Acupuncture & Herbal Remedies

[John23a]

I'm planning to go to an acupuncturist for my anxiety. I suffer from extreme derealization *not sure if its really wut im experincing* and that seems to be the only symptom im having these days and i think its the worse thing someone could have, I have been feeling like this for two weeks now and as soon as i wake up, i have this dreamy feeling till i go to bed. I look at my hands and i feel like theyr not mine..i look at the cars and i feel like im in a movie and my head is empty and something serious is wrong with me mentaly.

Anyways i decided to try some herbal remedies and acupuncture?

I was wondering if anyone has done acupuncturing for their anxiety? does it work?
I also want to know if anyone use any herbal remedies for their anxiety? if yes what is it that you use?

[Paxiled]

Gee, what herbal remedy has been proven to be more dangerous than a medication?  The only case I've heard of that affected very many people is tryptophan, which isn't herbal at all, but that was a tainted batch, not the amino acid itself.  Kava was implicated in 5 cases of liver disease -- 5!  And all of them were also on several drugs both legal and illegal and somehow only the kava got blamed.  I mean really, prescription drug deaths run into the hundreds of thousands each year -- do you really think any herbal remedy has had such a problem?  All of them combined?  

That doesn't mean they work or are safe, it just means when they have problematic effects they are usually solved by simply discontinuing them.  Yeah, some are dangerous if used incorrectly, but so are all things -- if you drink too much water, it's called drowning.  This isn't to say care isn't needed, it's just I think you go a little overboard here.

Ibiza, nobody on this board, from a distance, can tell you why you're suffering what you're suffering.  Perhaps no doctor can, either, but if you truly want to try natural methods, acupuncture is perfectly safe.  Whether it will work for you or not is only proven by trying it.  Meditation is also helpful to many people, as are relaxation exercises.  If you're going to try herbs, you should see a naturopath or herbalist who knows what they're doing so they can help you with the proper combinations -- herbs are seldom used singly.  But there's also no guarantee they will work, and it's usually a good idea to have a diagnosis before using them so you know what you're facing.

[John23a]

really? i didnt know that herbal remedies could be dangerous. Like i was thinking of maybe a herbal tea or something to help me relax.

I havent tried a counselor or therapist but if the dreamy like feeling i have doesn’t get better in the next few days for sure i will be thinking of seeing one.

have you had any experience with acupuncturing?

and have you ever suffered from the dreamy feeling im talking about? its really bothering me because i have been having it for few days now and as soon as i wake up i feel like im in a dream till i go to bed. And i look at my hands, my face and i feel like it doesn’t belong to me. Its really scaring me? Im scared this feeling might stay with me forever? and im scared maybe i dont have anxiety and i have this brain damage caused by drugs. (i used to do ecstasy and marijuana for a year) Could this be the case? and could this be a brain damage or like some other mental problem?

[cj29]

I applaud you for being proactive in confronting your anxiety.  Just be careful with 'natural herbal remedies' when treating your anxiety. Quite often they can be much more dangerous than any medication you can take; remember they are not regulated and not subjected to rigourous testing like your typical SSRIs (Zoloft, Prozac, etc.).  

Throughout all of this, have you tried talking to a counselor or therapist about this?  If you have access to one, gaining the long term knowledge to beat this is the very best way to deal with this in my opinion.  

Good luck with this and let us know how it goes!