The Anti-Anxiety Diet by Ali Miller

Author:Ali Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612438252
Publisher: Ulysses Press
Published: 2018-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

•Anxiety

•Blood sugar elevation

•Nausea

•Racing thoughts

•Rapid heart rate

•Sweating

•Tremors

Dopamine

This neurotransmitter is typically second in pop culture to serotonin due its association with bliss and reward, but dopamine has a complex relationship with anxiety. Many addictions and self-medication outlets, from drugs and alcohol to caffeine, food, gambling, video gaming, and social media scrolling, target dopamine release and expression. Getting enough dopamine to feel good about yourself while reducing any excess that can put the mind into overdrive is equally important when managing anxiety. Associated with our pleasure centers in the brain, dopamine has activity in libido and excitement, and motivates performance with complex reward centers; hence, addiction is seen with high release.

Dopamine-blocking medications are strongly acknowledged to have antipsychotic and anxiolytic effects. However, we need some dopamine for the ability to drive confidence and a feeling of self-efficacy, which can in turn reduce anxiety and rumination. In fact, a popular antidepressant, Wellbutrin, increases activity of both norepinephrine and dopamine to enhance feelings of self-worth and purpose, which can reduce social anxiety. But, this drug can cause anxiety by producing excessive dopamine activity, manifesting as racing thoughts and almost a manic creativity.

Although too much dopamine can drive anxiety, compared to other stress-responding neurotransmitters, excess dopamine is less attributed to anxiety. For this reason, when looking to balance neurotransmitters for mood stability, it would be reasonable to stimulate dopamine only or prevent dopamine breakdown into norepinephrine and epinephrine to prevent their more anxious reactivity. (Remember norepinephrine is made from dopamine and epinephrine is made from norepinephrine, so rather than concentrating on production of dopamine, which can in turn increase the other two, blocking its breakdown can be the best approach when selecting supplemental support.)

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