hey Keep_Calm, I know some people who have tried beta blockers for anxiety before and it seems pretty harmless occasionally so I'd say try it if you want to. However, for the Rescue Remedy, it's not that it's a homeopathic medicine, it's really just flower extracts, and as such is just a mild alcohol mix, which does work. I think dismissing all homeopathic remedies out of hand is a bit rash, although I do appreciate that a lot of it is just nonsense. But if it works, you may as well try it!

I'd rather minimise the side effects (and yes I have taken beta blockers and didn't like the side effects) than dismiss something out right just to stick to a princple. And Rescue Remedy (and other Bach extracts aren't homeopathic).

It always amazes me that scientists are happy to invent something like the Higgs Boson because they need it to understand how the universe works but just becuase they don't understand how homeopathy work they dismiss it outright (can't there be some as yet undiscovered thing that makes that work?)

I've also used the rescue remedy (albeit reluctantly as I simply can't understand how it could work) and found it surprisingly effective and I wouldn't have thought it would be the placebo effect as I didn't expect it to do anything at all - it was more to please my friend who was worried that I was having an anxiety attack.

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:-)

I realllly don't want to get into a debate about homeopathy right now but my objections are that the 'science' behind is actual nonsense. The solutions are diluted to the point that sometimes nothing at all of the original plant extracts exist any more and homeopaths have explained this by claiming that water can 'remember' the original substances. Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

As a result, it's unlikely even to have a placebo effect on me :-)

Anywho, my doctor has prescribed me a low dose of propranolol, so I'll let you all know how it goes after my conference at the end of the month.

Edit: sorry to ignore those who have pointed out it's not stricly a homeopathic medicine- I didn't realise this. I have read a little about it since though and the science behind it is still very shaky so I'm unsure. I suppose there's nothing to lose in giving it a try, so I will do at some point. I'm just pretty sure it won't :-)

lol just because there is no science behind something doesn't mean it's not able to work or that if it does work it's only due to a placebo effect! Science explains things we don't know or understand yet as well as inventing new things! There is a lot of nonsense about homeopathic remedies, putting aside medication and radiotherapy in favour of homeopathic medicines for cancer treatment for example. That kind of stuff is a problem of course, but a simple flowers remedy for anxiety, which many people say works for them, is fine in my book. But good luck with the conference, glad you got sorted ok!