The rapid advancement of technology can be overwhelming. Between the endless buzz of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it’s often hard to keep an even keel.
At the core we’re all human and inherently fragile. In the wake of COVID- 19, this was reflected in Google’s annual “This year in Search” terms. How to cope with anxiety was high on the list.
This was no surprise to Honolulu-based Traci Potterf, Ph.D., a functional health anxiety expert, who told me, “Anxiety was an epidemic long before the pandemic.” Potterf, who received her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, where she participated in a joint program with UCSF Medical School as a Javits Fellow, has been practicing for nearly two decades.
I had the opportunity to interview her recently about the impact of anxiety on Hawaii residents.
Question: How did you get interested in helping people with anxiety?
Answer: As a psychiatrist’s daughter and former medical anthropologist, I see the mental health crisis through a unique lens. Working in my dad’s practice, I became acquainted with the limitations of our mental health system. Then I had my first panic attack, that led to years of debilitating anxiety. Back then people were told it was a genetic chemical imbalance and that you would need meds your whole life. It was a life sentence and that terrified me. I refused to accept that as my reality. Later in my medical anthropology research, I realized we are so mentally and physically ill not because of genetics, but because we are living in ways that we did not evolve to live. We can change that.
Q: What conclusions did you come to about the kinds of health problems that cause anxiety?
A: Most people with chronic anxiety have hidden health issues, often connected to diet, trauma and environment. Some of the first places I look are gut health, blood sugar, hormones and toxic burden, such as mold, lead, mercury and other chemicals that are known poisons to the brain and nervous system. There are safe ways to get these out, but it’s important to stop putting them in by using more natural or sustainable products.
Q: Is it realistic to expect people to make these kinds of changes in their lives?
A: It’s totally possible. I teach it all the time, and people are amazed at how happy they are, how good they feel and how much they enjoy life. Yet, our culture has lost this. We need to take it back. Unlike our Indigenous predecessors, including Native Hawaiians, the cultural value we place on our connection to nature has become only an afterthought. If a person has a healthy lifestyle, has done a lot to resolve their traumas and is still struggling, I look to hidden health problems.
Q: How do you uncover health problems that cause anxiety?
A: I do in-depth questionnaire-style assessments and look at labs that measure gut health, toxic burden, hormones, blood sugar, inflammation and so on.
Q: The shortage of mental providers in Hawaii has been well documented. What alternatives do anxiety sufferers have who aren’t getting their needs met through the health care system?
A: I teach so many tools you can do yourself while you’re in the process of trying to find a traumainformed therapist. They are evidence-based and profoundly effective! The most obvious thing is upgrading your lifestyle, including what you eat, your sleep habits, physical activities, the quality of your relationships, including your relationship with yourself. We also need to pay attention to destructive self-soothing addictions, from sugar, social media, caffeine and alcohol to more hard-core substances.
You can also learn to rewire your stress response. There is increasing research from universities like Stanford and Harvard showing that simple mindfulness, meditation and breathing practices can be more effective than psych meds.
Q: Is there a problem with psych meds?
A: I don’t judge anyone for taking meds, but you need to address the root causes of anxiety, which meds don’t fix. It is well documented that they have side effects, including panic attacks and insomnia. Think of it this way. If your house is on fire and you just take the battery out of the smoke alarm, your house will still burn down. Anxiety is nature’s smoke alarm. It is your body’s request for nurture. Are you willing to listen and give yourself what you truly need?
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Rob Kay, a Honolulu-based writer, covers technology and sustainability for Tech View and is the creator of fijiguide.com. He can be reached at Robertfredkay@gmail.com. Traci Potterf can be reached at innergeniushealth.com.
