Anxiety is an increasingly common experience. Anxiety can be experienced as acute or chronic. An acute anxiety episode can manifest itself as a panic attack, where the body's natural "fight or flight" reaction occurs at an inappropriate time. It is a complex, involuntary physiological response in which the body prepares itself to deal with an emergency situation. The stress of the experience causes the body to produce more adrenal hormones, especially cortisol and adrenaline. The increased production of adrenaline causes the body to increase it's metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to quickly produce energy for the body to use. The muscles tense, the heartbeat and breathing rate become more rapid, and the composition of the blood changes, making it more prone to clotting.

This reaction is appropriate and helpful for survival in the face of a life-threatening incident, such as an accident, assault, or a natural disaster. At inappropriate times, the symptoms caused by the surge in adrenaline can be distressing, causing an overwhelming sense of impending disaster, making it difficult to think clearly. Other reactions often accompany those previously mentioned, such as shortness of breath, feeling claustrophobic, heart palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, sweating, nausea, chills, trembling, and more. The long-term health effects of anxiety can include generalized aches and pains, muscular twitching and stiffness, depression, insomnia, decreased libido, tension, hormonal disruptions, and further emotional stress.

Anxiety attacks may be triggered by a number of things:

* stress (conscious or unconscious)

* certain foods

* certain medications

* illness

* caffeine-based stimulants

* food allergies

* hypoglycemia

* no apparent cause

Chronic anxiety is a milder form of this disorder. Sufferers feel a sense of anxiety much of the time, but the intensity often does not reach the level as with a panic attack. They may feel generally uneasy, have headaches and chronic fatigue.

A body under stress is more vulnerable to acute and chronic illness. It is fundamental to approach treatment from a holistic perspective, addressing the root cause. A healthy diet plus appropriate nutritional supplementation can be of considerable benefit, reducing overall anxiety and decreasing the frequency and intensity of panic attacks and generalized anxiety.

Contact us to discuss which therapy is right for you.