| After living for more than fifty years with nary a health | | | | worry about everything. |
| condition and my only in hospital experiences being as | | | | Others believe the attacks are caused by our natural |
| a visitor, one morning while packing for a vacation I felt | | | | fight or flight response to the possibility of impending |
| a dizzying sensation, shortness of breath and rapidly | | | | harm. |
| palpitating heart. Increasing in intensity, I became unable | | | | When an alligator attacks your natural reaction is to |
| to function, fearful that I was about to lose | | | | survive. It's normal for your breathing and heart rate to |
| consciousness, and grabbed a cell phone to speed dial | | | | accelerate in preparing fight or flee as circumstances |
| my family...I just knew I was having a heart attack and | | | | merit. |
| the end was imminent. | | | | In scenarios where there is no real or impending |
| Clearly, that was not the case or I would not be writing | | | | danger but your body and brain reacts as if there is |
| this short piece, but the sensation was real...I believed I | | | | danger, a panic or anxiety attack may be occurring. |
| was about to die, was convinced of it in fact. | | | | As we touched on above, many people who |
| Today I know I had a panic attack. | | | | experience anxiety or panic attacks may have |
| What is a Panic Attack? | | | | experienced: |
| A panic attack is a type of chronic anxiety which | | | | Death or serious illness of a family member |
| involves a seemingly spontaneous incident of intense | | | | Abnormal levels of negative stress such as job loss, |
| fear that frequently lasts from a few minutes to | | | | divorce or death of a loved one as opposed to |
| twenty five minutes or more. If you have an anxiety or | | | | positive stress which we may experience planning a |
| panic attack you most likely feel as if you need help | | | | wedding or vacation |
| right away to help you through this emergency | | | | A history of anxiety attacks or panic related issues in |
| During a panic attack you may experience symptoms | | | | your family |
| including but not necessarily limited to a loss of control, | | | | Trauma, such as a car or boat accident, earthquake, |
| shortness of breath, palpitations of the heart, sweating, | | | | or being the victim of crime |
| dizziness a fear of impending death or loss. A panic | | | | Physical or emotional abuse |
| attack can be very frightening for the chronic sufferer. | | | | Serious financial or health problems. |
| What Triggers Panic Attacks? | | | | While the actual causation may be due to any of a |
| A panic attack may be triggered because of a | | | | number of reasons, the commonality of experience of |
| substantial event, or seemingly no reason at all. A | | | | suffers is one that has come to the forefront in |
| myriad of factors that may contribute to the onset of | | | | contemporary culture as people of all walks of life, |
| a panic attack include your family genes, negative | | | | even children have been diagnosed as suffering from |
| stress or something causing a change in the function | | | | panic and anxiety attacks. |
| of your brain. | | | | If you are one of the millions of people that suffer |
| Examples of negative stress which commonly trigger | | | | from panic or anxiety attacks, the good news is that |
| panic attacks, are fear about: a health condition, | | | | help exists in many forms including therapy, medical |
| financial problems, family, or other relationship problems, | | | | treatment, homeopathic care, self help and a protocol |
| issues at work, crime, natural disaster, the possible | | | | that has worked especially well for me, acupuncture! |
| onset of danger, being alone, depression, grief due to | | | | You can end your panic and anxiety attacks...all you |
| loss, anxiety or fear from worry. | | | | have to do is take the first step, get some information, |
| Therapists have told me that people who suffer from | | | | then take action for a new and better future. |
| panic or anxiety attacks frequently think too much and | | | | |