- B-complex vitamins
- Coenzyme R
- Dietary supplements for hair, skin, or nail growth
- Multivitamins
- Prenatal vitamins
- Vitamin B7 supplements
- Vitamin H”
Anxiety
Anxiety is strongly linked to outlook and your thought processes, which is why talk therapy (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy) can be so effective.
Physical issues can also play a very large role in causing or worsening anxiety and may be the “first cause” that leads a person to develop what we know as an anxious personality.
Feelings of anxiety can be triggered by a variety of factors- most notably hormone imbalances, but also infections, allergies, nutritional deficiencies (and excesses), environmental pollutants, lifestyle choices and very often, medications you may be taking.
If you or a loved one suffer from anxiety it is important to explore the causes of your symptoms with lab testing to rule out medical and nutritional issues and to evaluate the medications and supplements you are taking. Have a physical by your primary physician, and have the appropriate lab tests done. Specific tests can reveal the drivers of anxiety. Ask your doctor to consider:
♦ A Complete Blood Count with Manual Differential White Count (CBC). Usually the manual white count is ordered as “reflex”; ask that it be ordered as part of the diagnostic process as routine.
♦ A Complete Metabolic Panel (CMP). Often a basic panel is ordered, a poor attempt at cost saving.
♦ A Homocysteine test can reveal deficiencies in vitamins B6, B9 and B12. This test is especially important in that it can be a basic indicator of genetic variations that can cause your body to fail to utilize synthetic folate, know as folic acid (which is added to all baked goods and flour!)
This condition, known as an MTHFR allele, is present in 25% to 50% of the people and is known to cause depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or autism. MTHFR mutations also increase the risk of several physical health problems, including but not limited to cardiovascular disease and stroke, recurrent early miscarriage, migraine with aura, osteoporosis, and some cancers. So, it’s worth knowing about this mutation even if one or more of the above conditions run in your family.
♦ A complete thyroid panel consists of TSH, Free T3, Free T4 and Thyroid Antibodies. Over 60% of mature women and men have clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism! Request a full panel. Note: Thyroid tests (and several other tests) are well known to give false results if you are taking Biotin, (B7), According to the FDA,
“The FDA urges the general public to that know that biotin is found in many over-the-counter supplements in levels that may interfere with laboratory tests. Examples include: