Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is effective in treating Anxiety

2014-06-06 09:20:04

Anxiety is one of the most common diagnoses that occur in the primary care of patients. Women are more predominantly affected. As much as 8% of doctor visits are associated with some form of anxiety. The formal term for anxiety is generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD. It is often associated with other issues, such as panic, depression, alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress, insomnia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. It usually impairs a variety of functions, including pain and activities of daily living. A study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a pilot program that used multiple complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, focusing on self-care behaviours for the treatment of GAD ⁽¹⁾.

In this study, participants were volunteers from a military treatment facility in the Pacific Northwest. They had a history of GAD or met the criteria for GAD (as assessed by a standardized questionnaire called the GAD-7). The participants received acupuncture treatments once a week for 6 weeks, engaged in yogic breathing exercises, self- and/or partner-assisted massage therapy using scented oils, episodic journaling, nutrition counseling, and exercise. The results showed that there were reductions in anxiety as measured by numerous scales, reductions in depression, and reductions in stress. As an added bonus, many of the participants reduced their prescribed medications. The researchers conclude that a combination of CAM therapies can be extremely helpful for those with anxiety disorders.