Susie suffers from seizures and anxiety, and is an alcoholic but cannot drink. She has been asking to smoke pot, should I ask her doctor about this?

Cheylily, have you tried any natural anti-anxiety activities?

Adult coloring has apparently become more of an activity since the Zentangle movement began a few years ago. There are a lot of adult coloring books in grocery store magazine sections, or you can order more sophisticated designs from Dover Publishing. They range from literally every topic imaginable: flowers, gardens, animals (land and sea), cars, planes, lighthouses, historic periods, and more.

You don't need anything more than a 12 pack box of colored pencils to start. Coloring is hypnotic; there's something about the motion and repetition that's very soothing.

Dance, even when someone has seizures, is another option. Sometime ago I watched a program on adaptation by ballet dancers of basic dance moves (even just standing and swaying like a tree in the wind) for people with Parkinson's. The movement has spread across the US, and if I recall correctly from the newsletters I signed up for, across the world.

No one needs to have any special training; the program has been adapted for those with movement limitations.

Music is another soothing activity. People are naturally drawn to responding by tapping feet or singing along, and attention is diverted from anxiety.

Polkas are great for immediate mood improvement; waltzes are as well.

Yesterday on my way home from my father's, I became stuck in a traffic jam...move 10 feet, stop and wait, then repeat again for several miles. I began to get tired of all of that and tried to get out of the jam, when suddenly the local classical radio station began playing arias sung by Pavarotti, commemorating his birthday yesterday.

Suddenly everything changed as I began to sing along with him (obviously at a much more inexperienced and less talented level). Fingers and feet began to tap, I sat straighter, and the anxiety just disappeared. And visions of him in various operas changed my mental scenery from the miles of cars ahead of me to visions of opera sets at the Met.

Aromatherapy is another natural alternative. Cinnamon, vanilla, mint, geranium and similar scents are relaxing. If I know on the way to the hospital with my father that it's likely to be a long and taxing wait, I take a jar of cinnamon with me.

There is some strange activity by teens in apparently gulping down cinnamon; that's not what I'm talking about. Just a sniff is enough.

I also have a jar of subtle but exotic blends of frankincense, myrrh and some other exotic natural scents. If I know a hospital visit will really be challenging, I take that jar with me and indulge in a sniff as I try to avoid worrying.

There are a lot of fragrant herbs as well. Basil and sage are two, and are periodically seen in ordinary grocery stores.

And then there are the food aromas: brownies, chocolate chip cookies, bread, turkey...can anyone deny the power of these foods? I still remember coming home from school and inhaling the wonderful fragrance of chocolate being melted and blended with vanilla for a delicious frosting when my mother was baking a chocolate cake for us.

And turkey - there's nothing like the aroma of a turkey in the oven, although you'd have to cook the turkey. I don't know of any company producing an "Eau de turkey" fragrance.

Thank you for your answers I think I'm goi g to talk to her Dr about it she's always had anxiety issues and I believe it would help plkus she has foot pain that even the Dr can't figure out. I actually had a little get together with her daughter gr daughter n the gr grandkids and her daughter is fine with her smoking and if it calms her and makes her happy why keep what little joys out of her life she wants to die and be with he beloved husband anyway I'd lime to add a little sunshine in her life while she's still here

Pot is legal in Washington state, and I haven't heard of any real negative press about it since it became law a couple of years ago.

I think that it should be legal too! But there are definitely laws that govern the amount, the way in which you carry it, and where you smoke or consume it, that is a bother to others, children included! Be safe and responsible, and no one gets hurt!

Personally, I think pot should be legalized. That's just me. I see a lot of benefit from it in a couple of my friends, one has glaucoma and one has Grave's Disease. Right now they have to get it from a "dealer" and worry about that.
It eases their pain and makes life liveable.
Ask away. It may help. If it's legal in your state, then why not ask the doc? What's the worst thing they can say? No.
I'm curious about this. Keep us posted.