PANIC AND ANXIETY
ATTACKS, AND POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
î February 2010, L.D.
Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational
purposes only. It is not for the
diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Panic
disorders are very common, and most respond extremely well to nutritional
balancing programs. They all occur
when an alarm reaction at the level of the mind triggers a fight-or-flight
reaction in the body. This, in
turn, worsens the anxiety or panic feelings in the mind, and a vicious cycle is
set up. Unless the cycle is
broken, the cycle builds upon itself within seconds or maybe a minute until a
full-blown panic episode occurs.
The person may feel extremely anxious or afraid, sweaty, with a fast
pulse, alterations in respiration and perhaps other symptoms.
PANIC
ATTACKS AND THE STRESS RESPONSE
Another
feature of all panic disorders is they are all fight-or-flight reactions that
occurs from within with no obvious life-threatening situation as the
cause. The proper functioning of
the sympathetic nervous system is that, in response to danger or even a threat
of danger, the body shifts into a fight-or-flight reaction to prepare it to run
or fight. The symptoms are
identical to a panic episode such as a faster heart rate, and a heightened
state of the irritability of the nervous system.
However,
in the case of panic or anxiety attacks or PTSD, the system is hypersensitive,
and goes into this type of reaction inappropriately, when no real danger is
present. The danger is either
imagined or recalled in a memory only, and/or it is due to biochemical
imbalances that make the nervous system unusually hypersensitive or unstable or
hyper-irritable.
BIOCHEMICAL
FACTORS IN ALL PANIC DISORDERS
Copper
imbalance. Most panic conditions involve copper toxicity. Copper enhances biogenic amine
production and tends to enhance all emotional reactions. It appears to stimulate the old brain,
also called the emotional brain or diencephalon. This tends to accentuate or provoke panic episodes.
Low
or biounavailable calcium and magnesium.
This
is often another contributing factor.
Calcium and magnesium, in a bioavailable form, are needed to stablize
and relax the nervous system. Our
food supply today often does not provide enough of it, since pasteurized dairy
products are not as good a source as they once were.
Low
zinc. This is often involved as well. zinc is a calming nutrient, a copper
antagonists, and needed for many reaction in the brain and elsewhere in the
body. When low, one is prone to
copper excess, moodiness and emotional instability. Zinc is depleted by stress, so many soldiers, for example,
easily become depleted of zinc.
However, today the entire population is somewhat low in zinc.
Fast
or very slow oxidation. A balanced
oxidation rate assists the autonomic or automatic nervous system to function
correctly. When the oxidation rate
is unbalanced, either too fast or too slow, the autonomic system does not
respond correctly to stressors of many kinds. This can give rise to panic episodes.
Deficiency
of omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3
fatty acids are deficient in most people today due to feeing livestock on
grains instead of grasses. Also,
vegetable oils high in the competing omega-6 fatty acids are widely used, which
unbalances the ratio of the fatty acids in most people. In some cases, inadequate omega-3 fatty
acids can make the nervous system hyper-irritable and even unstable.
Toxic
metals.
The presence of excessive mercury, cadmium, lead or other toxic metals is
another factor that is commonly present in cases of panic episodes. All decrease the stability of the
nervous system and interfere with its functioning in other ways as well.
REASONS
FOR AN EXCELLENT RESPONSE.
As the
causes above for panic episodes are removed, the attacks diminish –
usually within a few days or even sooner.
In fact, panic attacks are one of the fastest conditions to respond to
nutritional balancing programs.
Post traumatic stress disorder should also respond well, though we have
less experience with it than with other types of panic attacks.
I
believe the response is so fast and complete because nutritional balancing can
halt the attacks in several ways.
One is to balance the oxidation rate, which makes the nervous system
respond in a more appropriate manner to all stressors. Another is supply badly needed
nutrients that also short-circuit or stop the attacks. These include calcium, magnesium and
zinc, the ÒsedativeÓ minerals.
Finally,
nutritional balancing also can often uncover and remove the deeper causes of
the problem. This is usually a
copper imbalance, and perhaps excessive amounts of other toxic metals, toxic
chemicals or other substances or deficiencies that must be corrected to restore
proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system. This will stop inappropriate fight-or-flight reactions.
TRIGGERS
AND DEEPER CAUSES
I
find it helpful to distinguish between getting rid of triggers for panic
attacks, and correcting deeper causes.
Doing both is the best approach.
Triggers might include a low blood sugar level, fatigue, hunger, thirst,
or potentially any other physical or chemical imbalance that acts as a stressor
upon the body or mind. By
improving oneÕs diet, lifestyle and living habits, these can be minimized. This alone will prevent many panic
attacks, but not all. Also, the
threat of a panic attack would still hang over a person and this is one of the
most frightening aspects of the condition.
Correcting
underlying biochemical imbalances and restoring the autonomic nervous system
takes longer, but is an important part of all nutritional balancing programs
and can help to do away with panic attacks for good. This means that even if one is caught without proper food or
water, or is tired, the nervous system will not react with a panic
episode. This is always our goal,
and it is quite achievable in our experience. We have helped many people with panic and anxiety attacks,
usually easily and quickly.
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