| Anxiety Relief with Bioidentical Progesterone -- By Steve F. Hotze, M.D. Ladies, is anxiety interfering with your life? We all know what it feels like to be anxious, but when it starts to happen all the time, it can be debilitating. These feelings are more than just uncomfortable. Things that you never used to worry about can almost paralyze you with fear. While there are many causes of anxiety, today let’s talk about a very common cause in women: a progesterone deficiency. WHAT IS ANXIETY? Anxiety is defined as a state of uneasiness and apprehension. Symptoms include being anxious, nervous and irritable, scared for no reason, fear of impending doom, feelings of panic, ill at ease or worry. People with anxiety can have excessive, persistent worry and fear about things that one wouldn’t normally worry about. Often this extreme anxiety can lead to a panic attack, or sudden surges of overwhelming fear that that come without warning, accompanied by physical symptoms such as a pounding heart, sweating, and rapid breathing. When excessive anxiety occurs daily, it becomes disabling. CONVENTIONAL ANXIETY TREATMENT If you go to a conventional doctor about your anxiety, you will most likely be prescribed addictive anti-anxiety drugs such as Xanax or Klonopin without discovering the underlying cause of your anxiety. Some of the side effects of these drugs include fatigue, memory impairment, blurred vision, diarrhea, insomnia, decreased libido, changes in appetite, dizziness, and yes, anxiety. Your doctor may even refer you to a psychiatrist, which usually leads to the prescription of antidepressants – another road you don’t want to go down. A word of caution: if you are taking any of these medications, please do not stop taking them abruptly. You must work with your doctor to wean off of them slowly and safely. HOW PROGESTERONE AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN Progesterone acts as a natural antidepressant, enhances mood and relieves anxiety. It has a calming effect on the brain. It stimulates the brain’s GABA receptors, the feel-good, calming neurotransmitters. So it is easy to understand why anxiety can surface when your progesterone levels are low. (KEEP READING) | 
