With the Chemistry of Calm by Dr. Henry Emmons, we are introduced to holistic methods to treat anxiety and stress disorders. It isn’t necessarily the case that he frowns upon medication or its use, Dr. Emmons seems to want to use a different approach. This I can understand. A lot of medications and drugs used to treat anxiety and stress might do more harm than good. If I can fix something by changing my diet it might be easier than having to go through the side effects of certain drugs. Also, a lot of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are somewhat expensive and could cause more damage in the case of weight gain and cooling the libido. These may not be all that pleasant to deal with.

This is more of a giant lifestyle adjustment than anything else. Emmons recommends a certain diet and exercise to help deal with stress and anxiety along with mindfulness or other types of meditative practices for the spirit. I find it somewhat hokey I suppose, but if it works then why not. I have a certain strange fondness for Western Style medicine since Eastern Medicine seems to focus on Chakras and other things that can’t really be measured. I probably just haven’t found anything to demonstrate it properly or something along those lines.

Finally, this book isn’t really what I expected. More than a lifestyle-changing program to improve resilience against anxiety and stress, I thought this book was going to be on how the brain experiences stress and anxiety. I took it out of the library so it isn’t like I sunk any money into this, but it is somewhat disappointing all the same. While the book does have a section that explores what neurotransmitters and other things do in the brain and how to improve brain chemistry in some ways, it wasn’t really what I wanted. ( )

Liked this so much, especially the meditations, that I'm ordering a copy for myself to own. I have to admit I skipped the chapter on supplements and found the food advice to be a reiteration of things I've already heard (Emmons believes in Pollan's food strategy - Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.) or common sense (Anxious? Perhaps you should cut down on your caffeine, hmmm?). I didn't mind hearing some things again though; I'm hard-headed enough that it can take several times for something to really sink in with me. I'd recommend this not just to those struggling with anxiety but to anyone trying to live a healthier, more balanced life. ( )