Natural Remedies vs. Pharmaceutical Drugs

There's a war going on between natural medicine and pharmaceutical medicine, especially with regard to anxiety and mental health. Those that argue for traditional medicine often point to the empirical studies proving their efficacy. Those that promote natural and alternative medicine often point to the serious side effects caused and created by the pharmaceutical counterparts, and argue that there are effective natural options available that make pharmaceutical medicine a needlessly harmful option.

It's an interesting debate that has passionate supporters on both sides. But the reality is that there isn't a "right answer." Both sides are right, and both sides are wrong. It all depends on what the medicine is being used for.

Remembering the Power of Non-Substance Treatments
Before even beginning the debate, it's important to remember that you do not necessarily need to take a supplement simply to combat your anxiety. There are several powerful calming techniques, like yoga and Pranayama. As safe as most herbal remedies are, there is no nutritional supplement that compares in safety to treatments that do not require any ingestion. Before taking any medicine or supplement, consider these healthy, substance free alternatives.

When to Take Natural Remedies
There is no denying that pharmaceutical drugs have a lot of side effects – side effects that can disrupt your life almost as much as anxiety. They also have serious problems with dependency that force you to continue to take these medications for potentially the rest of your life. Those reasons do (and should) lead others to want to pursue natural options for their anxiety before ever considering those man-made chemicals.

Now, before taking even a natural remedy one should also consider therapy and other medicine-free treatment options. Even natural medicines can have their own side effects, while there is no such thing as a side effect of talk therapy. However, there are also natural remedies that are known to be generally side effect free, and these remedies are often powerful enough to improve your anxiety. These include:

• Kava – While Kava can have side effects if taken with alcohol, there are no known studies showing any side effects of kava when taken without alcohol. Kava is almost as powerful as some of the world's best anxiety medicines. It has a natural calming effect on the body and works for hours reducing anxiety when taking in the correct doses.

• Passionflower – Passionflower isn't as powerful as kava, but has also been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms. It can be a great choice for those that suffer only from mild anxiety and would prefer not to take something as strong as kava on a regular basis.

• Chamomile/Peppermint/Etc. – There are also several soothing herbs that are great for reducing anxiety symptoms (although not necessarily the anxiety itself). Peppermint soothes the stomach, while chamomile calms the mind. If the problem isn't how the anxiety effects your life, but rather how the symptoms interfere with your life, there are several natural herbal options for attacking these symptoms directly.

The above list represents just a small sample of the natural choices available, and these natural medicines are not only very beneficial, but also not-addictive and side effect free. If you're suffering from general anxiety or panic attacks and you are simply in need of something to help manage it, natural remedies are easily your best choice.

When to Use Pharmaceutical Medicines
Pharmaceutical medicines, however, are not without their place. They get a well-deserved bad reputation for their addictive qualities and their side effects, but there is no denying that they have an effect for many people. The question is when to use them.

There are two situations where one should choose to use manmade medicine as an anxiety treatment. These are:

• Natural Medicine Hasn't Worked – When you have tried all of the natural options available and have not been able to successfully manage your anxiety, then it may be a good idea to consider using laboratory made chemicals. If you're at the point where you know you need to treat your anxiety by any means necessary, and natural medicine and therapy haven't helped, this type of medicine is still an option.

• When the Anxiety is Too Severe to Enjoy Your Life – You may also want to consider this type of medicine when the anxiety is so severe that you cannot seem to handle even taking the natural medicines. Rarely does someone have anxiety that impacts their life this severely, but if you simply cannot manage the anxiety and are suffering from severe anxiety attacks and panic every day, these pharmaceutical options are available.

One of the reasons that pharmaceutical medicines have side effects is not just because they're made with chemicals – it's also because they're made to be too powerful, designed for those with severely unmanageable anxiety, and not for those that simply suffer from general anxiety and the occasional anxiety attack on any given day. But if you are one of the very few that suffers from nearly unimaginable amounts of anxiety and the natural medicines you've tried haven't worked, the benefits of using a pharmaceutical option may outweigh the risk of side effects.

Natural vs. Artificial
The debate between using natural medicine or artificial medicine will likely rage on, but the truth is that both have a place in the world. Natural medicine is preferable for most anxiety sufferers and should always be the first step beyond therapy, but pharmaceutical medicine should be considered if natural medicine hasn't worked and the anxiety is so severe that it becomes unbearable.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera suffered from intense anxiety, but managed to overcome it using natural health cures which he writes about at www.calmclinic.com.

Ryan Rivera (guest blogger)