Archive for December, 2009

Neil Redfern Talks About The Causes Of Anxiety Attacks

Although anxiety attacks do not always have a highly specified trigger or cause, there are certain things that tend to induce an anxious response in...

 

Although anxiety attacks do not always have a highly specified trigger or cause, there are certain things that tend to induce an anxious response in individuals prone to these attacks. So what are the causes of anxiety attacks?

Anxiety attacks and panic attacks can be be caused by a few organic causes. Some conditions that may lead to the development of anxiety attacks are: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic or acute stress disorder.

Parkinson’s disease, certain adrenal issues along with certain cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and endocrine issues are some conditions that may contribute to the cause of an anxiety attack. Cancer can also cause an anxiety attack.

Brochildilators, steroids, antidepressants and antihypertensives are medications that may cause anxiety attacks. A person who does substance abuse may have episodes of extreme anxiety.

Although alcohol, cannabis, and a wide variety of other drugs are known to produce such a reaction, stimulants such as caffeine and cocaine are particularly notorious for their role in the development of anxiety disorders.

Some common symptoms of causes of anxiety attacks:

* Are you always worried, tense, and on the edge?

* Do you feel like you are in danger whenever you are in confined places?

* Are you afraid of mingling with strangers, meeting new friends or even meeting relatives?

* Do you feel that something bad or catastrophic will happen if certain things are not done according to plan?

* Do you experience worry, fear and anxiousness that affect your relationship, work, healthy, and other responsibilities?

* Do you feel irrational fear but couldn’t shake it?

* Does your anxiety force you to avoid everyday situations and activities?

There are many forms of anxiety that have different symptoms and causes of anxiety attacks. When you have extreme high anxiety unlike most people, you need to find out what type of anxiety you have first. Then you can make a decision for self help strategies and treatment options that will help.

For extra information or queries about The Causes Of Anxiety Attacks please visit us at www.upbeatandconfident.com

Your Options in Panic Attack Medication

 

If you have recurrent panic attacks, you probably have visited your doctor or psychiatrist. He or she may have suggested the possibility of using medication, to combat your panic and anxiety. Although your doctor is very knowledgeable, being informed is still important. Panic attacks are most often treated with antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, and beta-blockers.

Although antidepressants were originally designed to treat depression, psychiatrists and patients alike have found them effective against anxiety and panic disorders. If you and your doctor decide that you should be on antidepressants, remember that you need to be taking antidepressants regularly for a few weeks before you notice effects. So if initially you don’t feel better, just sit tight.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the newest and safest on the antidepressant market. As their name indicates, SSRIs stabilize the levels of serotonin in your brain. Clinical trials have demonstrated that SSRIs decrease the frequency of panic attacks by up to 75%. SSRIS specifically prescribed for panic attacks include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and fluvoxamine (Luvox). There is little chance of patients developing a dependency on these drugs. One negative thing about them however is that it will take four to six weeks for a patient to notice any improvement in his/her condition.

Tricyclics are also used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. Similar to SSRIs, tricyclics harmonize the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain. However, tricyclics have more side effects, including weight gain, drowsiness, vomiting, and fainting. Imimpramine (Tofranil) is commonly prescribed for anxiety.

Benzodiazepines are another type of panic attack medication that you may want to consider if you don’t want to take antidepressants every day. These drugs help to reduce anxiety, and will start working very quickly, usually within 30 minutes. You should take these pills when you are starting to experience a panic disorder in order to relieve the symptoms and calm your heart rate down. However, benzodiazepines can be very addictive, and when you are looking to get off the medication, the withdrawal symptoms can be very serious.

Beta blockers can be helpful in controlling the physical symptoms of panic attacks particularly rapid heartbeat, shaking, trembling and blushing. These are safe for most patients and are not addictive. They can be especially useful before giving a speech or entering a situation that could cause an attack. Like all medications they do have side effects but fortunately there are not many of them. These can include short-term memory loss, insomnia and a diminished heart rate.

Foods that are high in vitamins B and C will increase the strength of your nervous system, and will give you the ability to think clearly in situations that may normally cause you to be anxious. You may even find that as you are making deliberate changes to your diet in order to improve your health, you will have the confidence that you need to handle the stress in your life with more ease.

One of the most frightening ailments that you can suffer from is a panic attack. You will feel completely out of control, both psychologically and physically. Find the information you need to know about panic attack medication and other treatment options at Help for Panic Attacks.

Overcoming Anxiety – It Can Be Done

 

If you suffer with anxiety or panic you are not alone. There are nearly 40 million adults in America that suffer with some sort of anxiety, including panic attacks, social phobias, post traumatic stress disorder and many more. This total is almost 20% of the total adult population – quite a staggering figure.

There are ways of overcoming anxiety and panic attacks by using what is known as cognitive therapy. This works by helping you to deal with both the psychological and physical way in which your body reacts when you come across one of your triggers.

You learn to isolate these feelings and to begin to challenge them – this is just a very simple way of explaining part of the therapy.

When you think about the symptoms that you can suffer when you have a panic attack, you certainly need to find a way of overcoming the anxiety that is causing the panic attack.

The symptons of a panic attack can include a very rapid heartbeat, tingling in your fingers and toes (this is caused by the fact your body is reacting to your fear by constricting the blood supply to your extremites to protect your vital organs), feeling as though you are going to die, feeling very faint, excessive sweating and others.

Whatever is causing your anxiety you need to be able to deal with both your psychological and your physical response, and there are methods of overcoming anxiety which you can learn.

This starts off a vicious cycle, as you stop doing many things, you could even stop going out socially if you get panic attacks when you meet new people. All of this is going to cause you distress in one form or another, so it is really important that you break this cycle by taking action in overcoming anxiety or panic.

It is a system that definitely needs practice, but it’s definitely the best way of overcoming anxiety in the long term.

Make sure to visit Overcoming Anxiety for dealing with anxiety and pacic attack treatment.

Frequent Headaches

 

Many of us live with headaches afflicting us for no apparent reason. Some of these headache types may occur once and then we may live for several years before we have them again. Other types of headaches happen pretty often in our lives. These headaches are known as ‘frequent headaches’.

Frequent headaches in general are tension headaches. Other times, frequent headaches are the result of ingesting too much over-the-counter (OTC) medications. This type of frequent headache is also called ‘rebound headaches’. While it is safe to take the recommended dosage to treat headaches, rebound headaches occur because the dosage amount has been exceeded.

Generally, one of the methods to stop the pain that are frequent headaches, is to slowly reduce the amount of method that you are taking. People who may find this step hard, ought to talking with their GP, who can help to find the best method to accomplish this without making their headaches or other complaint worse.

Other than overdosing on headache tablets, there are other things that can bring the onset of frequent headaches. These may be too much smoking and too much alcohol. Therefore, reducing your alcohol intake to a more appropriate level can help with lessening the pain of your frequent headaches.

Since smoking any kind of tobacco can increase your risk of getting frequent headaches, it really is best to stop smoking altogether. While it might sound easy to control these frequent headache triggers, you may actually need professional help to reduce your frequent headaches.

So, when you consult with your doctor you ought to ask about headache clinics and whether they may have the facilities to assist you with your rebound and/or frequent headaches. Individuals who would rather cope with their headache medication themselves, can begin by reducing the dose a little at a time.

Afterwards, when your body is able to cope with that reduction, you can lower the dose a bit more. If you feel that the headaches are becoming too frequent, you have the option of taking a little cortisone to help tolerate the pain of the headaches while your body slowly gets used to to the new regimen.

Since frequent headaches seem to be caused more by the overdose of headache medication, it would be a good idea for you to take the medication only when you absolutely need to. This way you can control your dosage of the medication that causes you to suffer from other headaches in addition to what you originally started the pain killers for.

If you have a problem with frequent headaches, you really ought to definitely go to our website on Stopping Headaches.

categories: headaches,migraine,mens issues,women,frustration,moods,emotions,overdose,health,medication,anxiety,grief,advice,other

Things To Know About The Beck Anxiety Scale From Neil Redfern

 

There was a need for an instrument that will reliably distinguish between anxiety and mental depression, so the Beck Anxiety Scale was developed. There are advantages for clinical and research purposed over an actual report from a physician.

The Beck Anxiety Scale has 21 items each describing a common symptom of anxiety. There is a 4 point scale ranging from 0-3 where the people are asked to rate how much the symptom has affected them over a week. The person then adds up the symptoms to get a total score that can range from 0-63.

The number of people in the United States that are suffering from anxiety disorders and depression is staggering. Many areas of life situations can bring on anxiety and those symptoms can often act like other conditions. A heart attack can be confused with a panic attack.

There are not a lot of tools out there to help people to tell the level of anxiety they are suffering like the Beck Anxiety Scale. People are asked to rate 21 different categories on a scale of zero to three when using the Beck Anxiety Scale. Zero means they are not affected by the symptom. People will give one point if it mildly bothered them, two if it was moderately disturbing and three for something that severely bothered them.

Once the person has completed reading the 21 categories, they will add up their points and get their final score. Then they can look at a chart and be able to tell how severe their anxiety is.

A person is considered to be suffering from low anxiety levels when they score 0-21. This score can be considered a positive sign as long as the person taking the test has been honest in answering the questions. If they are not this could be a false assessment. If this is the case the person is hiding their symptoms and is acting as though nothing is wrong.

When a person has a score of 22-35 they are in the moderate anxiety category. They are getting warning signs from their body and it need addressed. They could have a phobia or a more serious medical condition. Therapies and remedies are available to help them.

If a person scores over 36 points they are in need of help. That level of mental stress is not good for anyone and it needs treated aggressively to endure that their mental and physical health does not deteriorate.

For additionalinformation or queries about The Beck Anxiety Scale please forward any correspondence to Neil Redfern at www.upbeatandconfident.com

Panic Attack Help: How To Advice

 

What is a panic attack? Let me explain it with an example. If a person has enormous fear or anxiety and feels that he is having a heart attack, when it is not really a heart attack, then you can say he is suffering from panic attack… In general he may experience higher heart beat rate, palpitation and sweating. He may also experience hyperventilation. This panic attack may last for about 20 minutes.

This is not killer disease but affects a person’s social life greatly. He may start living in a fear that he might get another heart attack at any time. He therefore will avoid going to many places especially the crowded places. This is really pathetic situation for the panic attack victim.

While a panic attack is happening, it is necessary to request medical assistance to be sure that the person does not have another problem specifically people who have asthma or a heart ailment. This condition may appear very stressful, but it is necessary for the person to remain relaxed by continuing to relax yourself, otherwise you might cause the person to panic more rather than help him.

You may try to know the reason of attack from the person and try to carry him away from that. While doing so, you should not push the person because that can cause unintended damage to the person’s psychological condition. You can let him walk around or suggest him to walk with you for cooling him down to facilitate panic attack help.

Effective panic attack help is one that does not make patient crazy and accepts the feeling that he is undergoing. If patient is having heating in neck and face areas, let patient be calm, just stand by him and give cold compressing as panic attack help. When patient breath is short or fast, it can lead to hyperventilation causing feeling of dying.

It is even imperative to keep them cool. It would aid them to calm down mainly in scenarios when the person experiences a hot sensation on the face and neck region. Cold compress can provide panic attack help. Patience along with understanding offers a great panic attack help. Comfort the person by keeping him calm and never leave him alone.

There is panic attack help. Check out this webpage to get everything you need today.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Comprehension

 

There seems to be a number of prevalent myths surrounding the condition of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Many of these myths center on the notion that GAD is not a serious condition and that most people who suffer from it are weak minded. While such stereotypical notions are common, they are not even remotely accurate in terms of their ability to properly diagnose such a condition. GAD is far from a minor psychological hang up. It is a serious debilitating condition that affects millions of people.

GAD is a form of chronic anxiety that centers on nervousness and worry. Specifically, someone that suffers from GAD will constantly and irrationally deal with bouts of fear, nervousness, and paranoia. These feelings can revolve and family, financial, and person related matters. Such feelings must persist for at least 6 months in order to fully fit the criteria for GAD.

When one suffers from GAD, there will be a tendency to suffer from a variety of symptoms. These symptoms can include drowsiness, lack of energy, irritability, forgetfulness, chronic insomnia, and other issues. In short, so much anxiety if weighing on the person’s mind that the psychological problem starts to manifest in physical ways. This is where the person suffers to the point common life activities are impeded.

There are instances of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among those who have GAD. Events that may have been traumatic can result in flashbacks. This will interfere with the quality of life the person had prior to experiencing these symptoms of GAD and their way of life loses the value when compared to those who do not suffer from GAD. Thus, the importance of seeking treatment for GAD.

The first step in treatment centers on receiving a proper analysis. Such an analysis is administered by a psychiatrist through a series of standardized tests. Once the psychiatrist arrives at the proper diagnosis, he/she will take the next treatment steps. This will usually involve being prescribed anti-anxiety medications intended to curtail the problem.

This method helps many people to rid themselves of the GAD symptoms. However, there are those who will prefer going the therapist route and receive counseling to combat the symptoms of GAD. There is also the combination of therapy and medication which seems to work great for many people.

It is, however, important not to dismiss engaging in simple lifestyle changes to reduce anxiety. Playing sports, cleaning up one’s diet, taking part in hobbies that burn up excess tension can all have a calming and therapeutic. This is why they are considered so valuable.

There are of course those who refuse to acknowledge the fact that GAD is a serious condition and one should avoid listening to such people at all costs. In other words, one should only listen to advice from people that are knowledgeable in the field of anxiety and anxiety related conditions. Those who aren’t can offer no real help at all and for the most part, advice they offer is based largely on myths and unfounded rumors. For your own sake, unless a person is a professional, take what they say with a pinch of salt.

Learn more about panic attacks and find a treatment for anxiety and stop by Gordon Dalwood’s site where you can find out all about a treatment for anxiety and what it can do for you.

Treatments for Headaches

 

While we are suffering from a headache it is natural to try to think of ways to stop the pain. However, because there are different types of headaches, the treatments may work for only a some of the headache types. There are two different methods of curing the pain caused by headaches. These types of headache treatment are named prophylactical and abortive headache treatments.

The prophylactic treatment needs to be taken everyday in order to reduce the frequency of the attacks and to control the severity of the headache. Abortive headache treatment is started only when the headache starts.

However, you should understand that your physician will not prescribe any prophylactic headache treatment unless you are having several, frequent headache attacks per month. Furthermore, when you take the prophylactic medication you will be checked for side effects like weight gain, water retention, lethargy, memory impairment and hallucinations.

The treatment of headaches with prophylactic medicine begins with a low dose. The dosage is then increased monthly. You will also be tested every month or so to find out if the treatment is taking effect. Your doctor will also check that you are not on any other types of medicine or vitamin supplements during this early phase of your headache treatment.

It is very important for the doctor to know whether the sufferer is or becomes pregnant. If you do become pregnant, then your doctor should be informed, so that checks can be carried out to discover any possible side effects to the unborn foetus.

The main prescription drugs given for stopping headache are beta blockers such as Tenormin and Lopressor. Calcium channel blockers such as Cardizem, Dilacor, and Procardia are also prescribed. Doctors may also prescribe anti-depressants like Elavil and Zoloft. You can also be prescribed serotonin antagonists like Sansert.

Usually, anti-convulsants such as Tegretol, Depakote, and Dilantin are also given for headache treatment. Cafergot and Sansert (ergot derivatives) may also be given by your doctor. The ‘abortive’ headache treatment types available for your headache pain are usually the ‘over the counter’ (OTC) type. These include Paracetamol, Aspirin, Tylenol, Panadol, Motrin, and Advil to mention only a few. Tylenol and Panadol are known as Acetaminophen drugs. Motrin and Advil belong to the family of drugs known as Ibuprofen.

Besides these headache treatments, medicines include nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. The side effects of NSAIDs like Naprosyn and Meclomen include nausea, gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, diarrhea, light-headedness and constipation. These headache treatment medications can also cause some people to get a different type of headache.

Since taking these drugs can result in side effects, you ought to consult your doctor in order to discover if they are all right for you or not. People who would rather take an ‘alternative’ headache treatment should ask their doctor whether he thinks the alternative medicine, such as aromatherapy or supplements, will be efficacious.

If you have a problem with migraine or headaches, you should definitely visit our website at Stopping Headaches.

Why Are You So Stressed?

 

Have you been feeling stressed continuously for months? Have all usual tricks that help people get rid of stress worked way below your expectations? Are you getting desperate and go at lengths to manage your stress, yet your successes are temporary? If any of your answers to those question is “yes”, it is time for a change in tactics. Instead of waging guerilla warfare against stress, you have to prepare a regular campaign. Take your time, have a cup of coffee, sit back, and start preparing a list of things that make you feel stressed. Once completed, it will be an excellent weapon against long-time stress – one that may win this war in a few weeks.

The first part of your list should include all problems you have or used to have in your life. Be thorough – sometimes you may be very stressed because of past problems if they remain unsolved or if you suffer a defeat.

Then, populate the second part of your list with all the people that make you feel stressed. Friends, family or workmates – it doesn’t really matter. If you feel uneasy or stressed because of someone, put him or her on the list. Remember that it is ok to cool down or break those relationships that make you feel bad, especially that if you are unhappy with meeting someone the chances are this person doesn’t like you very much either.

The next section of your notes will be devoted to more positive activities. Try to think of every activity you should do to make things better. How should your lifestyle be changed to make you feel less stressed? Do you need a change in your family life? Maybe changing your job will help? Or maybe you just need a bunch of new friends to meet? Take your time and think about it – this will be framework of your life plan for the next few months or years.

After you find solutions to most your problems, you should create a list of activities you want to do, but are not included in your daily routine. You have to make your life fuller and funnier if you are to survive – only fun and enjoying your life as it is can keep the stress level in check. So, make sure that you included all activities that make you happy!

When the list is ready, you know more or less what you should do to get rid of your stress. The only thing you should keep in mind is to read the list regularly (once a month is usually enough) and keep it up-to-date. If you follow your own advice, your stress level will fall down quickly and will never rise again.

The Author: Andrew John reports on stress, stress relief and how to combat stress. For more information on Relagen and Natural Stress Relief , just click on the above links.

Anger Will Not Work In Isolation

 

We now live in a world in which each particular person has become very angry of frustrated about their lives, careers and family relationships which regularly leads to anger management and control issues. All of us have become rather self obsessed lately, particularly about how things about us affect the way we live. It even gets to the point where it could possibly be dangerous, which means it is important to understand where to go for knowledge.

The web is literally filled with sites which can be great for you in your search for anger subjects, so you should certainly take a look. You’ll be utterly astounded at the vast volume of facts that you will discover simply through performing a fast query using your preferred search engine.

Many businesses have weakened since of unattended anger issues. As the owner of the business, you owe it to yourself to provide an atmosphere conducive enough for positive anger expression. When anger is not dealt with within a work setting, it can create undercurrents of resentment and tension and lead to a decrease in the quality of services offered by the staff.

Anger is the quickest way to push people away from you. The truth is that no one likes to hang around a person that blows a fuse each thirty seconds of the day. If you get angry constantly, chances are individuals walk on egg shells around you in order not to get you angry and that in itself could be an highly tense situation.

Anger does not work in isolation. Once you get angry of frustrated and you don’t deal with it appropriately, bitterness and jealousy may follow. Anger gives birth to a whole line of fresh negative feelings that could possibly destruct a individual particular person totally. It is therefore wise to keep your anger in check always. Thankfully anger management and control schemes that work now exist.

Learn as much as you all can about how to control your anger issues and you all will become a far healthier individual. If you all are a bit uneasy around anger issues management classes, you all could take an internet based anger issues management class. Internet Based anger issues management courses make it simple for you all to get help anytime of the day. With online anger issues management classes, you all can get as personal as you all want and still have your privacy.

Bringing up kids can be a very demanding task, especially if you have a home full of angry youngsters. You have the choice of getting several anger management classes to help your youngsters deal with anger. It’s not surprising that the crimes committed by young children to day are rooted in anger because anger can be extremely harmful.

Want to find out more about What Makes Me Mad, then visit Randy’s site on how to choose the best Wordpress Information What Makes Me Mad