What can be done for anxiety and panic attacks?

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What can be done for anxiety and panic attacks?

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I have them so bad that I am afraid to go out anymore.

Here is a staggering statistic: over 14 million Americans suffer from anxiety,

" an unpleasant emotional state ranging from mild unease to intense fear. "

Anxiety differs from fear, in that while fear is a rational response to a real

danger, anxiety usually lacks a clear or realistic cause. Though some anxiety is

normal and, in fact, healthy, higher levels of anxiety are not only

uncomfortable, they can lead to significant problems.

 

Anxiety is often accompanied by a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms

relate to the chest such as heart palpitations (awareness of a more forceful or

faster heart beat), throbbing or stabbing pains, a feeling of tightness and

inability to take in enough air, and a tendency to sigh or hyperventilate.

Tension in the muscles of the back and neck often leads to headaches, back

pains, and muscle spasms. Other symptoms can include excessive sweating, dryness

of mouth, dizziness, digestive disturbances, and the constant need to urinate or

defecate.

 

The anxious individual usually has a constant feeling that something bad is

going to happen. They may fear that they have a chronic of dangerous illness - a

belief that is reinforced by the symptoms of anxiety. Inability to relax may

lead to difficulty in getting to sleep and constant waking through the night.

 

An anxiety attack is milder than a panic attack. During an anxiety attack a

person will experience intense feelings of fear. Panic attacks are most often

associated with a condition known as agoraphobia - an intense fear of being

alone or being in public places. As a result, most people with agoraphobia

become housebound. It sounds like you may be suffering from agoraphobia.

 

Panic attacks are very common as about 15% of the United States population

experience a panic attack in their lifetimes and among adults aged 25 to 54

years about 1.5% to 3% will experience frequent panic attacks.

 

Anxiety and panic attacks can be the result of either physical or psychological

factors. For example, extreme stress can definitely trigger anxiety and so can

certain stimulants like caffeine. There are at least seven nutritional factors

that may be responsible for triggering anxiety:

 

 

Alcohol

Caffeine

Sugar

Deficiency of the B vitamins, niacin, pyridoxine, and thiamin

Deficiency of calcium or magnesium

Food allergies

Insufficiency of omega-3 fatty acids

By avoiding alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and food allergies a person with anxiety

can go a long way in relieving their symptoms. Simply eliminating coffee can

result in complete elimination of symptoms. This recommendation may seem to

simple to be true, but substantial clinical evidence indicates that in many

cases it is all that is necessary.

There are a number of popular recommendations often given to help people with

stress and/or anxiety. I would recommend a good high potency multiple vitamin

and mineral formula to make sure that a person is providing their body with the

kind of nutritional support necessary to counteract the biochemical derangements

found in patients with anxiety and panic attacks. I would also recommend one

tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily. It has been suggested that patients with

anxiety and panic attacks may suffer from a deficiency of alpha-linolenic acid -

the essential omega-3 fatty acid found in high concentrations in flaxseed oil.

In one study, 3 out of 4 patients with a history of agoraphobia for 10 or more

years improved within 2 to 3 months after taking flaxseed oil at a dosage of 2

to 6 tablespoons daily in divided doses depending upon response. All patients

had signs of essential fatty acid deficiency such as dry skin, dandruff, brittle

fingernails that grow slowly, and nerve disorders.

 

Beyond this sound nutritional support, I would likely recommend the herb kava.

Kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant that is native to the area of Oceania, the

island communities of the Pacific include Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

Several European countries have approved kava preparations as a medical

treatment of nervous anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness based on the results of

detailed scientific investigations and favorable clinical studies. Kava appears

to be as effective as standard drugs, yet considerably safer.

 

WARNING: If you are currently on a tranquilizer or anti-depressant, you will

need to work with a physician to get off the drug. Stopping the drug on your own

can be dangerous, you absolutely must have proper medical supervision.

 

The dosage of kava preparations is based on the level of kavalactones. Based on

clinical studies using pure kavalactones or kava extracts standardized for

kavalactones, the recommendation for anxiety-relieving effects is 45 to 70 mg of

kavalactones three times daily.

 

Although no side effects have been reported using standardized kava extracts at

recommended levels in the clinical studies, several case reports have been

presented indicating that kava may interfere with dopamine and worsen

Parkinson's disease, exert an additive effect when combined with

benzodiazepines, and produce impaired driving (when consumed in very large

dosages).

 

Until these issues are cleared up, kava extract should not be used in

Parkinson's patients; and should be used with extreme caution and close

monitoring in people taking benzodiazepines.

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

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