not okay."
CNN: What coping strategies can help?
Vora:
When our body goes into a stress response, it can be synonymous with anxiety and panic.
First, we must eliminate avoidable "false anxiety" by focusing on diet and restful sleep, while controlling the effects of technology, caffeine, and alcohol.
A well-rounded, nutritious diet can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, says Vora.
I often like to start with stabilizing blood sugar, because it has such a quick impact on our everyday anxious feelings.
The modern American diet is built on a foundation of refined carbohydrates and shakes disguised as coffee drinks.
We end up on this roller coaster of insulin-chased blood sugar spikes, followed by blood sugar crashes that can feel identical to anxiety.
Stabilizing blood sugar offers powerful relief from both the anxiety and the gloomy, sick feeling that many people carry in the pit of their stomach.
Number of people around the world who reported anxiety and depression increased by more than a quarter during the covid-19 pandemic
The ultimate solution, eating a blood sugar stabilizing diet with fewer refined carbohydrates and more protein and healthy fats is a delightful strategy.
But if that's 180 degrees from how you eat right now, here's a short-term solution: Every few hours, eat a tablespoon of sunflower, almond, or other nut butter,
ghee
, or coconut oil.
This creates a safety net that can cushion any drop in blood sugar.
Many patients have told me that this intervention alone stopped their panic attacks.
CNN: You advise some patients to eat more meat. Why?
Vora:
A lot of patients who come to me just eat smoothies,
matcha lattes
, chia seed pudding, or big salads.
His constant instability is due to his diet lacking in substance.
A semi-vegetarian diet in which meat is not the centerpiece but rather a condiment is probably optimal for wellness.
Mindful eating can change your eating habits and your life in general.
So you can start practicing it
Panic attacks and the feeling of always being on edge can be because the body has never been fueled by proper nutrition.
A warm, nutritious and complete diet can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
CNN: If you could wave a magic wand, what nutrition protocols would your patients adopt?
Vora:
I don't want to encourage people to go down the path of frailty, obsession, or fear of food.
That doesn't help anyone's anxiety.
In general, I encourage people to eat real food and avoid fake and processed food.
The idea is to approach food like your great-great-grandmother's culture did, eating a balance of minimally processed protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats, and generally eating what's local and in season.
If you come from a mix of different lines of descent, choose and listen to your body.
Usually, what works for our bodies has to do with where on the planet we descend from.
In general, try to eat real food grown with integrity, ideally on small, sustainable farms with humane husbandry practices rather than large factory farms and condensed animal feeding operations.
CNN: What does "completing the stress cycle" mean and why is it important?
Vora:
Balancing the nervous system is very important to regulate anxiety.
Feeling anxious or panicking occurs when the system tilts beyond the zero point toward a stress response.
Stress is unavoidable, of course.
Many of us have accumulated a lifetime of it, but we fail to complete the cycle of stress by releasing the stored energy.
Animals seem to instinctively know how to discharge the adrenaline rush they have experienced and reset the nervous system.
After an antelope has a life or death encounter, it trembles.
When a goose comes out of an altercation, it flaps its wings in a particular way.
We, as socialized human beings, are not lacking in stress factors, but we often lack a practice to release the effects that remain in the end.
For some of my patients, exercise fits the bill.
I am in favor of any kind of creative expression: singing, dancing, drawing, journaling, therapy, processing, talking, hugging, playing with a dog, laughing out loud or crying.
All this
resets
our body, telling it: "The threat is over and now I'm safe."
I practice the strangest of all: trembling.
To reset my nervous system, I put on shamanic drum music, close my eyes, and let my body move for about 90 seconds.
Afterwards, I don't carry the same stress.
It also increases my awareness of what my body is trying to communicate to me.
After shaking myself off, I sit down to meditate.
Usually something comes up that I've been subconsciously ignoring, but need to pay attention to.
True anxiety comes from our body's attempts at communication.
We have to listen.
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CNN: What breathing practice do you recommend to calm anxiety?
Vora:
My preferred practice is the 4-7-8 breath.
Without straining, gently inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for seven, and exhale for eight.
In the case of anxiety, it is important that these structured practices are easy to control.
Feeling that you have to control your breath perfectly is anti-therapeutic.
Normally, our breathing is rapid and shallow, as we inhale more forcefully than we exhale.
But if we are on vacation, lying in a hammock not worrying about a thing, our breathing will slow down to deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Breathing as if we were relaxed sends a transmission to the brain through the vagus nerve.
It tells our brain that the body is calm, triggering a neuro-hormonal cascade that helps relax our entire body.
This practice is easy, free, only takes 30 seconds, and can be done just about anywhere.
CNN: How long does the effect last?
Vora:
Until real life settles in again!
Seriously, I think of this, and other relaxation practices, like a multivitamin.
The more time each day you can put your body into a relaxation response, the farther your body will have to "travel" to get past the zero stress line.
The regular triggering of relaxation throughout the day creates a habit, establishing familiarity with a state of calm that we can return to when needed.
It's as if you create a peaceful destination where, at almost any moment, your mind and body can come back to rest and reset.
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