HOME REMEDIIES FOR NATURAL ANXIETY RELIEF

If symptoms of anxiety are interfering with your daily life, consider these simple lifestyle changes that are proven natural cures for anxiety.

Try to drink three cups of chamomile tea a day when you're feeling anxious.

Why: Chamomile contains two chemicals that promote relaxation, apigenin and luteolin. A study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center found that patients with generalized anxiety disorder who took chamomile supplements for eight weeks had a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to patients who were given a placebo.

Try to get between 1 and 3 grams of omega-3s a day.

Why: There is some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may ease anxiety symptoms and lift your mood by lowering levels of stress chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol in the body. Caned fatty fish, such as tuna and salmon, walnuts, and flax seeds are all great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. An Israeli study found that students given fish oil supplements had less test anxiety as measured by their eating and sleeping habits, cortisol levels, and mental states.

Breathe in lavender.

Why: One study found that people who received a massage with lavender oil were more upbeat and had less anxiety than people who had a lavender-free massage. Another found lavender massage can even lower systolic pressure the top blood pressure number that’s associated with stress. Try putting a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow or in your bath, or add a few drops to a cup of boiling water and inhale for a quick calm-me-down. You can even dab a few drops right on your skin—it’s one of the few essential oils that can be applied directly. The scent of vanilla has also been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety. In a study done at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, patients undergoing MRIs who breathed vanilla-scented air had 63% less anxiety than those who breathed unscented air.

Add L-lysine to your diet.

Why: L-lysine is an amino acid and one of the building blocks of your brain's chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Studies have shown that people taking L-lysine supplements had reduced symptoms of anxiety and reduced levels of stress hormones. L-lysine is commonly found in meat, fish, and beans, and is also sold as an oral supplement.

Try to get outside in natural sunlight for 15 minutes a day.

Why: This is the best way to naturally increase your vitamin-D levels, which can decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety. A short 15 minute break will not only take your mind of stress, but also let you reap the benefits of outdoor activity. And the greener the better—one Japanese study found that people who walked through a forest for 20 minutes had lower stress hormone levels after their walk than those who took a comparable walk in an urban area. If you're stuck in an urban area, look for parks or quiet tree-lined streets to take a stroll. 

Studies show 21 minutes is all it takes for exercise to reliably reduce symptoms of anxiety.

Why: Exercise will not only make you feel better about yourself, but will flood your body with feel-good endorphins. Some researchers even believe that increasing your body heat, a natural result of exercise, may alter neural circuits controlling cognitive function and mood, including those that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin. Researchers believe this response can boost your mood, increase relaxation, and alleviate anxiety.

Take a hot bath with Epsom salts.

Why: A soothing hot bath is always calming, and raising your body heat may help regulate mood and anxiety. For added benefits, stir in some Epsom salts. The magnesium sulfate in the salts has been shown to calm anxiety and lower blood pressure. You can also try adding lavender or vanilla essential oils to your bathwater, to reap the benefits of these calming scents.

Cut out (or down) caffeine.

Why: Caffeine boosts your energy, and can make you jittery and anxious. If you can't go cold turkey, try reducing by a cup a day and see if you notice any decrease in your anxiety symptoms. You can also try switching to a drink with less caffeine and more health benefits, such as green tea. Be aware of other sources of caffeine that may be in your diet such as soda, chocolate, tea, and some over-the-counter medications like Excedrin or Midol.

Examine your diet, and watch for:

• Caffeine, alcohol, and added sugars, which have all been shown to increase anxiety. • Deficiencies in magnesium, vitamin B12, and zinc have been linked to symptoms of anxiety. Vegans and vegetarians in particular should watch their B12 intake, as the vitamin is only found in animal products. • Studies link an unhappy gut with an unhappy mind, so avoid eating difficult to digest foods like processed meals, foods high in saturated fats, and fried foods. • Finally, don't let yourself become so hungry that your blood sugar drops, which can lead to an anxiety attack.

Eat these foods to help provide anxiety relief:

• Blueberries and peaches contain nutrients that relieve stress and have a calming effect. • Whole grains are rich in magnesium and tryptophan, an amino acid that your body converts to serotonin which is known to calm and improve your mood. • Oats also increase serotonin production and are high in fiber, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes that affect mood. • Avocados, eggs, milk, and meat are all packed with B vitamins that can help prevent anxiety. • Foods that help regulate and lower the stress hormone cortisol include foods rich in vitamin C, like oranges, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium rich foods like spinach and other dark leafy greens. Indulge every once in a while in dark chocolate, which also helps lower cortisol.

HOW TO LOOK YOUNGER

If you think you look older than you feel? You must improve your appearance, you'll feel better, too.

Smile, wide!

Young, middle-aged, and older individuals studied thousands of photographs and were asked to guess the age of models with various facial expressions. Neutral expressions yielded the most accurate results, and fearful expressions made subjects look older; happy faces were rated as younger than they really were.

Eat more grapes.

Sorbitol, which gives grapes, berries, plums and pears their sweetness, is a humectant, a substance that attracts water when applied to the skin, helping it absorb and retain moisture.

Touch up your hair.

Use volumizing styling products as your hair becomes thinner, and try a lighter color, which can make thinning less obvious. Whether you have your hair washed at home or at a salon, use deep conditioning treatments regularly to combat dryness.

Frame your face.

Keeping your eyebrows well-groomed and shaped helps provide a frame for your face and draws attention to your eyes.

Cleanse and moisturize your skin.

Cleaning and moisturizing helps protect skin and keep it healthy; but banish regular soap, which can be drying for older skin. Instead, use a cleanser that gently washes without stripping skin of moisture. Avoid skin toners, especially those with a stringent or alcohol base. Use a good moisturizer day and night.

Dress sharp.

If you have a wrinkly neck or jowls, avoid tight-fitting or crew-neck tops, which squeeze skin upward. A shirt collar over a round-necked jersey is a better option. Wear dark-colored shirts if you have a large belly.

Give yourself a hand—or two.

Use a good hand cream frequently, and look for one that has sunscreen included. Brighten dull hands by exfoliating regularly: mix sea salt with lemon juice and gently scrub into your hands with a soft toothbrush.

Eat more greens and reds.

Vitamin K—in kale and other green vegetables—helps your blood coagulate, reducing the impact of bruising. Lycopene in tomatoes gives the skin powerful protection against UV rays.

Eat oily fish.

Salmon and other oily fish are rich in DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol), a compound that boosts muscle tone and is one of the must-have ingredients in expensive “mature” skin creams. Eating oily fish twice a week offers the same benefits.

Exercise four or more times a week.

You’ll fend off muscle loss and sleep better when you exercise most days of the week. Combine cardiovascular exercise for heart and lungs, resistance exercise for muscles, stretching for flexibility and balance exercise for coordination.

ANTI-AGING SECRETS

Feel younger and healthier with these tips from the experts.

Care for Others

Two recent studies suggest surprising but heartwarming keys to a longer life. You're more likely to rack up the years if you: 

Expect the best. Of 100,000 women in the Women's Health Initiative study, those rated optimistic by special questionnaires were 14 percent less likely than pessimists to die during the study's first eight years.

Care for a loved one. Despite the stress involved, men and women who put in the most time taking care of a spouse cut their own risk of dying by 36 percent over a seven-year period, researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor found. 

Set a Goal for Greater Edge

Whether you believe you have some purpose to fulfill on earth, or just have trips you plan to take and books you want to read, you have a survival edge over people with fewer goals. So say researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who interviewed more than 1,200 older adults. Elders with sure intentions and goals were about half as likely as aimless seniors to die over the five-year follow-up.

Expose Yourself to the "Sunshine Vitamin"

Low vitamin D levels have been associated with osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. And it gets worse: According to new research, adults who don't get enough of the 'sunshine vitamin' are 26 percent more likely to die early. A 12-year study of 13,000 men and women didn't finger any one cause of death, "because vitamin D's impact on health is so widespread," says researcher Michal Melamed, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

Besides drinking fortified milk, she suggests that you: Get just 10 to 15 minutes of midday sunshine (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) several days a week, applying sunscreen after those few minutes. You can also take supplements.

Mind Your DNA

Healthy habits can actually repair your DNA, say researchers Dean Ornish, MD, and Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, MD. Their study subjects ate vegetarian whole foods with 10 percent of calories from fat, walked 30 minutes six days a week, used stress-reducing techniques, and went to a weekly support group. 

The results? Besides a decrease in LDL cholesterol and stress levels, they showed a 29 percent rise in telomerase. This enzyme repairs and lengthens telomeres, tiny protein complexes on the ends of chromosomes that are vital for immunity and longevity. Short telomeres and low levels of telomerase signal an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, plus a poor prognosis if you do get ill.

Keep Your Heart Pumping

According to Dr. Oz, the two most important things you can do to stay young and healthy: Walk. When you can't walk a quarter mile in five minutes, your chance of dying within three years goes up dramatically. 

Second most important is building a community—avoiding isolation. Because if your heart doesn't have a reason to keep beating, it won't.

Cut Back on Meat

A ten-year study of 545,000 Americans found that people who eat about four ounces of beef or pork a day (the amount in an average-sized burger) are at least 30 percent more likely to die early, compared with those who consume an ounce or less daily. Though previous research has linked a diet heavy in red meat to a greater risk of heart disease and colon cancer, this is the first big study to look at how it affects your life expectancy.

Exercise Matters

A walk with your spouse gives you a chance to talk over the day, and activities like playing tennis together can be a bonding experience. But the bottom line: Getting active can mean a longer life for both of you.