naturopathic remedies for anxiety & OCD?

[MassLiberal]

My 14-year-old daughter has just been diagnosed with OCD, generalized anxiety disorder, and selective mutism. She's started seeing a cognitive-behavioral therapist once a week, but the doc would like to wait on medication a bit and give the therapy a chance to work. Meanwhile, my daughter is miserable. I'm wondering if there's anything in the naturopathic world that might help calm her anxiety a bit (and help her sleep) while not messing with the doctor's plans (I trust this doc, by the way--she's an expert on OCD and anxiety and seems great). The poor kid just wants to feel better. Anyone know anything about Bach Flower Remedies? I'd appreciate any suggestions.

[Random_Australian]

1. While I hate to play the role of, y'know, the skeptic, but any natural remedy that can

work without your daughter believing it will work is probably something you need to avoid - as in, something like valerian would be a bad idea.

It's kind of a problem in that the various things used in natural remedies haven't really been tested for active ingredients - furthermore, for the moment anything labelled "supplement" that isn't just one of the normal vitamins is not such a good idea - they're not yet tested to see what effects they have on humans.

That said, the fact that you're paying attention to her and so on to treat her like this is probably something that will demonstrate just how much you care to her, which is a good thing.

One last note, the last real difficulty is avoiding making her think "if this does not work there is something wrong with me" - just wanted to warn you of that even if you've most likely thought of it already.



I understand that other have strong feelings on the subject of natural remedies. I would prefer it if these did not cause disharmony in this group, so I have done what I can to avoid bieng too... confrontational. :) I hope.

[DemExpat]

2. I helped my daughter through a rough few years when she was 17-20

by offering her Valerian and Passionflower drops, a good multi-vitamin and extra magnesium/calcium, fish oils,.... adjusting her diet to avoid sugar, additives, bad fats, etc., as well as having her have sessions with a breathing therapist (a psychiatric nurse trained in this) who taught her all-important breathing techniques to calm down and feel centered/grounded. I can highly recommend attention on breathing for lots of feelings of discomfort and anxiety.

She made it through these years without having to resort to medications, which I also wanted to avoid as the first course of action for her instability and anxieties.
I was also very frightened that she was developing my mental health problems, while my husband reminded me not to identify too much with her, that she was not "me"....her own person....even with our shared genetic propensities....know what I mean here?

I personally didn't react well to Bach remedies, but had excellent support with Homeopathic treatment from a doctor - NOT a remedy from a store shelf for anxiety/depression.

After 10 years of tranquilizer addictions and no real relief from any medications (along with psychiatric treatment for 5 years) I found the support I needed with this, and have been meds free now for over 20 years.

I know just what you are feeling about your daughter and wanting relief, but also support letting the doctor give the therapy a good chance.

:hug: to you and your daughter!

DemEx

edit: my favorite holistic medical doctor advice site:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/ART00695

[mopinko]

3. melatonin

is a simple supplement that has been proven effective for sleep. cold water fish oil is also proven to help lots of what ails us modern humans, including nourishing brain function.
i am a real skeptic about a lot of that stuff, especially herbal preparations. but these are simple supplements that do help in most cases. maybe not enough to avoid meds, but they will help the meds, if you end up there.
she also will need a good multi to go with the fish oil, as it increases the need for several vitamins.
this is not your issue, exactly, but very helpful in dealing with a kid with problems- http://www.bipolarchild.com/

[hashibabba]

4. Maybe you could check

www.vitacost.com for natural remedies. I really like them. They rely heavily on studies and research; and you can find nutrients that tell you how much of the active ingredient is in it, especially with something like St. John's Wort.

[bling bling]

5. I've tried Bach Flower.

It didn't do anything for me.

To be honest, I'm a little skeptical of that kind of stuff. But I'm skeptical of most things that are made of herbs and supplements that aren't tested in a controlled study.

I did try a Bach spray a few times called Rescue Remedy. I'm inclined to think it may have been the placebo effect but the truth is that I did feel a subtle sense of calm after using it. I actually forgot about it until you mentioned it just now. I just don't put much stock into those things. Most of them have whisky in them as a preservative, maybe that's why it helped calm me :).

One thing I would not be hesitant to suggest is acupressure. It's along the same lines but not the same thing as acupuncture. It's something your daughter could do on herself or with you and it could be a part of a wind-down routine in the evening before bed. I have a book that I've used called Potent Points that I like a lot. I also have found free websites before that will give you suggestions for points to try based on symptoms. This is actually something I would recommend because I've tried it myself and it really did help after a few times. While you gently press on various points you breath in deeply, trying to almost breathe in to whatever point you're working on. Anyway, I would be happy to explain it more to you if you would like. If you get the book it explains "how to, how long, how often, etc." in pretty good detail.

I think acupressure is a good compliment to any other treatments.

She could also try Tai Chi once a week or something with you. I've found that helpful as well the few times I've tried it. It's relaxing and it's something different, too.