Breathing into a paper bag is a common treatment for people who experience anxiety attacks and are hyperventilating. This is not really considered as an effective and long-term solution to the problem. Panic attack treatment varies from one person to another. However, there are treatments which are basic for all levels of panic disorder and often necessary.

A person who has severe anxiety is described as hyperventilating, has difficulty of breathing, sweating and acts as if insane. Uncontrollable fear of something that is often unseen is perceived as irrational. This irrational fear is what we know as phobia and these come in different forms and ways.

The fear of being in a crowd, for example, is social phobia. People who have stage fright are often diagnosed with this condition. They develop panic disorder when the feeling becomes too intense and repeated for a short period of time that the feeling of anxiety elevates into serious levels. This can necessitate intense panic attack treatment which can range from psychotherapy to medication therapy

One effective panic attack treatment is taking anti-depressants. It has been observed that depression is one of the causes of anxiety attacks and that pills which help alleviate the symptoms of the patient can also effectively lessen the frequency of attacks by improving a person’s emotional state. A person in a severe state of depression can be suicidal. Anyone diagnosed with this condition should seek professional help as soon as possible.

Psychotherapy sessions are another form of panic attack treatment. Here, the patients deal more with their emotions by letting their feelings out. With the help of a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist, patients who experience panic attacks go through the process of self-healing. They participate in analyzing their own condition and look for the best way to handle situations that would otherwise cause them to go into severe attacks.

By: Jerry M Jones

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Seeking Biological Treatment for Panic Attacks

A panic attack can be very debilitating for frequent sufferers, who will often go to great lengths to find a treatment to help them restore normalcy in their life. If the problem goes untreated, a person may begin to fear having an attack in public, which could develop into agoraphobia, or a serious fear of public places. Psychological treatments can help a person work through childhood problems or stressful situations that may be causing the panic attacks.

There are alternative methods to treat panic attacks as well

Biological treatment for panic attacks, in conjunction with psychological treatments, can be very effective in reducing the severity and intensity of a panic or anxiety attack. Training the body in relaxation and proper breathing techniques is one method of biological treatment that can help with panic attacks. During a panic attack, a person’s body tenses and their breathing becomes fast and shallow. This only proves to heighten the sense of panic coursing through the body, which is already dealing with a significant amount of stress from the attack itself. With biological treatment methods, the person can learn how to take deep slow breaths from the diaphragm, and expel them completely in a controlled manner. The person is forced to redirect their attention from the anxiety to their breathing.

Relaxation is another effective treatment that works with breathing to help ease a panic or anxiety attack. The person uses sesame oil with an Ayurveda massage technique on their body each morning before taking a shower and each evening before they go to bed. With this technique the individual starts and ends their day fully relaxed and well rested. Another biological treatment that works well teaches a person to tense their muscles one area at a time, holding it for several seconds before completely relaxing the muscle.

Some individuals may find that certain medications work well as a biological treatment for panic attacks. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are often used. Certain chemicals may increase the effects of a panic or anxiety attack like caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol, which should all be avoided.

By: Diane B Davis

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Many people make their way into their doctor’s office with complaints of fatigue, anxiety, or lack of energy, drive and focus. In many cases, attending physicians dispense anti-depressants, (some times like candy) such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as a means to treat their symptoms of depression or anxiety.

What these patients are actually experiencing is problems with the neurotransmitters in their brains, most notably Dopamine, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, GABA and Glutamate. SSRI’s block neurotransmitter pathways and often result in a vast array of side effects, including sexual dysfunction, nausea, nervousness, weight gain and insomnia. Most often when people are placed on SSRIs they are worried about what will happen if they stop taking them, so they are stuck taking a drug with adverse side effects.

What is commonly missed in traditional drug treatment is that depression and anxiety are caused by an imbalance rather than a disease. When dopamine levels are elevated, anxiety or hyperactivity can develop. When Epinephrine and Norepinephrine levels are too low or too high, anxiousness, stress, sleeplessness, weight gain or poor concentration can occur. GABA levels regulate the activity of glutamate, which prevents over stimulation and effects memory and learning capabilities.

Symptoms of depression and anxiety can be treated nutritionally. Natural therapy minimizes particular neurotransmitter pathways instead of blocking them, reducing side effects and providing patients a natural, safe and effective way to treat their symptoms.

When a patient seeks the medical advice of a naturopathic physician for depression or anxiety, he or she is administered a very simple urine or, in the case of adrenal gland problems, a saliva test. Neurotransmitter levels and deficiencies are then measured through the products of the urine or saliva.

Once it is evaluated which neurotransmitters are off, nutritional therapy can help restore balance by modulating pathways. Compounds based from amino acids create this balance and are prescribed along with B vitamins and sometimes natural herbs.

Nutritional therapy helps restore balance to hormone levels and neurotransmitters. Every patient is different and requires different levels and combinations of amino acids and vitamins. A common herb that is prescribed to accompany these nutrients is Rhodiola rosea, a plant with adaptogen properties that has been used for centuries to treat depression and anxiety.

The average patient that seeks help for depression or anxiety does not have to suffer the effects and dependency on SSRIs. People can, through nutritional therapy, avoid taking pharmaceutical drugs and restore balance and health.

Original Article Source: http://www.holistichealingnews.com/?p=3360.

By: Dr. Tricia Pingel, NMD

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Panic attacks are really familiar, often more so than many people seem to acknowledge. People who feel regular panic attacks are viewed as having panic disorder, and many of these people turn especially afraid because they feel as if they are becoming crazy , even though, of course, they’re not.

Panic disorders are viewed as being an anxiety disorder, and these are the most common of all psychiatric disorders. Some of the other anxiety disorders are agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.

Once you have found that you do in fact have panic disorder, you’re of course going to desire to undergo suitable treatment for your disorder. The number one thing you ought to do is talk to a psychiatrist or psychologist, who will be able to decide for certain whether you’ve got a panic disorder and, if so, evaluate how critical your disorder is.

Zoloft and Panic Attack

Medications are typically prescribed for panic disorders, and one of the best medications is Zoloft. The bond between Zoloft and panic attack is very well known , as Zoloft and panic attack has tested to be very effective .

The drug Zoloft is one of the newer anti depressants on the market nowadays, it’s FDA approved, administered orally and contains sertraline hydrochloride. This medication is known to manage depression, certain types of social anxiety conditions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). In addition, Zoloft is not addictive and is not linked with weight gain.

The intent for Zoloft and panic attack is that the drug aims to alleviate the symptoms of clinical depression without many side effects. It’s used to handle symptoms of depression and also anxiety, and Zoloft works by acting on the neurotransmitter called serotonin, thereby permitting electrical messages to be processed more smoothly and efficiently .

Zoloft is accessible in multiple strengths . Zoloft and panic attack can be used for both adults and kids, although if your medical doctor does not view that Zoloft and panic attack does the trick for you then he/she will most likely prescribe you some other drug.

What Other Treatment Is There?

There are also other techniques of treatment that you’ll be able to apply for your panic disorder other than medication . Cognitive behavior therapy for one, which is used to help modify the way you think and thus the way that you respond to certain situations . Cognitive behavior modification therapy has proven to be incredibly good in such areas as anxiety, depression, panic, agoraphobia and other phobias, social phobia , bulimia (binge-eating syndrome), obsessive compulsive disorder and a few more.

If you ever suspect that you are experiencing panic attacks, you must to point it out to your doctor as soon as you are able to. Panic attacks will hold back your quality of life and therefore you require to take on of the problem as promptly as you can.

By: T. Banach

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So what does a panic attack feel like? Initially it is the feeling of your body preparing to either fight for you life or run for your life. This is a natural process that kept your ancestors alive. But when it is inappropriately triggered, the run or fight part does not follow. This causes many of the symptoms of a panic attack.

Imagine you are walking in the woods and come across a bear that takes an interest in you. In an instant your body responds to the danger with it’s fight or flight response. Your breathing rate increases to provide more oxygen to the muscles. Blood sugar is directed away from the brain to fuel your muscles. Blood flow is restricted near the skin to reduce blood loss from injuries. Sweating starts to increase grip and aid in heat dissipation.

Your body automatically responds in ways that give you the greatest chance of survival. But when there happens without an immediate threat the symptoms are disturbing. During a panic attack this happens without the real threat of danger. Then symptoms caused by this preparation include rapid breathing, dizziness and sweating. This is the first part of the answer to the question, “what does a panic attack feel like?”

When in a struggle for your life you will either run or fight. Both are physical exertions that will burn off the adrenaline of the fight or flight response. Having a attack is like being tied to tree when the bear approaches. Unable to run or fight, the fight or flight response starts having a negative effect on your body. This is what happens during a panic attack.

The rapid breathing causes a drop in carbon dioxide levels and alters the blood PH. This can cause worst dizziness, whole body tingling, numbness. These symptoms can trigger the release of more adrenaline that can cause shakiness, trembling and nausea. This is the second part of the answer to the question “what does a panic attack feel like?”

On top of all these physical sensations, the mind is making judgments and evaluations. Some of the most common ones are; you are going to pass out, you are going crazy, you are having a heart attack, your are, you are experiencing suffocation, you have lost control. In reality these things are not possible but these thoughts add more terror to the attack.

What does a panic attack feel like? The combination of these three sets of symptoms describes the feelings of a panic attack. The natural feelings of the fight or flight response, the unnatural inactivity after the response and the thinking that goes on during those two periods.

By: Derek Flint

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