Well, since I am not a doctor and I do not pretend to be, I am going to walk lightly on this one. However, that being said, here are my thoughts (which are in line with yours I believe). (One big thumbs-up though to your doctor for spending so much time with you; I feel lucky to get five minutes.)

1. Doctors, as a group and in my experience, know nothing about supplements and are likely to give the wrong advice. For example, mine totally missed the boat when he recommended flush-free niacin for my poor lipid panel; totally unaware that most flush-free types are useless for this.

2. I have no idea about anxiety supplements, but I am interested in what helps you, and therefore maybe me ( I'm sorry, I am being selfish).

3. Fish oil can be a trigger for GERD, which is one of many reasons that I switched to krill oil which is less likely to (but it still can). Why are you taking fish oil? Is it just to get more Omega fats, or are you like me and many others, taking it to specifically improve your lipid panel? A couple servings of fish will not be near enough to improve your cholesterol numbers. BTW - - You can get enteric coated fish and krill oil (not many brands for krill), which may make your doctor give you a pass on this one.

I do disagree that supplements are just food. Some maybe, but most are not and are really unregulated meds, so the buyer takes the risks. Naturally, you REALLY take the risks if you buy the regulated Rx drugs which are all known to cause truck loads of serious side effects.

Since your doctor spent so much time with you, I am kind of on the fence with this. It is your body and you know what makes you feel better and what does not. Do your homework and then decide if you want to follow your doctor's advice to the letter or fudge a little. Best of luck!

My doc also was against my 'natural' supplements. Said they aren't regulated enough BUT I cannot take any prescribed anti depressants .
BothGI doc and PCP tried me on them for anxiety. I found 5Htp THRU A Swanson catalog, read a lot about it....checked for interactions with my prescribed meds and I can only say I feel so much better. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.

I'm not a doc but I'D try using just one at a time and see if there are any reactions. If needed print up why each one would help for next visit. Good luck

Maybe you should consider them crutches, something to take for a while until the healing has occurred. I think exercise or yoga could trump any herbal remedy in treating anxiety. Both are a lifesaver for me. It sounds like your doctor is very interested in you, which is fantastic. Did she give you other good tips not related to herbal supplements?

Thanks everyone for the helpful feedback.
@sptrout: . The supplements I take for anxiety are Stress J, which is homeopathic drops that you add to water or you can take them straight and they have a very calming effect. I also have found the catnip and fennel drops that I started taking for diarrhea are very calming too. I looked them up on Amazon and found out moms give them to their colicky babies and get great results. It helps the babies calm down and sleep. That makes me think it couldn't be very dangerous. The thing about these two supplements are that they don't make you drowsy or feel drugged up, but they do take that nervous jitter away. Here is a link to both of them:
http://www.amazon.com/Nervous-System-Support-Stress-J-FL/dp/B000PIUMJG/ref=pd_sim_misc_3

http://www.amazon.com/Catnip-And-Fennel-Extract-FL/dp/B000PJ8ZIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378614402&sr=8-1&keywords=nature%27s+sunshine+catnip+and+fennel

The stress J capsules have more reviews than the drops. They are the same thing, just one is liquid and one is capsule:
http://www.amazon.com/Nervous-System-Support-Stress-J-Improved/dp/B000PJALF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378614456&sr=8-1&keywords=stress+j

I have taken valerian capsules before and drank chamomile tea and those are okay, but these things I'm mentioning are much better.

There is also another awesome supplement to help with anxiety that I use to use and might now go back to is
Peter Gillham's Natural Vitality Calm. This stuff is just powdered magnesium that you add to warm water and it gets in your system quickly and is so relaxing. You can buy it in local Whole Foods type stores.

As far as the salmon oil goes, the reason I was taking it and flaxseed oil is because it is supposed to help repair the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerves. From years of anxiety, my nervous system is "broken down" so to speak, and I am trying to heal it. That is what a homeopath advised me to do. The salmon oil does not trigger my gerd. Since I started all the supplements at once, I don't know which one did which, but something I am taking has given me so much energy and the dark circles under my eyes have disappeared. The whites of my eyes are very white now too, with very little red in them. I think the salmon oil and flaxseed oil, might be the main factors.
I had thyroid issues earlier this year and the endocrinologist wanted me to take thyroid hormone, but I refused and he said I can live with out, but with it I would have more energy. So, before taking these supplements, I was tired and not having much energy and now I feel 10 years younger.
But, you are right, not all supplements are food in pill form. For example, birthwort causes bladder cancer, so yes, supplements can be as hazardous as chemicals.

@pollybizz--that is a great idea to try one supplement at a time to sort out how they affect me

@prayinglots--Yoga is the best! It really keeps the nervous system toned and helps reduce anxiety. The doctor didn't really give me any other tips that I can think of.

Thank you ChattDana for all the great information and for taking the time to write such a good description. I already take a bunch of supplements (my wife says way too many), but none specifically for anxiety. I have a history of getting all kinds of unusual side effects from both Rx and OTC drugs and it typically takes weeks for a side effect to develop then weeks more to try to figure out what is causing the problem. Anyway, I have to be careful, but I will research the ones you mention to see if any would be something that I would want try. Good luck with your GI doctor!

You're welcome! I found a good resource from the University of Maryland Medical Center that explains the uses, side effects and drug interactions of different herbs. For example the Stress J has Feverfew in it and Fevervew can affect how other medicines break down in the liver. I guess that's what my doctor is getting at about herbs possibly being dangerous. The first ingredient in Stress J is Passionflower, which seems to be very safe. Here is the link for the University of Maryland's resource:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed

Fish oil caused me to have severe GERD and upset stomach, so I try to eat fish once a week -- although that's probably not enough.

Magnesium that I was on once really quelled my anxiety and made me mellow. This was when I was treated for Lyme and it was recommended by one of the "Lyme Literate" docs.

Here's an interesting article http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill

That is a really interesting article. I think I will try the magnesium again.

When I have flare ups, like I am now, I take the aloe juice that is recommended in the "dropping acid" book. I think it is calle "Georges". I did not know it could cause an electrolyte imbalance or blacken the colon. What is that all about??

I have the dropping acid book too and i tried the ginger almond milk shake. No idea that aloe vera juice causes that. yuck, but good to know

Hi,
Only aloe vera juice that does not have the aloin stripped out of it causes blackened intestines (gross!). It is not physically harmful but when you go for a colonoscopy, they can't see your intestines very well and could miss something important.. Supposedly aloe vera juice/gel in the U.S.A. has the aloin removed, but I only drink aloe vera juice that specifies it.
Here are two links about aloe vera safety:

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/aloevera
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aloe-vera/NS_patient-aloe/DSECTION=safety

I drink 3 to 4 ounces a day when my stomach feels bad. I use GNLD brand and it helps my stomach so much. I think each person has to determine the risk/benefit for themselves. I even told my GI doc that I would stop all the other supplements, but I will not stop aloe vera for my stomach and catnip/fennel (as needed ) for anxiety. And she agreed with me, even though she had told me to stop them. Sometimes you have to do what works for you.

If you trust your doctor I would try what your doctor suggests.....and doctors are becoming more aware of supplements more than you know.....and my doctor has ordered Niacin as one of the first courses for my high trigycerides right now I am on 4 different medications for it and the fish oil I tolerate since I put it in the refrigerator and then it doesn't give me any stomach problems. But I think we need to trust our doctors to allow them to help us...it is natural to question their decision but I would question it with them instead of the group since we wouldn't know what your doctor is thinking and why they suggested you not take some of your supplements. And if you don't like the doctor than I would continue to find the one I like and trust. Please follow what the doctor tells you at first and if it doesn't work please let your doctor know. So if you have questions regarding what you asked this group it really should be addressed by your dr. Good Luck hon

Diane

Hi Diane, Glad you are back!:) Yes, you are right--I am listening to my doctor. I just read my post above about what could be wrong with DGL since it's basically a food, but I found out that even the licorice without the deglyrric....stuff in it, can effect hormones when taken too long like estrogen. I am so glad I found out because I was taking DGL everyday for a few months and you shouldn't take it for more than a week at a time:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/licorice
http://www.livestrong.com/article/466533-what-are-the-dangers-of-dgl-licorice/
Thanks again for your help, Diane:)