Anxiety High Blood Pressure » Panic

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.

Anxiety Disorder Cripples Lives

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:04:46 +0000

Anxiety disorder illnesses can fill people’s lives with overwhelming anxiety and fears that are chronic, unrelenting and grow progressively worse. Anxiety disorders cause sufferers to feel a sense of constant worry, tension and impending doom.
Anxiety symptoms can become so severe that anxiety disorder sufferers are almost totally disabled, too terrified to leave their homes, to enter their office building, attend their children’s soccer games or shop for groceries. It is common for anxiety disorder to accompany depression, substance abuse (like alcohol) or another anxiety disorder.
Most anxiety sufferers experience significant physical symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, muscle tightness and a feeling of dizziness.
When anxiety is taking a toll, your body knows it. You have trouble sleeping, eating and concentrating. You get headaches, your stomach is upset and your heart races. It is often the frightening physical anxiety symptoms that prompt sufferers to seek help.
Many don’t realize that their physical symptoms are caused by anxiety until they see a doctor. Anxiety symptoms often produce a severe, unfounded state of worry about matters such as health, money, family or work.
Because they are so intense, anxiety symptoms can cause a person to feel chronically tired and worn out all the time. Restful sleep does not come easily to anxiety sufferers.
Fortunately, through research supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, there are some effective treatments that can help. In fact, anxiety disorder is the most treatable form of mental illness. Treatment typically involves a combination of medication and therapy.
Anxiety symptoms will vary from person to person but the common denominator is that they are all disruptive to the person’s life and negatively impact their ability to function.
In addition to the severe mental anguish, anxiety symptoms often include significant physical discomfort like rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, stomach problems, muscle tension and headaches.
Many who suffer from anxiety panic attack symptoms rush to the hospital because they are convinced they are having a heart attack.
People with social anxiety disorder may literally lose their voices and have breathing difficulties if faced with a situation where they have to do something as simple as introduce themselves to their coworkers.
Anxiety information can go a long way toward helping sufferers and their families decide the best approach to treatment.
Many world-class facilities like the Midwest Center For Anxiety have conducted extensive research and can recommend treatment options. Many mental health professionals use the Beck Anxiety Inventory to help diagnose anxiety and find the best course of treatment. The Anxiety Disorder Association of America provides a wealth of information for anxiety suffers and their families.
It is our earnest hope that this information will enhance your life and allow you to join the millions of people who have conquered anxiety disorder and gone on to live fearless, happy and meaningful lives.

Anxiety Disorder-a Brief Introduction

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:42:59 +0000

Alcohol and Anxiety: Alcohol Aggravates Anxiety Symptoms

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Alcohol and anxiety can be a treacherous combination.
Research suggests that the prevalence of alcohol dependence is twice as high in people with anxiety disorders than in the general population.
According to a recent report by the National Institute of Health (NIH), anxiety is a strong psychological risk factor associated with heavy or problem drinking. Other risk factors include an impulsive personality or a family history of alcohol abuse. When alcohol and anxiety are combined, there are many serious problems that occur.
Social anxiety is the most common type of anxiety disorder and it affects 15% of all Americans. It can trigger a host of physical symptoms, anxious thoughts and avoidance behaviors.
People with anxiety may be tempted to drink before and/or during social engagements as it may initially decrease their anxiety.
The truth is that alcohol can actually trigger panic attacks. It depresses the central nervous system and causes fatigue, agitation and anxiety. It is ironic that individuals engage in an activity that produces effects similar to the ones they are trying to relieve.
When the alcohol begins to wear off, anxious people are likely to experience shakiness, headaches and nausea.
Alcohol does not mix well with anxiety medications. Sedatives of any kind should never be combined with alcohol. The interaction of alcohol with benzodiazepines can depress both breathing and blood pressure, possibly causing coma or death.
The same qualities in alcohol that may initially cause relaxation also affect your ability to remember, understand and make decisions. A person may experience minor relief from panic after drinking alcohol only to discover that as it wears off, his anxiety returns more intensely than before.
In his insightful book titled “Prisoners Of Our Thoughts” Gary Miller counsels readers not to the make the same mistakes he made.
“Adults have self- destructive ways of coping with anxiety. For any of you that are currently using alcohol to help, please realize this not a cure. In the short term, you may think it feels good but in the long term it will only bring on other issues. I’m not saying an occasional drink or two is bad. Everyone has their own opinions on drinking. But when you drink excessively to dull your anxieties, then you are on the wrong path.”
If you or a loved one suffers from alcohol and anxiety, see your health professional. Working together, you can develop a treatment plan that will free you from the vicious cycle of alcohol and anxiety.

Anxiety And Panic Attacks – Are Anti-Depressant Pills Effective?

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:31:33 +0000

In today’s fast-paced world, do most of the people find 24 hours a day enough to accomplish the tasks that they wanted to? More often than not, they may find that they do not have enough time. This lack of time, load and pressure of work creates anxiety and produces panic situations. The result is mind full of tensions and worries. All these factors combined cause loss of sleep, loss of health and other kinds of mental and physical illnesses.

All these things combined drive a person to the use of anti-depressants and other medications. Anti-depressants have been quite popular in treating stress related diseases in the past and to an extent even now. Taking pills is a commonly observed scene across the world now. Nevertheless, is it the correct way out? Is there any other alternative to it?

Millions of people across the globe have been taking anti-depressants for years and are if not completely satisfied. However, anti-depressants take at least a few weeks to act on our body and a significant number of people taking these drugs are not very satisfied.

The biggest problem with the general physicians is that they have very little training in the field of anxiety and panic situations treatments. Thus, it does not become difficult only for the patient but also the doctor to prescribe drugs under such circumstances.

The point here is that it is not difficult to deal with cases of high cholesterol or blood pressure or high blood sugar etc. the doctor can prescribe any particular treatment for any of these diseases because there are established standards. You can take a few pills and it will come under control. However, unlike all these depression and anxiety is a very complicated illness. It cannot be analysed in a matter of a few hours and tests. The treatment for such illnesses can go on for up to a few months or years and even the medication goes on for an equally long time. Treatment could be very clearly inferred from here, since the results for this kind of illness are not instantaneous.

The important thing in dealing with such cases is the knowledge of the physician. The physician dealing with such kinds of cases must be well informed of the past and all the other related events in connection with the patient. He must also be well informed of the past illnesses and medication prescribed. It is the responsibility of the doctor that he must not make the patient entirely dependant on drugs. He should also encourage the patient to undergo psychotherapy as the main course of recovery and drugs should be used as a secondary curing agent.

Latest trends have proven that when psychotherapy and drugs are used together, they have a far more beneficial result than with pills alone. In addition, in most of the cases of mild attack only psychotherapy should be prescribed. This would also help in keeping the patient away from otherwise almost addictive anti-anxiety, anti-panic drugs.

Panic and anxiety lead to depression at a later stage and are the most common causes of suicides. Most of the teenage suicide cases have been largely due to the factors. As such, we do not see suicides as an innate part of depression but it is the end result in many a cases.

Conclusion

But at the end of the day it is up to you to decide whether you want to take these anti-depressant and anti-anxiety pills or not, but you must weigh the pros and cons of these medicines before taking any further steps. You must consult not just your doctor but also your parents, your friends, your spouse before making a final decision. Above all, you must be totally convinced of your state before going in for any kind of therapy.

Lesser Known Types of Anxiety

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:31:10 +0000

Anxiety is simply excessive worry or exaggerated reaction to a triggering event. Although most people do not realize, there are various types of anxiety. If you feel that you are suffering from anxiety, you may like to have a brief learning about the different types of anxiety, including the lesser known ones. That will help you with symptom description, which in turn will help your doctor in diagnosing.The most common forms of anxiety are generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia and other phobias, panic disorder and separation anxiety disorder. These disorders are attributed to past traumatic events or genetics, and it is rare that anxiety is brought about by no reason at all although cases like this have been reported.Now, let’s focus on the less common forms of anxiety, and I have listed some of them below. These are all common worries that one may go through at one time or another, and often they are not perceived as disorders. However, it never means that disorders haven’t been developed from such anxieties. 1. Existential Anxiety This type of anxiety is related to spirituality and mortality. Sigmund Freud called this type of anxiety as the “trauma of non-being”. When a person realizes that he is not immortal and will die someday, this can load him with enormous worry. Freud believed that religion then becomes the coping mechanism so that the sufferer’s unwholesome fear of death will be minimized. This form of anxiety can be somewhat harmless and may even motivate ingenuity; but it can also be hazardous if a person starts to have strong suicidal urges because of feelings of hopelessness. 2. Boredom Anxiety This type is fairly obvious and is brought on by extreme boredom and idleness. The person becomes totally bored of his/her present living status, and develops into anxiety for no apparent reason at all. The solution to this type of anxiety is to help the suffer find out the meaning and happiness in life, be it a hobby or love.3. Test and Math Anxiety There have been cases reported that tests and math are sources of anxiety. This is so because all students are expected and supposed to be able to succeed in academic study. They are trained, at a very early age, to think that academic achievement go hand in hand with self worth and that low grades are an embarrassment. This type of anxiety is usually accompanied by physical symptoms like nausea, headaches and dizziness, and can actually hinder the performance of a student. So it is important to make the students today realize that having a low grade is not an equation to the end of social importance and peer acceptance. All forms of anxiety can possibly lead to serious anxiety disorders with severe emotional and physical symptoms. So, ignoring the initial signs of anxiety never helps in treatment. The correct way is to pinpoint the root cause of youranxiety and seek professional help.

Anxiety: Learning = Relief

admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:39:09 +0000

Anxiety – it’s something everyone experiences from time to time. But for some it’s an ongoing, life-disrupting pain in the tush. Aside from understanding anxiety purely within the context of how it feels – well – just what exactly is it? See, I believe finding the answer to this question is the longest first step toward learning to manage anxiety and its fallout.

Now, coming to know the concept of anxiety at a healing level calls for a bit more than a quick glance at a dictionary. Yes, it calls for a bit of psycho-babble. But hang in there, as I think you’ll find these two theoretical points of view interesting and relevant.

The fans in the psychoanalytic section of the stadium would more than likely root for the theories of Sigmund Freud, who just happens to be the father (you’ll make him neurotic if you even imply “mother”) of psychoanalysis. Of particular note is Uncle Siggy’s structural theory, which proposes the human psyche has three components – the id: home of our inborn primitive desires, which stomps its feet and demands immediate gratification and release no matter the consequences (the “pleasure principle”); the superego: our active conscious, which maintains a sense of morality and prohibits the practice of social taboos; and the ego: our great internal mediator, managing the interplay of the id, superego, and our external world.

Now, according to Freud, the ego is especially significant because it strives to establish a state of balance and peace between our primitive drives, morals, and world-reality. So the ego has its work cut out for it as it deals with some incredibly powerful forces. All of this said, when our id demands some sort of immediate primal satisfaction, and our superego responds that such behavior is totally inappropriate, our ego gets put to the test and can easily become overwhelmed. According to Uncle Siggy, it’s this dynamic that generates anxiety. And anxiety is all about sounding a 150-decibel alarm so the ego knows it, as well as its designated-human, is in peril. There are other paradigms (foundational philosophical/theoretical frameworks of a school of thought or discipline) I find attractive. Here’s one of them.

The cognitivists, who subscribe to the notion that emotional distress is generated when we fail to identify the details of our thought patterns and make indicated adjustments, would submit anxiety is not a direct cause of this distress. Indeed, the seemingly endless waves of anxiety many endure are the result of a faulty internal fear response system that demands immediate attention to real or perceived danger. Now, the keyword in the last sentence is “perceived.” Come on – it’s no great secret that in the vast majority of cases our sensed dangers aren’t based in rational fact. Right? And if the present danger isn’t rationally-real then the subsequent anxiety becomes inappropriate and counterproductive to our immediate and future functioning.

So, then – according to the cognitivists issue numero uno isn’t the generation of anxiety, because in the midst of dangerous circumstances it’s supposed to make an appearance. And if you think about it, doesn’t it make sense that human genetics would foster a leaning toward the anxious? Sure. And that’s because an alarm system that doesn’t give a rip about what exactly set it off provides maximum protection in any situation where disaster may well be lurking. And having a leg-up on such disaster is well worth the cost of troublesome false alarms.

See, the cognitivists would propose the issue that causes all the problems within the realm of anxiety are the thought patterns that are foundational in the misinterpretation of internal and external stimuli (a shortened breath, a heart palpitation, boarding an airplane, crossing a bridge) leading to overreaction to a perceived reality. You see, the true threat here actually becomes the creation and impact of faulty thinking patterns, misinterpretations, and overreactions. And that’s what makes anxiety a major liability.

To assist you in organizing and understanding the two anxiety theories I’ve just reviewed, how ‘bout this summary.

PsychoanalyticUnconscious forces collide as the id pushes toward immediate gratification of a primal desire, and the superego tells it to chill-out because it isn’t socially acceptable. The ego, in a frantic attempt to mediate, becomes overwhelmed and anxiety is generated. Anxiety is a message – an alarm – to the ego that it, and the individual, is in danger.

CognitiveAnxiety is not a direct cause of distress, but the result of a faulty internal fear response system. It’s an emotional reaction in response to the cognitive process of fear. The generation of anxiety is designed to be a call to action – an alarm – to deescalate a world-real threat. But the threat may be a perceived reality based upon misinterpretation

So there’s the scoop from just two theoretical perspectives regarding the origin of anxiety. And as you can well imagine there are many more points of view floating around out there. The importance of such formal definitions is in learning all we can about icky stuff that impacts our lives. And the more we know, the better armed we become. Right?

Anxiety – learn and find relief.

Anxiety Attack Symptoms

admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:55:13 +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. This cycle of endless worry and anxiety is known as a mental disorder as opposed to a physical disorder. Anxiety symptoms can manifest themselves both physically and psychologically. Anxiety disorders happen when our brain warns us about a perceived danger that is about to occur.
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.
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.

Panic and Anxiety

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:15:32 +0000

Stress can deplete your energy, lead to acceleration of aging process and degenerative diseases. The symptoms of stress include fatigue, depression, panic, anxiety, loss of appetite, and insomnia. Fortunately, there are supplements that can work to effectively reduce the detrimental effects of stress, and also relief the symptoms of stress.Loss of control is the main feature that makes this so frightening for the people who suffer from panic and anxiety. We may not know a panic sufferer by looking at him or her because they can maintain such good control that unless we were to look very carefully we might not notice the nervousness below the surface.Stress management and regular relaxation can be performed in different ways. These can be selected and developed for individual preference and to fit different styles. Some executives enjoy stress management techniques that were created from Western European tradition such as Autogenic Training phrases.Presentation anxiety can manifest in the same ways that panic/anxiety often occurs. Commonly people suffering from this anxiety will: change their breathing, tighten muscles, tighten their gut,reduce blood flow to the surface of their skin in their hands and feet, increase heart rate, increase stress hormone secretion increase blood sugar and reduce immune system function and increase sensitivity to all environmental changes.Stress hormones are released. Adrenaline, also called epinephrine, is released by the adrenal glands. This hormone helps to maintain increased heart rates and will tell the liver to release stored sugar for energy to the body. Other stress hormones do other thing. Noradrenaline is associated with anger and will raise blood pressure for most people. Symptoms that can be associated with this stress response might include: high blood pressure, panic or anxiety.The key to the success of any panic attack program is in the discovery that these anxiety disorders and panic attacks have a reason for getting started. There has to be a root that has to be uncovered in order to find the solution to why your body is reacting with these panic and anxiety attacks.Once the panic attacks have started, these episodes become the ongoing stress, even when other more obvious pressures have diminished. This sets up a “feedback condition” which generally leads to increased numbers of panic attacks and, for some people, an increase in the situations or events which can produce panicky feelings.The energy in one’s body changes, whenever, something is ‘brewing’ or in full bloom. The mouth sore was ‘brewing’ but had not erupted yet. Unfortunately, although forewarned, I didn’t forearm. The machine suggests and tests for the suitability of homeopathic remedies. It also works with the person’s unconscious and subconscious. How can that be, you might exclaim. Quantum physics (energy) is the answer. Your unconscious/subconscious thoughts are energy and the machine can detect the energy of anger, sadness, panic, anxiety, etc.Agoraphobia arises from an internal anxiety process that has become so intense that the suffering individual fears going anywhere or doing anything where these feelings of panic or feeling ‘out of control’ have repeatedly occurred before.

Read about damaged hair treatment.Also read about dog beds and single cell protein

How to Reduce Anxiety and Panic Attacks?

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:19:36 +0000

Anxiety, to some extent is required to alert you to dangers. But it becomes a problem when a person gets feeling of anxiety and fear for no obvious reason. In anxiety attack, person gets a strong and abrupt feeling of fear and anxiety. He can get anxiety attack anytime and anywhere, whether he is alone or at home or in public. Panic disorder is condition in which a person experiences frequent and recurrent episodes of anxiety or panic attacks.

Symptoms of anxiety attack include racing heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, palpitation, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, feeling of choking, chest pain or discomfort, chills or hot flushes and nausea.

Health problems like heart disease, thyroid diseases and breathing disorders can also produce similar symptoms. So, if you are getting any of these symptoms, consult your physician to determine the cause of symptoms. Panic attack can be treated with medications and psychological therapy like cognitive and behavior therapy.

Self care tips to reduce the anxiety attacks.

If you get frequent anxiety attacks, you can follow certain steps to reduce the distress of symptoms of panic attack.

Learn some relaxation techniques like meditation, muscle relaxation, relaxed breathing, deep breathing exercises, yoga and guided imagery or visualization. These relaxation methods will help you to reduce the discomfort and duration of the symptoms like palpitation, sweating, trembling etc. Find ways to calm yourself in the initial stages to avert a full-blown panic attack.

You should get adequate sleep in night. Studies have shown that sleep disturbances are commonly associated with anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorders.

Avoid intake of stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol and other stimulants in your diet. These stimulants may trigger or worsen the symptoms of anxiety attacks.

Perform aerobic exercises for at least 30 minutes a day and 3 to 4 times a week to improve your psychological well being.

Talk about the source of your anxiety with your family, friends or professional counselor.

Relaxation exercises can lower your anxiety levels. Relaxation exercises can help you to reduce the intensity of headaches, anxiety, high blood pressure and trouble falling asleep. Simple method is to concentrate on your body and block the world out. Lie down or sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Mentally scan your body and relax your muscles one by one. Start with your feet and progress to your legs, torso, arms, shoulder, neck, mouth, cheeks, nose, temples, eyes, and forehead. Gradually tense and relax all the large muscle groups of your body. Feel the tension draining out of you. Don’t focus on your thoughts and let thoughts flow through your mind. While relaxing your body, breathing should be slow, regular and deep. Tell yourself that you are calm and relaxed.

Self-care can lessen the symptoms of panic attack, but if you develop any additional symptom or increase intensity of symptoms, you should consult your physician and get the medical advice for anxiety attacks.

Psychological problems like anxiety, stress and panic attacks are because of changes in neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical substances in brain that carry messages in the nervous system. Certain nutrients are required for synthesis of these neurotransmitters in your nervous system and brain. For more information on role of nutrients in anxiety and stress, please visit www.dietfordisease.com/anxiety-stress.html website.