I am blown away by the growing number of patients that have been filling my office with symptoms of anxiety. And it’s happening to younger and younger ages.

Anxiety is a frustrating and in many cases a debilitating condition. It is incredibly hard to function when you are never sure what will trigger an anxiety attack or when one will show up.

But why would more and more people start experiencing symptoms of anxiety?

Anytime I see a trend in health conditions, I start looking for reasons why. Is stress starting to affect people at a deeper level? Is there something in our environment causing this? Is it genetic? What is triggering so many cases of anxiety?

Although anxiety is a complicated subject and has many factors that contribute to it, I want to give you a simple explanation of how you can address the CAUSES of anxiety from a natural point of view.

The first thing to know is that your brain needs the right balance of neurotransmitters to function properly. Some neurotransmitters you may be familiar with are serotonin and GABA. Serotonin makes you happy and GABA mellows your brain out.

There are two places that have the most control over neurotransmitters production in your body; your brainstem and your gut. If you have damage to these areas you will not produce the right amount of neurotransmitters. This will affect how your brain will work.

The second thing to know about your brain is that is highly vulnerable to heavy metals. Lead, mercury, aluminum all will attach to receptor sites in the pituitary and hypothalamus of the brain. An accumulation of heavy metals will start to change the way your brain works. Mental fogginess, anger, depression, frustration, and yes, anxiety can all be signs that your brain is packed with heavy metals.

The best way to know if your anxiety is caused by the above conditions is by testing. The three tests that are the best to do for anxiety are:

1. Heavy metal urine test (not hair)
2. Organic Acids urine test (we call this a biomarker test in our office)
3. Lateral cervical x-ray (to see brainstem compression)

We are having great success using these tests in our office to address the source of people’s anxiety. Once we know exactly why the brain is out of balance, we can create a very clear path to repair it.

Rarely is one thing causing a health challenge. Usually, there are multiple things that are contributing to a condition. That’s why testing is so crucial.

If you are experiencing anxiety, reach out. It is a scary and frustrating condition. But what I want you to know, you have more control than you may realize.

Have a healthy, anxiety-free day!