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Panic Attack: Signs, Symptoms, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia

A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear and anxiety, usually without any clear reason and without warning. It can happen to anyone regardless of age, health and status. Many attacks are a one-time occurrence, but some people experience recurring episodes. Recurring episodes are often caused by a “trigger” like speaking in front of a crowd or doing a presentation at work. Panic attacks may be a part of another disorder such as depression, panic disorder, or social phobia. These, however, are generally harmless, but sufferers still feel that their life is in danger. Either way, panic attacks are treatable.

Signs and Symptoms

A panic attack can happen anytime, but it usually happens when you are away from home. You may be at a store shopping, at work preparing for a presentation, in a class, driving, walking down the street or even during asleep.

The signs and symptoms develop quickly and usually arrive at its peak in 10 minutes. The majority of panic attacks do not last for more than 30 minutes and it rarely lasts for more than an hour.

A person during an attack shows these signs and symptoms:

Increased heartbeat or palpitation
Chest pain
Hyperventilation or shortness of breath
Stomach churning, upset stomach
Trembling and shaking
Muscle tension
Sweating
Dizziness and light-headedness
Hot or cold flashes
Tingling sensation or numbness
Fear of dying, going crazy or losing control
Feeling detached from the surroundings

Panic Disorder

A panic attack may happen just once without any problem or complication. And there is almost no reason to be concerned if you have one or two episodes. But those who have experienced several episodes usually develop panic disorder.

Recurring panic attacks along with persistent anxiety for future attacks and major changes in behavior can be considered as panic disorder. There are two symptoms of panic disorder: (1) phobic avoidance and (2) anticipatory anxiety.

Phobic avoidance – When you begin to avoid certain things or situations based on the belief that it would trigger another attack. It can also be avoiding situations that have caused the previous attack. You may also avoid places or situations where escape is difficult and help is unavailable, like riding an elevator or an airplane. Extreme case of phobic avoidance may lead to agoraphobia.

Anticipatory anxiety The “fear of fear” or the fear of having future panic attacks. The person manifesting this symptom is usually tensed and anxious. When ignored, the condition can be disabling.

Panic disorder with agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is traditionally believed as fear of open places or public places, thus, it literally means “fear of the marketplace.” However, now it is believed that agoraphobia is fear of experiencing panic attack in a place where help is difficult or where escape would be difficult.

People with agoraphobia tend to avoid the following situations or activities:

Being away from home

Driving

Confined places where there is a possibility of being trapped (elevator, theaters, public transportation, stores)

Going out with “unsafe” person or someone he or she is not comfortable being with.

Places where it would be embarrassing to have a panic attack like parties and other social gatherings.

In severe cases, people with agoraphobia see their home as the only safe place.

Asthma Homeopathy

Health conditions have alternative treatments. Admit it, not everyone can afford to pay for expensive medicines and other medical costs. If you want a cost-effective way to treat asthma, why dont you try asthma homeopathy?

Homeopathic asthma treatments are quite effective especially among recently diagnosed patients. Children and babies can benefit greatly from this type of treatment. There are times when the symptoms of asthma disappear when the child grows older but during their adulthood, the condition returns. If this happens, you can also use the homeopathy treatments.

Always keep in mind that many studies have already proven the effectiveness and efficiency of conventional medical treatments for asthma. In fact, it has already saved millions of lives for many years. If youre using a conventional asthma treatment, try to talk to your doctor and tell him/her that you want to try the homeopathic treatments. Oftentimes, the doctor will tell you to continue your conventional medications and use the homeopathic treatments as a supplement. By combining the two medications, the patient will be able to address the symptoms successfully.

Why is homeopathy very popular? Well, the reason is quite obvious. The homeopathic treatments dont have side effects, natural, and affordable. Because of these reasons, many people are comfortable in using them for babies, kids, and the elderly. The homeopathic treatments consist of organic products, minerals, and plants. It is prepared in a very special form which deals with the symptoms for better relief.

The effects and results of using asthma homeopathy differ from one individual to another. For instance, a certain homeopathy treatment works well for your friend but when you tried it, it did not exhibit the same effects. When youre using homeopathy, you should not expect immediate results but you will surely benefit from it over the long run. Use the treatments regularly and properly; that way, the results can be seen in a few weeks. You can consult homeopathy specialists or practitioner in your area so that you can start using the alternative treatments. Asthma medications can be very expensive but you can make a difference if you use an alternative asthma treatment like the homeopathy treatments. The homeopathy practitioner will design a treatment plan which depends on your individual requirements.

As you can see, you cant use homeopathy treatments used by other people. The practitioner will tailor your needs depending on your current condition. Several factors will be considered such as your age, the severity of the asthma attacks, etc.

There are lots of information resources online about the homeopathy practitioners. With a bit of research, you can easily find a local practitioner who can help you with your problems. Try to check the background of the homeopathy practitioner and dont forget to look at the testimonials of past customers. This is one way to find out if the practitioner is a good one. Always remember that there are lots of scammers online and you need to stay away from them.

Use the internet now and find a local homeopathy practitioner who will help you in treating the asthma symptoms. Dont forget to visit your doctor and inform him about your decision to use homeopathy treatments. If something goes wrong, visit your doctor right away. Be very careful in using conventional medicines and alternative treatments together because it might cause certain reactions. Seek medical help first.

Asthma Attacks

To healthy individuals, asthma may be a simple health problem but for the sufferers, its really a different thing especially when the attack is slowly setting in.

Asthma attacks happen when the air passages constrict. This may be due to allergens, air impurities, food, exercise or strenuous activities, and many others. Severe attacks are often characterized by wheezing or whistling sounds, dry cough, and breath-shortness. In an asthma attack, the air passage of the individual is clogged by mucus, the air tubes lining is swelling or inflamed. Gasping for breathe is a dreaded situation for asthmatics and so you should try to prevent the attacks as much as possible.

There are several layers in the air tube. A muscle located outside relaxes or tightens and it is responsible for controlling the air tubes opening. It is guided by the nervous system, particularly the portion for the reflexes. The muscle works like that of involuntary blinking.

You cant control how the muscles work. The outside muscle of the air tube reacts to irritants like perfume, dust, allergens, pollution, pollen, or cigarette smoke by tightening or relaxing. In the case of asthma patients, the outside muscle overreacts to the irritants, thereby causing an attack.

Aside from reacting with irritants and allergens, the muscle also reacts to other factors like exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections. When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows.

Asthma attacks are not only limited to the tightening of the muscles of the air tube but it can be caused by the inflammation of the airways lining as well. Have you ever experienced scraping your knee? If youre observant, you will notice that the knee area swells and a fluid oozes out. This fluid is made up of cells which fight the infection but it also contributes to swelling. The same thing happens in the airways. When the airways are inflamed, the lining oozes out fluid which contributes to swelling and at the same time, it obstructs the air passage.

Mucus found in the airways in not all that bad. It normally aids in the smooth flow of air into the lungs but during an asthma attack, the mucus increases and it clogs the air passage. The mucus becomes sticky making it more difficult to breathe. As long as the mucus clogs the air passage, the asthma attack will persist. You need to consult a doctor right away so that you can receive appropriate medical attention.

Keep in mind that if you leave the mucus clogs untreated, it can lead to infections. Only the doctor can give you the proper antibiotic that suits your situation. Attacks can last for a couple of minutes but for severe attacks, it can last for many hours or even days. There are intervals wherein the asthma patient will not feel any of the symptoms but it will soon return if no proper medication is given.

Doctors often conduct a breathing test to determine if the person has asthma and it is called spitometry. During the evaluation, several tests will be conducted to identify what caused the asthma attack. Once the trigger or triggers are identified, you need to stay away from them as much as possible. You have to work closely with your doctor if you want to prevent future asthma attacks. The attacks can be deadly, so dont disregard them.

Asthma And Yoga

Many people are now opting for alternative treatments since conventional medications are already very expensive. Medical costs are continuously rising every year and because of this, individuals suffering from different health problems are turning to cost effective alternative treatments which were used many years ago by the ancient people. Did you know that yoga can prevent and control asthma attacks? If you dont believe it, keep on reading.

Asthma is a Greek word which means short-drawn breath, gasping, or panting. It is considered as a respiratory ailment which causes discomfort among patients. About 10% of the children and 5% adults around the world are suffering from asthma; these are millions of people suffering a dreaded disease and when it is left untreated, it can cause death. Asthma symptoms dont show everyday. The attacks happen when the asthma is triggered by a certain factor.

Normally, the air sacs appear like balloons when filled with air but in the case of an asthmatic, the air sacs become floppy-like while the alveoli and bronchi collapses. The asthma patient will therefore inhale more air but they will have difficulty in exhaling. Its easy to tell if youre having an attack, just look at these symptoms dry cough, breath shortness, breathing difficulty, lightness or tightness of the chest, and whistling or wheezing sounds. Prior to your asthma attack, symptoms like irritated eyes, itchy throat, and running nose may also appear.

Asthmatics have trouble in exhaling but they can inhale with ease. Another thing that you should watch out for is that the asthma attacks occur at night, when the person is sleeping. If you want to control your life and prevent asthma attacks, you need to identify the possible triggers or factors. The triggers include allergy, abnormal or unusual body chemistry, heredity, and combination of several factors.

Bronchospasm occurs when the airways are constricted and clogged. This results to difficulty in breathing. Once the bronchioles become inflamed, it generates mucus and this result to muscle tightening; the airways are thereby irritated and the doctor will tell you that youre having a bronchospasm.

If you dont want to suffer from asthma symptoms often, you can try yoga. There are already a large number of Yoga centers all over the world. Asthmatics that joined yoga showed favorable results. Through yoga, you can avoid attacks without using any drug or medication. If youre currently undergoing a medical asthma treatment, yoga practices can also enhance the efficacy of such medicines. Homeopathic and allopathic doctors now believe in Yogas effectiveness in treating asthma.

According to Yoga experts, your health condition is centered in the mind. Through yoga practices like meditation, relaxation, yogic kriyas, pranayamas, and yogasanas, the whole system can be calmed down. This aids in adequate food assimilation and the strengthening of the circulatory and digestive systems, as well as the lungs. By practicing yoga regularly and for longer periods, asthma attacks can be prevented.

If youre taking drugs and medicines, the anxiety is still there and this can trigger an attack. With yoga, you get to relax because of the increased awareness of oneself. If you can allay your anxieties and fears, you can control asthma with ease.

The immune system is stabilized by the yoga practices and therefore, there are less respiratory tract infections. You can recover from asthma; find a Yoga center near you now.