Anxiety Disorder and Panic Attacks: Am I Going Crazy?

You double over from the shock. You can not breathe. Your heart is racing and pounding in your ears. You are shaking uncontrollably, drenched in sweat. Your friends are all gathered around, faces blurred and distorted. You hear them talking but everything is unintelligible. It is all melting in slow motion, swirling, depersonalized. You want to run, screaming, but you are frozen in fear. You drop to the ground clutching your chest. You mouth, " I am dying," before passing out.

Understanding Anxiety

This devastating fear leaves you bewildered, confused, alone and emotionally crippled. You actually trace the family tree searching for any evidence of mental illness. You are desperate to talk to someone but you know you are not crazy. You are afraid of medication that will leave you drooling, curled in a fetal position. High hourly rates and time involvement are huge issues in psychoanalysis and you still question the efficacy of the treatments.

Humans are instinctively wired to respond to our built-in alarm systems with the flight or fight response. Panic attacks are the result of our response systems causing us to react to internal false alarms. Without proper diagnosis and care, these symptoms run a gamut of debilitating situations from the startle effect of a scary movie to life destroying agoraphobia.

For years, panic attacks were dismissed as a psychosomatic phenomenon. However, repeated studies have shown that this disorder has a real, physical basis. The actual triggers and stressors are still random guess work. Heredity, malfunction in brain chemistry, poor nutrition and health, vitamin/mineral imbalance, menopause, pre-menstrual syndrome, mid-life crises ( men and women) and onset of adolescence or old age are all obvious contributing factors. Bottom line, if left untreated the victim suffers a miserable existence.

Considerations

Aside from examining and eliminating the obvious hereditary and lifestyle triggers and stressors, these victims should consider seeking professional advice. Simple blood work, a routine history and physical and honest self-evaluation will open a myriad of possibilities. There are alternative therapies and holistically trained professionals who specialize in the mind/body integration of these disorders. No longer are these phobias, disorders or neuroses believed to "just be in your head."

Do your research. Target sites with reputable medical endorsement. Do not purchase every herbal cure, quick-fix or guaranteed treatment in desperation. Spend time with your healthcare professional. A healthy diet plus appropriate nutritional supplementation can reduce overall anxiety and even decrease the frequency and intensity of panic attacks.

Feng shui your home or your private place and keep it off limits to everyone. Based on scientific evidence aromatherapy, color therapy, music, art, heat and massage therapy, meditation and relaxation training have shown to be highly effective in the treatment of anxiety. Incorporate any or all of these therapies into your private place.

Biofeedback evolved from the 1960's to one of today's valuable medical procedures. Sophisticated instrumentation returns physiological information used to re-program volitional control. Behaviorists have established anxiety is not a mental illness. It is a learned habit and a reversible behavior. Biofeedback is non-invasive and client-centered. It is based on a series of small successes which lead to a reduction in symptoms and improved quality of life.

Reference

James F. Balch, M.D., Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C. Anxiety Disorder. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. 1997.