Monday, July 7, 2008

Dealing With Anxiety And Depression

Quite a few people have been nervous or sad depending on the situation. When loved ones die people are saddened. Going to a new job for the first day can make a person nervous. Both of these situations eventually get resolved. It doesn’t mean that the person forgets about their loved one, it’s that they have gone through the grieving process and can once again get on with life. The same is true with going to work today. Eventually the nervousness goes away and the job is just something that gets done everyday.

For people dealing with anxiety and depression, those feelings never go away. Instead of grieving for a lost one the feeling changes to fear about ones own life and death. People might also feel like they go out to meet the day in despair. For the person who goes to work everyday, they are nervous just driving to work. They hope they can get through the day. The same feelings are there no matter how long they have worked for the same company. Anxiety and depression won’t usually go away by themselves and the person should go and see a doctor about it.

Anxiety And Depression Attitudes

Some people are afraid to show anyone that they are hurting because to many, it is looked at as a weakness. People don’t understand that the anxiety and depression is as real as a broken leg. Some people will tell others suffering that they need to just pick up the pieces and move on. Or they might say that it’s all in the head. If people who deal with this everyday could make it pass, they would. If it was just in ones head than how come it keeps coming back? Without proper medicine and the care of a doctor, people would suffer even worse because the symptoms aren’t being treated.

Anxiety and depression can’t be pushed aside. For the person who doesn’t want to believe in these very real problems, try going to the doctor with something wrong. What if the doctor said, “There’s nothing wrong with you!” The person would argue back that it’s their body and they know they are sick. This is the same scenario that many Americans deal with everyday. It’s not right and it certainly isn’t fare. Instead of mocking those who have problems with anxiety and depression, understand that they feel as hurt as anyone else seeing the doctor. A different outlook will make a big difference in understanding and helping others.

Anxiety And Chest Pain: When To Take Somebody Who Is Having Chest Pains To The Hospital

Just because a person is having some chest pains does not mean that the person is having a heart attack. In most cases, anxiety and chest pain go together that a person who is under stress would often feel some tightness in his or her chest. If you happen to have a friend or a family member who is under stress and is complaining that he or she feels pains in his her chest, evaluate the situation first before you call an ambulance and bring your friend or family member to the hospital.

Determining The Cause Of The Chest Pain

Anxiety and chest pain is very common. If your friend or family member feels some shooting pains, fullness in the chest area and difficulty in breathing after a very stressful situation, ask your friend to set down and relax. If the pain is not really very intense and your friend or family member does not look really out of breath, he or she could be suffering from simply anxiety and chest pains. A little rest will make him or her feel a lot better. However, since you can not really be so sure if your friend or family member is just suffering from simple anxiety and chest pains, advise him or her to see a doctor soon to make sure that he or she is not suffering from any serious health problems.

On the other hand, if your friend complains about anxiety and chest pains and he or she looks really tired and his or her speech starts to slur, try to ask him or her to stand up and raise both arms over his or her head. If he or she has difficulty raising both arms over his or her head, call an ambulance. You friend or family member could be having a heart attack. Loss of balance and difficulty in speaking are symptoms of more serious conditions so do not ignore these signs.

Things To Do To Avoid Anxiety And Chest Pains

If you have friends and family members who are prone to anxiety and chest pains, advise them to get sufficient rest, eat healthy foods and to avoid their stress triggers. Getting enough rest is very important to the body. If a person is well rested, he or she will be better able to cope with different types of situations. On the other hand, eating a balances diet can keep the body healthy and strong. People who are generally healthy are less prone to serious medical conditions and are better able to cope with stress.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Treating Anxiety With Herbs

Many people suffer with anxiety because of all the stress and strains of life. Anxiety can steel the joy from life and ruin relationships. Families with members who suffer from anxiety will all suffer. Children of parents who suffer from anxiety are likely to also be anxious. Finding a cure for the anxiety in ones life should be a priority for anyone who finds the anxiety becoming uncontrollable and unbearable.

There are some natural remedies for anxiety including several anxiety herbs that have been found to have a positive affect. People can take these anxiety relieving herbs, find relief and avoid having to take prescription medications prescribed by a doctor. Of course a person who is having severe anxiety should consult their physician for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Also people who take prescription medications should consult their physician or pharmacist before they take any other herbal or homeopathic medications to avoid adverse interactions.

Some Common Herbs For Anxiety

Valerian is a common herb for anxiety and insomnia that is taken around the world. This root when taken at bed time will induce sleep and prevent anxiety attacks in the night. This herb works well for short term use but has not been studied for long term treatment. When taken, valerian extract works rapidly to reduce anxiety usually having an effect within thirty to sixty minutes.

L-theanine a derivative of Green Tea has also been proven to be an anti-anxiety herb.
This herb is not habit forming or addictive and does not have limits on how long it should be taken. This herb is often found in low doses in many herbal supplements but for true anxiety relief will need to be taken in a larger dose.

Kava Kava is another herb for anxiety that can be used during the day or in a stronger dose at night. The active ingredient kavalactone should not be taken for more than four months consecutively. One recommended way to take Kava Kava is to take it only three times a week and to skip one week out of every month. This seems to prevent any problems with dependency or decreased effectiveness.

There are many other herbs for anxiety that can easily be found by looking in herbal remedy books, online, or inquiring at herbal remedy stores. Along with these herbs are some mixtures of herbs that can be put into teas and tonic. A nice cup of anti-anxiety herb tea sipped before bedtime will be a great benefit for relief of anxiety and as a sleep aid.

Taking Anxiety Medicine

People who go to the doctor have no problem with taking antibiotics to get better. Even at home, people will take over the counter meds to stop a headache or when fighting a cold. When it comes to taking medicines prescribed for anxiety, people seem to hesitate.

Why is anxiety medicine so bad that people don’t want to take it? There is no good reason to not take it. The biggest thing to understand is that anxiety medicine isn’t the cure. It helps a lot but there are more steps to it. Some medicines might interact so it’s always a good idea to bring a list of medications that a person takes. Even over the counter medicines can react so tell the doctor everything! Something that potential patients should know is that the anxiety medicine can be addictive to the body. Never go off these medicines alone. The doctor will explain how to do it correctly.

Some people will not need to take any anxiety medicine. The problem is many times rooted into something deeper. Once the doctor and the patient find out what it is, they can work to eliminate the old problem causing the anxiety to go away. If the doctor says that they believe that it would help the person than its okay to ask some questions beforehand.

Questions About Anxiety Medicine

There are some basic questions that a person can ask such as what exactly will the medicine do for a person. Also ask about any possible side effects of the anxiety medicine. Make sure to know if there are any foods or drinks that a person should stop eating or drinking. Always ask the doctor about any changes of medicine or how the new anxiety medicine will react to the body. If the doctor says that a person should take the medicine then ask for how long. For some people it might mean taking them for the rest of their lives, or maybe for six months. One last question to ask is what will happen if the person is taken off of the drug.

There are many other questions that a person can ask and these are just a few. Write down on a piece of paper all of the questions that pop up and bring the list when talking to the doctor. Knowing the proper path to follow isn’t just smart; it shows that the individual wants to take part in the healing. Understanding everything can make it easier to cope when the feelings of anxiety creep in.