Panic attack symptoms, hope and help for your nerves

September 8, 4:41 AMNY Holistic Science & Spirit ExaminerTima Vlasto

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Millions of people have panic attacks at some time in their lives. The numbers are closer to 40 million people a year in the USA alone.

What is a panic attack and what are the symptoms?

You may have been in the supermarket, your friend’s wedding, in an airplane or at an interview. Out of the blue, you’re suddenly having palpitations, sweating and have difficulty breathing, You feel you might faint, your mouth is dry and you can’t swallow, you feel something terrible is happening and you might die. You run out the door for your life.

Now, there is nothing particularly unnatural about having a panic attack. Actually, all the symptoms are caused by the body’s fight or flight response; a very primitive function of our brains that protects us from danger. The urge to flee, the pounding heart, even the sweating are all responses the body should have if approached by a hungry tiger or in the midst of an accident. They prepare the body to defend itself and mobilize you for survival.

Most of these physical symptoms are caused by the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands near the kidneys. Usually, once the danger has passed, within a few minutes, the effects of adrenaline in the blood stream will subside and our blood chemistry returns to normal. The symptoms usually don’t register as alarming if there is an actual danger. You’re usually too busy running away or protecting yourself. The problem with this response is when it happens in response to a minor threat or the simple stresses of everyday life. There are no tigers in a supermarket, but the body can react as though there was one. This is how panic disorder begins.

When the body’s alarm system kicks in even though there is no threat, when the attack happens and there isn’t an earthquake or attacker but you’re just sitting quietly in movie or in a classroom; there is no way to explain what could possibly have triggered feeling like you are going to have a heart attack or stroke, or wanting to run or flee or feel you will lose control, not only of your bowels but of your mind.

The funny thing is that a panic attack usually only lasts for a few minutes; even though it may seem like hours. It’s only because the symptoms are so alarming, that a SECONDARY FEAR arises and that fear initiates the release of the panic causing hormones all over again. Since there is no tiger, or earthquake, the sufferer can’t place the cause of the fear, so the brain looks for the source of the threat and finds none. This is when the sufferer will look inside himself to find the threat and this is where generalized panic disorder begins.

After panic becomes generalized, all the attention is on the body and the terrifying symptoms; the “lump in the throat”, the dry mouth, the tight chest muscles, the inability to take a deep breath then all trigger this secondary fear. Now, the sufferer is afraid of the symptoms. More fear, more adrenaline, more symptoms, more fear, more adrenaline; until finally they are exhausted. As this cycle progresses the sufferer is on a continual lookout for symptoms during the day for fear the experience will come upon them suddenly again.

The adrenals get exhausted, so the sufferer becomes tired, may start to lose sleep, and eventually lose faith in themselves and life. And since most panic sufferers tend to be perfectionists, the attack ends up as a huge blow to the ego. I’m not in control of myself anymore? I’m not invulnerable?

The truth is this disorder really doesn’t start in one day. It is usually accumulative over many years. They may have been worriers or very sensitive creative people who feel things more than others do. The stress builds, the adrenals become sensitized to firing off at the slightest provocation and the disorder begins. Friends and family really can’t understand it. They’ll tell you it’s in your mind and to pull yourself together. It may have originated from a stressor in your mind but the panic sufferer knows the symptoms are quite real.

Most books on panic disorder describe how hard it is to explain this reaction and the terrible symptoms to friends and family. Most experts suggest not spending a lot of time trying to make them understand. Unless your friend or family member has injected the equivalent of 20 cups of coffee and then tried to calm down, they probably won’t be able to understand what you are going through.

Many people with severe panic disorder end up in emergency rooms and after routine tests are sent home with sedatives or a prescription for anti-depressants. Others end up at their doctor’s office in pieces and are given more pharmaceuticals. Though doctors can diagnose this disorder and assure you are otherwise healthy, many don’t tell you the procedure to cure yourself. It’s all too easy to give you a prescription and off you go.

These antidepressants and sedatives are a temporary measure to calm you down until you work on the issues behind the stressors and teach yourself to deal with the panic and stress. They weren’t meant to be permanent solutions. There is a way to cure yourself of panic disorder without drugs and sleeping pills and you won’t have to suffer your entire life. This is a fact. Millions of people around the world have cured themselves of panic disorder.

Dr. Claire Weekes was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Medicine for her method of curing panic disorder. Here is a distillation of advice from her invaluable book, Hope and Help for Your Nerves and a few other sources:

Education

The first thing one has to do is educate oneself about the symptoms. The sufferer has to understand that ALL the symptoms are caused by the release of adrenaline in response to a fear, real or imaginary it doesn’t matter. Once one understands that the symptoms are not caused by disease, (after a thorough check-up), the sufferer must educate his mind about the symptoms so that he won’t create the SECONDARY fear. When you know the symptoms are caused by the adrenaline, you know what is causing the symptoms and eventually they will pass within a few minutes.

Symptoms of panic

The most common symptoms of panic are the following:

Shortness of breath: Your chest muscles tighten up and you can’t take a deep breath. You may feel if you don’t force yourself to breathe you will die. Of course, you won’t die. Even shallow breathing still oxygenates your blood but this may lead to another symptom.

Hyperventilation: This happens when you breathe shallowly. The CO2 balance in the body becomes disturbed and this creates the dizziness and tingling hands and even the muscles to tighten up. The best way to deal with these symptoms is to take deep breaths from the diaphragm or in an emergency to breathe for a few minutes into a paper bag. The CO2 levels will balance after a few minutes of breathing like this and surprisingly the symptoms will slowly subside.

Heart beating too fast, fluttering, or skipped beats: Your heart may start to beat incredibly fast and you may fear you’re having a heart attack. Actually, a healthy heart can beat like that for days. The beating does no damage to the heart. And if you don’t fear this symptom it will stop along with the other symptoms when you calm down. One trick to stop these palpitations is to take a breath and to pinch your nose closed with your index finger and thumb and close your mouth and breathe out like when you are trying to unblock your ears when swimming underwater.

Trembling and shaking, dizziness and wobbly legs: You may feel your legs are wobbly and like rubber. Don’t’ be fooled by them. They will get you across the street. The sensation is not muscular weakness, but nervous weakness.

Hypoglycemia: Because the body is working in overdrive, the brain quickly uses up all its sugar supplies. This creates the trembling and hot shakiness. It is good when having an attack to drink something that will give the body the sugar quickly like fruit juice. Though lying down for a few minutes will coax the liver produce enough sugar. It is very hard to lie down during a panic though so for those of you who can’t lie down, it is better to try to walk off the excess energy if you can and do light exercise. It is also a good idea, when suffering from panic disorder, to eat well and take vitamins, especially the B vitamins and C. The adrenal glands need vitamin C to repair themselves and the B vitamin keep the nervous system healthy.

Choking, lump in throat, nausea: You might really feel something is stuck in your throat and you can’t swallow. This has the bad side-effect of making you not want to eat, which makes for an upset stomach and nausea. The lump is not a real lump; it is a nervous sensation like the fake weak legs mentioned before. You can eat, even with the dry mouth and lump and nausea. Just eat small bites and slowly. You will feel better and you need the nourishment especially with the added strain on your blood sugar stores. Even a yogurt eaten slowly over a couple hours is helpful.

Frequent urination, stomach upset: You may have a heavy feeling in your stomach and run to the bathroom a few times. You may feel you want to throw up. This is just the body’s response to prepare you for that “fight and flight” response mentioned earlier. With empty bowels and stomach you are lighter and can run faster. That is all there is to that symptom

Sweating, hot flashes: You may sweat profusely. Sweat cools the body down, it is natural. Also, the sweat if we travel back to those prehistoric days, would make you slippery and difficult to catch if you were been chased by a beast.

Unusual thoughts, afraid of normal things, not feeling oneself, depression, loss of faith: Because the panic response activates a very primitive portion of our brains, it doesn’t help much for rational thinking. It activates the part of our brains that is not much smarter than a reptile. So, don’t count of having clear thoughts. This is also not the time to think about your life and other people. You may lose faith in yourself and life and God. These higher thoughts are in more evolved parts of our brains that just don’t function when the body is in a state of panic. The best thing to do is to distract yourself and concentrate more on relieving your symptoms through deep breathing and resting and exercise.

Headache, band around head, hair hurting: These are just tense muscles in your head; you are not having a stroke.

Agoraphobia: Fear of going out with friends and out in open spaces or crowded places like theatres or buses and trains can be a problem. The stuffiness or changes in temperature can all trigger a panic attack and we don’t want to look like we are crazy in front of others. Usually a panic sufferer feels safer at home. If you learn to deal with your symptoms in low stress activities like walking a little farther everyday away from your home alone or going to the supermarket in stages, you will slowly gain confidence that you can deal with your symptoms quickly without creating the secondary fear. Eventually, you will be able to go out with your friends again. But give yourself time.

Sleeping disorders: You may not sleep. Or you may sleep for a few hours and wake up at 3 in the morning. You may toss and turn all night. The best thing to do is to exercise a bit so your body is tired enough to sleep deeply. If you can’t get to sleep, don’t fight it. Get up and read a book or watch a funny movie. Take a warm bath and drink hot milk or chamomile tea. If you have to take a sleeping pill take one, but try to cut them down little by little as you get better every day. The morning is usually the worse time for a panic sufferer. You hope to wake up and be normal again. This taking score is the wrong approach. You will get better. But don’t keep score. Mornings are hard. Get out of bed immediately when you wake up so you don’t fret over worries half awake in bed. Get up, make your breakfast, and get on with your day. Don’t’ look for symptoms first thing in the morning. The morning depressed feeling is usually the last thing to go. When you no longer have that; you’re cured.

After learning about the symptoms and understanding the cause, the next step is self care. A good diet and light exercise (which helps the brain secrete endorphins) helps one’s mental state. Also light exercise will help the body release the toxins caused by the adrenaline. After getting your symptoms under control and no longer creating the secondary fear, you can work on the issues, emotions and beliefs you had that caused the worry and stressors in the first place.

So first off, you have to desensitize your nervous system and then move on to uncovering the deeper issues or lifestyle changes needed. In the end, you will be a stronger person.

You are already a strong person to have lived with such terrifying symptoms for so long. When you finally get through this, you will always know what to do in the future when under stress. You will know how to deal with the symptoms and create a more fulfilling life with less stress and better habits; both mental and physical. So, before getting hooked on various antidepressants and sedatives; educate yourself. There are many great sources of information on the internet. And take the small baby steps to freedom from panic and stress and on to a more fulfilling life.

~

In the New York City area contact: Natural psychotherapy, developed by New York Drs. Eric and Miriam Riss, for a Holistic and in-depth natural treatment and therapy for panic attacks

Resources:

Dr. Claire Weekes: Dr Claire Weekes is a seriously respected and internationally renowned expert. Her books, audio tapes, and video are recommended by doctors and used in clinics all over the world. She was the first woman Doctor of Science at Sydney University and her method was so highly regarded that she was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Hope And Help for Your Nerves by Claire Weekes

Pass Through Panic : Freeing Yourself from Anxiety and Fear by Claire Weekes

Sometimes it's hard to read when you are in panic mode.  This book is in comic book form and is easy to read when the brain is functioning under "fight or flight" response:

Your Survival Guide to Panic Attacks by Bev Aisbett

The movie, What About Bob? with Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss is hilarious, Bill Murray plays Bob who suffers from panic disorder and Richard Dreyfuss is the doctor who teaches Bob about "baby steps" from his best seller.

Part Two on YouTube  

Anxiety Panic Attack Resource Site

Anxiety Assist

PHOTO: What About Bob? (1991) " I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful."