Until I experienced a panic attack I had always imagined them to be a case of someone in a deep state of fear from a phobia of being in enclosed places for instance, and shouting hysterically to be let out of a lift for example. Not quite so.
Most certainly, the symptoms are the same ones as exhibited when in a state of fear. The nhs.uk describes them as seeming like a heart attack in extreme cases.
These include: trembling, sweating, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, ringing in the ears, tingling in the fingers and a choking sensation. All of these won’t necessarily occur in one person of course.
Panic attacks are very closely linked in with anxiety, although not every over-anxious person will have an actual panic attack. My period of suffering these was fairly short lived, a few months overall, but then I did have excellent help in treating them, using the natural cures for anxiety described below. I am very happy to read in the general information on these symptoms that they can make you feel like you are about to die, as this is how I felt and continued to feel for some time. Until the logic of still being alive after each attack defeated the fear that this time it may be ‘it’.
Panic Ye Not
It is important to explain that you do not need to be frightened to have a panic attack. Mostly it is not a single moment of fearful thought that brings these on. I woke in the night in the middle of one sometimes. At least I was already lying down in case I fainted. Benefit!
Panic attacks that suddenly come out of nowhere, and ever present anxiety, are both often a physical problem and are related to the adrenals. Often, low blood sugar plays a large part too. Everything getting knocked out of balance with surges here and there. This, ladies, is a little what hot flushes feel like in the menopause, but without the thought you will die. (Note to you all: you should switch to a raw diet in menopause to avoid these and other horrible symptoms.)
First tip: keep blood sugar levels steady! This can be regulated by eating at 2 hour intervals, just small meals and snacks of protein and plant foods. Use complex carbohydrates, grains such as millet or quinoa, and sweet potatoes. They aid blood sugar levelling.
Take Vitamin B complex, as B vitamins help the nervous system and brain. Most important of all in using natural cures for anxiety, make use of the amazing benefits of magnesium.
The Role of Magnesium
Most of us are deficient in magnesium, which is precisely why it has an amazing effect on us when we take it. So if your body is trying to tell you something by anxiety and panic attacks, it is that it wants and craves magnesium to put it right!
Dr. Carolyn Dean is stresses that magnesium is essential to halting anxiety and panic attacks, and this is why:
“When the adrenals are no longer protected by sufficient magnesium, the fight or flight hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline, become more easily triggered, and when they surge erratically, they cause a rapid pulse, high blood pressure, and heart palpitations. In fact, the more magnesium deficient you are, the more exaggerated is the adrenaline release. There are over a dozen major metabolic processes that are affected by adrenaline. Each of these functions requires magnesium and leads to wasting of this important mineral if the symptoms continue. Magnesium calms the nervous system and relaxes muscle tension, helping reduce anxiety and panic attacks.”
Why Eating High Magnesium Foods is Not Enough
Once I started on the raw diet, this made a huge difference to my general inherent nervous type nature. But by then, my panic attacks had been gone some 15 years, so the disappearance of those was not linked to the raw diet.
By going raw I was getting a lot of natural minerals, and in particular magnesium, from nuts and seeds, but I was feeding a more normal body. When needing to address anxiety and panic attacks, large doses of magnesium are needed. It is being used to bring you back to health and balance, not just maintain it.
Dr. Carolyn Dean is THE expert on magnesium, having used it for decades on her patients. She further says:
“Hands down, bar none and without a doubt, the top supplement for anxiety is Magnesium, and in my experience, if it doesn’t work, that means you haven’t taken enough.
You can do Epsom salts or magnesium flakes baths; you can take oral magnesium pills, powders or tablets, but many people need high doses of magnesium to reach therapeutic levels. High doses of magnesium for me and many people give us the laxative effect before the therapeutic effect.”
One solution to prevent the laxative effect is to apply magnesium to your skin. Your body will be able to absorb it and use it!
But notice her mention of the therapeutic effect. This is what you must keep in mind. You are using magnesium initially as therapy and have to correct your deficiencies. Once these are balanced, you can take lower doses. This will vary from person to person. I believe that in the US you can have your magnesium levels tested quite easily.
The quality of the magnesium you take is crucial. Ancient Minerals, Remag, and Eidon Ionic Magnesium are all highly respected and first choice. NO NO NO to chain store brands. Did I say NO? If they are cheap, they are without doubt useless, other than as the placebo effect. Epsom salts being the rule breaker here. These are cheap but must be used with care: your body can absorb too much in one go if you soak in the bath for too long, and you will experience detox symptoms that are not pleasant. On their own, Epsom salts will not be enough to correct a deep imbalance, but are certainly to be used as a calming bath or foot soak along with oral or topical magnesium.
Please share your experience treating anxiety naturally in the comments section. Or you can ask me a question of course.
