"Panic and Anxiety can be debilitating to your life.  It will keep you from doing social events and limit everything you do.  I have read an ebook that was very helpful in eliminating and controlling the panic and anxiety.  I was afraid to go out and now can enjoy an evening with friends in a relaxed state.  The Panic and anxiety book tells you what causes this and the best way to learn to avoid the anxiety attack before it starts."  - Bindi Watts

How can I get my dog to not have a panic attack everytime I try to clip her nails?

My teacup chihuahua won’t EVER let me touch her feet. So it is IMPOSSIBLE to clip her nails. Every time we try, she nearly has a panic attack. she bites and squeals and scratches. Her nail length is getting serious now, any advice?

You will have to gain her trust and assurance that you will not hurt her when you handle and trim the nails. You could try touching and manipulating her toes and nails while you hold her and watch television. Just off and on. After a few sessions of this, she should settle down some.

When you do the trimming, be sure to get a helper to hold her for you. Whatever you do, do not cut too close or do anything else that would cause pain. Stay in control, but don’t try to do all four feet at once. Just one foot a day for a while until the job is done.

Consider buying one of the new grinders for trimming dog’s nails. You can trim them a little further back with that. And, it leaves a much rounder and smoother end on the nail.

Is it normal to have a type of burning feeling throughout your body during an panic/anxiety attack?

I have been having attacks where my heart race increases, my body starts to tingle, I have a burning feeling that feels like it is traveling through my blood, my chest hurts, and I get shortness of breath. Would this be categorized as an anxiety or panic attack? If so, how can I stop them?

I’ve dealt with anxiety disorder for years. I’ve been in treatment for a long time as well. First talk to your doctor about your overall health. If you are a generally healthy adult you have nothing to worry about. The attacks feel very physical, but trust me they are more bark than bite. And yes, relax as much as possible. If you feel like you are losing control or are going to hurt yourself or others call 911. I’ve been to the hospital more times than I can count for these horrible attacks. Rest assured they do pass.

Important Information About Agoraphobia Panic Attack

The fear of traveling is the common reference to agoraphobia and it is typically considered an anxiety or panic disorder. There are various ranges for this disorder, it can be a serious condition in which a person isn’t able to leave the home entirely or it can be a mild disorder in which a person can’t travel more than a few hours away from home. When a person attempts to go beyond what is considered their “safe” boundaries then they go into an agoraphobia panic attack.

The only way for a person to overcome these attacks is to push their limits, which make treatment of agoraphobia panic attack difficult. Before getting better many agoraphobics tend to get worse for this reason. Since all an individual has to do is stay within their “safe” zone they tend to ignore their agoraphobic problem. However, while the problem can be easy to ignore it is a stifling symptom that comes from a chronic panic disorder.

Begin With Baby Steps

Starting by taking baby steps is the best way a person can slow their agoraphobia panic attacks. In order to finally master their fears the individual must set specific goals to overcome their panic attacks. Family and friends are the best people to help a person through this process, they can help a person be assured to their safety while helping them make the baby steps to overcome their panic attacks.

Why the panic attacks manifest in their form and what causes them isn’t completely known. It is believed that many of the individuals who suffer from this disorder experienced motion sickness which gave them a propensity for fear of travel before they started developing panic attacks.

The Unknown

To the sufferer themselves an agoraphobia panic attack is very frustrating. This is because an agoraphobic attack is often less rational than the typical panic attacks. While the individual may have a fear to traveling to an unknown place or beyond a certain point, agoraphobia can be caused by any type of anxiety or panic disorders that takes root and leads to agoraphobia.

A fear of public places, especially those where there is a large gathering of people such as a grocery store can develop from a social anxiety. An individual who suffers from general panic disorders can become embarrassed of their disorder which can then cause a fear of traveling and suffering a panic attack in public. This shows that with an agoraphobia panic attack it is difficult to identify and deal with it.

Tony Jacowski
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/important-information-about-agoraphobia-panic-attack-64005.html

How do you get rid of everyday shortness of breath, dizzyness, headaches from a panic attack sufferer?

I suffer from panic attacks and mild agoraphobia. Currently I am seeing a Psychologist who is working with me using Cognitive Behavior Therapy but I have seen him only one time. My last major panic attack which is my first was back in December of last year. Ever since then, most of everyday I have a problem with shortness of breath, a choking feeling in my throat, dizzyness, feelings of faint, having a tight band on my head, headaches and visions problems like squinting and burning of the eyes. This is beginning to be bothersome to me and it feels like it would trigger a panic attack and of course, I dont want this to happen. Does anyone have a cure to this? I’ve been perscribed Zanax for my immediate panic attacks and later perscribed Klonopin for everyday use. I have not used my Klonopin yet because of mixed feelings about it. Does this medication help with this? I heard that relaxation exercises work to cure this. If so, where can I find out how to do it? Any info is appreciated.

I Know exactly what you are talkig about. A panic attac can be a really scary thing to experience. I remember the firat one I ewver had. I was sitting in a board meating at work. The room was kind of small, and there were too many people cramed in. I was sitting there, the room was quiet because the meeting had yet to start. All of a sudden I started to notice I was begining to breath kind of heavy. Then I started to break out in a sweat. Then the room felt like it was closing in on me. I had to run out of the room and head towards the mens room. As I was walking I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest, and my head was going to explode. I could actually hear the blood swishing through my veins in my forehead. I thought O was going to die right there at work. Then as sudden as it all started, it all just stopped. I was never so scared in my life.

I went the medication/therapist route, but the meds made me feel like a zombie. Klonopin was one of the meds I was taking. I would suggest you stay away from it. You should work with your Dr. to find something else. After sitting through way to many shrink sessions, I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for another round of sessions. That is where it hit me. I took a good look around the room at all of the other people sitting there. A vast majority of them appeared to have real mental problems. It is right then that I said to my self, What the heck am I doing here? There is nothing wrong with me. I am stronger than these panic attacks. I got up, told the lady at the front desk I could not stay for my appointment, and never had another panic attack.

Whenever I felt one coming on, I just mentally would not allow my self to have one. I learned to control the attacks instead of the attacks controling me.

You really do have the power in you to overcome panic attacks. You can be stronger the the urge to freak out. It takes a while, but it can be done. I am living proof.

I wish you the best of luck on overcoming this bump in your road of life. Stay strong, you can do it!

What to Do When you Feel a Panic Attack Coming Part 1: the Demon Analogy

Notice: The following is presented for informational purposes only. Assessment and treatment should always be directed through one-on-one consultation with a trained professional.

This is one of my favorite questions and obviously one of the most important ones for people who are trying to gain mastery over panic.

There are basically two options for what to do when you feel a panic attack coming on. The first is to use a coping technique. The second is to do an exposure. And yes, I will explain what coping techniques and exposures are! But first, let’s start off with my favorite analogy:

The Demon Analogy

Panic disorder can be thought of as a demon. There are two ways to fight this particular demon. The first way is to use your shield — Using your shield means using medications (such as Xanax), leaving the situation for a while to calm down, using relaxation techniques, and/or talking back to your anxious thoughts to quite them down. In the next part, I will describe these coping techniques in detail including their pros and cons. But apart from your shield, there is also a second way to fight this particular demon – it turns out that every time you face the demon head on, he gets weaker. Each time you challenge him, he gets smaller. That is where exposures come in to play. Exposures involve turning the tables on the demon by jumping him, challenging him, and saying “Bring it on. Is that all you’ve got?”

Initially, most coping techniques alone are actually not strong enough to stop a panic attack . For example, you may try relaxation to stop a panic attack but it’s just not working. The demon is so large, that he just swipes your “shield” aside. However, usually after one to two months of starting to face the demon (i.e. doing exposures), the demon become so small that the shield techniques finally start working! And after several months of exposures, the demon typically becomes so tiny that he stops coming around at all and eventually dies.

These combined tactics of using your shield and periodically facing the demon head on will help you gain mastery over panic once and for all. If you learn these techniques (in a type of therapy known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) it is very likely that you can eventually enjoy going out with your friends, driving your car, flying overseas, and enjoying a sunny day at the beach without having to worry about panic any more.

Dr. Lindsay Kiriakos
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/what-to-do-when-you-feel-a-panic-attack-coming-part-1-the-demon-analogy-106408.html

What to Do When you Feel a Panic Attack Coming Part 2: the Shields

Benzodiazepines (ie Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium): These are usually the most immediately powerful of all of the coping techniques. It usually takes about 20 minutes for benzodiazepines to kick in, and they strong enough to stop and even full blown panic attack. The main drawbacks of these medications are that if you take too much, they can make you tired, and if you take them everyday, you might get used to them after 1-3 months (i.e. they might stop working). In addition, people with a history of addiction problems can get addicted to these medications (although in general, they produce a pretty weak high, so it’s exceedingly rare for a non-addict to become addicted to these drugs). I prescribe benzodiazepines to my patients while they are learning the other coping techniques and starting the exposures. I typically recommend using benzodiazepines on an emergency basis to stop panic attacks, and occasionally I even recommend using benzodiazepines on a regular daily basis for people who are in a chronic state of panic / high anxiety. Although benzodiazepines will not cure panic disorder, they can provide relief while you are engaged in a more definitive treatment (such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to help you gain complete mastery over panic.

Leaving the Situation: This is one of the strongest coping techniques, but also can eventually lead to problems. Leaving a crowd, pulling over on the side of the road while driving, or avoiding vigorous exercise are examples of leaving the situation. These are effective coping techniques because they can frequently avert a panic attack. However, these techniques have the obvious drawback of encouraging agoraphobia (i.e. the avoidance of activities because of a fear of panic). I would say that leaving a situation is useful, but only if you are also engaging in a definitive treatment to help get control over panic disorder.

Relaxation Techniques: It’s hard to stop thinking about something “cold turkey.” It’s easier to stop thinking about something if you replace your thoughts with something else. Relaxation and meditation techniques aim at getting you to stop thinking by giving you an effective distraction to replace your thoughts with. For example, many Buddhist forms of meditation replace your thoughts with a focus on repeated sounds and/or breathing. In addition, various visualization exercises replace your thoughts with vivid imagery. The relaxation techniques I have found to be most effective for panic attacks are 11-muscle relaxation with Abdominal Breathing, Sensation Focusing, and Permission Breath Counting, which are all cognitive-behavioral techniques. I never teach patients just one coping technique because different techniques seem to work for different people. Relaxation techniques initially may not be strong enough to stop a panic attack, but they become much more effective once you have started doing exposures.

Thought Restructuring: This coping technique teaches you ways to stop your anxiety by talking back to it. Thought restructuring is a type of journaling done on paper for 10 minutes a day for 1-2 weeks. After 1-2 weeks, I usually encourage my patients to stop talking back to their thoughts on paper and start doing it in their heads. Much like relaxation techniques, this is a cognitive behavioral therapy technique, it gets better with practice, and it becomes much more effective once you have started exposures.

Thoughts restructuring along with Relaxation Techniques eventually form the two most healthy and permanent parts of your “shield” because they can be used extensively without having the drawbacks of avoiding situations or relying on medications. However, these “shield” techniques are usually not strong enough alone to gain complete mastery over panic disorder, most patient need to do exposures.

Dr. Lindsay Kiriakos
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/what-to-do-when-you-feel-a-panic-attack-coming-part-2-the-shields-106410.html

Imagine the Terror of a Panic Attack

Many people who suffer from panic attacks and other anxiety disorders are usually intellectually honest enough to admit that the fear or anxiety is irrational. This isn’t surprising as many of us can logically work through a behavior, admit that it’s not good for us but still continue to do that behavior.

Unlike many anxiety disorders, a panic attack seems to come on without provocation. That is, it appears not to be associated with any specific event or situation and also is characterized by physical symptoms.

You may have experienced a lot of these symptoms. If you enjoy watching a good suspense or horror movie. The tightness in your chest, difficulty breathing and the general feelings of suspense could all be considered part of panic. Panic attacks are very similar to an adrenaline rush that prepares your body for a fight or flight response. Your heart starts pounding, which increases the blood flow to your muscles, your feet and hands may start feeling numb, shaking her trembling, faster breathing delivers more oxygen into your lungs and there’s a general feeling of dread.

Other symptoms such as dizziness and choking can be physical responses to the increase in hormonal levels. Being flushed and feeling your heart pounding is normal when your heart is working harder.

Recognize that depending on the situation, these symptoms are quite normal. If you are in a serious or life-threatening situation, your body naturally kicks in, hormones such as adrenaline and epinephrine to prepare you for physical action that may be needed for your survival. These hormones can prepare you to either fight off or work through a dangerous situation or run from it.

The differences between a panic attack and the feelings you may have watching a suspenseful movie is one of severity and control. While at the movie theater if things become too intense, you simply close your eyes and look away and continue to stay in control. A person suffering a panic attack however, cannot control the severity of the feelings are physical symptoms.

To make matters even more complex, a panic attack can come on at any time and in any place. Imagine walking down to check your mail in getting this overwhelming sense of dread coupled with a very intense physical symptoms and there’s nothing you can do about it. This is the life of someone suffering with panic.

The good news is that panic attacks are seldom dangerous. It is important however that you obtain an accurate diagnosis of panic attacks, because the symptoms are very similar to several very deadly illnesses. This makes it critical that anyone suffering with panic be examined by a qualified medical professional to obtain an accurate diagnosis and eliminate possible physical reasons for the symptoms.

Abigail Franks
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/imagine-the-terror-of-a-panic-attack-81836.html

Is it normal to have back pains during a panic attack?

I have been having panic attacks lately and then I would have really bad back pains. I want to know if it is normal to have back pains during a panic attack?

During a panic attack, all of your muscles tighten in preparation for (real or imagined) attack. Naturally when the attack is over, your muscles relax but what they have gone through previously will certainly make them ache.

Panic Attack Herb Remedies

An effective and very popular panic attack herb is called kava (Piper methysticum). It’s part of the pepper family. In fact, Piper is the Latin word for pepper.

Kava has been known to reduce panic anxiety attacks and depression. Kava contains kavalactones. This has a relaxing effect and can also help you sleep better.

Don’t Use Kava If You’re Pregnant

Kava kava, as it’s sometimes called, can be bought in health food stores. However, don’t just go off and buy it. Speak to a specialist first. There have been reports of it causing liver problems.

It is also not recommended for use by pregnant or lactating women. Not enough research at present has been done, so for women in this category, don’t even risk it.

Passion flower and lemon balm are two herbs that seem to produce anxiety-reducing effects. If you are taking medication for a thyroid problem, then it’s best not to take anything that contains passion flower.

Arguably, the most popular and well-known herbal preparation for panic attacks, anxiety disorders and depression is St. Johns Wort. It’s probably used more for depression.

It seems to be quite effective for depression, if it’s not severe. In general, St. Johns Wort seems to be well-tolerated.

If You Try Anything, Try PureCalm First

PureCalm is a highly recommended herbal product that provides stress relief naturally. It’s quite safe and is non-addictive. It contains lavender, lemon balm and passion flower.

It can be used by adults as well as children. PureCalm seems to have a positive effect on serotonin levels, helping to create a proper balance of this neurotransmitter.

Thus, it seems to have an antidepressant quality, which makes it quite effective in treating panic attacks. Adults can put 10 – 20 drops in water or juice daily. The dose is less for children, though very young children have a special product called K-OK KiddieCalmer.

Again, don’t use it if you’re pregnant or taking thyroid, or indeed any other medication. This is just to be cautious. Otherwise, it’s generally safe. They always have specials, like ‘buy 2 and get 1 free’.

If you are looking for a panic attack herb for your panic attacks, PureCalm is probably the best one to go with as it seems to contain the best herbal combination to treat panic attacks.

Giri Anantha
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/panic-attack-herb-remedies-244802.html

What is the best way to ward off a panic attack?

I have to take my best friend for outpatient surgery today, and I’m all ready sick with worry about her, and about potentially having a panic attack. I love my friend like a sister, but she’s a big Drama Queen and always seems to set me off. I have xanex if push comes to shove, but I’d rather avoid taking it if I can….any good suggestions would be appreciated.

Do something very physical. Run around the block, clean the house, anything that gets you moving.