Anxiety Attack Treatments

What is an Anxiety Attack and How is it Treated?

So what is an anxiety attack really all about? And what are the treatments? The following report includes some fascinating information about anxiety attacks and anxiety attack treatments -- info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

An anxiety attack is an irrational fear that can manifest itself in physical body sensations, such as dizziness, shortness of breath, tightness in chest or throat, racing heart beat, etc.

Anxiety attacks are frightening but luckily are normally harmless. In general, attacks rarely last more than 30 minutes, with the highest intensity occurring inside the first 10 minutes of an attack.

But what makes anxiety attacks problematic is if they becomes chronic, affecting your health, well-being and disrupting your normal way of life.

Several treatments have proven to be very effective in stopping anxiety attacks. The following treatments are some of the more popular ones...

Meditation

Meditation relieves stress, tension and anxiety by promoting the release of negative energy from the body, relaxing tensed muscles, and calming the mind: effectively reducing irrational fear and apprehension.

Meditation may not be for all because of the time required to master the technique, however, with proper expert guidance or a little bit of patience and dedication, you can reap its benefits.

Self-hypnosis

A great tool to alter your thought process as well as your body's reaction to those fearful thoughts. During an anxiety attack, lay down on your back or in any comfortable position and try to process your thoughts.

Identify the origin of such fearful thoughts. Know if it is real. If you concentrate enough in finding the origins of your thoughts, you will soon realize that they are really not a valid reason for excessive fear.

It may sound simple, and it is. Psychiatrists now recommend self-hypnosis as a treatment for anxiety attacks and other anxiety disorders. (Hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used together by your therapist to stop symptoms of anxiety attacks.)

Breathing Techniques

Can be an effective way of controlling an anxiety attack. Controlled breathing can help slow down heartbeat and calm the tensed muscles resulting from an attack.

Breathing also diverts the mind's attention from the "trigger" and calms the self, thus, stopping the attack even faster. Proper breathing techniques are easy to learn and master.

Prescription Medicines

A major help in stopping the symptoms of anxiety and episodes of anxiety attacks.

Antidepressants are the most common anxiety treatment. They must be taken continuously, which may take as long as six weeks before you notice the beneficial effects.

Beta-blockers are types of drugs that prevent symptoms from recurring.

SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors boost the level of serotonin in the brain which regulates and normalizes emotions.

Herbs

Herbs like lavender, ginkgo biloba, chamomile, and passion flower are very effective long-term treatments for anxiety attacks. Since they are completely natural, they posses no negative side effects.

They may not be as aggressive as prescription drugs but they work just as effectively in the long run, and, without the nasty side effects of some drugs.

Therapies

These are very important anxiety attack treatments. They target the 'psychological' aspect of anxiety.

'Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy' (CBT) is used to alter the way of thinking – converting negative thoughts into positive ones. Techniques used in CBT include role-playing and relaxation techniques.

'Exposure Therapy' exposes the person to the physical sensations of panic in a safe and controlled environment. Through repeated exposure, patients gain greater self control and more confidence in facing fearful situations.

Combined Prescription Medication & Therapies

Prescription medicines and therapies, when combined and used during treatment, are very effective. Medical studies show that the response rate of patients is much higher if both methods are used compared to those that are treated using either method.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action. But take action you must.

And for one expert's really radical and unique program to eliminate anxiety and panic attacks forever (and all without expensive drugs!), please visit Panic Away! now, and break out of your 'vicious cycle of anxiety'.

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