“I am anxious about everything…if my husband is late, if my son has a fever, if nobody is attending the call… I can’t figure out why I worry so much”

Anxiety is normal but it becomes a disorder and a problem when the anxiety and worry become excessive, exaggerated and uncontrollable in normal everyday situations. Everything that comes across in life is seen with fear, worry and apprehension. Many of us do not need a reason to be worried. Even a small harmless traffic block can make a lot many of us anxious and worried for a while. Nevertheless, anxiety is necessary as it motivates and alerts one into action in times of danger. It is just a response to stress and you don’t have to be worried about being worried occasionally.

GAD

When your worry remains the same even after the situation and you cannot relax, you probably have a disorder. If you tend to anticipate about events which are unlike to happen and cannot find piece of mind you have GAD. People with GAD complain that they keep on worrying about something or another and that they cannot remember relaxing. They cannot wait for a loved one patiently who is probably late due to a traffic block without thinking of the worst. They are further stressed by simple real life situations and experience nervousness, edginess, sleep disturbances, headaches, trembling, twitching, irritability, frustration, and inability to concentrate. They also feel tired and restless. GAD is chronic and may persist for several months. It may co-exist with IBS and make matters worse for the sufferer. Having IBS would cause nausea, gas troubles, dizziness, lack of appetite and the like. In short, it highly reverses the normal life of an individual.

Your Options

Psychotherapy is generally recommended for GAD. They may also be backed up by medications like antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. They control your worries and provide sedation. But they are soothing and hence addictive. Psychotherapy includes counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy and other talk-therapies. Hence cognitive-behavioral therapy is a highly advised for GAD.

Cognitive therapy essentially deal with the thinking and believing process. With this, we train our mind to change the though process and pattern from what we have been doing. We condition our mind to think healthily, realistically and positively so that the symptoms of the disease vanish. Behavioral therapy focuses on what we do. It helps to reduce or stop the undesired behavior associated with the disorder. We learn to relax at the time of anxiety and agitation and use deep breathing techniques to counteract the symptoms. We learn to be calm and de-stressed.

Cope With It Positively

You can lead a normal and happy life with GAD. However, it is up to you to talk to a therapist or a counselor to learn some relaxation techniques to sooth yourself and your IBS. Stress reducing techniques like deep-breathing or visualization, music therapy can ease IBS and unnecessary worries.

• Regular exercise
• Tight sleep
• Healthy diet

A mental health professional may also suggest certain self help techniques to reduce your agony. You can try self-talk, jotting down your worries and so on. It is also important to prepare yourself for stressful events in life so that you do not panic or startle.

Ghee or butter oil (endearingly called as Desi ghee) refers to clarified butter made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk in the East. It is highly popular as part of Indian staple diet and for its great health benefits. Before coming to the USA I had hardly tasted ghee bought from outside. My mother make pure ghee at home which is either by some with rice as it is, used to make doses or a wide variety of Indian sweets and desserts. Ghee is also used with certain Ayurvedic medicines at the recommendation of the Doctor. Ashtanga Sangrah, an Ayurvedic treatise by Vagbhatta, acknowledges the potency of ghee and its thousands of uses.

The butter is churned from curd and is melted over a low fire. It turns into a thick yellowish fluid which is cooled and then strained. Ghee is a part of a Brahmin’s daily life. It also plays a major role in Hindu religious ceremonies and sacrifices.

The Indian Cuisine cannot light up without ghee. The buttery flavor and non-burning quality endears ghee to Indian dishes. Ghee is healthy for sauteing and frying as it doe snot burn  and hence is not carcinogenic. Ghee is great for people with lactose intolerance as it does not contain lactose or milk solids. It is highly nourishing without any hydrogenated oils and is beneficial if used in moderation. It is maintained by some that ghee does not increase cholesterol as the casein protein is removed while separation. It also contains Vitamin E and A. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid present in ghee which promotes growth and development of body’s tissues and organs. Gee is easily digestible as it contains 8% percent lower saturated fatty acids than oil improving absorption and assimilation.

Old ghee (Purana ghrita in Sanskrit) stored for around 6 months is highly known for its curative powers. It is good to enhance memory, to nourish the tissues, the brain and the nervous system. It is used for the treatment of tension, disorders of head, ear, eye and uterus. Old ghee can also help with wounds related to diabetes and ulcers. Ghee is an emollient and stoma chic according to certain healing arts. It is also a cure for many eye-diseases, dyspepsia, to improve voice and personal appearance and other ailments. Old ghee is believed to have healing powers on external application. Ayurveda recommends mediated ghee for many diseases. The varieties of mediated ghee include gudchi ghrita, Triplala Ghrita, Vasa Ghrita for fever, and Panchakola Ghrita, Nagara Ghrita, Chitraka Ghrita (processed ghee) for abdominal disorders, piles and other ailments.  Mahatiktak Ghrita is ghee with the medicinal powers of many herbs and is used for skin diseases and acidic problems. Old ghee is also good for tridoshas.