Dr. R. Shulman reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry that forty-eight
out of fifty-nine psychiatric patients had folic-acid deficiencies.

The nutrients important in the reduction of stress are listed below:

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) — taking more than the average can alleviate depression
and anxiety attacks.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) — the body uses this vitamin to produce natural
antidepressants such as dopamine and norepinephrine.

Pantothenic acid — a natural stress-reliever.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) — another natural stress-reliever.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) — assists in maintaining a healthy nervous system,
improves concentration, increases energy levels, and helps relieve stress and
irritability.

Choline — a natural sedative.

Vitamin E (dry form, alpha-tocopherol) — aids in the transport of oxygen to
the brain, vital for maintaining a stable mood.

Folic acid — deficiencies have been known to contribute to a number of
different mental illnesses.

Zinc — essential for a healthy brain.

Magnesium — a mineral that combats stress and its negative effects on the
body.

Manganese — reduces stress and irritability.

Niacin — needed for a healthy nervous system.

Calcium — alleviates stress and has a calming effect.

Tyrosine — speeds up the production of the natural antidepressants dopamine
and norepinephrine.

Tryptophan — in conjunction with vitamin B6, niacin, and magnesium, produces
the neurotransmitter serotonin, the king of natural anti-stress chemicals.
(Note that many popular medications used to treat depression and anxiety
actually work their magic by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain.)

Phenylalanine — another trigger of the natural antidepressants dopamine and
norepinephrine.

So how do you ensure that you are not deficient in any of these vitamins and
minerals? The easiest way of going about this is to take a daily multivitamin
and mineral supplement. There are many different brands of multivitamins on the
market today, but you need not spend your cash on a brand purporting to be of
premium quality; a one-a-day generic multivitamin will work fine for most
people. Most of the generic multivitamins are low in vitamin C, however, so you
may wish to buy an additional container of vitamin C capsules.

Another helpful supplement is fish oil. You have probably heard that there are
good fats and bad fats when it comes to diet and nutrition. Well, fish oil is a
source of good fats, otherwise known as essential fatty acids (EFAs). A vast
number of people are deficient in these essential fats. Taking fish oil
daily will allow your body to normalize EFA levels. One sign that this is
working is that your skin will take on a very smooth texture. You may also find
that your moods are far more stable than usual.

A herbal supplement that many people find helpful in dealing with stress is St.
John’s wort.

Be sure you are getting enough fiber in your diet. The results of not getting
enough fiber are enough to cause stress in anyone.

Drinking plenty of water is a piece of advice that you have probably had
drilled into your head on many occasions. Although the conventional wisdom of
drinking a certain number of glasses of water each day has actually been
challenged scientifically in recent times, there can be no doubt that staying
properly hydrated is vital for healthy skin, healthy kidneys, and a healthy
body overall. Moreover, what is one of the classic symptoms of dehydration?
Stress, irritability.

Nutrition for stress-free living is not merely a matter of what to take into
the body, but also of what not to take into the body. Excessive smoking,
excessive amounts of alcohol, and the use of illegal drugs wreak havoc on the
body and cause unnecessary amounts of stress. Sugar, saturated fat, artificial
preservatives/flavors/colors, and substances that your body may not react well
to (such as lactose, gluten, and caffeine) all start a chain reaction that ends
in stress, among many other problems. If you really want to stop harmful
substances from entering your body, consider switching to organic food.

A fast every now and then is a natural form of detox. You may wish to
incorporate intermittent fasting into your diet.

Anyone who wishes to promote the therapeutic and scientific benefits of regular
meditation sessions faces an uphill battle against a pervasive view of
meditation that has pretty much been cemented with caricatures involving
effeminate men and ditzy women.

In this short article, we will examine what Western medicine has to say about
meditation, and we will offer a few simple, practical guidelines on how best to
begin the practice of meditation. Do not fear — you will not need to go under
the wing of some guru with a funny accent, nor will you need to invest in
incense or expensive mats. Meditation is something the modern man or woman can
do for personally verifiable benefits, including a significant reduction in the
amount of stress experienced in a world that is daily becoming more complex and
confusing.

Meditation is no stranger to Western medicine. In any modern hospital,
meditative practices are encouraged in patients to reduce the effects of
stress, such as a weakened immune system. The medical community has reached
almost unanimous agreement on the idea that psychological stress has direct and
measurable negative effects on the physical body. It has been observed
that meditation may in fact be a natural sedative or anesthetic on par with
milder drugs (though it would be most unwise to try to meditate your way
through trauma surgery!). Meditation has been shown to have favorable effects
on heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, metabolism, brain-wave state, and
many other physiological processes.

Medical studies of meditation go back decades. Dr. Herbert Benson, of no less a
prestigious medical center than Harvard Medical School, paved the way in the
’70s with his acclaimed book The Relaxation Response, a landmark study on the
power of meditation to combat and counteract the effects of stress. Anyone who
is skeptical of the physiological benefits of regular meditation would do well
to pick up a copy of his book (and even some of his later books) for
an eye-opening reading experience.

Also in the ’70s, the Australian psychiatrist Ainslie Meares published an
article in the Medical Journal of Australia about the regression of cancer
following a program of prolonged meditation. Add his best-selling book Relief
Without Drugs to your reading list.

In more recent times, the neurophysiologist Dr. James Austin published his book
Zen and the Brain, which illustrated how Zen meditation has observable effects
on the circuitry of the brain. Medical imaging technology has confirmed this.

These findings are not the work of pseudo-academics or quacks on the fringe of
modern medicine. If you still need convincing, consider the 2006 article from
Harvard Medical School, which reported how meditation increases gray matter
and slows down the aging of the brain.

So how do you take the first steps on the road to seeing what meditation has to
offer? It is important first to disabuse yourself of the many, often
contradictory, spiritual and metaphysical notions surrounding the practice of
meditation. You do not need to convert to a new religion to enjoy the
stress-reducing benefits of regular meditation sessions.

Simply find yourself a quiet place where you can remain undisturbed for thirty
or so minutes a day. You may choose either to sit upright in a comfortable
chair or to lie down on a cozy couch. Begin by closing your eyes and taking a
few deep breaths. This will aid in quietening surface mental chatter. Then work
from your toes to your scalp, imagining each part of your body releasing its
stress and tension. This whole process should take around five minutes. If you
feel a numbing or heavy sensation as you drift into a higher state of
relaxation, do not worry — this is normal. Next you have to concentrate on one
specific thing to the exclusion of all else. Favorite choices include your
breathing, your navel, a mental word (known as a mantra), or a visualized
object. You may even wish to concentrate on nothing in particular and merely
let your mind empty itself of its own accord. The last thing to note is that
it is important not to fight intruding thoughts — simply release them calmly.
As time goes by, reaching a state of mental tranquility will become easier and
easier.

You will be a different person.