Anxiety Attack Treatments - How To Treat Anxiety Attacks Without Drugs

Anxiety attacks (also called panic attacks) are frightening episodes. But they cannot harm you. Nevertheless, once having suffered an attack you don't ever want to repeat the experience. Having attended you doctor you are usually prescribed drug-based medications, but their side effects can put people off using them. However, there are natural anxiety attack treatments that more and more sufferers are now turning to. Here, you'll discover what some of these are, and, how the fear of another anxiety attack is often the trigger for one.

It's perhaps a good idea to first look at the cause of anxiety attacks in order to understand how you should approach your treatment...

The underlying cause of anxiety attacks -- panic attacks -- is higher-than-normal levels of anxiety. Now, everybody suffers anxiety, it's quite natural. But these levels are manageable, and folks just get on with there day-to-day lives. But some people have anxiety levels that are so intense, continuous and prolonged that it totally interferes with their ability to get by on an almost daily basis. This is sometimes called general anxiety disorder (GAD). So that when an everyday stressful event occurs, on top of an already heightened level of anxiety, an anxiety attack is triggered.

Now let's look at drug-based medication used in anxiety attack treatments...

Some of the most common are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), which are a group of drugs of the antidepressant class. These work on your brain chemistry to manage and normalize emotion and mood. Other common drugs are minor tranquilizers which are used to calm you down. The third common group are beta-blockers used to control the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks. And they all can be effective, although some only become so over time.

The side effects of some of these are quite nasty and include things like, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, dizziness, tiredness, and even dependency. There's also a paradoxical effect that your anxiety can actually increase for a period of time.

So more and more folks are turning to natural anxiety attack treatments like the following...

Therapy

One of the most popular is 'cognitive-behavioral therapy' (CBT) which is used to help change both thought processes and behaviour. It can be used on a one-to-one basis or in group therapy. Using techniques such as role-playing, daily journals, evaluating beliefs and behaviour, relaxation, etc., it strives to change your negative thinking and behaviour into positive ones.

Meditation

This treatment needs to be mastered if it's to be effective. You need to be taught it. The objective is to get rid of your fears and anxieties by using special techniques to calm yourself down, relieve stress and relax tight muscles, etc., so that you can turn negative feelings into positive ones.

Breathing

Many people use special breathing techniques to control anxiety attacks. The key is slow, controlled breathing, not deep chest breathing which can have the opposite effect. But the most important thing, with all breathing exercises, is to use your diaphragm, not just the chest. Most people just breath with their chest which only inflates part of the lungs.

Diet

Your diet can play a part in treating anxiety attacks. Very acidic diets, which most of us eat, can exacerbate stress and anxiety. So stay away from, or reduce, things like salt, sugar, processed foods, dairy products (although yogurt is fine), nuts, alcohol, etc. As for protein, reduce this to the amount you really need, taking into consideration the physical aspects of your job and lifestyle. On the other hand eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables which are alkaline.

Now, while the above anxiety attack treatments can be effective, one of the key components of anxiety attacks is the actual 'fear' of having another one. Because this fear, which is built-into your psyche, builds upon your already high anxiety levels. Then when you suffer a further stressful situation, it can trigger an anxiety attack. This is you cycle of anxiety:- anxiety > fear > anxiety attack > anxiety > fear > anxiety attack > etc. To prevent further attacks and to cure your anxiety you need to break that vicious cycle.