Anxiety High Blood Pressure

Keep Track of your Blood Pressure Easily With a Blood Pressure Monitor

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:12:23 +0000

The blood pressure is the force that pushes on the arteries and veins’ walls, because the blood is flowing through them. At those that have high blood pressure this force is much higher than normal and in time this can damage the arteries and veins and cause heart attacks and heart diseases.
High blood pressure is a very common affection, more than 50 million people suffer from it only in the USA. Some call it the silent killer because it has no symptoms and you can have it for years without knowing, and if you don’t treat it for a long time then the chances that you get a heart disease or stroke are very high.
The causes of high blood pressure are not known, but the most common risk factors that lead to it are stress, the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, salt and fat foods. Those overweight usually have high blood pressure too.
It is very important to control your blood pressure as much as you can, before you reach an older age and you regret that you haven’t done it. High blood pressure can only be discovered if you constantly monitor your blood pressure and keep an eye on the values. If you see that the values are high then you need to measure them more often to see if they are increasing even more. Once you discover that you have high blood pressure you must start the treatment and continue to check the values to see whether it working or not.
You can check your blood pressure regularly by visiting the doctor and asking him to measure it. However, if you know that you have high blood pressure and you need to check it often visiting the doctor a few times a week is too time consuming. At those who have a very high blood pressure it needs to be measured a few times a day, so going to the doctor more than one time a day is impossible.
In this case you need to purchase a blood pressure monitor. It is a tiny device, as big as a cell phone that can be worn on the belt, and that is connected to a wrist cuff. The wrist cuff measures the blood pressure and records the values a few times a day. The doctor can make a chart based on these values and see how the treatment is progressing. The information provided by the blood pressure monitor is very valuable when you are trying to treat your condition.
The monitor and the cuff can be worn under the clothes so they are invisible to others. It’s very simple and very helpful, so try one if you have high blood pressure and need to know the values of your blood pressure.
You can check more about lower blood pressure and especially about lower blood pressure naturally by visiting http://www.lowerbloodpressure.info

Ways To Relieve Anxiety Symptoms

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:45:25 +0000

Our society today can often be very overwhelming and it is important to make your anxiety is in check as well as any other issues that you may have going on at the time. Anxiety is felt by everyone at some time in their life, like when giving a speech or going on a job interview. For people with severe anxiety, it is much worse and is felt on a constant basis. People with anxiety issues often experience some or all of the following symptoms: extreme fear, abnormal phobias, heart palpitations, panic attacks, shyness and obsessive behaviors. Therapy, medication, and relaxation exercises can all provide relief of anxiety symptoms and when used together the results are even better.
Therapy is usually the first step used in relieving anxiety issues. A therapist can help you to discover the underlying causes of your anxiety and can suggest the best ways to help you get through it. Some techniques that are used to help relieve a person’s anxiety often include cognitive or behavioral therapy. Cognitive therapy is when you are taught to use different ways of thinking when you are in a situation that may cause anxiety. By reprogramming your thought processes you can decrease your anxiety at the time, by telling yourself more positive things when anxiety is felt. Behavioral therapy is when you are constantly confronted with the anxiety filled situation until your start to feel more comfortable. Taken in baby steps the therapist will talk you through the process as they slowly get you to come to terms with the situations that cause you anxiety, and it goes away.
Medications are also very commonly used to decrease a person’s anxiety. Under the supervision of your therapist a medication may be prescribed that can help elevate anxiety temporarily. Some of the medications include: SSRI’s like Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, or Luvox, MOAIs like Parnate or Nordil, and TCAs like Tofranil, Adapin, Vivactil, Anafranil, Surmotil, Elavil, Sinequan, Endep, Norpramin or Ludiomil. If you do choose to use medication to treat your anxiety, it is best to do so under the strict supervision of your physician because many of these medications have side effects and all have to be prescribed.
Relaxation exercises can also help to elevate anxiety. Panic attacks caused by heightened anxiety can be calmed by deep breathing exercises. Mediation has been known to relieve anxiety symptoms before a situation that might trigger it, by having a relaxing effect on the person. Yoga and other exercise programs have also been shown to relieve anxiety somewhat. Since the endorphins released during the exercise can have a calming effect on the person, anxiety is often reduced.
Many people suffer every day from anxiety problems or panic attacks that can stop them from leading a normal life. If you feel that you have a problem with anxiety or panic attacks therapy, medication, or relaxation exercises can prove to be very effective in treating your problem. The symptoms of anxiety can constantly rule a person’s life and if they become serious it is very important to seek out professional help for your mental health.

Choosing Meditation to Lower High Blood Pressure? New Research Reveals Which Meditation is Most Effective

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:46:50 +0000

A new scientific research study conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine provides further evidence that people with high blood pressure can find relief through meditation—but the study also found that not all forms of meditation are equally effective. The study compared findings from research on several well-known types of meditation and relaxation practices, and found that the only mind/body practice that produces significant changes in blood pressure is the Transcendental Meditation technique.

According to a definitive new meta-analysis of 107 previous studies on stress reduction programs and high blood pressure, published in the American Journal of Hypertension (Vol. 21, 3: 310-316), the Transcendental Meditation technique was found to produce a statistically significant reduction in high blood pressure—an effect not found with other forms of relaxation, meditation, biofeedback or stress management.

Significant Reductions in Blood Pressure

The new meta-analysis reviewed randomized, controlled trials published in peer-reviewed scientific journals over the past decades concerning stress reduction and relaxation methods used by participants with high blood pressure. Blood pressure changes through the Transcendental Meditation technique included average reductions of 5.0 points of systolic and 2.8 points of diastolic blood pressure, changes which were statistically significant, according to the review. These changes associated with Transcendental Meditation practice were consistent with other controlled studies showing reductions in cardiovascular risk factors, improved markers of heart disease, and reduced mortality rates among participants in the Transcendental Meditation program.

Transcendental Meditation “equivalent to adding a second hypertensive agent”

“The magnitude of the changes in blood pressure with the Transcendental Meditation technique are at least as great as the changes found with major changes in diet or exercise that doctors often recommend,” said Dr. James Anderson, principal author of the study. “Yet the Transcendental Meditation technique does not require changes in lifestyle. Thus many patients with mild hypertension or prehypertension may be able to avoid the need to take blood pressure medications—all of which have adverse side effects. Individuals with more severe forms of hypertension may be able to reduce the number or dosages of their BP medications under the guidance of their doctor.”

Dr. Anderson stated further: “Adding Transcendental Meditation is about equivalent to adding a second hypertensive agent to one’s current regiment, only safer and less troublesome.”

Reduced Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Anderson added that long-term changes in blood pressure of this magnitude are associated with at least a 15 percent reduction in rates of heart attack and stroke. “This is important to everyone because cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide,” Anderson said. The study’s biostatistician, Maxwell Rainforth, assistant professor of Physiology and Health Statistics at Maharishi University of Management, said the meta-analysis used state-of-the-art statistical methods to review 107 published studies in the field of stress reduction, relaxation and blood pressure. “The twenty-three separate studies included in the final analysis met well-known criteria for high scientific quality. That is, these studies used repeated blood pressure measurements and participants were randomized to either a stress reduction technique or placebo-type control for at least eight weeks. The data we used are all published in peer-reviewed scientific journals,” Rainforth said.

Side Benefits of TM vs. side effects of drugs

According to Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention and co-author, this rigorously conducted meta-analysis indicates that the Transcendental Meditation technique is distinctively effective compared to other scientifically studied techniques in lowering high blood pressure. “For those 100 million Americans with elevated blood pressure, here is a scientifically documented, yet simple and easy way to lower blood pressure without drugs and harmful side effects. In addition, related studies show an integrated set of positive ’side benefits,’ such as reduced stress, reduced heart disease levels and longer lifespan with this technique to restore balance in the cardiovascular system, mind and body,” Schneider said.

Overturns a previous study on meditation

The new meta-analysis was co-authored by researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, in Louisville, and at the NIH-funded Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Iowa.

According to Dr. Anderson, the findings of this new study rebut a July 2007 report sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the NIH-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which concluded that most research on meditation is low quality and found little evidence that any specific stress reduction effectively lowers blood pressure.

The new meta-analysis identified all high quality meditation studies published through 2006 and rigorously analyzed their results, which the previous government report failed to do. Anderson said the new meta-analysis includes only high quality studies on all available stress reduction interventions. The studies on the Transcendental Meditation technique were conducted at five independent universities and medical institutions, and the majority of them were funded by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Dog Separation Anxiety

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:46:22 +0000

One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the tight bond we experience and encourage with our dogs. However, if your dog becomes too reliant or dependant on you, dog separation anxiety can develop.

Dog Separation Anxiety is an enormous problem to an estimated 10% of all puppy’s and older dogs. Somewhat ironically, it is the major cause for dogs ending up in animal shelters. I wish I could say dog separation anxiety is easily fixed , but the truth is it can be a very difficult and time consuming problem to turn around.

Let’s take a look at separation anxiety from your dogs perspective. You are the most important thing in your dogs life. Dogs are very sociable creatures and thrive on company for many reasons. If your dog had a choice he/she would spend every bit of his time with you. So it’s only natural that when you go out, your dog can experience varying degrees of distress and anxiety. He becomes confused, vulnerable, doesn’t know where you are going, why he can’t be with you and if you will be coming back to him. When you are separated all he wants is to be reunited with his pack – which is you.

Punishment is never the answer to treating dog separation anxiety!

Does Your Dog Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

There’s every chance your dog is suffering from a Separation Anxiety disorder rather than another dog behavior problem if:

1. Your dog gets really worked up and anxious when you are preparing to leave the house. Things like picking up your car keys or putting on your coat can trigger the behavior.

2. Your dog engages in inappropriate behavior only when you are separated. I expand on this topic further down the page, but behavior such as urinating inside, excessive barking and destructive behavior are common symptoms of Separation Anxiety in dogs.

3. Your dog follows you everywhere you go and immediately becomes distressed if he can’t be near you.

4. When you arrive home your dog is over the top with his greeting and takes a while to calm down.

Why Do Dogs Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

There are many theories on this one. In some cases the cause or trigger can be pinpointed to a particular event, but often there appears to be no explanation for the Separation Anxiety to commence. What I can say is that Separation Anxiety in dogs regularly occurs:

- Straight after a change in routine. Such as your work hours changing or a family member leaves home. Remember dogs are creatures of habit and any changes can be very unsettling to them.

- If you have been on vacation or unemployed for some time and have been spending heaps of time with your dog. When you go back to work your dog becomes anxious and distressed.

- Unfortunately dog’s rescued from animal shelters contribute a highly disproportionate number of Separation Anxiety cases.

- After your dog experiences a traumatic event while on his own. If a thunderstorm lashes your home while your dog is alone, this can trigger Separation Anxiety in the future.

- If your dog is rarely left alone and becomes overly reliant on his pack.

- When you move house to a new neighbourhood.

How Does Dog Separation Anxiety Manifest Itself?

- Barking
- Whining
- Licking
- Destructive Behavior
- Chewing
- Howling
- Panic Attacks
- Digging
- Inappropriate Urinating
- House Soiling
- Self Mutilation
- Escaping
- Diarrhea
- Loss Of Appetite
- Excessive Salivation
- Vomiting
- Jumping Through Windows
- Crying

What Can You Do To Help Your Dog Overcome Separation?

The treatment administered to your dogs separation anxiety problem depends on its severity. You will find lots of theories and suggestions regarding the correct way to treat separation anxiety – I’ll just inform you of what’s worked for me.

The 4 Step Program I Used To Fix My Dalmation’s Separation Anxiety Problem

My dalmation Harrison developed Separation Anxiety seemingly for no reason when he was about 7 years old. He would start digging and crying as soon as I left the house, even if my other family members were home. My Veterinarian suggested this training process, it achieved the desired result but took plenty of time and patience.

Aside from the 4 step program listed below, I continued to practice the general day to day duties of responsible dog ownership. By this I mean things like providing a safe and comfortable bed, plenty of exercise and obedience training.

Harry would start to get anxious (his whole body would shake) at the very first sign of me leaving the house. This typically would be putting my shoe’s on or turning off the TV or heater. It became a real problem for Harry, myself and the rest of my family, this is how we eventually solved it:

Step 1

Since Harry was always by my side when I was home I had to slowly teach him that he didn’t always need to be close to me. I started out by ignoring his attention seeking behavior (jumping up, barking etc.) and then did some solid practice of his down stay. Little by little we extended the time and distance we spent apart, until he was happy to be alone for up to 30 minutes. Of course, we still spent lots of fun time together.

Step 2

The next step was to get him used to being outside when I was inside. Again we started off with very small periods apart and gradually lengthened the time over a couple of weeks. If you try this Separation Anxiety treatment make sure that you don’t just leave your dog outside to get all worked up and stressed. The trick is to start out leaving your dog out for a few seconds, then going out and reuniting before he shows any signs of Separation Anxiety. Give your dog a treat or dog toy to keep his mind off missing you. Only initiate contact with your dog when he is calm and quiet.

Step 3

The next step in fixing Harry’s Separation Anxiety problem was to eliminate the distress caused by me getting ready to leave the house for work. What I did was write a list of all the triggers that started Harry’s anxiety. I then set about desensitizing him to these triggers. I’d put my shoe’s on, and not go anywhere. Put my coat on, then sit down to read the paper. Pick up my car keys and just carry them around with me, jangling along as I went about my business. After a while (about 3 weeks) Harry barely offered a sideways glance at my shenanigans.

Step 4

When Harry was completely calm in situations that would have unsettled him in the past, I left the house. At first I just stepped outside, shut the door and came back inside within 20 seconds – before he made a sound. Again this was a slow process, similar to step 2. I extended the time outside the front door and then graduated to starting the car, then driving around the block before I came back inside. You can provide a tasty treat to your dog on your way out the door, something that he can work on for a while. Harry’s favorite was a frozen Kong stuffed full of peanut butter and a few liver treats, this eventually kept him occupied for hours. Remember that when you return home, don’t make a huge fuss. Come inside, get changed, pour yourself a nice hot coffee, then greet your calm dog.

This process did prove effective for me and my anxious dalmation. All up the 4 steps took about 5 weeks to work through and fix Harry’s Separation Anxiety problem. My Vet suggested that I supplement this training with some medication. I didn’t go down that path, but it would have been my next step if required.

Whichever method you choose to treat dog separation anxiety, be sure to stick with it and don’t expect any immediate results.

How to recognize Anxiety Attack Symptoms

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:41:18 +0000

You can easily begin to recognize the causes of your anxiety symptoms. If you have ever experienced being uncomfortable and feeling that something just isn’t right when it comes to your breathing or the way your body seems to be failing you, it is entirely possible you could have been experiencing an anxiety attack symptom. Let’s take a look at some of the symptoms that usually come with anxiety attacks.

One of the more common of an anxiety attack symptom is a pounding heart. This symptom can be caused by a number of different anxiety attacks, from mild to severe. Many people who do have an attack tend to clutch at their chest in fear of a heart attack or other ailment, when in reality they are experiencing anxiety.

Shortness of breath is another anxiety attack symptom that is seen a lot because of someone feeling panicked due to other symptoms they are experiencing. The shortness of breath can seem like your world is caving in, but by being able to recognize the symptom as part of an anxiety attack, you can more easily control this.

Becoming lightheaded is one anxiety attack symptom that happens a lot in crowded areas. Many people have a phobia about being in crowds and becoming lightheaded or fainting is a common symptom that they experience. People will sometimes think they have a more serious issue, but it reality it’s only one of the symptoms that are associated with anxiety attacks.

Another anxiety attack symptom that is almost always present in an attack is the fear of losing control. This fear comes from the seemingly uncontrollable symptoms that precede like becoming light headed with a racing heart, and shortness of breath. It is a natural feeling for us to feel as if we are losing control of our own bodies.

Anxiety attack symptoms vary and are not isolated to just one group of people. Everybody is different and may experience varying symptoms based on what their fears may be. Anxiety is a treatable problem and many people live normal lives once they learn to control there attacks. In the end, by visiting a physician to talk about the anxiety attack symptoms that bother you, a plan can be put in place as to how you can effectively overcome the symptoms as they occur, making it possible to ensure anxiety attacks do not have precedence over your life.

As these may be some of the most common symptoms I always recommend that you see your doctor. Your doctor will make sure and confirm your symptoms. Once you have done that you can begin to find techniques and methods to eliminate your anxiety attacks.

Feel free to visit some of my sites Stop Anxiety Attacks and Stop Anxiety Now

Home Cures for High Blood Pressure – the Key is Lifestyle Modifications

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:33:48 +0000

Nowadays, it seems as if almost everyone is looking for a healthier alternative to treat their medical conditions. Apparently, high blood pressure is not exempt to the home cures. People suffering from high blood pressure are also seeking home cures for high blood pressure with hopes they can naturally maintain control over their blood pressure without having to deal with the unnecessary side effects of prescription medication.If you are looking for the best home cure for lowering your high blood pressure, you merely have to make a few modifications to your current lifestyle. For example, you more than likely already know how dangerous smoking tobacco products is for your health, so it is important that you discontinue this bad habit. Smoking and being around second hand smoke will raise your blood pressure, so if you are serious about bringing those numbers down it’s time to put out the cigarettes and pick up a carrot stick instead!Stress is another blood pressure raising part of our lifestyles. Although it is nearly impossible to completely rid your life of stress, you do have to eliminate as much stress as you possibly can. Generally, getting all worked up about something is not going to change it. So try a little harder to not let the little things get your blood pressure rising.Eating healthy is another way for you to be able to lower your blood pressure. You should be eating foods that are low in saturated fats, avoid fried foods and red meats should be limited as well. Try to increase your veggies and avoid using canned vegetables. Instead try to incorporate more fresh or frozen veggies into your diet.Exercise is also important in maintaining overall health as well as healthy blood pressure levels. It is not necessary for you to have to do vigorous exercises, light to moderate exercising can be enough. Such as a brisk walk around the neighborhood, a bike ride or even swimming are considered to be great exercises to lower blood pressure levels.Once you are aware you have high blood pressure you can take these simple steps for lifestyle changes and decrease your blood pressure. Using home cures for high blood pressure to lower your numbers is not going to be difficult at all. Once you realize how easy these changes can be you will be glad you made them. In the beginning it is often difficult to change some of our bad habits, but soon after we modify our lifestyles your overall quality of life can be increased, and all with out the unnecessary side effects from medications.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and high blood pressure treatment. Discover how you can lower high blood pressure naturally using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusbloodpressure.com

Anxiety Attack Symptoms

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:56:26 +0000

There are many people in the world who suffer from some form of anxiety and for these people these anxiety attacks may be mild or they could be very severe. While there are many ways of treating anxiety attacks, it’s first important to identify what your anxiety attack symptoms are.
There are the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks that manifest themselves in the form of headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, tingling, pale complexion, numbness, difficulty in breathing, and sensations of tightness in the chest, neck, shoulders and or hands. These reactions are the body’s fight-or-flight reaction which involves the hormones, muscles and the heart.
The behavioral anxiety attack symptoms include pacing, trembling, general restlessness, hyperventilation, pressured speech, wringing of the hands, and even finger tapping. Then the cognitive anxiety attack symptoms include recurrent or obsessive thoughts, feelings of doom, and morbid thoughts of death, confusion or the inability to concentrate.
The emotional anxiety attack symptoms can include feelings of tension or nervousness, feeling agitated, overwrought, and feelings of unreality, panic, or even terror. Then there are also the anxiety attack symptoms where the person’s brain puts up a defense mechanism against the anxiety attacks.
Feelings of depression can also occur because of this excessive stress that we need to cope with. While there are therapies and medications that can deal with full blown anxiety disorders, you might want to practice a few techniques for coping with anxiety and stress.
These psychological defenses include repressing anxious thoughts or ideas out of the conscious awareness. Another anxiety attack symptom is where the sufferer will transfer the source of their anxiety to an object or an event. Phobias are an example of this anxiety attack transference. Then there are the times that a person who suffers from anxiety attacks will rationalize their anxious feelings by claiming that ordinary people would feel the same way were they placed in the exact situation.
The other method that the brain will use as a defense against anxiety attacks manifests itself in the form of physical complaints and illnesses. In this case the anxiety attack symptoms involve recurrent headaches, an upset stomach, and muscle and joint pains.
Delusions are one other way of the brain trying to defend the sufferer from the anxiety attacks. For these anxiety attack symptoms the person can formulate conspiracy theories or other similar scenarios. This gives the person an emotional outlet for their feelings of anxiety.
It doesn’t really matter what form these symptoms show themselves in. What’s really important is once you identify that these are signs of anxiety attacks that you seek and receive help and treatment for this condition. By catching these anxiety attack symptoms early you have a chance to stop it progressing to a more severe condition like agoraphobia where you may become housebound due to your excessive anxiety attacks. So don’t delay if you feel that you suffer from anxiety attack symptoms, go see a qualified medical practitioner as soon as possible and get the proper help.

Lifestyle Changes That Help You Control Blood Pressure

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:01:14 +0000

It is a commonly known fact that a healthy lifestyle is an essential part of a healthy life. Same is true if you want to maintain a normal blood pressure.
Even if you are highly dependent on those pills and medicines to treat your blood pressure disorder, your lifestyle pattern in large will determine the success of the medications. And if you succeed in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you might not even find the need of any medication soon. A controlled blood pressure will help you live longer and prevent other health related problems like heart and kidney failure. Some of the lifestyle changes that are necessary to maintain a healthy blood pressure levels are:
Lose That Extra Weight
Increasing weight is a very common factor leading to high blood pressure. More weight amounts to higher blood pressure. Besides this, losing weight increases the effectiveness of the hypertension medications. And weight can only be maintained if you have a proper dietary habit and a regular exercising regime.
Exercise Regularly
For a controlled blood pressure, physical activity should be made a part of your overall strategy. Exercising helps you to fight your pre-hypertension and prevents it from taking the shape of full-fledged hypertension.
Eat Healthy
The old saying “You are what you eat” is an apt one. Till long it had remained a myth with the people that eating habits do not have any role in the maintenance of your blood pressure, but with new studies coming up they have been proved wrong. It has been shown that you can reduce your blood pressure if your diet is rich in fruits, grains, dairy products with low fats and vegetables.
Reducing Sodium Intake
Sodium has an active role to play in your blood pressure. More Sodium in the body means, more amount of blood pressure. So from now on the next time you munch on your favorite processed food, just be a little more careful. But if you are unable to do that, increasing the potassium amount in your diet can counter the effect of sodium on blood pressure.
Limit The Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol has both the good and bad effects on your health. The good is that it prevents the possibility of a heart attack and clogging of arteries. The bad is that excessive alcohol consumption reduces these good effects on the body, thus raising the blood pressure levels. Apart from this, excessive alcohol intake also reduces the effectiveness of the blood pressure lowering medications on the body.
Avoid Tobacco Products
Tobacco poses the biggest threat to your blood pressure. And if you are a constant smoker then there is a possibility that even medication won’t solve your blood pressure problems. Apart from this there are certain chemicals present in tobacco that have adverse effects on the arteries, damaging them and causing fluid retention in the body.
Control Your Caffeine Intake
Till now the role that caffeine plays in blood pressure is debatable. Caffeinated beverages increase the blood flow in the arteries. But it is also said that if you consume such products on a regular basis then the effect of caffeine on the blood pressure diminishes. Therefore the effect of caffeine still remains ambiguous.

How Female Hormonal Changes Can Contribute to Anxiety and Panic Attacks

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:04:40 +0000

Some women are more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations than others. For many women, anxiety issues appear for the first time during periods of hormonal change. For other women, hormonal changes intensify previously existing anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety is one of the most common symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS), post-childbirth, and perimenopause (the period of time before the onset of menopause). It may take the form of panic attacks, nervousness, sweating, intense fear, anxiety combined with depression, or other overwhelming symptoms.

Here are several periods of hormonal change that can intensify or trigger anxiety in women.

Puberty — Developing girls experience hormonal changes as they prepare to begin their reproductive years.

Monthly menstrual cycle — Often girls and women experience PMS the week before their period.

Following childbirth — The severe drop in certain hormones following childbirth can cause dramatic physical symptoms and a temporary feeling of depression or anxiety; in some women, it is prolonged.

Perimenopause — Perimenopause is the period of time when the body is approaching menopause. It may last from two to ten years. During this time the menstrual cycle becomes irregular as the hormone levels keep fluctuating, causing some women to experience PMS-like symptoms.

Although many of us may use the term “going through menopause” to describe this period of time, it is actually called perimenopause. Many women experience panic attacks for the first time during perimenopause. Other symptoms such as insomnia, hot flashes, rapid heartbeat, and sweating are also common.

With surgical menopause (hysterectomy), you’ll likely experience perimenopausal symptoms after the surgery, even if you did not experience symptoms prior to surgery. Symptoms can be prolonged and are due to the dramatic and sudden decrease of certain hormones as a result of the hysterectomy.

In non-surgical circumstances, menopause occurs after a woman has no periods for twelve consecutive months. It lasts only one day. Many women report feeling better than ever mentally and physically after menopause, due to the fact that hormone levels stabilize.

Hormonal Change Triggers the Fight Or Flight Response

Due to the fact that hormonal change causes physical and psychological stress, it triggers our “fight or flight” response. The fight or flight response is the body’s inborn, self-protective response to perceived danger.

When we perceive that we are under stress, our bodies send out a rush of cortisol, adrenaline, and other brain chemicals to prepare us to “fight” or “flee” the danger.

The fight or flight response triggers the physiological changes that we associate with anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, sweating, muscle tension, narrowed mental focus, heightened emotion, and many other symptoms.

These are the same physical sensations that many women experience when their hormone levels fluctuate. In other words, most of the symptoms women experience during times of hormonal change are really fight or flight reactions. While these physical sensations are not dangerous, they can be very intense and overwhelming.

Our fight or flight response mechanism can become “hypersensitive” with the various hormonal changes in our bodies that take place from puberty to menopause. Many of us are in a constant state of stress due to our lifestyle and thought patterns, which also causes hypersensitivity.

In other words, our bodies may be stuck in the “on” switch of fight or flight. What normally wouldn’t trigger symptoms, now initiates symptoms and perpetuates an ongoing cycle.

Fight or flight reactions in and of themselves are harmless. However, when our thoughts convince our rational minds that these symptoms are scary and dangerous, we create an anxiety cycle.

Anxiety consists of more than fight or flight reactions acting by themselves. Unproductive thoughts play a critical role in creating and perpetuating the anxiety we experience.

Our thoughts convert fight or flight reactions into anxiety, and a self-perpetuating cycle begins. Soon we find ourselves limiting our behaviors because of anxiety as well, which further entrenches the vicious cycle.

When a person is under stress, unresolved emotions and issues commonly come to the forefront. Because hormonal change is a major stressor, it can bring up internal conflicts and self-doubt in many areas of our lives. All of a sudden, we may find that the negative self-talk that we successfully pushed to the background of our lives during less stressful times is now playing center stage.

During periods of hormonal change, we may also feel uncertain about our changing roles (e.g. maturing from girl to woman, becoming a mother, becoming a mature woman past childbearing years), which can add to our internal conflict.

When we fail to successfully resolve internal conflicts and the unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to them, we create a breeding ground for anxiety. Combined with fight or flight symptoms, it’s no wonder that these unproductive thoughts create and perpetuate the anxiety cycle!

What can you do if hormone-related anxiety affects you?

Here’s some great news! The same tools that you can use to overcome anxiety due to other reasons can help you to conquer anxiety related to hormonal changes too.

Research shows that cognitive-behavioral techniques that help you change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, and nutritional strategies (all found in our Conquer Anxiety Success Program) can help women dealing with hormonal changes.

These types of strategies not only help women regain a sense of control over their lives, but actually achieve improved physical and emotional well being! Here are a few tips to get you started:

– Focus on reducing preventable stress in your life that triggers the fight or flight response — stop the yo-yo dieting; increase sleep to eight or nine hours a night; exercise regularly; don’t skip meals; cut back on your frantic schedule; and decrease stimulants, such as caffeine.

The body isn’t designed for constant stress. When we are bombarded with stress, our ability to cope can become overwhelmed because the elevation in stress hormones makes the fight or flight switch remain “on.”

– Learn how to train your body to respond differently to stress so that you can automatically turn the false alarm “off” when the fight or flight response is triggered. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help you achieve this goal.

– Most importantly, learn how to change how you think. Our thoughts are what convert the harmless fight or flight response into a vicious cycle of anxiety. Remember, just as our thoughts hold the key to creating anxiety, they also hold the key to eliminating it!

I’m a Firm Believer in a Natural Anxiety Treatment

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:29:18 +0000

Suffering from anxiety can seem like nothing but one big disadvantage to your life. Anxiety takes away from your happiness. It also hinders the process of a valuable life and can lead to other debilitating illnesses such as depression which can also cause you to develop even further stress related health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

An excessive amount of anxiety obviously puts too much stress on the individual who is affected by the problem. The only way to get rid of it is with a good natural anxiety treatment.

Sure, there are literally a host of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications on the pharmaceutical market. But do they work? For the most part, no. Ask anyone who has taken prescription antidepressants and/or anti-anxiety medications. They are likely to tell you that the whole time they were on them, they felt like a zombie. The objective is to find a way to feel alive, get rid of the problem, and feel like yourself.

Treating anxiety naturally is much better because you end up with actual results and no side effects. As someone who suffers with anxiety, you may feel like there is no way to treat your disorder. The very thought of finding a cure may seem like a distant dream. All it takes is action on your part. With a little time and a small amount of research, you are going to find a natural anxiety treatment to suit your specific situation and preference.

A person who experiences too much anxiety is likely to suffer from other symptoms such as frequent headaches, heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, shortness of breath, nausea, nervousness, shakiness, dizziness, digestive problems, and sexual dysfunctions. In order to get the body back to normal, a natural anxiety treatment must be obtained. Chemical based prescription medications will only aggravate the problem even further and possibly create more anxiety.

Treating anxiety naturally can be done by using some natural remedies that have been proven to work. Sam-e, St. John’s Wort, Passion Flower, Valerian Root, and 5HTP are just some of the natural remedies most people use to help ease their symptoms. Relief is what the average anxiety sufferer is after.

Upon using a natural remedy for your anxiety, you are going to notice your ability to concentrate on things which are important becomes easier than before. The reason why is because when someone is overcome with anxiety, they are unable to focus on anything except the fact that they want to get past their anxiety. Life isn’t lived when someone suffers with anxiety, it is merely tolerated.

It is difficult to carry out life’s everyday activities when you are sick. Anxiety is a real condition with real long term consequences if it is left untreated. Over time, not treating anxiety can lead to health problems which require even more treatment.

It is not necessary to know where the source of your anxiety is coming from because once it has developed, it is likely to come from every aspect in your life. The main thing is that you are getting it under control with a natural anxiety treatment so you are able to get your life back the way you want it to be.