Anxiety and Anxiety Attacks
May 24, 2009 by Andrew
Filed under Diseases And Conditions
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Anxiety disorders are the most common of emotional disorders, annually affecting more than 20 million Americans. Anxiety which interferes with normal activities like going outside or interacting with other people. Anxiety attacks are the most extreme example of an anxiety reaction. Anxiety disorders fill people’s lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear. When anxiety reaches a level at which the symptoms cause the sufferer to experience symptoms which exceed those normally experienced during an appropriate anxiety reaction, an anxiety attack is formed. Anxiety reactions are formed in the subconscious mind by a small organ called the Amygdala. Anxiety attacks can be eliminated very simply. Because anxiety attacks and high anxiety are the result of a learning process in the subconscious mind which causes the amygdala to react inappropriately, it can be ‘un-learned’ in the same way. Anxiety attacks are strong sensations that for many people creates the feeling of dying or going crazy. Anxiety attacks, also called panic attacks, are unexpected episodes of intense terror or fear. Anxiety disorders tend to run in families. People with anxiety disorders often have a family history of anxiety disorders, mood disorders, or substance abuse.
Anxiety attacks usually come without warning, and although the fear is generally irrational, the perceived danger is very real. Symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks / anxiety attacks include racing heart, hyperventilation or breathing difficulties, as well as chest pain, nausea or dizziness, headaches, shaking and trembling, and many more. Anxiety can also exacerbate many pre-existing medical conditions, such as ulcers, hypertension, and respiratory conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, anxiety is associated with mitral valve prolapse, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep apnea, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic tension headaches. Behavioural therapy – performed with a mental health professional to help gain control over unwanted behaviour. Cognitive therapy – similar to behavioural therapy but dealing with unhelpful and unproductive thoughts patterns.Anxiety medications can be habit forming and may have unwanted side effects, so be sure to research your options.
Medication – A short prescription of benzodiazepine tablets, such as diazepam, may be helpful in relieving short-term stress-related anxieties. Beta blockers are the best drug class to control physical symptoms of anxiety & panic attack and are normaly prescribed to prevent rapid heartbeat, shaking and trembling related symptoms. Buspirone is another medicine that is prescribed in the short-term to relieve anxiety. Antidepressants such as paroxetine may be prescribed for certain anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia and OCD, and when anxiety is associated with depression. Group therapy – with one or two specialised therapists, particularly helpfully for certain conditions such as difficultly relating to others or being scrutinised by others. Psychoeducation – recognition by the patient that they have a treatable medical condition, and self-education through books and websites, and mental health professionals.
Anxiety and Anxiety Attacks Treatment Tips
1. Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is very effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders.
2. Medication is sometimes used in the short-term to alleviate severe symptoms so that other forms of therapy can be pursued.
3. Relaxation techniques ñ Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, controlled breathing, and guided imagery may reduce anxiety.
4. Biofeedback ñ Using sensors that measure physiological arousal brought on by anxiety.
5. Hypnotherapy ñ Hypnosis for anxiety is conducted by a clinical hypnotherapist.
Natural Anxiety and Panic Treatment – How to Cure Anxiety & Panic Naturally
May 22, 2009 by Andrew
Filed under Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety is the unpleasant emotional affect, usually accompanied by physiological sensation that is characterized by worry, doubt and painful awareness that one is helpless to control situations. Anxiety attacks occur when your body becomes alarmed by a physical or mental threat. Anxiety is often accompanied by physical sensations such as heart palpitations, nausea, and chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, headache, dry mouth or sexual dysfunctions. Anxiety can also stimulate some psychological troubles like increased depression, suicide feelings or aggression. Recently extensive researches are carried out in different regions of the world for finding out the best ways of treating the anxiety disorder that in effect causes panic attacks. Here we are going to discuss some natural techniques by which you can overcome anxiety disorder.
Exercise ñ Both body and mind exercises are a natural stress buster and anxiety reliever. Research shows as little as 30 minutes of exercise three to five times a week can help in significant anxiety reduction. To achieve the utmost benefits, decide to spare at least an hour of aerobic exercise on most days of the week.
Diet ñ Eliminating coffee should be the first step. There is significant clinical evidence showing that it can be all that is needed in some cases. Other foods that may worsen anxiety in excess are maple syrup, refined sugar honey, and products made of cowís milk.
Relaxation techniques ñ Relaxation techniques such as mindfulness, medication, progressive muscle relaxation can greatly reduce anxiety and increase feelings of relaxation and emotional well-being.
Aromatherapy ñ is also helpful for treatment of anxiety problem. The fragrances of vital oils stimulate our body and mind and provide relief from anxiety.
Yoga, aerobics and exercise are considered as some of the effective methods to treat anxiety naturally. They bring calmness and relaxation to the mind and also strengthen the immunity to confront with any future anxiety related symptoms.
Reiki ñ is an ancient techniques used for treatment of anxiety related problem. By utilizing Universal life force energy, Reiki energizes mind, soul and body.
Massage therapy ñ is also helpful to treat anxiety naturally. Proper massage enhances blood circulation and brings relief from anxiety. Shiastu, an ancient Japanese messaging technique is frequently used for anxiety treatment.
Biofeedback ñ By assessing biofeedback through different sensors used for measuring various physiological functions such as heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension, we can recognize the anxiety response of body and learn how to control it by using different relaxation and other natural techniques.
All natural treatment of anxiety and panic attacks require some special considerations i.e. patience, time and effort without these itís hard to achieve the required results.
So, these considerations can be better applied if you work in a structured manner. For this purpose I will recommend to use a proven and effective system successfully tested by thousands of people in all over the globe. For More Details See Below:
Getting a Cure for Anxiety
Psychological therapies are much more effective anxiety cure than medications.
It is normal for people to experience anxiety from to time. It makes us cope from very stressful situations. But when anxiety becomes too much and turns into irrational fear of everyday circumstances, it becomes a debilitating anxiety disorder. Unlike short-lived, mild anxiety caused by a stressful event, anxiety disorder lasts at least 6 months and may worsen if not properly and immediately treated.
The best way to anxiety cure is to understand anxiety condition. Anxiety is a troubled state of mind. Anxiety results from fearful thinking of future events or situations. It is a condition that is not accidental, unknown, or uncontrollable. Anxiety condition occurs for specific reason and have underlying basis why it persists. Education is an important way to help attain anxiety cure. Here are some of the helpful tips towards anxiety cures which may aid in taking control over your own emotions again.
Relaxation techniques- a person feeling anxious most of the time has trouble relaxing, however, learning how to release muscle tension is an important anxiety cure. Relaxation techniques include: regular muscle relaxation, meditation, abdominal breathing, and isometric relaxation exercise.
Proper breathing techniques- the physical symptoms of anxiety maybe triggered by hyperventilation or rapid breathing, which raises oxygen levels and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. A person with anxiety condition should know how to breathe from their diaphragm, and not from their chest, to prevent against hyperventilation. This technique can help you calm down while feeling anxious.
Cognitive therapy- this technique focuses on altering patterns of thinking and beliefs that are associated with ad trigger anxiety. The basis of cognitive therapy is that ideas can trigger thoughts, which then trigger feelings, results manifest trough action. Cognitive therapy strategies should include rational self-talk, training on attention, reality testing cognitive challenging, and cognitive restructuring. This means monitoring your self-talk, challenging fears and beliefs, and checking out the negative thoughts in terms of their reality.
Behavior therapy- the major component of behavior therapy is exposure. Exposure therapy involves deliberately confronting your fears in order to desensitize yourself. Exposure lets you to redefine the danger or fear aspect of the situation or trigger.
Medication- is important to see medication as a short-term measure, not a solution to anxiety disorder. Studies show that psychological therapies are much more effective than drugs in managing anxiety disorder in the long run. Brief course of tranquilizers or antidepressants may be prescribed by your doctor to help you deal with the symptoms.
Dietary adjustments- inadequate intake of vitamin B and calcium can worsen anxiety symptoms. Nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant drugs should be avoided for they trigger your adrenaline glands to release adrenaline, one of the main stress chemical.
Exercise – burns up stress chemicals and promotes relaxation. Plan to do some physical activities at least 3 to 4 times a week and vary your activities to avoid boredom.
There may have effective anxiety cure, but the level of recovery depends on the participation and willingness of the person with anxiety condition. The sooner you can get treatment, the bigger your chance of getting better and be back to normal health.
What To Do When You Have Anxiety and Panic Attacks
An anxiety attack, sometimes referred to as a panic attack, can be a very terrifying experience. The symptoms of anxiety attacks can be very confusing as usually the person has no idea as to why their body is reacting in the manner it is.
If you have experienced some of these unusual symptoms (below) while experiencing anxiety let me help you to understand it better and try and put your mind at ease.
Firstly, anxiety attacks are very treatable. It is very important that you speak with your doctor if you are experiencing these anxiety attack symptoms in order to receive an accurate diagnosis. Getting your anxiety symptoms investigated after you first experience them will help reassure you that nothing more serious might be wrong.
So what are the typical anxiety attack symptoms?
The most common symptoms of anxiety attacks are: palpitations, pounding heart or an accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include a choking sensation, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or stomach cramps, a feeling of being dizzy, unsteadiness, and lightheadedness or feeling faint.
Sufferers might also experience a sense of unreality, depersonalization (a feeling of being detached from oneself), fear of losing control or going crazy, fear of dying, numbness or a tingling sensation, chills or hot flashes.
These are some of the possible symptoms of a anxiety attack but what does it actually feel like to experience one?
Usually an anxiety attack begins with an unusual bodily sensation from the list above. The person then reacts with fear that the symptoms are indicators of a much more serious threat and in turn reacts with more fear which escalates into a state of heightened anxiety. A vicious cycle of anxiety and fear can begin.
Typical situations people report having an anxiety attack are: while driving, in airplanes, in crowded areas, and at night while sleeping.
Often anxiety attacks occur in a situation where the person feels they cannot exit easily from a meeting or social outing with others. Many can also experience an anxiety attack for no apparent reason while at home or in the middle of sleep.
People who first experience these symptoms often feel a sense of foreboding. They might think that there is something terribly wrong with their health. This is understandable as anyone who has experienced an anxiety attack can tell you how unusual the bodily sensations are.
What initially may have been a once off out of the blue anxiety attack can develop into a perpetual cycle of fear and anxiety if not treated. This cycle can last from weeks to years depending on how much help the person receives.
I want to point out that anxiety attacks are not a mental illness. The great news is that this disorder is very treatable. You do not have to fear you will spend your life living with this condition.
More often than not, the symptoms of anxiety attacks cause people to worry that there is some larger problem lurking behind the unusual sensations. If you have experienced anxiety attack symptoms, do not convince yourself that you have a clinical illness. Most likely you do not.
Experiencing anxiety attacks and their associated symptoms does not mean that you have a physical or mental illness. Your brain is fine; your body is fine. You can return to a more relaxed level of living if you follow the steps and psychological techniques I am going to outline for on this site.
Learn to trust is your body. Yes, it may be experiencing a wide range of strange anxiety attack symptoms but it is well able to handle this. During an anxiety attack many of the symptoms are similar to those of a really good workout: increased heartbeat rate, sweating, increased bodily sensations and rapid breathing.
You do not become fearful of these symptoms while exercising and therefore you should not fear them should they be present while experiencing anxiety. The fuel that really drives the anxiety symptoms is anxious thinking. The “what if” thoughts that appear during an anxiety attack create the powerful drive that fuels the anxiety much longer than it would normally last.
What if I have a heart attack? What if my mind loses control? What if I do something crazy or faint?What if I cannot get out of here?
In order to extinguish the fuel that drives the anxiety attack we need to eliminate these anxious thoughts. Tackling anxious thinking effectively requires a two-pronged approach.
To eliminate the negative thinking patterns there needs to be a shift in attitude along with specific visualization tools.
Living With Anxiety Disorders
There are different types of anxiety disorders as well as different ways to treat them. Anxiety treatments for the most part consist of medication which does not cure the anxiety but rather diminishes the effects of an anxiety attack. There is also counseling that can help a person learn to coup with and even sometimes cure an anxiety disorder.
There are many types of anxiety disorders and also many types of medications used as anxiety treatments. One of the most common types of medications used to treat anxiety disorders is antidepressants or also known as SSRI’s. SSRI’s or selective serotonin re uptake inhibitors work by altering the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This neurotransmitter works to send signals between the brain cells for communication. Some of the more common SSRI’s are Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro. This type of medication is used to treat not only depression but also as an anxiety treatment for Panic Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Social Phobias. This type of medication has fewer side effects than most other antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.
Anti-anxiety medication is another treatment option for those looking for anxiety treatment. Benzodiazepines at high potency can help relief the symptoms of anxiety attacks. This medication has few side effects besides the obvious drowsiness which will occur. Patients using this medication will find that they have to keep upping the dose though to get the same relief. Because of this benzodiazepines are usually only prescribed for short periods.
Another anti-anxiety medication is Clonazepam, which helps those suffering from social phobias and general anxiety disorders. Lorazepam is helpful for those who suffer from panic disorders. Xanax is also common prescribed for those who suffer from both panic disorders and general anxiety disorders.
Patients taking medication as an anxiety treatment should never abruptly stop taking their medication. By abruptly stopping a medication could result in a relapse of symptoms. Medication should be slowly tampered off under the supervision of a medical physician.
Psychotherapy is also a treatment option that should be explored. Psychotherapy can be combined with medication or by itself. In psychotherapy you will be talking to a mental health professional that is trained in helping patients overcome their anxiety disorders. You will talk to this professional to discover what the root cause or triggers are for your anxiety attacks. They can help you deal with the symptoms of anxiety attacks and help you learn to better coupe with this disorder.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is another type of psychotherapy that is very helpful for treating anxiety disorder. If fact, this is one way that a patient could actually be cured of the disorder. The patient is slowly exposed to the object or trigger of their anxiety disorder.
Many people suffer from some form of anxiety. There are several options available to help relieve them of the symptoms and lessen the degree of anxiety attacks. Through medication and the use of psychotherapy a patient can live an active life with little effects of the anxiety disorder.
The Signs of an Anxiety Attack
Anxiety attack symptoms are what we typically experience if we feel sudden danger is going to happen.
Anxiety attack can be a very terrifying experience. It is a period of sudden and intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting for no more than 10 minutes. Sometimes a person can experience a panic attack all of a sudden without particular reason. Most people that experience one attack will usually experience another attack, and those who have recurring attacks, or feel severe anxiety about having another are said to have panic disorder.
Various individuals report different symptoms during an anxiety attack. Some of the common anxiety attack symptoms are:
Palpitations, a pounding of heart, or an accelerated heart rate
Increased sweating
Trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea or stomach discomfort
A feeling light-headedness, or faint
A feeling of unreality
Depersonalization or a feeling of being detached from oneself
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Fear of dying
Numbness, or a tingling sensation
Chills
Feeling of impending doom
These are some of the possible anxiety attack symptoms. A normal person may experience one or more of these symptoms from time to time. Having to experience some of these anxiety attack symptoms is considered normal if you have reasonable explanations for them. But if you are experiencing them with no apparent reasons, it can be a sign of a more serious condition.
A person with phobia will usually experience an anxiety attack as a direct result of exposure to the things that trigger the phobia. These anxiety attacks are short- lived and quickly relieved once the trigger is escaped.
Usually an anxiety attack begins with an unusual bodily sensation from the anxiety attack symptoms. A person having an anxiety attack will then react, with fear that the symptoms are indicators of a much more serious threat and in turn reacts with more fear which intensified into a state of intense anxiety and panic. Cases of the possible situations where anxiety attack can occur are: when driving, on an airplane, crowded areas, or during sleep at night. Sometimes anxiety attack occurs in a situation where the person cannot exit easily from a social gathering, or in a meeting, but others may experience an incident of anxiety for no reason while in comfortable place or even in sleep. Anxiety attack symptoms are more or less the same feelings we might experience if we feel danger is about to happen. They are signs of how we usually react if we are triggered by fear, worry, and concern. But, chill out! Fortunately, anxiety attack is not an illness.
Anxiety – What is an Anxiety Symptom?
Am I having a heart attack? Am I dying? Or is it anxiety? Many symptoms of anxiety mirror symptoms of other illnesses. This is because the ìfight or flightî response is triggered in anxiety attacks and the body will respond as if it is threatened. The heart will race; the breathing will become shallow, sweats will breakout over the body to keep it cool in preparation for flight, these are all signs of anxiety, or an anxiety attack. Attacking anxiety back and regaining control over your reflex responses will help reduce the number, frequency and severity of your anxiety symptoms.
When an Anxiety Symptoms is Harmful and When it Isn’t
There is a wide range of anxiety symptoms that may be no more than a mild feeling of uneasiness and as intense as extreme fear. In some cases, a little amount of anxiety is good and normal and it may even help to improve a personís performance. There are features like having heart palpitations or a racing heart as well as a lot of sweating that point in the direction of being an anxiety symptom. Symptoms such as irritability and lack of concentration as well as having strange thoughts and having extreme mood changes are psychological symptoms.
Treating Anxiety Stress Symptoms
One may wonder as to what the causes of anxiety symptoms are and who the people at greatest risk are. The answer lies in the fact that anxiety symptoms are a result of anxiety disorders which may occur due to a change in the way amygdale, which is a small organ in the subconscious brain, reacts. This is also known as anxiety switch. For treatment to be effective, there is a need for concentrating directly on these symptoms and the treatment should be aimed at the root causes of any anxiety disorders, which in other words, is an inappropriate reaction of the amygdale.
It may be noted that everybody may have experienced anxiety symptoms at some point of time in their lives and most are able to effectively deal with such situations. When there is a lot of unusual rise in the adrenaline levels in the blood it sets off a chain reaction of normal but wrong reactions which results in powerful anxiety symptoms that greatly affect the person afflicted.
There are also instances of some people experiencing symptoms when there is no obvious cause and these are known as free-floating symptoms that can be discontinuous in nature or may continue over a longer period of time. Some even have situational anxiety wherein the anxiety symptoms can be correlated with particular situations.
One may also wonder whether anxiety symptoms are harmful and the answer is certainly not. They do not cause harm to the person even though they elicit a sense of horror and scare the person but in effect anxiety symptoms are not harmful, being exaggerations of normal body sensations and reactions. It bears repeating that to treat anxiety symptoms, one has to address the root cause, which lies in the amygdale, where anxiety is created and stored as well as sustained.





