Young wife and anxiety problem...

[Floyd]

When I met my wife she was 19 , 5' , 95-100 lbs with two healthy children that were 2 & 3. She has always smoked and never had a very good diet but never the less has always been in good health. Four almost 5 years ago we had a boy. Everything was normal until the third trimester when my wifes blood pressure started rising into the 90 plus range. Labor was induced and our son was born a month and a half early, perfectly health and self sustaining just a very light 3+ lbs. My wifes blood pressure has never went down and about a year ago she started having semi severe anxiety attacks. She has also been having frequent insomnia as well. So far 3 doctors have been visited and the only things offered are the standby paxil bla bla bla welebutrin bla bla which turn her into a cold sleeping zombie and reek havoc on the 2 bleeding ulcers and hyatal hernia that we have recently found out about.My wife is now 31 still 5' tall and her weight is in the 120-130 range (NO YOU AREN'T FAT BABYDOLL!!)she has lost much of her energy as well as is showing signs of depression ,go figure.She is open minded to alternative health but is a bit overwelmed by major lifestyle changes that I am an advocate of. Anyone have anything to throw at this? She is to young to be feeling this damned old.

[Curtman]

Does she read this board?

I have noticed most of the women that read this board have anxiety problems as well as some of the men.
People are uncomfortable with where the world may be going and feel very unrested at what they perceive as their inability to do much about it.
These people (and I am not going to limit it to just women) can and do have positive impact for their families and themselves but at times just need direction.
Bottom line women are extremely protective of their family and a feeling of hopelessness is intolerable, they just cannot rest with this feeling.

If they have her on so many medicines they are trying to counter another whole range of problems. Diet is probably the problem, smoking is a vice and can not be dealt with in a harsh cold turkey manner while dealing with other problems.
Is she bi polar or are they just treating her as if she were.
Have her estrogen measured also.

You say she is young but she knows she ain't 19 any more and it may bother her.

Personally I think women in the mid to late thirties are the best women but it can be a hard time for them.
They have already seen all the BS, been through enough bad relationships to know they don't want, need nor pursue any more bull. Games are over, these women are dedicated and fierce family protectors, I like that.
They need backup most of all and nothing reassures a woman more than for "her man" being there for her, it is a two way street.
Just make sure when trying to diagnose the problems you are looking in the right direction.

Sounds like you have just what everyone wants and needs if you can just get the Md's out of your life and cultivate more self awareness with you dear wife and mother of your children.

By the way, I am not a doctor or psychologist, but I am a two time loser. :haha: :laugh: :dontknow:

[electric-amish]

Keep her away from self medicating--usually this would be Alcohol but maybe drugs.

Keep her away from the Booze. She will feel so lousy that the only thing making her feel better is beer etc. 10 years later you will wish she had only the anxiety problem. Trust me on this.

Electric-Amish

[demosfen]

Find a good homeopath or a traditional chinese doctor. You would be surprised what these people can do. A relative had anxiety problem, a homeopath gave her an injection (don't remember what it was called, lithium something) and it was gone. There is a lot of powerful remedies out there, as long as you are not limiting yourself to FDA-backed poisons

[Floyd]

Folks thank you for the feed back. My wife has never really drank or drugged her worst vice are the cigs. We have discussed several detox avenues one being a chinese foot pad that is supposed to draw out toxins through the bootom of you feet.I feel funny admitting to this but I have thought about exactly what you proposed Demosfen. I just didn't know what to call such such folks which makes it hard to look for. Do I just look up traditional chinese doctor? Thank you all for the feed back again I am surrounded by mod med followers who have no clue to mother nature.

[hoarder]

This is the best alternative health site out there.

http://curezone.com/

It's poorly formatted but the content is usually good. Just read a little every week. Do searches.

[demosfen]

Do I just look up traditional chinese doctor?
Right, they don't seem to have narrow specializations like in Western world, since they deal with cause rather than symptoms. We go to the same homeopath for 90% of our medical problems (He even often uses the same remedy for what seems like unrelated problems. Like, he used same injection to treat allergy and antibiotics poisoning)

[Large Sarge]

might look into this device

http://www.alpha-stim.com/

[Jasper]

For a safe natural way of relieving anxiety do a Google on Bach Flower Remedies.

They're homeopathic and can work wonders.

Check out the RESCUE REMEDY at the bottom of the page:

http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/remedies.htm

Good luck.

[BeefJerky]

I was diagnosed with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) a year ago. I had alot of problems as a result. It is a biatch to deal with it. First thing is get off the RX's. They may seem to be the answer but they are not. They mask the symptoms, that's it. Relax and get into a routine. Start exercising, even if it is just walking for a half hour per day. Quit the smoking and all caffeine as this is a major trigger. I know it is not easy, cut back slowly if necessary. Don't beat yourself up if you relapse just try again. Diet is important. Cut out all refined sugar.

This is a biggie and may sound crazy but it works. Magnesium and potassium is probably deficient in the diet. Eat 3-4 bananas and a cup of raw brocoli per day.

Spend a few minutes several times a day breathing in thru the nose for 4 seconds and exhaling thru the mouth for 8 seconds.

All the above are things that have worked for me. The most noticable was the diet changes. Raw brocoli and bananas. The caffeine elimination along with the nicotine elimination is equally important.

Visits to a competent chiropractor also seemed to help with stress reduction during the nicotine and caffeine withdrawal stage.

I finally have my life back after 9 months of thinking I was losing it.

Good Luck:coolbeer:

[BeefJerky]

For a safe natural way of relieving anxiety do a Google on Bach Flower Remedies.

They're homeopathic and can work wonders.

Check out the RESCUE REMEDY at the bottom of the page:

http://www.bachcentre.com/centre/remedies.htm

Good luck.

Yes, I used Bach's Rescue Remedy. Recommended by my chiropractor. 3-4 drops under the tongue twice a day. I forgot about that. Worked great when quitting the smoking too.

[Kahlil Gibran]

I finally have my life back after 9 months of thinking I was losing it.

Healthy food and plenty of outdoor exercise is the best advice posted in this thread.

:beer: Glad you are back BeefJerky

[Horn]

I was diagnosed with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) a year ago. I had alot of problems as a result. It is a biatch to deal with it. First thing is get off the RX's. They may seem to be the answer but they are not. They mask the symptoms, that's it. Relax and get into a routine. Start exercising, even if it is just walking for a half hour per day. Quit the smoking and all caffeine as this is a major trigger. I know it is not easy, cut back slowly if necessary. Don't beat yourself up if you relapse just try again. Diet is important. Cut out all refined sugar.

This is a biggie and may sound crazy but it works. Magnesium and potassium is probably deficient in the diet. Eat 3-4 bananas and a cup of raw brocoli per day.

Spend a few minutes several times a day breathing in thru the nose for 4 seconds and exhaling thru the mouth for 8 seconds.

All the above are things that have worked for me. The most noticable was the diet changes. Raw brocoli and bananas. The caffeine elimination along with the nicotine elimination is equally important.

Visits to a competent chiropractor also seemed to help with stress reduction during the nicotine and caffeine withdrawal stage.

I finally have my life back after 9 months of thinking I was losing it.

Good Luck:coolbeer:


This is good advice, stole what I had to say. Lottsa bannanas and exercise.

[grapejelly]

I do have a suggestion that will sound weird. Study the Butekyo method. There is a Yahoo group on it.

the Buteyko method are simple exercises you do that involve shallow breathing. They raise your body's CO2 levels. When CO2 levels increase, you sleep better, anxiety/panic attacks disappear, if you snored you stop, I could go on and on.

If I have a little heartburn, I can do the shallow breathing and the heartburn goes away after about 1 minute.

If you think this sounds crazy, look up the Bohr effect on Wikipedia. This stuff is grounded in science and the changes it produces are very quick and very lasting.

I cured my asthma with Buteyko and I don't snore anymore. People on the Yahoo group have cured insomnia and panic attacks with it.

The exercises are very relaxing to do. I do them 2 hours per day while I post on GIM and read and do other stuff.

[BeefJerky]

Complete Guide to Bananas / History of Bananas / Banana Recipes / How to Grow Bananas (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html)

Anaemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#) is extremely high in potassium (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#) yet low in salt, making it the perfect food for helping to beat blood pressure (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#). So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit?s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at an English school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#) at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#): High in fibre, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Depression (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#): According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan (http://www.banana.com/medicinal.html#), a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin ? known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from heart-burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods ? such as bananas ? every two hours to keep levels steady.

PMS: Forget the pills ? eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, trypotophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalise the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body?s water-balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in ?The New England Journal of Medicine? eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a ?cooling? fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronic ulcer cases. It also neutralises over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that, if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

[des00s]

Well she can start by waking up every morning and going for a jog. If she isnt into radical lifestyle changes than she will never be skinny again. I can't understand how anyone can be fat. it says something about your personality. no offense...

[RiverRat]

:cool2: Women hit menopause at different ages.

Some as early as their thirties...some as late as their fifties.

Anxiety seems to be the worst ailment out of a dozen other side effects.
Logic,reasoning,pep talks,etc bounce off women like water on a duck's back...a total exercise in futility.

Hormone shifts from mild to wild are the norm,not the exception.
She may or may not be suffering from acute hormone imbalance which is the root cause of her problems. I am assuming she is healthy otherwise.

Change doctors...even if you have to run through a dozen to get one who is familiar with hormone imbalance.

My wife hit menopause late...thank goodness.
Every symptom you listed is in the same ballpark I encountered when she went postal.
A week without her hormone pills and she acts like a raging Tasmanian Devil on crack...no I'm not joking.

Anyway...lot's of sound,down to earth advice has already been posted.
Just wishing you the best of luck...hope you get to the root of her problem and overcome it.

Maybe Mamboni can jump in on the thread and give you an accurate medical diagnosis.

Paging Mamboni....is there a doctor in the house ?

:cool2: :cool2:

[WAoG]

First thing boost the immune system. The very best vitamins and minerals amino acids that you can get into the female. Most will not take nasty tasting stuff!! Plus feed the brain Ginseng and Ginkgo Bilboa. Next 5-HTP This Has to be the coated stuff the others basically do not work. Natures Way seem to make the best I know of. I think this stuff is great. So many females are sexually assaulted at a young age (I'm not assuming this has happened to your wife). They all then seem to at times have problems with the large intestine. This is were a lot of serotonin is produced. Without proper serotonin you are bound to have problems. It says on the Natures Way bottle not to take if you have some larger intestine problems. I have seen no problems from doing this? You can buy some other 5-HTP that is in power form. You can smoke it or toot it up the nose. I believe you can treat almost all mental health problems with 5-HTP so if she was not a trauma birth baby or and premature birth baby she should respond to natural mental health remedies like 5-HTP Saint John Wart etc etc etc. If she was a trauma birth baby or and premature birth baby I'm fairly clueless as how to treat these people. I have never look into this that much as I have never needed to. I think there maybe ways without heavy meds?

Next Yoga. Richard Hittleman's Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan is a good place to start. What can I say Yoga does amassing things to the Human body and mind. Then weight work and cardio work. She needs to get that body healthy. I would say she should get up to three hours in the gym most everyday. Half hour or so Yoga, get up to one hour cardio and one hour weights. Plus sauna or massage.

I understand that it will take her time to get up to the three hours. Yoga is imho the most important at first and always needs to be done. Most clubs have someone to help out learning yoga. You do not need that much help with that book if any!!

Time away from children. I have no clue how much bucks you can spend. Two and three day vacations away from children. Sweet high end timeouts. No cooking, cleaning just Rest and Recreation. If two or three days away from the children it to much at first one day at a time. Idea is no stress. In time camping even could work if she is that kind of lady?

Well you now have my 2cents worth.

[Floyd]

Thank you everyone.

[bjgnome]

I am an alternative health care practitioner by trade, and everything suggested sounds about in line with my understanding of things.

Overall lifestyle change is definitely in order. Specifically, I would third the suggestion for breathing exercises of some sort. Check out my signature for what I mean. Anxiety disorders, panic disorders and insomnia are accompanied by autonomic nervous system imbalance. The autonomic nervous system regulates the automatic stuff like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion & rate of respiration. Respiration is the one autonomic function which can be easily regulated unconsciously. When you regulate your breath, you actually start to regulate your autonomic nervous system, which enables you to get the spooked horse under control. The simplest version, is if you want to relax the nervous system, slow down the breath, and if you want to stimulate, speed up the breath. A good yoga teacher can teach the basics of pranayama.

There is a book by Dr. Andrew Weil on breathing which is pretty good. Also, there is a fantastic program out there called Journey to Wild Divine. Search for it, you'll find it. It is a spiritual fantasy video game utilizing biofeedback sensors that plugs into a USB port on the computer. The game teaches you how to breathe, and gives you instant feedback on the state of your nervous system. You need to get better and better at regulating your state of consciousness in order to progress through the various challenges in the storyline. Entertaining and immensely valuable. It is rather amazing to see how quickly virtual objects respond to your thoughts and breath.

Also, I would encourage the sauna or lots of hot baths. Hot baths have a regulating effect on the nervous system as well.

On another level, Curtman is right in that it's important to look at the bigger picture of what's really bothering her.

Some counseling or therapy could help to address sources of anxiety in her life in a way that's productive. One of my mentors was fond of saying that anxiety is fear of our own freedom. Anxiety has a tendency to paralyze us, and so the questions to start asking might be about how she is blocked in moving forward in her life? I'm not talking about the little anxieties, those are decoys...what are the big fears that hold her back? Focus what her goals are, and how she can feel like she is living a life that is her own. Probably some of those goals got lost amidst the shuffle of three kids, but I'm just guessing here.

I wish you both well in your journey. Any questions, please ask.

-BJG

[Anty Ep]

When I met my wife she was 19 , 5' , 95-100 lbs with two healthy children that were 2 & 3. She has always smoked and never had a very good diet but never the less has always been in good health. Four almost 5 years ago we had a boy. Everything was normal until the third trimester when my wifes blood pressure started rising into the 90 plus range. Labor was induced and our son was born a month and a half early, perfectly health and self sustaining just a very light 3+ lbs. My wifes blood pressure has never went down and about a year ago she started having semi severe anxiety attacks. She has also been having frequent insomnia as well. So far 3 doctors have been visited and the only things offered are the standby paxil bla bla bla welebutrin bla bla which turn her into a cold sleeping zombie and reek havoc on the 2 bleeding ulcers and hyatal hernia that we have recently found out about.My wife is now 31 still 5' tall and her weight is in the 120-130 range (NO YOU AREN'T FAT BABYDOLL!!)she has lost much of her energy as well as is showing signs of depression ,go figure.She is open minded to alternative health but is a bit overwelmed by major lifestyle changes that I am an advocate of. Anyone have anything to throw at this? She is to young to be feeling this damned old.

HELLO TRY WELLBUTRIN XL. IT WORKS!

[lonestarsilver]

Wellbutrin can raise your blood pressure though, and it sounds like your wife already has that problem.

I would look for an acupuncturist/Chinese herbalist in your area. They can rebalance her system with some well placed needles (they are placed shallowly and are about the thickness of hair, not at all like injections!) Also the herbs can continue the treatment between visits. They can also suggest some lifestyle changes. I see a nice Vietnamese lady who helps me a lot with my chronic conditions.

It's probably not a good time to quit cigs cold turkey if she's very anxious. I would just try cutting out white sugar and start 1/2 hr walks each night.

Good luck!:bear_grin:

[BeefJerky]

Stay away from ginseng in a state of anxiety or depression. Ginseng increases blood pressure as well. I will post some links that are very informative regarding anxiety. I will have to dig them up.

[Floyd]

Thanks for the heads up BeefJerky. We just went to the local health food store for a liver cleanse kit to address a pins and needles sensation in her hands and there were coupons for several other products some containing ginseng.I have been and will keep checking this topic and very much appreiate the free knowledge and support. This place proves that not all humans are bad. Thank you everyone.

[Jasper]

We just went to the local health food store for a liver cleanse kit to address a pins and needles sensation in her hands ...

I wouldn't want to worry you but tingling in the fingers and/or toes can indicate a condition known as peripheral neuropathy, which is one of the symptoms of diabetes.

A liver cleanse is probably a good idea, but you might also want to get her blood sugar level checked.

[SNIP]Sidetrack about peripheral neuropathy

By Theresa: http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?#3322

"Here is how my doctor explained it. Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to metabolise carbohydrates. Sugar is the main one we think of, but all carbohydrates are converted quickly in the body to various sugars, primarily glucose, but also lactose (milk sugar) and others. Normally this sugar in the blood prompts the pancreas to secrete some insulin, which is the key to getting the sugar from the blood into the cells of the body so they can have that energy to do what they do. In diabetes, this does work and the sugar just stays in the blood going around and around the veins and arteries.

A serious problem arises from this, because the sugar make the blood sticky, like thick syrup. When it gets to the tiny capilaries in the fingers and toes The stickiness make flow difficult and the lask of insulin prevents it's movement into the cells. This results in the numbing of the toes and fingers (but especially the toes) and the nerves in the toes begin to get damaged. This is called the onset of peripheral neuropathy which can become a big problem. Sometimes the toes tingle like they are asleep. Sometimes they get very hot and burn in a painful way. Sometimes the bottom of the feet feel like they are really on fire, burning and hot. When this happen you immediately test your blood and it will probably be high."

[The Great Ag]

Hey, Beef Jerky:

There has been a lot of great information for your wife. Print it out and show it too her.

The choice is hers to make, though. She has to want to make healthy choices. Obviously you can talk to her and encourage her.

I would recommend showing her how her health has significantly changed since you two first met.

The idea is to make small changes. Such as, "I wonder if I can only smoke 5 cigarettes today." Or "I wonder if I can drink two less cups of coffee." Instead of coffee, I;m going to drink green tea.

There are lots of little things that can be done. You don't want to overwhelm her. Let her make the choice, just be her guide.

Be loving but gentle. Unless she is the type who wants strong direction.

It's okay if she stops smoking, but picks up a cigarette. It's okay. She is not a failure. Just a slip. No big deal.

Keep working on her, but it is her choice.

Good luck.

The GreatAg

[bjgnome]

Floyd,

Thought this article relevant to the discussion. BTW, how's it going?

-BJG

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/health/psychology/06pani.html?ex=1328418000&en=66c7515063f58575&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss <nyt_headline version="1.0" type=" "> In Rigorous Test, Talk Therapy Works for Panic Disorder</nyt_headline>

<nyt_byline version="1.0" type=" "></nyt_byline> By BENEDICT CAREY (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/benedict_carey/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
Published: February 6, 2007
<!--NYT_INLINE_IMAGE_POSITION1 --> <nyt_text> </nyt_text> The field of psychoanalysis has struggled with a disabling internal conflict in recent years: whether to subject the therapy to rigorous testing, like the process through which new drugs are approved, or to insist that the insights it provides are self-evident and cannot be put under a microscope.
(javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/02/05/health/06panic_ready.html', '06panic_ready', 'width=503,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes')) Jimmy Turrell



A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Panic Disorder (http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/2/265) (American Journal of Psychiatry)




This internal debate has raged even as analysis, Freud’s open-ended talking cure, has become increasingly marginalized as a practice. But the ground rules may soon change.
Last week, a team of New York analysts published the first scientifically rigorous study of a short-term variation of the therapy for panic disorder, a very common form of anxiety. The study was small, but the therapy proved to be surprisingly effective in a group of severely disabled people.
The paper (http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/2/265), which appeared in psychiatry’s flagship journal, The American Journal of Psychiatry, is one of the most significant steps in a small but growing effort to study how this so-called psychodynamic therapy works, and for whom.
The brand of therapy tested relies on core tenets of analysis, like the search for the underlying psychological meaning of symptoms. But unlike traditional psychoanalysis, it focused on relieving symptoms quickly, and was time-limited. Previous studies of similar approaches have shown some promise for other disorders, like depression (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/depression/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier).
“It is very exciting, because you rarely see this kind of therapy studied at all, and it was very rigorously done,” said Dr. Dianne Chambless, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_pennsylvania/index.html?inline=nyt-org) who was not involved in the study but is now collaborating with the researchers.
Dr. David H. Barlow, a psychiatrist at Boston University (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/boston_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org), said in an e-mail message that the study was too small to be conclusive but that “the authors should be congratulated for actually taking the first step in doing the hard work of beginning to evaluate treatments” that are widely used without good supportive evidence.
The researchers tested a pared-down version of analysis tailored specifically for panic attacks (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/anxiety/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier), the breathless, paralyzing dread that strikes some 1 percent to 2 percent of people, seemingly out of nowhere. Previous studies had found that other kinds of therapy — including exposure techniques, in which people learn to diffuse their anxieties by facing them one small step at a time — can relieve panic attacks in half to two-thirds of patients, depending on the severity and type of anxiety.
In the new experiment, Dr. Barbara L. Milrod, a psychiatrist at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, led a team of therapists who treated 49 men and women with a variety of anxieties. Some were agoraphobic, unable to ride the subway or visit certain parts of town. Others had symptoms of depression or of personality problems, like a disabling dependency on other people or an avoidance of social situations.
Half of the group received a form of relaxation training, in which they learned how to moderate their arousal by tensing and relaxing specific muscle groups. The other half received psychodynamic therapy, working with their therapist in two weekly sessions to understand the underlying meaning of their symptoms — when the reactions first started and how they might be linked to loss, broken relationships or childhood experiences that unconsciously haunted their current lives.
After 12 weeks, 39 percent of those working with relaxation techniques improved significantly on standard measures of anxiety and reported fewer panic-related problems in their relationships and work. But almost three-quarters of those receiving psychodynamic therapy reported similar benefits.
“This is best response rate I’ve seen in a controlled trial for panic,” Dr. Milrod said. “And the therapy was time-limited. I don’t think anyone would care if psychoanalysis cured panic in six years — snore. We wanted to know that what we were doing worked, that it wasn’t malpractice (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/malpractice/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier).”
Researchers from Columbia University (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/c/columbia_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org), the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Hunter College (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/h/hunter_college/index.html?inline=nyt-org) were also involved.
Studies of this brand of therapy are important for the thousands of therapists around the world who mix and match analytic techniques with other therapies. One former patient treated with this therapy began to have panic attacks after witnessing a young woman die of an illness, said her doctor, Fredric N. Busch, a Cornell psychiatrist and a co-author of the new study.
The patient, who was not a part of the study, described the death as deeply unfair, and in sessions explored perceptions of unfairness in her work and her life, including her childhood. “Once she was able to understand this pattern, the panic became less frightening, she felt safer and was eventually able to get rid of the symptoms,” Dr. Busch said.
The researchers said that even if this approach was not for everyone, it appeared to be especially beneficial for a particular group. In an analysis of individual patient’s responses, the researchers found that those who also had a personality disorder, like avoidant personality, showed significantly greater improvement than those whose symptoms were related solely to anxiety. Patients with multiple diagnoses are usually more difficult to treat.
“This finding was very surprising and there’s absolutely no precedent for it, as far as I know,” Dr. Milrod said.

[Curtman]

Was wondering how your wife has been doing and if you had tried any of the suggestions on this thread.

The thread has stimulated me into purchasing an Infared Sauna. Now I need to narrow it down to the best one.

Hope all is well with your ladie.

[Floyd]

Curtman Thanks for asking. She had went until march 26 with little or no panic. Then out of no where we are all out in the yard starting spring projects and she has a whopper. She thought that she was having a heart attack so I called the ambulance and sent her to the E\r. I also called her doctor to tell him now was a good time to do some tests or something and got the typical hands off isolation reaction. The test that the E\R doc ran confirmed no heart attack , no stroke , was most likely a panic attack. About 2 hours latter we are home she is lightly sedated (2.5 mg diazapam). The E\R doc says she should have something like valuim to take as needed . Her doctor wants to use daily anti depressants instead of valuim\ diazapam becuase the seds are habbit forming (what a f'ing drug pusher). Regaurdless I think we are going to look for a different doc. We made a visit to a past doc that will perscribe what you want instead of what he wants and got her some ALPRAZOLAM. This is supposed to be like valuim but faster acting and taken as needed. I think a lifestyle change is what is needed but she has to do this unfortunately I can can not do it for her. Strong willed women are great as long as they are pulling with you not against you. The last spell she had did at least confirm that it was not heart or stroke related and did point pretty much to panic dis order. This kinda helps at least she knows that she is not dying she is just feeling like it. She is using a reporting good results with these chinese detox foot pads that we had found on the web in conjunction with the new seditive. The problem is not cured but at least it is more understood and a bit more able to be handled. North missouri is eastern medicine poor and this is a shame.

[bjgnome]

The thread has stimulated me into purchasing an Infared Sauna. Now I need to narrow it down to the best one.


My personal fav:

http://www.visionoftheworld.com/db5/00481/visionoftheworld.com/_uimages/InipiRedTrck6x8.JPG