By Dr. Mercola
According to research1
published in 2015, anxiety (characterized by constant and overwhelming
worry and fear) is becoming increasingly prevalent in the U.S., now
eclipsing all forms of cancer by 800 percent.
Data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) suggests the
prevalence of anxiety disorders in the U.S. — which include generalized
anxiety disorder, social anxiety and panic disorder — may be as high as
40 million, or about 18 percent of the population over the age of 18,
making it the most common mental illness in the nation.2,3
According to research by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at
Penn State, anxiety has also surpassed depression as the most commonly
diagnosed mental health problem among college students, with more than
50 percent of students visiting campus clinics reporting anxiety.4
Novel Treatments Aimed at Anxiety-Ridden Students Prove Successful
Fortunately, there are many treatment options available, and some of
the most effective treatments are also among the safest and least
expensive, and don't involve drugs.
For example, many colleges are tackling the problem with high-tech
solutions. University of Central Florida (UCF) is testing a new online
app5
called Tao Connect for treating anxiety. It includes a seven-module
cognitive behavioral program, and allows the student to conduct
videoconferences with a therapist.
The program, developed with support from the National Science Foundation
(NSF), claims it can offer "effective treatment with one-third the
counselor time and half the overall cost of traditional face-to-face
individual treatment."
Dietary interventions to correct nutritional deficiencies and/or poor
gut health can also be part of the answer, along with strategies to
subdue stress, such as the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and breathing exercises.
Too bad the UCF program didn't incorporate highly effecting tapping like
EFT, which is typically far more effective than sessions with
conventional therapists.
What Causes Anxiety?
The widespread prevalence of anxiety garnered headlines when popular
actress Kristen Stewart confessed to severe anxiety and panic attacks
following her rapid rise to stardom following the hit "Twilight" series.6
While genetics,
brain chemistry, personality and life events play a role in the
development of anxiety disorders, stress is a common trigger. Public
scrutiny is certainly cause for heightened stress, but just about any
type of stress can contribute to anxiety and panic attacks.
Anxiety is a normal response to stress, but in some people the anxiety
becomes overwhelming and difficult to cope with, to the point that it
affects their day-to-day living. The brain is also actively involved.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains:7
"Several parts of the brain are key actors in the production of fear and
anxiety … scientists have discovered that the amygdala and the
hippocampus play significant roles in most anxiety disorders.
The amygdala … is believed to be a communications hub between the
parts of the brain that process incoming sensory signals and the parts
that interpret these signals. It can alert the rest of the brain that a
threat is present and trigger a fear or anxiety response.
The emotional memories stored in the central part of the amygdala
may play a role in anxiety disorders involving very distinct fears,
such as fears of dogs, spiders or flying. The hippocampus is the part of
the brain that encodes threatening events into memories."
A number of other situations and underlying issues can also
contribute to the problem. This includes but is not limited to the
following, and addressing these issues may be what's needed to resolve
your anxiety disorder. For more information about each, please follow
the hyperlinks:
Exposure to cell phones, and nonnative electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radiofrequencies (RF)
Food additives, food dyes, GMOs and glyphosate.
Food dyes of particular concern include Blue #1 and #2 food coloring;
Green #3; Orange B; Red #3 and #40; Yellow #5 and #6; and the
preservative sodium benzoate
Lack of magnesium, vitamin D8 and/or animal-based omega-3.
(Research has shown a 20 percent reduction in anxiety among medical students taking omega-3s9)
A panic attack can be terribly frightening, whether you're used to it
or not. An attack typically comes on abruptly, producing intense fear
and a sense of impending doom or even death that is typically severely
disproportionate to the situation at hand.
Hyperventilation, heart palpitations, trembling, sweating, hot or
cold flashes, nausea, dizziness or light-headedness, numbness and/or
tingling sensations are all common physical symptoms. Panic attacks tend
to peak within 10 minutes, and most subside within 30 minutes.
Few last more than one hour. It's not uncommon for people to seek
medical help, thinking they're having a heart attack or are dying, when
panic attacks first set in and they're unfamiliar with the symptoms.10
Familiarizing yourself with panic disorders and the function of your
fight-or-flight response can be helpful to guide you toward self-help
strategies that work for your unique situation.
For example, contrary to popular belief, taking deep breaths can
actually make matters worse, as explained by Patrick McKeown, a leading Buteyko Breathing expert.
Breathing Exercise to Quell Panic Attacks and Anxiety
A breathing exercise that can help quell anxiety and panic attacks is
summarized below. This sequence helps retain and gently accumulate CO2,
leading to calmer breathing and reduced anxiety. In other words, the
urge to breathe will decline as you go into a more relaxed state.
Take a small breath into your nose, a small breath out; hold your
nose for five seconds in order to hold your breath, and then release to
resume breathing.
Breathe normally for 10 seconds.
Repeat the sequence several more times: small breath in through your
nose, small breath out; hold your breath for five seconds, then let go
and breathe normally for 10 seconds.
McKeown has also written a book specifically aimed at the treatment
of anxiety through optimal breathing, called "Anxiety Free: Stop
Worrying and Quieten Your Mind — Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method
and Mindfulness," which can be found on Amazon.com.11
In addition to the book, ButeykoClinic.com also offers a one-hour online
course and an audio version of the book, along with several free
chapters12 and accompanying videos.13
Other Ways to Improve Your Coping Skills
In the featured video above, Marie Jacquemin of Soul Pancake
illustrates what it's like to be in the midst of a panic attack. As a
person suffering with anxiety disorder, she offers the following
suggestions for tempering your anxiety when it strikes:14
Go for a brisk walk outside, rather than pacing indoors.
Listen to nature sound or calming music
Exercise, which helps drain excess energy from your fight-or-flight
reflex. Indeed, some psychologists swear by exercise as a primary form
of treatment for anxiety and other mood disorders. Exercise leads to the
creation of new neurons, including those that release the calming
neurotransmitter GABA, while boosting levels of potent brain chemicals
like dopamine and norepinephrine, which may help buffer some of the
effects of stress.
Call someone you trust, and "talk it out" until you feel more centered.
EFT — A Long-Term Solution to Anxiety That Can Produce Rapid Results
It's estimated that only one-third of people with anxiety disorders receive treatment,15
which is highly recommended if you're struggling with anxiety. That
said, keep in mind that "treatment" doesn't necessarily mean drugs.
Energy psychology techniques such as EFT can be very effective by
helping you to actually reprogram your body's reactions to the
unavoidable stressors of everyday life.
This includes both realand imagined stressors, which can be
significant sources of anxiety. EFT was developed in the 1990s by Gary
Craig, a Stanford engineer specializing in healing and self-improvement.
It's akin to acupuncture, which is based on the concept that a vital
energy flows through your body along invisible pathways known as
meridians. EFT stimulates different energy meridian points in your body
by tapping them with your fingertips, while simultaneously using
custom-made verbal affirmations.
This can be done alone or under the supervision of a qualified
therapist. By doing so, you reprogram the way your body responds to
emotional stressors. Recent research has shown that EFT significantly
increases positive emotions, such as hope and enjoyment, and decreases
negative emotional states, including anxiety.
Following the publication of a 2012 review16,17
in the American Psychological Association's journal Review of General
Psychology — which assessed 18 randomized controlled trials showing
strong benefits — and a landmark study18
on EFT for war veterans suffering from traumatic stress in 2013, EFT is
moving closer to meeting the criteria for an "evidence-based
treatment."
EFT Is Particularly Well Suited for the Treatment of Anxiety
EFT is particularly powerful for treating stress and anxiety because
it specifically targets your amygdala and hippocampus, which are the
parts of your brain that help you decide whether or not something is a
threat.19,20
If you recall NIMH's explanation about how your amygdala and
hippocampus are involved in anxiety disorders, you can see why tapping
is such a powerful tool. EFT has also been scientifically shown to lower
cortisol levels,21 which are elevated when you're stressed or anxious.
In the video above, EFT therapist Julie Schiffman demonstrates how to
tap for panic attacks and anxiety relief. Please keep in mind that
while anyone can learn to do EFT at home, self-treatment for serious
issues like persistent anxiety is not recommended. For serious or
complex issues, you need someone to guide you through the process. That
said, the more you tap, the more skilled you'll become.
Just recognize that if you have a serious anxiety issue and don't
receive any benefit from self-therapy, that it doesn't mean that EFT is
useless. It means you need to seek an expert professional consultation
that can customize the approach for your specific setting.
It takes many years of training to develop the skills to become an
effective therapist, so if one doesn't work, seek out another, as it is
without a doubt the most effective clinical strategy I have ever used
for anxiety, and certainly better than any pharmaceutical drug option.
Why Anti-Anxiety Drugs Are Best Left as a Last Resort
The conventional treatment for most anxiety disorders typically
involves some kind of prescription drug. What's worse, many times,
that's the extent of the treatment options offered. This is why it's so
important to educate yourself about the potential sources of your
disorder, and investigate your options.
Anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines,
or "benzos," which include Ativan, Xanax and Valium, are a poor
solution and come with many potentially serious risks, including memory
loss, hip fractures and addiction. Up to 43 percent of older adults use
benzodiazepines for anxiety and insomnia, often chronically, even though
their long-term effectiveness and safety remain unproven.
People who take these drugs are nearly four times more likely to die
prematurely than people who don't, and also have a 35 percent greater
risk of cancer. There is also evidence that benzodiazepine use by older
adults results in a 50 percent higher risk for dementia.
Overdose Deaths From Anxiety Drugs Are on the Rise
Prescriptions for benzos tripled from 1996 to 2013, but this doesn't
fully account for the uptick in overdoses from these drugs, which
quadrupledduring that time period.22
The authors speculate that people may be using benzodiazepines in
riskier ways, such as taking higher doses or taking them for longer
periods of time, both of which increase your risk of overdosing.
Benzodiazepines exert a calming effect by boosting the action of a
neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in the same way
as opioids (heroin) and cannabinoids (cannabis). This in turn activates
the gratification hormone, dopamine, in your brain. Taking anti-anxiety
medications over time can result in addiction or physical dependence,
and getting off of them can be a major challenge.
"Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome" is characterized by panic,
insomnia, sweating, vomiting, seizures, muscular pain and a plethora of
other symptoms that can persist for up to two weeks.23
In the video above, people across the globe shared their stories about
how benzodiazepine drugs, taken as prescribed, led to serious side
effects and harm.
Remember, You Have Options
Considering the risks, I would urge you to look at drugs as a last
resort rather than a first-line of treatment. Far safer strategies to
explore include exercise, EFT, breathing exercises, optimizing your gut
flora and correcting any nutritional imbalances, such as lack of
magnesium, vitamin D or animal-based omega-3. You can also try acupuncture,24 which like EFT bridges the gap between your mind and body.
Also lower your sugar and processed food intake, be sure to get plenty of restorative sleep,
and be mindful of your exposure to EMFs and use of wireless
technologies. At bare minimum, avoid keeping any of these gadgets next
to you while sleeping. Also evaluate whether you might be exposed to
toxins. A common symptom of toxic mold exposure is anxiety, so ask
yourself if there's any kind of pattern; do your symptoms improve when
you spend time away from your home or office, for example?
You can also try out cognitive behavioral programs. A number of universities now offer Tao Connect25
to their students, but even if you're not a student, there are free
online programs available that you can use. Some examples include
MoodGYM,26 e-couch,27 Learn to Live28 and CBT Online.29
Anxiety and panic attacks can significantly reduce your quality of
life, so it's well worth it to keep going until you find a lasting
solution.
Spread the Word to
Friends And Family
By Sharing this Article.
Email
No comments:
Post a Comment