Medical News

The times we live in are not conducive to happy and stress free living. There is so much competition every where and the global financial recession has made matters worse. It is natural for people to experience a lot of stress personally. But when the stress levels go out of hand, and result in anxiety attacks, the problem could need medical attention.

It is said that some level of stress is required for normal functioning. People need to use this stress to be competent and have healthy competition. But some folks are unable to cope with excess stresses and strains. They get so prone to panic and anxiety attacks, that they need to get help in the form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT as it is common known. Patients of anxiety attacks could get debilitated by their fears, phobias and anxieties. This could come in the way of normal life, which is why a CBT therapist needs to be pressed into action.

Our lives are influenced by the thoughts that we think, which in turn determines the nature of our feelings and actions too. People who think positively and happy thoughts feel good and also act well. People who have scared thoughts, feel scared and are prone to anxiety. CBT is able to help in turning the course of a person’s thoughts. It helps in replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, so that the patient’s mood improves and he/she feels better.

CBT is conducted by means of a number of therapy sessions. The patient is encouraged to think through and analyze the reason for anxious thoughts. The underlying causes are discussed threadbare and the therapist helps the patient to try and think positively. This infuses the patient with courage and ability to face anxious thoughts and feelings of fear.

Patients of anxiety need to be treated with utmost care and concern. They need to be provided with a non-judgmental and encouraging atmosphere. This helps them to get a sense of calmness, during which emotional healing can happen. CBT sessions also help lay down a plan of action to help patients cope with situations that would normally overwhelm and cause fear in them. Once they follow the plan, they are able to practice techniques that help them to be more confident. These are vital life skills that can turn around their life for the better.

Being anxious is normal when you are anticipating stressful situations like school exams, job interviews, first date and preparing for a speech. But when anxiety becomes unreasonable and you are worrying too much about many things in your everyday life without a logical basis, it becomes a disabling disorder. This condition may get worse over time if not treated. Treating your anxiety disorder is necessary to get your life back on track.

Anxiety or panic disorder is a disabling condition that can rob you of the joy of life. You will find it difficult to concentrate on your job, school and everyday activities. Treating your anxiety is necessary to free yourself from excessive fear that keeps haunting you.

Common symptoms of anxiety or panic disorder are profuse sweating, trembling, pounding heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, lightheadedness, shortness of breath and feeling of going crazy or losing your mind. Imagine experiencing these symptoms while driving, while in the middle of a crowded place and while alone at home, these symptoms can make your life miserable. Treating your anxiety disorder is important to get rid of these disabling symptoms.

It is important to seek professional help if you think you have an anxiety disorder. A doctor or a mental health professional can give you the right diagnosis and can recommend treatments suitable for your condition.

Medications can be very beneficial in treating your anxiety disorder. Common medicines are anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs. It is important to take drugs under the supervision of your doctor and do not abuse the use of drugs.

A good eating and drinking habit are essential to control the level of your anxiety. Your diet has effects on the level of your anxiety. Eating a well balanced diet is important to make you healthy. If you are healthy, you are capable of controlling your mind and emotions. In treating your anxiety disorder, it is also important to hydrate yourself properly. Dehydration is one of the major causes of fatigue and stress that can trigger panic attacks. Drink 8 glasses of water everyday.

If you have tried almost everything and still unable to control your panic attacks, do not lose hope. Different people have different response to treatments but anxiety disorder is a treatable disease and you have to continue looking for the best treatment that will work for you. Alternative treatment is another option in treating your anxiety disorder.

A severe anxiety disorder is a condition characterized by a group of illnesses: panic disorders, phobias, generalized anxiety symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders. It is essentially a mental disease that manifests itself in both psychological and physical symptoms.

If an individual suffers from such anxiety disorders, then their condition often involves symptoms such as disturbance in sleep patterns, excessive or unrealistic worrying, flashbacks of past traumas and unpleasant experiences, unrealistic fears concerning situations or scenarios, rigid behaviors in response to anxieties, muscle aches, trembling, sweating, shakiness, dizziness, clammy/cold hands, jitters, fatigue, tension, nausea, dry mouth, racing heart, tingling/numbness in feet, hands or other parts of the body, and a high pulse or breathing rate.

Adding to this extensive list, those suffering from severe anxiety disorders are usually apprehensive and tense and almost expecting bad situations to occur to themselves and their loved ones or themselves. This often causes them to be irritable, impatient, and become distracted and immersed in their own negative thoughts. Suffice it to say, individuals with severe anxiety usually suffer from excessive or unrealistic stress and anxieties and are almost always in tension about life circumstances.

If you have a friend or relative suffering from severe anxiety disorder, you should help by asking or helping them to minimize the stress catalysts and causes they have in life to as much as possible, instead of telling them to abruptly stop their normal activities, even if that’s at the core of the problem, as this suddenness of change can cause stress and anxiety as well.

These disorders are usually debilitating chronic situations that can occur from an early stage of life or can start all of sudden after a triggering incident. Whatever the cause of the problem, it needs to be dealt with. At first, treatment for the condition may be comprised of being prescribed some anti-depressants by the doctor and these may help the patient to feel better. In case the condition worsens the sufferer has to explore alternative options such as psychiatry or natural styled treatments to achieve a permanent solution.

The words fear and anxiety are generally used interchangeably, but clinically they have different meanings where fear is a physiological and emotional response to identify an outer threat where as anxiety is an unpleasing state of emotions where the cause is not recognized as unavoidable. Anxiety disorders involve both anxiety and fear.

People suffering from anxiety disorders also have two types of phobia. One is a social phobia and the other is a specific phobia. In social phobia the sufferer has a severe anxiety of being judged by others or of their behavior that can lead to embarrassing situations. This can cause profuse sweating, heart palpitations and shortness of breath.

In case of specific phobia involves fear of flying, fear of animal, fear of height or fear of blood as some examples. The individual suffering from such severe anxiety disorder has improper and spontaneous fears and thus cannot live a normal life.

Doctors, researchers, and medical professionals are not entirely sure what the link between stress levels and high blood pressure or hypertension is, but there certainly does seem to be a connection. Stress itself may even be a risk factor for heart disease. There are numerous possible reasons why stress increases blood pressure and medical professionals are still attempting to determine why stress and hypertension are linked.

One of the possible reasons for the link is that stress and anxiety seem to lead to more risky behaviors like smoking more or exercising less. Many researchers suspect that the link between stress and high blood pressure may be caused simply be the increase in risky behavior. This is one of several theories on the connection.

Another possible reason that there is a connection between high blood pressure and stress is stress hormones. When an individual is under prolonged stress the body will react to it physically as a way of trying to send a signal that something is wrong. The stress hormones that are release may be the cause of the increase in blood pressure.

Some physical signs of high stress levels are dizziness, aches and pains, grinding or tapping teeth, shaking, muscle tension, trouble sleeping, indigestion, and exhaustion. These are just a few of the possible affects that stress can have on the body. Some of the mental signs of symptoms are worry, restlessness, constant worry, loss of humor, lessened creativity, and less interest in things that were once of interest.

Stress comes in a variety of forms and from a variety of sources; for that reason, stress has widely varied affects. Researchers may not completely understand what causes the link between stress and hypertension, but they do recognize that there is a connection between the two. Stress and anxiety can have serious affects on wellness and even lead to a higher risk of heart disease.

The fear center in your subconscious brain is called the amygdala. New science shows that during fear/anxiety the number of GABA receptors on cells of the amygdale decline, thereby enabling fear to dominate in response to a stimuli. Conversely, when there is no fear there are more GABA receptors.

This is an important study for several reasons. First, it shows that when individuals have overcome any fear, by whatever means, they have actually changed the function of brain cells in their amygdale. Secondly, using nutrition to support this process is realistic.

While fear can relate to any life topic I have been particularly interested in this subject in dealing with health issues. For example, someone with chemical sensitivity develops a fear of chemicals which actually seems to makes exposures worse. Someone with food allergies can develop a fear of food that actually seems to make them more allergic to more foods. Someone with an undefined health problem can develop fear and anxiety about the problem to the point of making the problem worse. This sort of thing happens all the time.

While there are various cognitive therapies that can be used to help desensitize fear, this new study implies that they work because they are conditioning nerves (like a form of exercise) to have more GABA receptors. I often recommend to anyone with fear or anxiety issues to do a lot of hobbies with their hands as well as relaxing exercise, which all work towards the same objective of increasing GABA receptors.

GABA receptors and GABA brain status have to do with relaxation and the inhibition of nerve activation – acting like brakes on nerves so they don’t get too excited or overheated. In the overall context of your health balance, they are put of your rejuvenation and restoration system. If you run low on them you are going to at least feel more agitated and irritated.

There are many nutritional options that can directly support the reduction of fear and anxiety. Nutrients like L-theanine, taurine, quercetin, ashwaganda, and noni can support GABA receptors and GABA function. Nutrients like DHA, pantethine, and phosphatidylserine can enhance the health of cell membranes in your brain so that they can respond better (not stay stuck in old patterns).

Through a combination of nutrition, hobbies, exercise, and as needed cognitive therapy a person can approach this problem from multiple angles and will see gradual but steady improvement over time as their overall supply of GABA receptors is replenished and assisted to function better. Life skills that help create more stability in general are synergistic with this strategy, whereas an overload of stress and a pile of “unsolvable” problems that make a person feel overwhelmed or unstable will magnify fear and anxiety issues.

This information offers a science-based path to changing your brain so that you have more confidence to participate in life.

Social phobia disorder is commonly known as someone who locks themselves away almost every weekend, they continually lie to there friends and family to avoid going out with them in fear of having panic anxiety attack, very sad but a common problem, is this you? Lets go over some of the typical patterns of an offender, then we will give you the answers to put this behavior to bed once and for all.

Its Monday morning usual chat with your friends at work, then here it comes, the dreaded invite to a party on the weekend. This suddenly turns your stomach upside down, the first reaction was the tight sensation in your chest, then followed by the rapid heart beat which makes it hard for you to try and remain still. Whilst all this is going on your trying to concentrate on making up another lie to why you cannot attend.

Straight away you plant a seed in your head, I can not possibly go, i may embarrass my self, its best if I stay home. What if I had a panic attack? Oh no, this is social phobia disorder. One of the biggest hurtles to get over is the fear you carry around with you every day, the what ifs, you actually talk you self into a panic situation way before one has ever occurred, its like a revolving door.

The brain is incredibly powerful, it can have 2 very different effects, it keeps you in either total control when you know how to overpower it. Or it can put you totally out of control when it over powers you. What happens is when we feel scared thoughts enters our head, then the brain sends waves to the middle section creating fear, this is when a panic situation starts to raise its ugly little head, the first thing we do is this.

We try to push the thought away and not think about them, unfortunately this only make the situation worse it gives the thoughts more strength, which then enables them to become stronger and take over. This then becomes much harder to switch them off. By this point your not only concerned about the thoughts that initially triggered this situation, your more concerned about the trauma your body is going though.

• Your hearts beating fast
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Clammy hand
• Fear of passing out or loosing bodily functions
• And the list goes on

There are 2 different avenues you could take right at this point unfortunately most people turn to prescription medication, which in the long run you will end up with much more issues then anxiety. The natural approach is a very effective and a safe way to cure social phobia disorder.

Quick tips that will free you from social phobia disorder:

• What you need to do is this, you have to learn to let the thoughts in as you can’t stop them, the difference will be how you react to them.
• After you have let them in, give them a name, become familiar with them. The more familiar you are with something the less scary they become.
• Then you need to move on by trying to let them go, slowly push them away out of your mind, this is a technique that we can teach you.

Don’t lock you self away and become a victim of social phobia disorder. Do something about it.

Neurologists who compared the brain scans of Tibetan monks with other people found that the monks were able to stay more relaxed in anxiety-provoked situations. How do the monks do it? Can we learn from them? Here are a few suggestions to help you get through the stress-filled holidays.
Listen to the bells. Tibetan monks use bells in their ceremonies believing that the vibration made when the bells chime clears the mind. In fact, research shows that hearing the vibration of bells helps synchronize the left and right parts of the brain–producing a state of relaxation. The National Institutes of Health conducted a study which revealed that sound vibrations can slash anxiety and pain by 60%! So, be sure and listen to Christmas carols with bells in them.
Try to focus on a single object. Tibetan monks practice a form of meditation whereby they simply observe something around them. This helps to induce relaxation, improve focus, as well as lower depression. Apparently when you are focused on just one thing, it’s impossible to worry about anything else. So, if you’re out in the mall and feeling a little stressed, sit down and try to focus on one particular object for a few minutes and see if that won’t reduce your stress.
Think about what you need, not what you want. Monks make do with only what is absolutely necessary, i.e. basic clothing, tools and simple foods. There are some studies that show that having few material possessions leaves you much happier and fulfilled than having all the possessions you could possibly ask for.
Do only one thing at a time. Tibetan monks focus completely on what they are doing in the moment. This habit switches off the body’s stress response. So, try not to multitask as much and you might find that your stress level has been reduced.
Laugh out loud. For over 5,000 years, Tibetan monks have made it a practice to laugh out loud immediately after waking up. They believe that the act of laughing helps them to focus during the day.

So, in this stress-filled holiday season, try to take a few lessons from the Tibetan monks and learn how to not take yourself too seriously, spend some quality time with your family and enjoy the holidays!

Is there a connection between anxiety, panic attacks, and fibromyalgia? Oh yes, I believe there is a huge connection, and it’s not what you might think.

Some people might say that sustained anxiety or many panic attacks could cause fibromyalgia or weaken the emotional state to a point where people could get fibromyalgia. Some other people may think that fibromyalgia causes panic or anxiety. I can see why someone would think both of these, but I think it’s not quite that simple.

Based on my experiences with anxiety and fibromyalgia in my own body, I believe that the same thing that causes anxiety and panic also causes fibromyalgia, and that is the reason why many people have both, not because one causes the other.

Now, I do believe that fibromyalgia, at a basic level, is caused by, among other things, a build-up of stress chemicals in the tissues of the body, and stress chemicals are released when a person is feeling anxious or in a panic, so that might make it seem like I believe that anxious feelings are causing the fibromyalgia. However, it’s not that simple.

When someone feels anxious, there are many, many responses that happen within the body, and all of them are meant to supply energy to overcome a threat. When the threat is never overcome or never goes away, and the anxiety and panic keeps happening or goes on over days and weeks and months and years then all of these responses contribute to the state described as fibromyalgia. Get rid of the responses, and over time the body can reverse the fibromyalgia all by itself – but in order to get rid of the responses, you must first get rid of what is causing it all.

So what is causing it all? Some sort of threat? Well maybe – the threat of not enough money, not enough security, no control. Maybe very real physical threats such as an abusive or violent situation. However, in my experience, fibromyalgia and panic and anxiety are all caused by a person having a perception of no freedom and no power about the things that are important to them.

In my recovery process, I first discovered that I did have a little bit of power over my fibromyalgia and I could make myself feel a bit better with certain processes like stretching and massage. As I felt better I gained a little bit of a sense of power within my own body. As I got healthier my emotional states improved in ways that I wasn’t even trying to improve, like I gained confidence in my abilities, and I became happier. Eventually, I realized that every time my emotional state dipped down into anger, fear, panic, or anxiety, my body paid for it. (I always felt much more sore on emotionally ‘bad’ days).

Anger is actually a response, I believe, to a perception of powerlessness. So if you get angry easy, good. If you never get angry, well, you’ve got some work to do. If you can move through powerlessness to anger and then to something that feels better (worry, frustration) a couple of times, well then you’ve learned the process to feeling better from everything.

Once I realized how my extreme negative emotions were actually indicators of what my thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes were, I could start changing my thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes into ones that felt better. First I was mad a lot, cuz it felt better than fear and powerlessness. Then I spent a lot of time in frustration and worry, because that felt better, and then, eventually I felt well enough that these days I am consistently in states of enthusiasm and joy. There was only one time I was able to jump right from fear to joy (within about half an hour) – mostly I had to work at it and the changes were more gradual and over time.

Thousands of children suffer from anxiety every year while going undetected by parents. More often than not, children are not properly educated on anxiety and therefore cannot express their concerns accordingly. Consequently, their anxiety levels rise as they continue to hold it all in.

A large number of children go through school either having to deal with bullies or feel left out of social circles which can lead to depression. This feeling of depression will inevitably follow them home as their family begins to finally take notice.

As parents, it is very important to monitor their behaviours at home and school before it gets late. Here are some important techniques to follow in treating and prevent anxiety or panic disorders.

Listen Up

Make a concentrated effort to listen to any concerns they might have good or bad. Do not interrupt them, instead hear them out and see what side they are coming from. Follow this up with positive and constructive advice, by doing this it will make them more comfortable in sharing their problems with you.

Open Up

Most parents are so busy correcting and scolding their children, they don’t realise this is only causing the child to become more stressed out and distant. As a result, the child will not share their problems and start being quiet around the house. One of the best ways to get a child out of their quiet mode is to share stories of yourself at their age and how you might have went through similar troubles and can relate to their circumstance. This will cause the child to feel like they are not alone, and as a result open up more.

Seek and Learn Natural Treatment

If your child is suffering from an anxiety or panic disorder, the last thing you want is to have them dependent on prescriptions drugs for the rest of their lives. Seek out natural treatments and learn step by step techniques on how to treat their conditions before it gets any worse, this way you can be their doctor as oppose to waiting in line to get a bottle of pills.
Anxiety and Panic disorders can get a lot worse if there not treated properly. Nobody wants to change their quality of living but panic attacks can certainly do that to us if we don’t take action. These techniques are very helpful but they are only part of the recovery process.

How do you know if you or someone else is experiencing a panic attack? The first step is to understand the type and nature of the problem. You can identify it by knowing the symptoms and eliminating other possibilities. Each person has a unique psychological makeup and so the feelings, thoughts, and sensations experienced during the panic attack can be a unique mixture of its basic symptoms. So, what are some of the symptoms?

The Basics
Unlike anxiety that people carry around with them on a regular basis, an actual attack seems to come out of nowhere, out of the blue. Some fears and worries can be constant companions, but panic attacks typically last for 20-30 minutes (These numbers refer to instances where you have no means to counteract the attack and are much lower once you can utilize techniques).The main symptom is extreme fear or terror. The fear is so intense that it is temporarily disabling. Some of the typical fears are fear of choking, fear of smothering, fear of dying, fear of going crazy or having a nervous breakdown, and fear of losing control. All of these fears are extreme! You may feel the need to escape but you don’t know what from or where to. This intense emotion inflates any negative thoughts into gigantic proportion.

Physical Symptoms
There are also many physical symptoms that may accompany an attack, the main one being heart palpitations or a racing heart. There may also be sweating, dizziness, shaking, and chest pain. Some people experience hot flashes or chills, pains in muscles or various parts of the body. There may also be the appearance of spots or blotches on the skin.

Panic attacks aren’t limited to the waking hours. There are nocturnal ones as well. During these attacks, people wake up in a state of panic for no apparent reason. But as with daytime panic attacks, the nighttime version can be identified by the same symptoms.

Why learn the symptoms?
The main symptom of this ailment is the extreme fear or terror that seems to come out of nowhere. This fear can latch on to many thoughts or feelings greatly inflating them. Heart palpitations or “racing heart” is the main physical symptom and may be accompanied by dizziness, sweating, trembling, etc. The symptoms of panic attacks may occur during sleep as well as the more common daytime version. Although there are typical symptoms, an individual may have a unique combination of and blending of these signs. Why bother knowing these symptoms? Once you understand what the problem is, you are empowered to take the most direct path to counteract the condition and re-establish your peace of mind.