Anxiety & Panic Attacks - Dr. Michael Murray

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Anxiety & Panic Attacks JoAnn Guest

Jan 09, 2007 08:22 PST

 

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Question: What can be done for anxiety and panic attacks? I have

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

 

Answer: (Dr. Michael Murray) 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.

 

http://www.willner.com/article.aspx?artid=186

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.

 

(from Dr. Michael Murray's Web site, www.doctormurray.com)

 

 

 

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets