Panic disorder is a pretty scary disorder to have and those panic attacks causes can be quite varied from person to person. We live in a very stressful world and there is just so much tension and stress in so many people worldwide and as a result of all this stress there is also a big number of people that suffer from panic and/or anxiety disorders.
One of the big causes of panic attack is phobias. People have many different phobias such as public speaking, fear of having an accident while driving, fear of large crowds, among others and sometimes this fear can become irrational. When fears become irrational then they can become a real problem, as this is when you may start developing a panic disorder.
This fear can become so strong that when a person does come across their feared situation they could have a panic attack. Once a person has a panic attack then they are faced with a new fear on top of the old one, they now also have the fear of having an attack when faced with that situation that they are already afraid of. The fear of another attack is enough to make them have another one.
Trauma is another common cause of panic disorder and when someone is faced with a devastating loss such as a loss of job, marriage breakup, loss of a family member, or even a major illness or surgery, can lead to this disorder. The mind is put under enormous pressure during traumatic events and in some people it is just too much to handle and the way they think will begin to change and even become irrational.
Another cause of panic attacks is underlying disorders like depression. It is reasonably common for someone with depression to develop panic attacks, although not everyone with depression will. Your mind is already in a very negative path if you have depression and the constant negative thinking can develop fears of always being in depression amongst other fears.
The mind really is an amazing thing but unfortunately it isn't always rational and when that irrational part of the brain becomes too strong it can be difficult to change it back to thinking rationally again. The body responds to dangerous situations with its panic reaction and this is normal, but when the mind is thinking irrationally it is letting the body think that it is in a dangerous situation when it actually isn't.
The good news is that although it is difficult to change the way your mind is working, it is possible and you can overcome your fears and your panic attacks.
Panic attacks causes are not all that relevant to the cure. To overcome your panic disorder you need to try to think positively and be determined to beat it. There are some very simple techniques available that can help you to get rid of this disorder for good.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Is it a Panic Attack or Heart Attack? Know the Difference!
It’s a pretty common scenario for most first time panic attack sufferers to immediately think they’re having a heart attack. After all, one of the most prominent symptoms of a panic attack is a POUNDING heartbeat that seems to flutter out of control. It’s pretty terrifying. Plus, if you’re unfamiliar with the symptoms of a panic attack, a heart attack seems like a natural conclusion to what you’re feeling.
Because it’s so common to mistake the chest pains that normally accompany panic attacks for a life threatening heart attack, this article will clear up the confusion and differentiate between the two. Upfront, I just want to say that people don’t die from panic attacks.
So even though it feels like your heart is going to pop right out of your chest during one of these episodes, the fact is, attacks like these are analogous to intense levels of cardio exercise with one major safety net. Extreme cardio exercise may potentially lead to heart attack whereas a panic attack will force you to pass out or faint before any real damage is done.
That’s because the physical symptoms of a panic attack are triggered by an offset in breathing (usually hyperventilation). Your heart isn’t being strained; it’s being thrown into a natural fight or flight response. Also, your heart isn’t what’s causing the panic attack – your mind is.
The fear combined with the physical sensation creates a natural sense of urgency.
Every year, thousands (if not millions) of people having chest pain, difficulty breathing, pain or numbness in the left arm and tingling throughout the body end up in a hospital emergency room because they believe they’re having a heart attack. Typically, a few tests are run, and the patient is sent home because the nature of the attack he or she experienced is one of panic, not coronary.
Here, I’ll outline the symptoms of both a heart attack and a panic attack so you can see their subtle differences.
The two share several common symptoms. For instance, the chest pain from a heart attack is focused in the center of the chest and is crushing, as if a heavy weight is sitting on top of the chest. It is usually persistent, may radiate to the left arm, neck or back and lasts longer than 5 - 10 minutes. Heart attack victims don't hyperventilate (unless the person's fear of heart attack triggers a panic attack), any tingling they experience is usually confined to the left arm, and vomiting is common.
During a panic attack, chest pain is localized over the heart and described as "sharp, and comes and goes. The pain usually intensifies with breathing in and out, and pressing on the center of the chest. Panic attack may cause nausea, but vomiting is very rare. If tingling is present, the entire body tingles. Hyperventilation almost always precedes a panic attack symptoms If the location of the pain moves to the center of the chest, doesn't go away within 10 minutes, is accompanied by more than one incident of vomiting or diarrhea, or goes away and returns a few minutes later, you should immediately get medical attention.
Now, if you’re having panic attacks, you may be inclined to worry about how these episodes are affecting your heart long-term.
Panic attacks don't cause heart disease, and some experts say that they actually affect the heart similarly to the way cardio exercise does, by causing the release of adrenaline, increasing the heart rate, and expanding blood vessels. On the same note, heart disease doesn't cause panic attacks, although a person with a history of panic attacks who is actually having a coronary may also panic for fear of worsening the heart damage, dying or being disabled.
That said, stress is NEVER good for your overall health so it’s important to start treating your panic and anxiety right away. You won’t hear me say that stress benefits your health of course but try not to think of stress as some terminal condition.
The truth is if you don’t have traditional risk factors – you’re not a smoker, you don’t have high blood pressure, obesity, have a family history of heart attack, your risk should be very low.
If you’re having panic attacks, chances are you have high levels of anxiety and this kind of constant stress can lead to obsessions about your health. I’m here to tell you that if you take care of yourself with exercise and proper eating (something you should be doing anyway), you don’t need to worry about heart failure during a panic attack. It simply won’t happen. The two scenarios (panic attacks and heart attacks) are completely separate animals and should be treated as such.
Now that said, just because you won’t die from a panic attack, that doesn’t mean you should just live with the debilitating anxiety it creates. There IS help for you.
Using the correct techniques and exercises, you CAN learn to control and even completely eliminate panic attacks.
I’ve made it incredibly simple to start taking control of your anxiety right now with a FREE video I’ve created on my website. The video is called “Anxiety Free Tactics” and it shows you step by step how to overcome anxiety and panic using 21 natural techniques you can learn in minutes.
The tactics will give you relief instantly once you put them to use. I can’t believe this information isn’t being published in more places. The strategies taught in the video truly turned my anxiety on its head and gave me peace of mind from the moment I started using them.
Start watching the video right now at http://www.Stop-Anxiety-Panic-Attack.com
No one should have to suffer with panic attacks and anxiety. You have all the control to make these negative emotions go away. You just have to learn the techniques and take action towards achieving your goal of complete mental serenity. Check out the life changing video and take the first step towards anxiety recovery.
Thursday, 11 July 2013
Stop Panic Attacks Naturally
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Herbal Solutions for Panic Attacks
If you have ever had a panic attack, you don't look forward to another one. The "fight-or flight" response in your body is involuntarily turned on and your nervous system signals your adrenal glands to start pumping out stress hormones to get you ready to either run away or turn and fight.
Your muscles tense, your heartbeat speeds up, and your breathing becomes more rapid. You might feel like you are smothering, claustrophobic or you may experience an urgency to get away. On top of that, you may get hot flashes, sweating, and/or chills and trembling, plus numbness, tingling sensations, dizziness, and nausea.
You become overwhelmed by an extreme sense of fear and impending disaster and you lose your ability to think calmly and clearly while experiencing a distorted sense of time and a feeling of unreality.
In the face of a physical threat, accident, or natural disaster, this type of response is normal and can be life-saving. But panic attacks that occur unexpectedly in the presence of normal events can be debilitating. They may happen with no forewarning, at any time of the day or night, and last several seconds or more than half an hour.
The triggers for panic attacks are unpredictable. Most panic attacks are set off by some minor or major stressor. But panic attacks also can be triggered by changes in emotions, or as a response to certain drugs, foods, allergies (including hidden food allergies), hypoglycemia, and illnesses.
A panic attack is an example of an acute anxiety disorder and can affect teens to middle-agers and beyond. Women are reported to experience panic attacks twice as often as men but some believe that is only because men are more reticent to report panic attacks.
Recent studies point to a complex set of causes and panic attacks are regarded as a treatable psychobiological condition (i.e. having both psychological and biological causes). Successful resolution of panic attacks requires an integrated, multi-modality approach.
Even though panic attacks are not a simple condition and there are no simple answers for their successful resolution, herbal therapy can be useful as part of an integrated, multi-modality approach.
When you experience anxiety, your body releases a set of neurotransmitters called catecholamines, which stimulate your central nervous system and activate your sympathetic nervous system. Sometimes your sympathetic nervous system (the high alert part of your nervous system) can get stuck in the “on” mode leaving you in an ongoing state of anxiety - a fertile ground for panic attacks.
A class of herbs called nervines helps to turn off the sympathetic nervous system by gently facilitating the functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system – the part of the nervous system that prompts relaxation - helping us to wind down and come off “high alert”.
It is a good idea to experiment with different anti-anxiety herbs before you are in a crisis or panic situation. Try out several herbs in varying doses. Start with a low dose and increase if needed so that you will know how the herb affects you and how to use it when you need it.
Some effective herbal nervines to consider using:
Oatstraw (Avena sativa) – the green milky tops of oatstraw provide a wonderful soothing, nourishing and gentle herb for frayed and stressed nervous systems. Oatstraw has a restorative effect on an exhausted nervous system reliably strengthening the whole nervous system after prolong stress. Oatstraw has both an immediate effect (useful when experiencing extreme nervousness and anxiety) and a more long-term restorative effect. Oatstraw is well tolerated by even highly sensitive people and is used for nervous debility, stress, weak nerve and energy force, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and general fatigue.
German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla/ Matricaria recutita) – an all time favorite –because it works. Chamomile tones the nervous system, relaxes your muscles and calms nervous digestion. It has mild sedating properties and is not as strong an herbal sedative as valerian or passionflower. However, chamomile is a great option for anxiety in children or teens and for anxiety associated with mild sleep problems. If you are allergic to ragweed, asters, or chrysanthemums you are better off choosing another anti-anxiety herb.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) –has mild sedative properties and is useful in conditions of nervous agitation with sleep problems and digestive complaints. Lemon balm is especially useful for over-anxiety that causes digestive problems such as nausea, bloating, and colic like pains. Traditionally lemon balm was used to lift the spirits and encourage longevity. Lemon balm is a relaxing tonic for anxiety, restlessness, irritability, and mild depression and its actions will quiet the racing heart that often accompanies anxiety. It has mild anti-thyroid effects and is best avoided by people with hypothyroid problems.
Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia) –tonifies and relaxes the nervous system and is useful for anxiety of all types especially anxiety and irritability that is hormonally based such as premenstrual syndrome. It is a sedative nervine and has mild anti-spasmodic and anti-hypertensive effects. Skullcap is a great herb to use when your anxiety is accompanied by a runaway mind that is stuck on worry. It is tolerated well by most people and has few side effects.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) – one of the most well known anti-anxiety herbs, valerian is a potent herb whose active ingredients, valepotriates, bind to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain (similarly to the drug Valium). The use of valerian does not, however, result in dependence or the development of tolerance but instead tones the nervous system.
Valerian can be used to improve the sleep quality and relax both the skeletal and smooth muscles. Valerian should not be used for those with chronic exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, thyroid disorders, and depression as it may increase anxiety, worsen present symptoms, and/or result in excessive restlessness in these conditions.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) – a strong calming, anti-spasmodic herb that is useful for severe daytime anxiety. Passionflower is also a good choice for middle of the night waking terrors, nightmares, and the onset of sudden anxiety feelings. It acts as a central nervous system depressant giving a calming, relaxing and anti-anxiety effect and is specific for anxiety related to insomnia, muscle tension, restlessness, and nervousness due to worry, overwork, hysteria, or excessive excitement. If you are taking an MAO inhibitor, you should avoid taking passionflower except under supervision.
Stress Relief Tea
Here is a simple herbal tea mixture that I have found effective in my private practice working with women having mood and energy problems.
Mix together equal parts of the following dry herbs:
•Oatstraw
•Lemon Balm
•Skullcap
•Nettles
•Orange
•Chamomile
Use 1-2 teaspoons of the mixture and steep covered in 8 oz. of boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
The use of herbal nervines as part of an integrative program can help restore a sense of calm and well being, soothe distress, stabilize a confused and overwhelmed energy system, and foster clear thinking.
If you are taking anti-anxiety and/or anti-depressant medications or other medications, have a diagnosed condition or illness, are pregnant, breastfeeding, elderly or very young it is important to consult a knowledgeable health care practitioner before using herbs. Consult a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions.
Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Ann Copson
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