ANXIETY
By Dra. Annabel Carungin

Anxiety disorder is a far more common problem than was once thought.  It can affect people in their teenage years through middle age and later.  Anxiety disorder appears to affect twice as many women as men, though there my not actually be that wide a disparity between the sexes;  psychologists believe that men are far less prone to report or even acknowledge having a problem of this nature.

Anxiety disorder can be either acute or chronic.  Acute anxiety disorder manifests itself in episodes commonly known as panic attacks.  A panic attack is an instance in which the body's natural "fight or flight" reaction occurs at the wrong time.  This is a complex, involuntary physiological response in which the body prepares itself to deal with an emergency situation.  Stress causes the body to produce more adrenal hormones, especially adrenaline.  The increased production of adrenaline causes the body to step up its metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates to quickly produce energy for the body to use.  In addition, the muscle tense, and heartbeat and breathing become more rapid.  Even the composition of the blood changes slightly, to make it more prone to clotting. 

In the face of a threat such as an assault, an accident or a natural disaster, this type of reaction is perfectly normal and helpful for survival.  At other times, the symptoms caused by a surge in adrenaline can be distressing and frightening.  A person having a panic attack often is overwhelmed by a sense of impending disaster or death, which makes it impossible to think clearly.  Other feelings that can accompany a pain attack include shortness of breath; a smothering, claustrophic sensation; heart palpitations; chest pain; dizziness; hot flashes and / or chills; trembling; numbness or tingling sensations in the extremities; sweating; nausea; a feeling of unreality and a distorted perception of the passage of time.  Eventually, the disorder can have other, cumulative effects, such as generalized aches and pains, muscular twitching and stiffness, depression, insomnia, nightmares and early waking, decreased libido and abnormal feelings of tension with an accompanying inability to relax.  Women may experience changes in the menstrual cycle and increased premenstrual symptoms.

Panic attacks are usually abrupt and intense.  They can occur at any time of the day or night, and can last from a few seconds up to half an hour.  To the panic suffer, it often feels as though they are much longer.  A person having a panic attacks often believes that he or she is experiencing a heart attack or a stroke.  The attacks themselves are very unpredictable; some people experience one every few weeks, while others may have several a day.  They are often triggered by stress (conscious or unconscious) or certain emotions, but may also occur in response to certain foods, drugs or allergies.  Food allergies and hypoglycemia are both common among people with this disorder, and can promote panic attacks.  An attack may follow ingestion or over indulgence in caffeine-based stimulants such as tea or coffee.  Some attacks occur with no apparent cause.  The unpredictability of the attacks makes them even more distressing.

Many people with acute anxiety disorder become fearful of being alone and of visiting public places because they fear having a panic attack.  Of course, this only adds to the level of anxiety and leads to their lives being abnormally restricted.  Many psychologists believe that at least in some cases, panic attacks are self-induced; that is, the fear of a panic attack is the very thing that brings one about.

For years, panic attacks were dismissed as a psychosomatic phenomenon.  However, repeated studies have shown that this disorder has a real, physical basis.  Many experts believer that panic attacks are caused principally by a malfunction in brain chemistry, wherein the brain sends and receives false "emergency signals".  Hyperactivity in certain areas of the brain causes the release of norepinephrine, which causes the pulse, blood pressure and breathing to become more rapid - the classic symptoms of a panic attack.

Chronic anxiety is a milder, more generalized form of this disorder.  Many people feel a vague sense of anxiety much of the time, but the intensity of the feeling does not reach the levels of those in an actual panic attack.  They may feel chronically uneasy, especially in the presence of other people , and tend to startle easily.  Headaches and chronic fatigue are common among people with this form of the disorder.  Generalized anxiety disorder can begin at any age, but the onset typically occurs in one's twenties or thirties.  Some people with chronic anxiety disorder also suffer from occasional panic attacks.

Anxiety disorder may be hereditary to some extent, as it seems to run in families.  Some cases may be linked to a relatively harmless abnormality of heart function called mitral valve prolapsed.  Anxiety disorder manifest itself in different ways, but doctors agree that conflict, whether internal or interpersonal, promotes a state of anxiety.

Recommendations:

1. Include in the diet apricots, asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, brewer's yeast, brown rice, fish (esp. salmon), garlic, green leafy vegetables, soy products, whole grains and yogurt.  These foods supply valuable minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, which are depleted by stress.

2. Limit your intake of animal protein.  Concentrate or meals high in complex carbohydrates and vegetables protein.

3. Do not consume coffee, black tea, cola, chocolate or anything else that contains caffeine.

4. Keep a food diary to detect correlations between your attacks and the foods you eat.  Food allergies and sensitivities may trigger panic or anxiety attacks.

5. Learn relaxation techniques.

6. Get regular exercise.  Any type of exercise will work - a brisk walk, bicycle riding, swimming, aerobics, or whatever fits your individual lifestyle, after a few weeks of regular exercise, most people notice an improvement in anxiety symptoms.

7. Be sure to get adequate rest.  If sleep is a problem, do Nighttime Biomagnet therapy, to stimulate pineal gland to produce melatonin.

8. To help manage an acute attack, use breathing techniques.  Inhale slowly to a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale slowly to a count of four and then do nothing for a count of four.  Repeat this sequence until the attack subsides.  Remind yourself that panic attacks last for a limited amount of time, and hat the attack will pass.

9. Call a trusted friend or family member.  Talking things over can diffuse anxiety.

10. Do Biomagnet Therapy:

a. Drink Magnetized Negative Water regularly.

b. Daytime Sternum and Nighttime Treatment.