Anxiety & Mood Dysregulation
Reviewed by Dr. Martin Hart & Dr. Koji Aoki
If you’re dealing with anxiety, irritability, emotional overwhelm, low mood, panic symptoms, or “out of nowhere” shifts in how you feel, there’s a good chance your nervous system is responding to deeper physiological stress.
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At Keystone Total Health, our focus is not simply helping you cope. Our mission is to identify why your system is stuck in dysregulation and build a clear, practical plan to support stability over time.
When Anxiety Isn’t “Just Anxiety”
Many people are told anxiety is purely psychological, or that it’s just a personality trait, a stress issue, or something to medicate indefinitely. While therapy and medication can be appropriate tools, they don’t always address upstream drivers that keep the body in a chronic stress response.
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In practice, anxiety and mood dysregulation often overlap with things like fatigue, brain fog, sleep disruption, gut symptoms, headaches, hormone issues, and inflammatory flares. When symptoms span multiple systems, a root-cause approach becomes essential.
Common Symptoms We See
You may resonate with one or several of the following patterns:
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Persistent worry, rumination, or racing thoughts
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Panic sensations, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or “adrenaline surges”
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Irritability, anger spikes, emotional reactivity, or feeling overstimulated
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Low mood, reduced motivation, or feeling flat and disconnected
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Sleep disruption (especially waking between 1–4 a.m.)
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Sensitivity to foods, supplements, caffeine, or environmental triggers
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Brain fog, poor concentration, or feeling “wired but tired”
If you’re noticing these symptoms alongside complex health concerns, it’s often a sign the nervous system is compensating for deeper physiological load.
What Is Anxiety and Mood Dysregulation?
Anxiety and mood dysregulation refer to patterns where the nervous system and emotional regulation systems are no longer responding appropriately to everyday life stressors. Rather than emotions rising and falling in proportion to circumstances, the body becomes reactive, overstimulated, or shut down—often without a clear external cause.
Anxiety may show up as persistent worry, racing thoughts, panic sensations, or a constant sense of being “on edge.” Mood dysregulation can include irritability, emotional volatility, low motivation, sadness, or difficulty recovering after stress. Many individuals experience both simultaneously, along with physical symptoms such as fatigue, digestive issues, sleep disruption, brain fog, or increased sensitivity to foods, supplements, or environmental exposures.
From a root-cause perspective, these patterns are not simply emotional states or personality traits. They are often signs that the body’s regulatory systems—particularly the nervous system, immune system, gut, hormones, and metabolic pathways—are under chronic stress or compensating for deeper physiological imbalances.
When the body remains in a prolonged stress response, it prioritizes survival over regulation. Over time, this can alter neurotransmitter signaling, increase inflammation, disrupt blood sugar and cortisol rhythms, and reduce resilience to both physical and emotional stress. The result is a system that reacts quickly but recovers slowly.
At Keystone Total Health, anxiety and mood dysregulation are viewed as meaningful signals rather than isolated diagnoses. Our role as practitioners is to identify the underlying contributors driving dysregulation and help restore stability by supporting the body as an integrated whole.
Living with anxiety or mood changes can be confusing and frustrating, especially when symptoms don’t improve as expected. These FAQs address common questions we hear from patients and offer insight into how a root-cause approach at Keystone Total Health can help bring clarity and support lasting change.
Can anxiety be caused by gut or inflammation issues?
Yes. The gut and immune system communicate directly with the brain through inflammatory signaling, nutrient status, and nervous system pathways. When gut function or immune regulation is off, anxiety and mood changes can become more intense or persistent.
Do you replace therapy or medication?
No. Keystone Total Health focuses on root-cause physiology and system regulation. Many people choose to include therapy and other support. Any medication decisions should be managed with the prescribing provider.
What if I’ve tried “everything” already?
That’s one of the most common reasons people seek root-cause care. Our process is designed to identify patterns that are often missed when symptoms are treated in isolation, especially in complex chronic cases.
Do you work with complex chronic illness cases too?
Yes. Keystone Total Health commonly supports individuals navigating multi-system illness patterns, including mold-related illness, Lyme disease, gut dysfunction, hormone dysregulation, inflammatory conditions, and pediatric neuroimmune concerns.
A Root-Cause Lens on Anxiety and Mood
At Keystone Total Health, we look at anxiety and mood dysregulation through a systems-based framework, because the brain does not function in isolation. We evaluate how multiple body systems interact and reinforce one another.
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1) Nervous System Dysregulation and Stress Physiology
When the nervous system stays in “fight-or-flight,” the body prioritizes survival over repair. Over time, this can change sleep architecture, blood sugar stability, inflammation signaling, and resilience to everyday stress.
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2) Gut–Brain Signaling
The gut plays a direct role in neurotransmitter activity, immune signaling, nutrient absorption, and inflammation. Dysbiosis, chronic gut inflammation, SIBO patterns, and food immune reactions can contribute to anxiety, irritability, or low mood—especially when symptoms worsen after meals.
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3) Inflammation and Immune Activation
Immune stress can alter brain signaling, drive fatigue and brain fog, and increase reactivity. This is especially common when chronic illness patterns overlap with autoimmunity, persistent inflammatory triggers, or multi-system symptoms.
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4) Hormone and Blood Sugar Patterns
Mood and anxiety can intensify when cortisol rhythm is disrupted, thyroid signaling is off, sex hormones fluctuate, or blood sugar swings create an internal stress response. We often see mood instability improve when metabolic stress becomes more stable.
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5) Environmental Load: Mold and Other Exposures
For some individuals, environmental stressors—especially mold exposure—can be a major upstream driver that increases inflammation, impacts detox capacity, and strains nervous system regulation.
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6) Nutrient and Mineral Depletion
The nervous system relies on adequate minerals, micronutrients, mitochondrial support, and detox capacity. When the body is depleted or under chronic inflammatory load, “mental health” symptoms can rise—even in people who have done everything right.
Here’s How We’ll Do This Together
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Book Your Keystone Root Cause Analysis™
During your initial one-hour appointment with one of our practitioners, the Keystone Root Cause Analysis™ provides a comprehensive, root-cause evaluation that reviews physical, environmental, and social factors to understand your symptoms and identify personalized next steps.
Who This Is For
This approach is often a fit if you:
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Feel stuck in anxiety or mood symptoms that don’t match your life circumstances
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Have tried supplements, diets, or therapies with only partial or temporary improvement
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Suspect there’s a deeper root cause (gut, hormones, immune stress, mold, or chronic illness overlap)
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Want a plan that’s structured, evidence-informed, and personalized
We work with individuals in person and virtually through Keystone Total Health.
How Anxiety and Mood Symptoms Are Evaluated at Keystone Total Health
Dr. Martin Hart, DC and Dr. Koji Aoki provide care through Keystone Total Health using a comprehensive, individualized process designed to create clarity and direction, especially when symptoms have persisted despite prior approaches.
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Step 1: A Thorough Case Review
We start by understanding your symptom timeline, stressors, environmental and health history, and how your systems are functioning as a whole.
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Step 2: Targeted, Advanced Functional Testing
When appropriate, we may use functional labs to evaluate patterns related to inflammation, gut function, immune signaling, environmental exposures, hormones, and nutrient status. The goal is to reduce guesswork and identify the most relevant drivers.
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Step 3: A Personalized Plan Built for Real Life
You receive a strategy designed around your physiology and capacity—not a one-size-fits-all protocol. Our focus is on steady, measurable progress and helping you understand what your body is doing and why.
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Step 4: Ongoing Support and Adjustments
Root-cause care is a process. We reassess patterns, track response, and refine the plan as your system stabilizes.
