Anxiety & Panic - The New Epidemic
Elizabeth Bohorquez
The number of people suffering from panic, anxiety, agoraphobia
and the like has reached more than epidemic proportions. If we add
to this number, those people suffering additional anxiety due to a
specific disease process such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
circulatory disturbances and pain-related disorders such as
arthritis, Fibromyalgia and the like, one wonders if anyone is left
anxiety-free.
The anxiety/panic epidemic is not just a national problem, but
also one of international proportion. The large majority of those
suffering with these disorders are holding full-time jobs, many at
Executive and managerial levels and are experiencing a relatively
high degree of workplace stress. Many are taking medications of
some sort, from tranquillizers to anti-depressants and sleeping
pills. Others are addicted to other substances including alcohol,
cigarettes, sugar and drugs, both legal and illegal.
Most people with anxiety/panic disorder have very similar
complaints from free floating anxiety to full-blown anxiety
attacks, making them prisoners of their own lives. Many complain of
poor concentration and memory recall and tend to be absent from
work quite frequently and few can remember the last time they felt
well, physically, emotionally or spiritually.
Managing anxiety and panic is like anything else. There are many
facets to be considered & once these are defined, a workable
program needs to be put in place and then worked on with
persistence!
Holistic Key #1: Food Stress
Most people pay very little attention to what they put into
their bodies in the form of food or drink, or the combination
thereof. In fact, most bodies don't know what to expect. Sometimes
they get breakfast, sometimes they don't. Many days they are loaded
with junk and other days they're put on some sort of a diet. Now, I
can hear the yelps...."I eat low-fat." "I never snack between
meals." " I count my calories very closely." For many people this
is true, but even for those who follow some sort of regime,
research shows we still may be eating incorrectly for our own body
needs. 75% of the population carries a gene known as Profactor H,
or the caveman gene.
This hereditary factor guides the way our body responds to
certain foods, especially high carbohydrate foods by over producing
the hormone insulin. Insulin is a fat-storer and out of balance, is
experienced in the body as a stressor. Under certain conditions,
hereditary and otherwise, the body can either over produce this
hormone or build a resistance to it. The body will have a
tendency to store the intake as fat, even if eating a low fat diet.
In reality, if a diet is too low fat, the body will actually store
even more, thus creating food stress. If we have a tendency
towards this Profactor, we need to be careful about which
carbohydrate foods we chose, how often we eat them and the amounts
at each meal. We need to be aware of the balance between our intake
of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Once the balance is in place the
body can start burning fat, which is the ideal biochemical state
for physiological, emotional and cognitive functioning.
This holds true even if a person is not over-weight, as is
sometimes the case in panic and anxiety disorders. It is also
important to note that Profactor H is the underlying link to the
major killers; heart disease, adult onset diabetes,
atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, certain
cancers including breast, ovarian and uterine and is a link to
smoking and yo-yo weight gain.
People with a tendency to Profactor H, or hyperinsulinemia have
a particular personality profile which includes anxiety, panic,
agoraphobia, emotional instability, depression, PMS and many other
uncomfortable body feelings. Many turn to cigarettes, drugs, or
alcohol to try to calm this feeling, which they describe as
"stress." This feeling is actually a drop in blood sugar, or what
is known as food-induced hyperinsulinemia.
For people with an active "body symptom policing system" in
place, this blood sugar drop is very frightening. The body answers
this hypoglycemic response with an outpouring of other stress
hormones including adrenalin and cortisol, among others. These
neurological stimulators increase the already present body
sensations and fear sets in. This frightening cycle intensifies and
many choose to completely alter their lives in a sad attempt to
manage this bio-chemical reaction.
Once one learns to manage food-induced hyperinsulinemia, the
body sensations are reduced greatly. The next step is to understand
how to reinterpret the sensations, so they can actually work for
the individual, instead of hindering his progress.
Interactive Self-hypnosis
Working with Body Sensations, Thoughts and Emotions. The body
communicates with us through our body feelings or sensations.
Whenever we feel tension, which is an attempt of the body to let us
know it is under physical stress. Most of us never pay any
attention to this body communication, especially on low levels. We
do pay lots of attention once the sensations begin screaming at us,
such as neck spasms, backache, indigestion, heart palpitations,
dizziness, headaches, to name a few. By this time the stress
chemicals in the body are very high and seriously interfering with
our ability to function on all levels. We can learn to manage this
by learning various techniques which retrain the brain to release
the stress chemicals on low levels subconsciously.
"Interactive Hypnosis" puts the individual in charge
of managing his own body chemistry. When we teach our brain
to be aware and release low stressors, we do not need to be
alerted. The brain becomes an excellent employee, doing
its job for us. We can also train the brain to notice and
release negative chemical producing thoughts and emotions that
appear and which are not currently needed for our functioning.
These techniques are very powerful and allows the mind to clear
itself and be available for the work at hand. These tools have been
utilized by top athletes, executives and those interested in
accelerated learning.
Most people suffering from anxiety, panic, depression, sleep
disorders, poor concentration, memory and pain, have what is known
as "run away brain syndrome." The mind is continuously running all
by itself with no guidance or direction. This is very
stress-chemical producing and a person in this state has little
chance of moving towards a worthwhile goal. They are basically
caught in the stress cycle, which is self-fulfilling. To make
matters worse, the brain sees this "syndrome" as the goal and works
hard to keep it going.
Anyone can learn self-hypnosis, as it is a natural process. When
one learns to relax very deeply utilizing special techniques and
then introduces personalized metaphors, the subconscious mind
accepts these as real. "Interactive Self-Hypnosis" utilizes sensory
imaging techniques to move one past obstacles or the perceived
problem and on to greener pastures. These techniques are health
producing, as the body works to manufacture healing chemicals when
the person places himself in this state. These chemicals actually
boost the immune system and work to reverse or control an active
disease process.
We know that 60-90% of disease processes are stress related. By
learning to manage anxiety and panic holistically, you have the
power to move your mind/body from an illness mode to one of
high-level health. So, we could say that 60-90% of your health
outcomes are up to you!
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