Natural Mental Health, Rage Part II

by Carla Wills-Brandon, Ph.D.

Nutrition definitely contributes to “raging” behavior. If we’re hungry and our blood sugar has dropped, we will be more irritable.

Cut down on the stimulants. Whenever I’m working with someone who rages, the first nutritional question I ask is, “How much caffeine are you taking in?” Caffeine is a known stimulant. Too much caffeine can make us very irritable and edgy. For years my husband was addicted to a particular type of soda pop, loaded with caffeine. The high sugar content in the soda quickly made its way into his cells, giving him a burst of nervous energy. This, combined with the caffeine, made him agitated, irritable, and snappish—unbearable to be around. In addition, the sugar in his “one soda every hour” routine left him uninterested in breakfast or lunch. If you choose to quit drinking caffeine, try taking 500 mg of bromelain, 1,500 mg of calcium, and 1,000 mg of magnesium daily, along with 30 mg of coenzyme Q10 twice a day for several weeks. This will, hopefully, assist you in minimizing withdrawal symptoms. The herb feverfew is also useful.

In addition to caffeine, the nicotine found in cigarettes is a stimulant. Cut down on the level of nicotine in your cigarettes. Switch to a lighter brand. If you decide to quit smoking, refer to Chapter 12, of Natural Mental Health, where this is discussed in depth. Interestingly, a number of “ragers” I have worked with have had a steady diet of caffeine, nicotine, or both. Intake of these chemicals must be reduced, and, ideally, eliminated altogether.

Three meals a day. Those plagued with raging rarely take time to nutritionally nurture themselves. Living on a menu of fast foods (high in salt or sugar), greasy fatty foods, and white flour not only leaves one nutritionally starving, but interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium. Calcium is extremely necessary for proper nerve function. A deficiency in this mineral stresses an already-rattled nervous system. Start your morning with a glass of juice and some fruit. If you’re on the run, grab apples, oranges, berries, peaches, or bananas. Take time to sit down to eat a proper lunch and dinner. Fish with asparagus, turkey with mushrooms and a side of green beans, barbecued tofu and sugar snap peas are easy meals to put together. Skip the high-fat fries, and go for a baked potato with grilled vegetables. Add a salad to this, one rich in green leafy lettuces. For you meat lovers, lightly stir-fried vegetables with a bit of lean beef or chicken can be most satisfying.

If our bodies are stressed, we will be at risk for raging. Taking the time to prepare a meal can have a calming effect on the mind. You don’t have to be the “Galloping Gourmet” to put together a decent menu. The market is flooded with cookbooks providing recipes for quick, nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Go to the bargain table of any major bookstore and pick up a copy of a cookbook that looks interesting to you.

Finally, take time to chew your food. Slow down long enough to appreciate the many flavors and textures of the foods you ingest. Prayer or a silent meditation before eating helps us to appreciate the bounty of foods our planet provides.

Carrot juice. Juice carrots with either a pear, apple, a handful of grapes, or strawberries. Today’s juicers are very easy to use and can be found in most department stores. Because carrot juice can regulate blood-sugar levels, it guards against hypoglycemia, which often leads to mood swings and rage. Popping into the local health food store or vegetarian restaurant for a glass of carrot juice can keep emotions on an even keel.

Supplements, please. Many ragers go, go, go, and live very stressed lifestyles. This stress depletes the body of essential vitamins and minerals. Rage attacks cause further nutritional depletion, which promotes more raging behavior.

Learning how to set time aside to prepare meals is extremely important. In the meantime, make sure that you’re taking a good, solid multi-vitamin on a daily basis. Be sure it contains the antioxidant selenium.

Stress and rage burn up Vitamin C, leaving the immune system vulnerable to colds and other illnesses. To maintain good health, supplement your diet with 2,000–4,000 mg of Vitamin C per day. To prevent stomach irritation, make sure your Vitamin C is buffered, and take it in three separate doses.

Don’t forget the significance of B vitamins. Every single one of the “Bs” is necessary for the proper function of the nervous system. Take one B-complex vitamin per day.

Heart and blood-pressure difficulties can also plague ragers. A daily dose of 500 IUs of Vitamin E will not only help you lower your blood pressure, but will aid in preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer. Both of these illnesses have been tied to stress factors and unresolved anger. Deficiencies in Vitamin E have also been linked to breast and bowel cancer.

Note: If you have high blood pressure, start by taking a daily dose of 200 IUs of Vitamin E. Slowly increase your dose over a period of three months. Also, if you’re taking an anticoagulant medication, check with your health care provider before using this supplement.

When rage is a problem, a little extra pantothenic acid or Vitamin B6 can be of great assistance. Taking 500 mg of this particular anti-stress vitamin can help the overworked thymus gland. It’s also good for your nerves and hair. Speaking of nerves, most ragers seem to be emotionally living on the edge, 24 hours a day. Instead of turning to alcohol, tranquilizers, or other pharmaceutical mood-altering drugs, there are several herbs that can normalize and support the nervous system.

Let’s calm the mind. Skullcap was once called “mad dog” and was thought to cure rabies. Although some of us may look like a mad dog when we’re raging, we don’t have to have rabies in order to benefit from this herb. Skullcap supports the nervous system, but it doesn’t have serious sedative effects. Take in capsule form as directed on the label.

Damiana, known as a Mayan aphrodisiac, can also assist in regulating the nervous system. Use in a glycerin tincture form, and take as directed.

rarely suggest using valerian root because it’s a powerful herb and can have toxic effects if it’s misused. Because rage attacks can be violent and intense, I’m going to include this remedy in this particular herbal list. If valerian root is not used as directed, it can create serious difficulties. When using this herb for rage attacks, be sure to stick to the suggested dosages. Valerian is most effective when taken before an attack, when the “red flag” signal rage is surfacing. Use in a glycerin tincture form as directed. Put the drops under the tongue for quick absorption, then take a time-out. Get away from everyone, and find a quiet space. As the valerian root tincture makes its way into your bloodstream, try to meditate on scenery that brings you peace of mind, such as an oceanfront, the mountains, or a favorite bubbling stream of fresh water.

Note: Do not use any of these herbs if taking traditional sleep medications, tranquilizers, or antidepressants.

Those headaches. Headaches often come before or immediately after a rage attack. In England, a stick of marsh mallow was given to teething toddlers to suck on. Plato knew about this herb, and now you, too, can enjoy its many benefits. Marsh mallow is used anytime the mucous membranes need to be soothed. Used in combination with feverfew, it’s an ideal remedy for headaches. Feverfew has long been utilized by herbalists as a treatment for migraine headaches. Visit your local health food store for tablets containing both the herbs feverfew and marsh mallow. Be sure you use this remedy as directed on the label.

Breathe and release. Breathing in, and then releasing, can have a calming effect on your physical and emotional well-being, especially before a rage attack hits. Essential oils can also assist in calming down a brewing rage. For years, I’ve had the essential herbal oils lavender, rosemary, and frankincense on hand at all times. I have vials of the oils in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office, and in my purse for those sudden rageful flare-ups. When the intense emotion of rage begins to surface, take a tissue and put several drops of these essential oils on it. Take a time-out and breathe in the scents. Purple lavender has a wonderful reputation for relieving both headaches and irritability. Rosemary is one of my favorite scents. This fragrance is uplifting, and its fresh outdoors smell quickly clears a foggy mind. Frankincense was used 5,000 years ago to honor the Egyptian sun god, Ra. This luxuriously scented herb has been used in religious rituals for thousands of years.

Here is a visualization to use when breathing in essential oils: Imagine that your rage is bright red. Give the scent of your essential oil the color blue. With each inhalation, imagine the blue color of the fragrance from the herb slowly entering into your body. As you exhale, visualize this healing color pushing out the red rage within you. Keep doing this visualization until you’ve calmed down. This is one of my favorite quick-fix meditations, and I continue to use it to this day.

Too many people today try to ignore their anger. Is it any wonder that road rage, gun violence, and domestic abuse continue to make the headlines of our newspapers? Anger is a normal, natural human emotion, but it continues to be viewed by many as a sign of weakness, a lack in spiritual evolution, and a sin. Pushing this feeling away will not make it disappear. Like steam in a teakettle, built-up rage will eventually makes its escape and “burn” you. Learning how to properly process anger takes time and courage. Old negative messages about this strong emotion must be rewritten and redefined. Using a holistic approach to address the problem of rage can make the path of healing easier and enlightening. If you’d like to learn more about the healthy expression of anger, pick up a copy of the book, The Dance of Anger, by Harriet G. Lerner.

As we left my office and began the trek down the stairs to the waiting room, George asked, “Am I hopeless?” Smiling at him, I said, “Heavens, no. You didn’t put a hole in my wall when I confronted you, did you?”

Surprised, George asked, “Someone actually put a hole in your wall?”

“Yep,” I replied. “Someone put a huge hole in my wall. Thankfully, she’s learned how to handle her anger as it comes up and hasn’t put a hole in a wall for quite some time.”

With this, George’s eyes got very big. “She?” he asked. “I thought only men did stuff like that.”

Chuckling, I answered, “Of course, ‘she.’ Women can get just as mad as men. You do have a lot to learn about anger.” Both of us began to laugh. As I opened the door leading out to the front yard, George shook my hand and said, “Yes, I do have much to learn. Guess I’ll see you next week. It’s good to know that there are others like me, and that a few of them have been able to heal. This gives me hope.” §

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