Anxiety Disorder is much more debilitating than feeling stressed out for a period of time in your life. It’s normal to feel anxious at times when we go through very trying life experiences, especially if we experience a life-changing trauma. But anxiety disorder is much different. It is diagnosed when an excessive, ongoing feeling of anxiety interferes with a person’s daily life activities. Worry and fear are constant and overwhelming. An anxiety disorder is a clinical diagnosis in traditional medicine. The condition is determined on a series of symptoms and on improvement of those symptoms with prescription medicine. Anxiety disorders can have differing diagnoses such as: panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and various phobias. At Mensah Medical we seek to uncover the underlying cause of symptoms like anxiety by coordinating by utilizing diagnostic laboratory testing.
As physicians we are not against prescription medication for patients. We understand the need for prescribed pharmaceuticals in psychiatric medicine. But we also understand very clearly the dangers involved when these drugs are prescribed. Psychiatric drugs are foreign molecules in the body that may produce unpleasant and sometimes worse side effects than the condition itself. These medications treat only the symptoms without addressing the underlying root causes of the issue. Prescribed, targeted nutrient supplementation is an effective method for treating symptoms of anxiety and depression without harmful damage and adverse side effects.
As part of our protocol, we prescribe an individualized all natural targeted advanced nutrient therapy protocol for each patient. This is safe and effective without the damaging side effects of psychiatric drugs. It’s an all natural, custom vitamin, mineral, and amino acid protocol that is targeted to correct or treat your body’s particular biochemical imbalances. We do not believe patients should just take vitamins. We have seen that the indiscriminate use of vitamins can often times cause great harm. We monitor our patients carefully while they take individualized, prescribed doses of nutrients that are designed for their exact body chemistry.
Neurotransmitters and Micronutrients Vital for Brain Health
To understand depression and anxiety issues, patients should know the relative role neurotransmitters and micronutrients play in brain health. Serotonin, dopamine and other key neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that enable brain cells to communicate with each other. Good mental health requires appropriate levels of the micronutrients that influence the neurotransmitter activity as well as methylation processes that are optimized to allow for efficient nerve cell communication. Elements like zinc, vitamin B6, calcium, and magnesium are essential micronutrients to proper brain health. Elevated or low methyl concentrations can lead to dysregulated thinking as well as extreme anxiety and depression.
Imbalances such as severe overloads or deficiencies of specific minerals, vitamins, amino acids can significantly alter neurotransmitter activity in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that enable us to think and act. They have a dominant impact on mood, focus, concentration, anxiety, obsessions and mental well-being.
Mensah Medical’s protocol is designed to normalize key chemical factors that influence neurotransmitter production and activity. By correcting imbalances of essential nutrients in the body, Mensah Medical’s approach is safe, natural and effective. If you or a loved one is currently on an antidepressant and/or another psychiatric medication, Mensah Medical physicians will work to first restore your chemistry, rebuild your foundation, and then look to work with your physician to slowly decrease your medication.
12 Common Signs of a generalized anxiety disorder:
- Persistent worrying or obsession that’s out of proportion for the situation
- Performance anxiety at work, school, or sporting events
- Inability stop worrying
- Inability to relax
- Feeling confused, like your mind “is going blank”
- Inability to make decisions for fear it will be the wrong decision
- Carrying every option in a situation all the way out to its possible negative conclusion
- Fatigue and irritability
- Trouble sleeping
- Excessive sweating
- Nausea and diarrhea
- Headaches
More about an Anxiety Disorder
Your worry and fear might not completely consume you, but you may feel anxious even when there’s no real reason for it. For example, you may feel intense worry about your safety or that of your loved ones, or you may always fear that something bad is about to happen. Adolescents with anxiety disorder may feel anxious about fitting in, and worry excessively about being imperfect. You may also notice that homework takes longer than average and there is an overall lack of self-confidence. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. We all experience it at times. Many people feel anxious or nervous in stressful situations. Anxiety disorders are different. People suffering from anxiety will often have difficulty trying to lead a normal life. Mensah Medical’s protocol is designed to normalize key chemical factors that influence neurotransmitter synthesis and synaptic activity. By correcting balances of essential nutrients in the body, this nutritional therapy is a safe, natural and effective drug-free alternative to prescription medications.
Judith Bowman, MD
Judith Bowman, MD, received a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University and a medical degree from Finch University of Health Sciences-Chicago Medical School. She is certified and licensed by the American Registry of Radiologic Technology and board certified in Nuclear Medicine Technology after training at Northwestern University’s School of Nuclear Medicine. She learned diagnostic imaging and participated in research and development of radio pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bowman was chief resident in family medicine at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago and was a staff physician for the Illinois Lake County Health Department and Midwest site staff physician at The Dore Achievement Center in Schaumburg, Illinois providing medical services for patients with learning disabilities. Her interest and experience with behavioral/learning issues and autism steadily increased when she joined the medical team at the now closed Pfeiffer Treatment Center in 2005. Dr. Bowman co-founded Mensah Medical in 2008 with her colleague, Albert Mensah, MD.