Panic attacks are brief, discrete period of intense discomfort, fear and nervousness when confronted with a particular condition or situation. They may also be caused by certain medical illnesses such as heart ailments, asthma, and even thyroid imbalance.
When there is an imbalance in one’s thyroid panic attacks become unavoidable. Thyroid glands are responsible for the production of hormones. Under or over production of hormones may trigger some physical symptoms of panic attacks like accelerated heart rate, nausea, stomach pains, chills or hot flushes or shortness of breath. Also due to an imbalance in thyroid panic attacks are also common among menopausal women. That is why they become irritable and sometime unreasonable in their fears and sense of reality. These episodes of panic attacks are normal feelings but when they become debilitating and renders the person unproductive, this already constitutes a panic disorder and therefore merits a more serious medical attention.
The effects of panic attacks differ in every person depending on their ability to cope. Some may recover without treatment. But to others, psychological therapies are needed to treat the physical symptoms of panic attacks while others find relief with prescription medications. In some extreme cases, psychological therapies are combined with drug therapy. Most popular and effective are the exposure therapy and the cognitive behavior therapy, which teach the person to recognize, control and manage panic attacks so that they do not affect their lives. Anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs are common medications to combat physical symptoms of panic attacks.
For women who experience some imbalance in the production of thyroid panic attacks can also be managed through alternative and complementary treatments. They have slowly gained acceptance as possible cures for the symptoms of panic attacks and other psychological conditions. Exercise, relaxation techniques and even hypnosis and acupuncture are among the alternative methods. Herbal treatments are also among the highly popular treatments for panic attacks.
Comments on this entry are closed.