The New Epidemic: Anxiety -Panic - Depression

Question: More people seem to be suffering with anxiety attacks than ever before & I'm one of them. I hate the idea of living my life on medications, but without them I'm afraid to leave home. It bothers me that I can't get a handle on this part of my life. My medical tests show I am in good health. What am I missing here? RHONDA

Answer: The number of people suffering from panic, anxiety I agoraphobia has reached more than epidemic proportions. If we add to this number, those people suffering additional anxiety due to specific disease processes, such as heart, cancer, diabetes, elevated blood pressure & pain related disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, one wonders if anyone is anxiety free. A large majority of anxiety prone people hold full-time jobs, many at executive & managerial levels where they experience a relatevly high degree of workplace stress. Many are taking medications of some sort, from tranquilizers to anti-depressants & sleeping pills. Others are addicted to other substances including alcohol, nicotine, sugar & drugs. Many complain of poor concentration & memory recall, tending to be absent from work quite frequently. Few can remember the last time they felt well physically, emotionally or spiritually.

Managing anxiety & panic is like anything else. There are many facets to be considered & once these are defined, a workable program needs to be put in place & then worked out with persistence! It is always a good idea to have a medical examination to rule out any disease processes. My patients learn to play the game of "inner baseball" to manage & prevent anxiety disorder. First base is always managing the nutritional link. Most people pay little attention to what they put in their bodies, or don't put in their bodies. For example, sometimes the body gets breakfst & sometimes it doesn't. Many days it is loaded with junk & on other days it is put on a stringent diet. People with a tendency to hyperinsulinemia often report anxiety problems. This is a physiological issue & can be managed with proper diet. Second base is learning to work with the actual body sensations, thoughts & emotions. Whenever we feel tension, the body is attempting to let us know it is under phys! ical stress. Most never pay attention to this cell phone message on low levels, but attention is certainly paid once the sensations begin screaming, such as in an anxiety attack. third base is learning to re-program past experiences & negative expectations with the tools of imagery or Interactive Self-Hypnosis. The images we play in our mind become the goal of the subconscious mind. It is important for people with anxiety disorder to notice their negative programming patterns & triggers, as well as to place new images in these inner subconscious files.

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