Addressing the Root Causes of Anxiety to Find the Best Treatment

Available for Interviews: Dr. Alice Fong

Alice Fong, ND, is an integrative naturopathic doctor specializing in stress, integrative medicine, diet & weight loss, and is a business growth consultant for holistic healthcare providers.

What Dr. Alice Fong can say in an interview
on Anxiety: 

There are many options out there when it comes to treating anxiety such as cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, supplements, meditation, and exercise to name a few. Yet how do we know what set of tools is best for a particular individual? One method might work fantastic for one person with anxiety, yet the same treatment might not work as well (or at all) for another person. How do we figure out what is the best approach? 

Some of the possible causes to consider:

• • Underlying medical conditions. Having a medical condition in itself can cause anxiety as it puts stress on a person’s body, and it also might strain relationships or cause financial stress. Yet there are also health conditions where anxiety could be a symptom of a bigger disease such as a thyroid issue, autoimmune condition, or chronic infectious disease such as Lyme. It’s important to rule these out with a doctor when exploring the root cause of anxiety. 
  • Past childhood wounds & trauma. How we are raised can significantly impact our likelihood of having anxiety. If a child grew up in an environment that didn’t feel safe for whatever reason, or did not have a healthy secure attachment with their parent or guardian, that can carry over in how we deal with our lives as adults. Working with a therapist or other trained professional equipped to handle trauma is important when healing these childhood wounds.
  • Hormone & neurotransmitter imbalances. Hormones and neurotransmitters can definitely impact our mood, energy, and cognitive functioning. Working with a naturopathic doctor who can order functional medicine labs can help us determine if there are any imbalances that need to be addressed and restored.
  • Poor nutrition. Yes, it is true, you are what you eat. When stressed or anxious, it’s very common for people to ‘emotionally’ eat a lot of junk foods such as sweets or processed foods. While it might provide temporary relief at the moment, it doesn’t help anxiety in the long term.  Eating more whole unprocessed foods actually supports healthy gut bacteria that can improve our mental functioning. This can be a hard cycle to break so working with a nutritionist or naturopathic doctor can help you get on the right track.
  • Environmental factors. Being in a stressful work environment or being in a strained relationship can certainly cause or contribute to anxiety.  Oftentimes, when a major stressor is removed, the anxiety subsides. BUT with continued prolonged exposure to the stressor, even when the stressor is removed (such as leaving the toxic work environment), anxiety can continue to persist as the body has been conditioned to be in a constant state of ‘fight or flight.’ Doing some somatic (body) work or biofeedback training can help train a person’s body to get out of the fight or flight—sympathetic nervous system state and into the parasympathetic nervous system. 

From my clinical experience, the best approach tends to be a multi-faceted approach that looks at a combination of factors. When it comes to healing anxiety, we need to look at and address the root cause and understand WHY is the anxiety happening in the first place, rather than ONLY focusing on the treatments that help us feel better momentarily.