Tag: Healthy Person

Various Treatments for Panic Attacks

The cause of panic attacks is still not fully understood. What is known is that it can happen to anyone, without any reason, regardless of age. Meaning, a happy and healthy person has an equal chance of experiencing a panic attack with those who are depressed and unhealthy. An episode of panic attack chooses no time. It can happen while you are at home, sitting on your couch, watching television, while driving, shopping or walking, at the office, etc. It can even happen while you are asleep.

Given such circumstances, methods of treatment may vary from person to person, depending on his conditions, symptoms, lifestyle, and frequency of attacks. Typically however, treatment involves psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or medication. Other treatments that can be employed are meditation, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and herbal treatment.

Anti-anxiety medications such as Ativan, Xanax and Klonopin provide quick relief from the symptoms panic attack. Benzodiazepines have immediate effects, usually within 30 minutes to an hour. Benzodiazepines, however, are highly addictive and have some serious withdrawal symptoms. Anti-depressant drugs (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, and Celexa) should be taken continuously before you can begin to notice the effects, usually up to 6 months to a year. You cannot take anti-depressant drugs just during an attack.

In addition, since you cannot anticipate when you will have such attack, only those who are diagnosed with panic disorder (or recurring panic attacks) can acquire these types of drug.

Panic attacks, as well as panic disorder, agoraphobia and other phobias and related conditions can be treated effectively by psychotherapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is proven as an effective way to reduce the symptoms of panic attacks or completely eliminate the condition. CBT focuses on changing the thinking pattern of the person from negative to positive thoughts as well as changing the way a person reacts or behaves when he encounters emergency or situations that can trigger an attack.

Another treatment similar to CTB that is worth mentioning is exposure therapy. This helps the person overcome his fear by letting him face those fearful situations in a controlled and safe manner. The result of this technique is that the person learns how to react positively on what he thinks are fearful situations. Moreover, through this experience, the patient learns that the situations he fears are not harmful and dangerous.

In many cases, medication alone or therapy alone is enough to completely treat the condition, but other cases require both treatment methods to effectively treat panic disorder.

Meditation, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques have been found effective in reducing the chances of experiencing another attack. They help calm the mind and relax the muscles. Regularly practicing these exercises and techniques strengthen the body’s relaxation response.

Natural herbs such as bacopin, ginkgo biloba, passion flower, St. John Wort, hyperforin, 5HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), chamomile, rhodiola, are equally effective since they have natural anti-stress properties. In some cases, using these herbs is sufficient enough to combat panic attacks. Many people also react positively using this kind of treatment.

Fresh leaves can be made as tea. Some are also available over-the-counter in oil, tincture, capsule, powder and tea. The best thing about these natural herbs is that they do not carry any side effects as compared to mainstream anti-anxiety and anti depressant prescription medications.

The Damaging Nature Of Chronic Fatigue

At first glance, you would think that the term “chronic fatigue” says it all. In medicine, any disease, disorder or illness that has the word “chronic” attached to it means that they persist for more than 6 months, either recurring or not. However, chronic fatigue means more than that.

While it seems pretty straightforward, there is actually so much more to this disorder (or disorders) than what its name suggests. It could mean anywhere from persistent headaches, flu-like symptoms or fatigue that goes on for weeks and months. Some even have to suffer for over a few years. Some never really fully recovered.

Patients normally have to suffer from flu-like sickness that does not subside from medications or rest. Also, there is some degree of debilitating exhaustion that limits one from functioning well. Many patients describe this exhaustion as being worn out even before getting up in the morning. In fact, chronic fatigue is not resolved simply by taking a nap or a longer sleep.

The reverse is often true- the lesser activities a patient performs, the higher are the chances that the illness will get worse. With chronic fatigue, a person is also constantly plagued with foggy thoughts and unstable concentration. As if to make it much worse, the person also simultaneously feels joint and muscle pains, disturbed sleep, sore throat, and general sense of absurd health.

But that is not the end of it. For some, these symptoms develop psychological stress that in turn develops anxiety, depression and irritability. These conditions pose great risks of becoming full-blown disorders if appropriate interventions are not administered.

The sad fact is, people who are affected with chronic fatigue syndrome used to be very healthy, very active individuals. They used to lead very normal lives that were free from any of the aforementioned symptoms. This makes one wonder how a perfectly healthy person in fact one who probably had led a very active, if not exceptionally energetic life turn into someone who is perpetually sick? Good question, but one that is difficult to answer.

There are actually no clear answers as to why chronic fatigue syndrome develops in one person and not to another. Current studies and clinical evidence however suggests that chronic fatigue syndrome can develop after contracting a serious infection or after experiencing extreme levels of stress. Having said that, there are numerous medical cases that purport to these theories, so to speak.

There are, for example, valid estimates where 96% of people who develop chronic fatigue used to actively exercise prior to the onset of the disease. Majority of the patients were also at the prime of their lives when they developed the disease. It is not surprising therefore that this disorder is coined as the “yuppie disease”, because it occurs at the time when a person is supposedly healthy and full of life.

After the onset of the disease, the lives of these people are changed drastically. They get stuck in their beds and quit their jobs because it is very taxing to get up. They had to abandon their roles and obligations because they do not have even enough energy to take care of themselves. In fact, they had to live a very sedentary and weak life because they are exhausted all the time.

Indeed, life for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers is hard, oftentimes debilitating.

Various Treatments for Panic Attacks

The cause of panic attacks is still not fully understood. What is known is that it can happen to anyone, without any reason, regardless of age. Meaning, a happy and healthy person has an equal chance of experiencing a panic attack with those who are depressed and unhealthy. An episode of panic attack chooses no time. It can happen while you are at home, sitting on your couch, watching television, while driving, shopping or walking, at the office, etc. It can even happen while you are asleep.

Given such circumstances, methods of treatment may vary from person to person, depending on his conditions, symptoms, lifestyle, and frequency of attacks. Typically however, treatment involves psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or medication. Other treatments that can be employed are meditation, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and herbal treatment.

Anti-anxiety medications such as Ativan, Xanax and Klonopin provide quick relief from the symptoms panic attack. Benzodiazepines have immediate effects, usually within 30 minutes to an hour. Benzodiazepines, however, are highly addictive and have some serious withdrawal symptoms. Anti-depressant drugs (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, and Celexa) should be taken continuously before you can begin to notice the effects, usually up to 6 months to a year. You cannot take anti-depressant drugs just during an attack.

In addition, since you cannot anticipate when you will have such attack, only those who are diagnosed with panic disorder (or recurring panic attacks) can acquire these types of drug.

Panic attacks, as well as panic disorder, agoraphobia and other phobias and related conditions can be treated effectively by psychotherapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is proven as an effective way to reduce the symptoms of panic attacks or completely eliminate the condition. CBT focuses on changing the thinking pattern of the person from negative to positive thoughts as well as changing the way a person reacts or behaves when he encounters emergency or situations that can trigger an attack.

Another treatment similar to CTB that is worth mentioning is exposure therapy. This helps the person overcome his fear by letting him face those fearful situations in a controlled and safe manner. The result of this technique is that the person learns how to react positively on what he thinks are fearful situations. Moreover, through this experience, the patient learns that the situations he fears are not harmful and dangerous.

In many cases, medication alone or therapy alone is enough to completely treat the condition, but other cases require both treatment methods to effectively treat panic disorder.

Meditation, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques have been found effective in reducing the chances of experiencing another attack. They help calm the mind and relax the muscles. Regularly practicing these exercises and techniques strengthen the body’s relaxation response.

Natural herbs such as bacopin, ginkgo biloba, passion flower, St. John Wort, hyperforin, 5HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), chamomile, rhodiola, are equally effective since they have natural anti-stress properties. In some cases, using these herbs is sufficient enough to combat panic attacks. Many people also react positively using this kind of treatment.

Fresh leaves can be made as tea. Some are also available over-the-counter in oil, tincture, capsule, powder and tea. The best thing about these natural herbs is that they do not carry any side effects as compared to mainstream anti-anxiety and anti depressant prescription medications.