Anxiety , sometimes described as “fear spread thinly “ is an almost every day experience for most people , concern at catching the train on time to “butterflies in your stomach “ before an interview before an interview , or the common parental anxiety regarding their children’s progress in school etc . Feeling anxiety is the normal accompaniment to the “fight” responce to a stressor . it is appropriate to feel anxiety , if you see a wild animal loose, or if your house catches fire . anxiety causes arousal in the body and is accompanied by many physical symptoms . some people will have developed an over sensitive “fight response “ and be in an almost perpetual state of anxiety (chronic anxiety state )where as others may have inherited a particular personality structure which renders them constantly anxious –anxiety triat . some anxieties may be focussed on a particular activity (fear of flying , fear of closed spaces ) or a particular animal or insect . these specific anxieties are known as phobias .
CAUSES :
No one cause exists and clarify our life situation and the circumstances we encounter will determine the nature of the anxiety . some times anxiety is caused by lack of knowledge , i.e. not all chest pains mean a heart attack , not all coughs are a sign of cancer , and proper diagnosis may be sufficient to remove the causes of anxiety . anxiety itself can cause physical symptoms and in turn the physical symptoms ,e.g. head ache or excessive sweating , may in themselves cause further anxiety –thus a vicious circle develops
SYMPTOMS : these can affect almost any part of the body and are often related to the excessive effects of adrenaline and noradrenaline , the harmones released during the “fight” responce . thus a fast pulse rate , palpitations , sweaty palms , a dry mouth , hair standing on end , cold hands and feet , rapid intestinal movements , diarrhoea , coughs , nervous tics , muscle tension , raised blood pressure , dizzy spells , fainting attacks , vomiting , sleeplessness , night mares , head aches , feelings of irritability , rapid speech ,
lack of concentration , panic attacks , loss of temper , sexual difficulties (premature ejaculation , impotence , dry vagina ) , low back pain can all be symptoms of anxiety . they may last a few minutes , a few hours or may become a permanent feature of an anxious personality . most , if not all of these symptoms are reversible . once the cause of the anxiety is removed . but like sunburn , you may still experience the symptoms even th0ugh the cause (the sun ) is no longer present . because anxiety symptoms are real –they are not “all in the mind “ and are caused by chemical changes –it is important that until the excess chemicals circulating in your blood diminish . you will experience the symptoms . A particular form of anxiety is both caused by and causes “hyper ventilation” .
this when your breathing becomes shallow , rapid and is linked breathing only with your upper chest . this rapid shallow breathing will eventually disturb the chemistry of the blood and you will experience numbness and tingling in the fingrs , face and feet , together with muscle pain , spasms and cramps , especially in the hands . hyperventilation is often associated with “apnoea”, a condition which the suffer stops breathing altogether for a few seconds . Anxiety symptoms that are prolonged can lead to permanent damage and disease ,e.g. highblood pressure , irritable bowel syndrome , asthma attacks , migraine , neurodermtitis , peptic ulcer etc.
PREVENTION AND SELF HELP: first it is necessary to accept and acknowledge that a certain amount of anxiety is both normal and healthy . each of us will have our own characterstic pattern of experiencing anxiety , both physically and psychologically . if anxiety is becoming disabling certain steps may help you keep it under control . keep a diary and become familiar with your own physical symptoms of anxiety . these can act as early warning signs , a little like the red light that comes on when a car has run out of oil .
List the reasons—organize your time table –develop your own personal anti-anxiety routines—surround your self with a calming , relaxing environment –speak to a special friend –check your diet –hydrotherapy –find a healthy form of distraction .
HOMOPATHIC TREATMENT:
Panic attacks:Aconite 200, fearful of future events : Gelsemium 200 , Performance anxiety: argentums nitricum 200, persistant anxiety :Arsenicum album 200,
These medicines and depending upon, the other medicines and dosages —the homoeopathie doctor should be contacted and proceeding is suggested.self medication is dangerous.
