Dr. Scott Shannon recommends natural products for anxiety disorders. He thinks inositol is a very safe and effective option since it's already a part of the foods we eat. He says it's an easy treatment for children because the powder is sweet and just needs to be mixed with liquid.
Dr. Shannon likes Saint John's Wort for adults dealing with depression. New research seems to be indicating it might be suitable for children as well.
(Transcribed from video interview)
Dr. Shannon:
I think for children we actually have a lot of very good options but it depends sort of broadly what kind of problem you are dealing with.
For example, for anxiety disorders I like the natural product inositol, which is part of our food actually.
We each eat about a gram or 1000 milligrams of inositol everyday. But inositol is been proven to be useful for a variety of anxiety problems and mood problems.
So I would use inositol routinely in children down to the age of three because it’s a sweet powder and I would buy it in powder form, bulk form, not in capsule form because it’s so much cheaper that way.
And you can just mix in two to four grams in a liquid, two or three times a day and you will find significant benefits for most children with anxiety issues or mood issues.
The Saint John’s Wort has been proven to be helpful for adults with depression and we’ve got a couple of smaller studies showing that it’s helpful in children as well.
We have a long tradition of safe use with Saint John’s Wort and actually the studies now show that it’s not only good for mild to moderate depression, but also major depression, as well.
About Dr. Scott Shannon, M.D.:
Dr. Scott Shannon, M.D., graduated from the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Following a psychiatric internship he worked for four years in rural Arizona as a general practitioner. Dr. Shannon then completed a psychiatric residency at a Columbia program in New York. After his child psychiatry fellowship at the University of New Mexico he moved to Colorado. His practice includes a wide variety of approaches including herbs, supplements, medications, nutrition, and acupuncture. Dr. Shannon served as the Principle Investigator on a recent research grant exploring the value of acupuncture in the nausea of chemotherapy.
Visit Dr. Shannon at http://www.wholeness.com/index.php?pr=Background
Video:
https://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/psychological-disorders-are-there-natural-supplements-treating-children-dr-shannon