Eating sour candy may help with anxiety, according to one doctor

Dr. Kunal Sood, MD, according to AAMC, is “a double board-certified physician in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Medicine.” He is also a social media influencer with 2.6 million followers on TikTok.

Living with anxiety can be challenging, especially when the panic attacks come on at random times. One doctor shared a rather unorthodox way to ease such attacks: sour candy. Does it really work?

Dr. Kunal Sood, MD, is a double board-certified physician in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Medicine, according to AAMC. He is also a social media influencer with 2.6 million followers on TikTok. Dr. Sood often reacts to other TikTokers who make medical claims, sharing whether or not those claims are true and breaking down the why of it all.

Recently, Dr. Sood reacted to a post by TikTok user Bianca (@_legallybrunette1), who shared a rather unique tip for calming down anxiety. Bianca decided to combine three types of sour candy—Sour Patch Kids, sour Skittles, and sour gummy worms—and put them in a Ziploc bag.

According to Bianca, her therapist told her to eat something sour when she felt anxiety coming on. She tried it and found that it helped, so she’s making emergency sour candy bags for work and the car.

Dr. Sood enters the chat

“Can sour candy help with anxiety?” Dr. Sood asks. “When someone is experiencing anxiety, the brain shifts into high alert.”

The doctor continues, explaining that eating sour candy can act as a grounding technique. A grounding technique is a way to distract racing thoughts by focusing on the present.

“Some people use grounding techniques to calm down. And for some, sour candy helps. The intense sourness triggers a strong physical reaction, pulling away from anxious thoughts,” Dr. Sood explains. “This quick sensory shift can be especially useful during a panic attack.”

However, Dr. Sood warns that this may not work for everyone.

“While sour candy might serve as a helpful tool for anxiety relief for some individuals, personal preferences and specific anxiety triggers play a significant role in its efficacy,” he says.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Dr. Sood via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.

Therapists chime in

Dr. Snood’s video has amassed 1.9 million views. And commenters who claim to be therapists weighed in.

“Trauma therapist here, yes, these are all excellent ways to help reset an overwhelmed, ‘fried’ nervous system. Thanks for sharing and educating,” one viewer named Kristen Bradley wrote. The Daily Dot can confirm there is a trauma therapist by the same name.

“Therapist here I tell my patients ‘it doesn’t sound very clinical but [warheads]’ lol,” another said.

Others were more cynical.

“Sour candy?? Idk what kinda anxiety y’all have,” one said.

Can sour candy really help anxiety?

According to Health.com, sour candy can be soothing for some who experience anxiety, panic attacks, or stress. The candy essentially distracts the brain from intrusive thoughts. However, heavily relying on candy can lead to other health issues, like high or low blood pressure spikes.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. What may work for one doesn’t work for another.

There’s a slew of “grounding techniques” out there. Here are a few, according to Calm:

Speak with a medical professional about what may work best for you.