Anxiety from unknown Sickness.

[Guest guest]

Hello Friends,

I have never 'trusted' doctors. In fact I stay away from them,

and usually try to treat my own health. But back during the first

week of February I had a disturbing illness. I would become faint

for no reason, and I felt pressure in the center of my chest right

under my breast-bone.

With that I started having some VERY bad symptoms, which i

think now stemmed from ANXIETY. Check it out:

Symptoms of Anxiety

The best way to think of all of the systems of the fight/flight

response (anxiety) is to remember that all are aimed at getting the

organism prepared for immediate action and that their purpose is to

protect the organism.

Cardiovascular Effects

Activity in the sympathetic nervous system produces an increase in

heart rate and the strength of the heartbeat. This is vital to

preparation for activity since it helps speed up the blood flow,

thus improving delivery of oxygen to the tissues and removal of

waste products from the tissues. In addition to increased activity

in the heart, there is also a change in the blood flow. Basically,

blood is redirected away from the places where it is not needed (by

a tightening of the blood vessels) and toward the places where it is

needed more (by an expansion of the blood vessels). For example,

blood is taken away from the skin, fingers, and toes. This is useful

because if the organism is attacked and cut in some way, it is less

likely to bleed to death. Hence, during anxiety the skin looks pale

and feels cold and fingers and toes become cold and sometimes

experience numbness and tingling. In addition, the blood is moved to

the large muscles such as the thighs and biceps which helps the body

prepare for action.

Respiratory Effects

The fight/flight response is associated with an increase in the

speed and depth of breathing. This has obvious importance for the

defense of the organism since the tissues need to get more oxygen in

order to prepare for action. The feelings produced by this increase

in breathing, however, can include breathlessness, choking or

smothering feelings, and even pains or tightness in the chest.

Importantly, a side effect of increased breathing, especially if no

actual activity occurs, is that blood supply to the head is actually

decreased. While this is only a small amount and is not at all

dangerous, it produces a collection of unpleasant (but harmless)

symptoms including dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, unreality,

and hot flushes.

Sweat Gland Effects

Activation of the fight/flight response produces an increase in

sweating. This has important adaptive functions such as making the

skin more slippery so that it is harder for a predator to grab, and

cooling the body to stop it from overheating.

Other Physical Effects

A number of other effects are produced by activation of the

sympathetic nervous system, none of which are in any way harmful.

For example, the pupils widen to let in more light which may result

in blurred vision, spots in front of the eyes, etc. There is a

decrease in salivation, resulting in a dry mouth. There is decreased

activity in the digestive system which often produces nausea, a

heavy feeling in the stomach and even constipation. Finally, many of

the muscle groups tense up in preparation for fight or flight and

this results in subjective feelings of tension, sometimes extending

to actual aches and pains as well as trembling and shaking.

Overall, the fight/flight response results in a general activation

of the whole bodily metabolism. Thus, one often feels hot and

flushed and, because this process takes a lot of energy, afterwards

the person generally feels tired, drained, and washed out.

Behavioral System

As mentioned before, the fight/flight response prepares the body for

action - either to attack or to run. Thus, it is no surprise that

the overwhelming urges associated with this response are those of

aggression and a desire to escape wherever you are. When this is not

possible (due to social constraints), the urges will often be shown

through such behaviors as foot tapping, pacing or snapping at

people. Overall, the feelings produced are those of being trapped

and needing to escape.

Mental System

The number one effect of the fight/flight response is to alert the

organism to the possible existence of danger. Thus, one of the major

effects is an immediate and automatic shift in attention to search

the surroundings for potential threat. In other words, it is very

difficult to concentrate on daily tasks when one is anxious.

Therefore, people who are anxious often complain that they are

easily distracted from daily chores, that they cannot concentrate,

and that they have trouble with their memory. This is a normal and

important part of the fight/flight response since its purpose is to

stop you from attending to your ongoing chores and to permit you to

scan your surroundings for possible danger. Sometimes, an obvious

threat cannot be found. Unfortunately, most humans cannot accept

having no explanation for something. Therefore, in many cases, when

people cannot find an explanation for their sensations, they turn

their search upon themselves. In other words " if nothing out there

is making me feel anxious, there must be something wrong with me. "

In this case, the brain invents an explanation such as " I must be

dying, losing control, or going crazy. " As we have now seen, nothing

could be further from the truth since the purpose of the

fight/flight response is to protect the organism not harm it.

Nevertheless, these are understandable thoughts.

Panic Attacks

Up until now, we have looked at the features and components of

general anxiety or the fight/flight response. However, you may be

wondering how does all this apply to panic attacks? After all, why

should the fight/flight response be activated during panic attacks

since there is apparently nothing to be frightened of?

Following extensive research, it appears that what people with panic

attacks are frightened of (i.e., what causes the panic) are the

actual physical sensations of the fight/flight response. Thus, panic

attacks can be seen as a set of unexpected physical symptoms and

_then_ a response of panic or fear of the symptoms such as

illustrated below:

pounding heart fear --------> pounding heart

-------->

dizziness, etc. panic <-------- dizziness, etc.

The second part of this model is easy to understand. As discussed

earlier, the fight/flight response (of which the physical symptoms

are a part) causes the brain to search for danger. When the brain

cannot find any obvious danger, it turns its search inward and

invents a danger such as " I am dying, losing control, etc. " This is

illustrated below:

pounding heart misinterpretation fear ---->

symptoms

----> ----

> |

dizziness, etc. e.g., " I'm dying " panic <----

---

The first part of the model is harder to understand. Why do you

experience the physical symptoms of the fight/flight response, if

you are not frightened to begin with? There are many ways these

symptoms can be produced, not just through fear. For example, it may

be that you have become generally stressed for some reason in your

life and this stress results in an increase in production of

adrenalin and other chemicals which from time to time produce

symptoms. This increased adrenalin could presumably be maintained

chemically in the body even after the stressor has long gone.

Another possibility is that you tend to breathe a little too fast

(subtle hyperventilation) due to a learned habit and this also can

produce symptoms. Because the over-breathing is very slight, you

easily become used to this level of breathing and do not notice that

you are hyperventilating. A third possibility is that you are

experiencing normal changes in your body (which everyone experiences

but most don't notice) and, because you are constantly monitoring

and keeping a check on your body, you notice these sensations far

more strongly than most people.

Even if we are not exactly certain why you experience the initial

symptoms, we can assure you that they are a part of the fight/flight

response and therefore are _harmless_.

Thus, our final model of panic attacks (simplified) looks like this:

hyperventilation pounding heart misinterpretation

fear

arousal ---> dizziness ---> e.g., " I'm dying " --->

panic --

^ |

adrenaline breathlessness

| |

symptoms <- normal body changes etc.

Obviously, then, once you truly believe (100%) that the physical

sensations are not dangerous, then the fear and panic will no longer

occur and you will eventually no longer experience panic attacks. Of

course, once you have had a number of panic attacks and you have

misinterpreted the symptoms many times, this misinterpretation

becomes quite automatic and it becomes very difficult to consciously

convince yourself during a panic attack that the symptoms are

harmless.

In Summary

Anxiety is scientifically known as the fight/flight response since

its primary purpose is to activate the organism and protect it from

harm. Associated with this response are a number of physical,

behavioral, and mental changes. Importantly, once the danger has

gone, many of these changes (especially the physical ones) can

continue, almost with a mind of their own, due to learning and other

longer term bodily changes. When the

physical symptoms occur in the absence of an obvious explanation,

people often misinterpret the normal fight/flight symptoms as

indicating a serious physical or mental problem. In this case, the

sensations themselves can often become threatening and can begin the

whole fight/flight response over.

MYTHS AND MISINTERPRETATIONS

Going Crazy

Many people, when they experience the physical symptoms of the

fight/flight response, believe they are " going crazy. " Within this

belief, they are most likely referring to a severe mental disorder

known as schizophrenia. Let us look at schizophrenia to see how

likely this is.

Schizophrenia is a major disorder characterized by such severe

symptoms as disjointed thoughts and speech, sometimes extending to

babbling, delusions or strange beliefs (for example, that they are

receiving messages from outer space), and hallucinations (for

example, that there are voices in their head). Furthermore,

schizophrenia appears to be largely a genetically based disorder,

running strongly in families.

Schizophrenia generally begins very gradually and not suddenly (such

as during a panic attack). Additionally, because it runs in

families, only a certain proportion of people can become

schizophrenic and, in other people, no amount of stress will cause

the disorder. A third important point is that people who become

schizophrenic will usually show some mild symptoms for most of their

lives (such as unusual thoughts, flowery speech, etc.). Thus, if

this has not been noticed in you yet, then the chances are you will

not become schizophrenic. This is especially true if you are over 25

since schizophrenia generally first appears in the late teens to

early 20's. Finally, if you have been through interviews with a

psychologist or psychiatrist, then you can be fairly certain that

they would have known if you were likely to become schizophrenic.

Losing Control

Some people during a panic attack believe they are going to " lose

control. " Presumably, they mean that they will either become

totally paralyzed and not be able to move, or that they will not

know what they are

doing and will run around wildly killing people or yelling out

obscenities and embarrassing themselves. Alternatively, they may

not know what to expect but may just experience an overwhelming

feeling of " impending doom. "

From our earlier discussion, we now know where this feeling comes

from. During anxiety the entire body is prepared for action and

there is an overwhelming desire to escape. However, the fight/flight

response is not aimed at hurting other people (who are not a threat)

and it will not produce paralysis. Rather, the entire response is

simply aimed at getting the organism away. In addition, there has

never been a recorded case of someone " going wild " during a panic

attack. Even though the fight/flight response makes you feel

somewhat confused, unreal, and distracted, you are still able to

think and function normally. Simply think of how often other people

even notice that you are having a panic attack.

Nervous Collapse

Many people are frightened about what might happen to them as a

result of their symptoms, perhaps because of some belief that their

nerves might become exhausted and they may collapse. As discussed

earlier, the

fight/flight response is produced chiefly through activity in the

sympathetic nervous system which is counteracted by the

parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system

is, in a sense, a

safeguard to protect against the possibility that the sympathetic

nervous system may become " worn out. " Nerves are not like

electrical wires and anxiety cannot wear out, damage or use up

nerves. The absolute worst that could happen during a panic attack

is that an individual could pass out at which point the sympathetic

nervous system would stop its activity and the person would regain

consciousness within a few seconds. However, actually passing out

as a result of the fight/flight response is extremely rare, and

if it does occur, it is adaptive since it is a way of stopping the

sympathetic nervous system from going " out of control. "

Heart Attacks

Many people misinterpret the symptoms of the fight/flight response

and believe they must be dying of a heart attack. This is probably

because many people do not have enough knowledge about heart

attacks. Let us look at the facts of heart disease and see how this

differs from panic attacks.

The major symptoms of heart disease are breathlessness and chest

pain as well as occasional palpitations and fainting. The symptoms

in heart disease are generally directly related to effort. That is,

the harder you exercise, the worse the symptoms and the less you

exercise, the better. The symptoms will usually go away fairly

quickly with rest. This is very different to the symptoms associated

with panic attacks which often occur at rest and seem to have a mind

of their own. Certainly, panic symptoms can occur during exercise or

can be made worse during exercise, but they are different to the

symptoms of a heart attack since they can occur equally often at

rest. Of most importance, heart disease will almost always produce

major electrical changes in the heart which are picked up very

obviously by the EKG. In panic attacks the only change which shows

up on the EKG is a slight increase in heart rate. Thus, if you have

had an EKG and the doctor has given you the all clear, you can

safely assume you do not have heart disease. Also, if your symptoms

occur any time and not only upon exertion, this is additional

evidence against a heart attack.

Managing an Anxiety Attack

Some alternatives to Valium and similar products might include:

NIACIN - vitamin B-3 is so effective against actual psychoses that

half of all mental ward inmates in the South were able to be

released once a depression-era deficiency of this vitamin was

corrected. Niacin in appropriate doses acts as a natural

tranquilizer and induces relaxation or sleep. It is non-addictive,

cheap, and safer than any pharmaceutical product. Dosage varies with

condition. The best author on the subject is Abram Hoffer, M.D.,

whose experience dates back to the early 1950's. He routinely gave

at least as much VITAMIN C as he did niacin.

LECITHIN - a food supplement that is high in phosphatidyl choline.

The body is able to make acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, out of

this. This has a sedating effect. It is interesting to note that one

third of your brain, by dry weight, is lecithin. Feeding the organ

what it is largely made of might help it to function better. (Don't

worry: lecithin supplements are made from soybeans.) Dosage runs in

the tablespoons.

SUGAR - avoid it, to reduce anxiety symptoms. The swings from high

to low blood sugar result in corresponding mood swings. Sugar is not

your friend. Eat complex carbohydrates instead.

CHROMIUM may help even out the sugar mood-swings and perhaps even

sugar craving. Chromium deficiency (daily intake under 50

micrograms) affects 9 out of 10 adults. Somewhere between 50 and 400

mcg of chromium substantially improves your cells ability to use

insulin. Don't gnaw on the bumper of a '54 Cadillac because that

kind of chrome is toxic. Chromium polynicotinate or chromium

picolinate are safer and better absorbed.

B-COMPLEX VITAMINS also help even out your blood sugar. In addition,

the metabolism of just about everything you digest hinges on one or

more of this group of B-vitamins. Taken together, they are

especially safe and effective. The body needs proportionally more

niacin than the other B's, so extra niacin as mentioned above is

still valid.

EXERCISE reduces anxiety. Is it because you are too pooped to worry?

Who cares; it helps. Exercise has many other health benefits, too,

so there is no way you can lose by trying it. Start easily and work

up.

Herbs: Herbs have been used for thousands of years to treat both

physical and mental illnesses. There are several herbs that can be

used to decrease anxiety and reduce the symptoms of anxiety attacks.

Talk with your health care professional before you try any new herbs

or herbal combinations. Herbs known as adaptogens, such as ginseng,

(Panax ginseng), wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), borage (Borago

officinalis), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), chamomile (Chamaemelum

nobile), milk thistle (Silybum marianum), and nettle (Urtica dioica)

may help to alleviate anxiety attacks. Other herbs that may be

helpful include:

1.

Chamomile: (Matricaria chamomilla) This herb is often associated

with relaxation. It may be helpful in reducing anxiety.

Kava: (Piper methysticum) Kava is helpful for mild anxiety.

St 's Wort: (Hypericum perforatum) St 's Wort has been used

for many years to help promote an overall sense of well being and

reduce stress and anxiety.

Supplements: As with herbs, check with your health care provider

before introducing any new supplements to your diet.