Which complementary medicines work for anxiety?

Posted on Thu, 1 Nov 12

A scientific review has revealed which complementary medicines have evidence for the treatment of anxiety.

To see which complementary treatment for anxiety have been shown to work a comprehensive review was conducted and it was  found that there is promising evidence for a number of different therapies, while others currently lack support.

Here are the key findings:

Herbal medicine: The most researched herbal medicine in the treatment of anxiety is Piper methysticum (Kava kava).

Naturopathic medicine: integrative treatment with naturopathic medicine has been shown to be effective.

Lifestyle changes: including adoption of moderate exercise and mindfulness meditation have strong support.

Dietary improvement: including avoidance of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine offer encouraging preliminary data.

Other treatments, including acupuncture, yoga, and Tai chi “have tentative supportive evidence, which is hampered by overall poor methodology.” And “the breadth of evidence does not support homeopathy for treating anxiety.”

“Certain lifestyle modifications and some complementary medicines and therapies may provide a beneficial role in the treatment of anxiety disorders” concluded the review.

Reference:

Sarris J, Moylan S, Camfield DA, Pase MP, Mischoulon D, Berk M, Jacka FN, Schweitzer I. Complementary medicine, exercise, meditation, diet, and lifestyle modification for anxiety disorders: a review of current evidence. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:809653.