Peter Bongiorno - Put Anxiety Behind You: The Complete Drug-Free Program

This edition first published in 2015 by Conari Press, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2015 by Peter Bongiorno

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57324-630-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

Cover design by Jim Warner

Cover photograph Miliga / Shutterstock

Author photograph by Inner Source Health

Interior illustrations Peter Bongiorno

Interior by Jane Hagaman

Typeset in New Baskerville and Gotham Condensed

Printed in the United States of America

M&G

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

www.redwheelweiser.com

www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

To my courageous patients, who take the less traveled road of natural healing, and to the researchers and clinicians whose tireless and meticulous research work gave this book substance.

In no way would this work have been completed without the vision and gentle pushes from Caroline Pincus at Red Wheel. Much thanks to Rachel Leach for editing my stream of consciousness into something more readable. Profound gratitude to Patricia Karpas, who started me on this writing journey a few books ago. To my parents, Patricia and Peter, who embody unconditional love, and to the Bongiornos, LoGiudices, Coppolas, and Aunt Rose Zaccaria for providing constant support. My never-ending love goes out to my wife and fellow naturopathic doctor, Pina, the fixed foot who makes my circle just. And to my daughter, Sophiayou inspire me to be my best every day.

This book is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you are experiencing difficult symptoms of anxiety, please contact a healthcare practitioner, bringing this book with you, if you'd like.

We all have a greatest challenge we are working on. This book is special to me, for it allows me to collide, head on, with my strongest challenge and greatest allyanxiety. And head on is how you and I are going to deal with it for your health, too.

You may be surprised that I called anxiety my greatest ally. Well, it is. Anxiety has helped me make changes that were needed in my life, and I believe anxiety can be your greatest ally and friend, too.

I know you have what it takes.

The very fact that you are reading this book tells me you are ready to face anxiety and move your life forward. Mustering the courage to face this issue squarely is the toughest part and will become its greatest reward. You can do it.

You may have read other books on the subject. You may have seen a psychiatrist or psychologist or two. You may be trying to avoid medications, or you may be on some medications right now. You may think you will never beat this thing. I believed I wouldn't. I can tell you firsthand: you can. You do not have to live the rest of your life in anxiety's grip.

I am a naturopathic physician. Naturopathic physicians are taught to view health problems from all angles, to look for underlying causes, and to create plans that address these. If there were just one factor causing your anxiety, you would have figured it out already. The truth is there are many factors that uniquely affect your brain and body. These factors then interact with your genetics in such a way to create this syndrome we call anxiety. But genetics are only about 30 percent of the controlling share. The rest of itthe majority of the reasons for your anxiety? You have control over these.

This book gathers about twenty years of my research and eleven years of my clinical practice, and looks at all the factors that contribute to anxiety: lifestyle, diet, sleep, brain chemistry, genetics, and much more. In this book, you and I are going to go over all the things you have control over. I'll outline a clear plan, and give you clear steps help you face anxiety from every angle, in synergy, to truly get to the calm and healing you need and deserve. I will share stories from many other people in your situation, patients of mine who have successfully used these approaches. You will see that you are not alone, and you're not saddled with anxietyor the medications to treat itforever. These tools work.

Overall, physical health and good mood are not caused or maintained by any one factor. As I explain to my patients at a first visit, achieving good health is like sitting on a stool. The stool has a number of legs and cross supports that keep it upright and keep you from falling on your butt when you sit down. When one of the legs or supports is weak, your health suffers. The legs you need for getting rid of anxiety for good include:

• Good sleep
• Thought work
• Nutrient and hormonal balance
• Exercise
• Healthy foods
• Healthy digestion
• Blood sugar balance
• Mind-body work
• Supplements

Figure 1.1: The anxiety-free stool

As you can see, the anxiety-free stool has four legs (supplements, foods, exercise, and sleep) and four cross supports (mind-body work, blood sugar balance, healthy digestion, and nutrient and hormone balance)all supporting a seat of healthy thoughts.

That may sound complicated, but it's really not. It's all about developing awareness of what helpsplus some new habitsand sticking with them. I promise you, if you work on these all together, you will find and maintain your emotional balance.

And by the way, this isn't about being perfect all the time. I do not always eat healthy food. (Trust me, I'm a Sicilian boy at heart who enjoys a good pasta dish or pizza every now and then.) I also occasionally miss days of exercise, and sometimes I miss my supplements. But one thing I have learned is that as long as I keep all of these in mind, and do my best overall, my body and brain reward me. If I go a bit off track with my diet or stay up too late, there is still enough support to keep me up temporarily. And I can get back on track anytime. This process has rewarded me greatly in my journey with anxiety. It will reward you, too.

You can do it! Let's get going...

Today is a new day.

Chicken Little

You're probably not feeling so good right now. You may have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. You may have depression with anxiety, or you may have panic attacks, like I had. You may or may not be taking medications. You just want to put anxiety behind youpreferably forever. I get it. In this short chapter, I will share with you some quick suggestions to help bring things down a notch right away. The rest of the book will give you a more complete view of the factors that contribute to anxiety and offer a way outbut for starters, let's look at some things that can get you feeling better right now.

Follow these quick steps, and then start moving through the rest of book at whatever pace you need.

For most people, anxiety is just anxiety. Nevertheless, it is good to get a general checkup and physical to rule out other health issues that might be contributing to (or even causing) how you feel. Have your doctor check your blood pressure and ensure that your body is handling the anxiety. If you can see a naturopathic doctor, definitely do so. See appendix II to find a creditable naturopathic doctor or other holistic practitioner.