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Anxiety may be defined a very uncomfortable feeling of nervousness, irritability or foreboding about the future. At times, it is attached to a particular event, situation or person. At other times, there is no obvious cause for it. This type is called free-floating anxiety. Panic attacks, also called anxiety attacks, are sudden drastic increases in anxiety to the point where one may have trouble breathing, muscles tighten, the pulse rate increases, one may collapse, or even urinate or defecate without control. They are among the most common reasons people visit doctors. A Vicious Cycle A panic attack is essentially a cascade effect or vicious cycle that escalates out of control. A negative thought or emotion, or some other stressor such as hunger or fatigue causes the body to move into a fight-or-flight reaction. This, in turn, makes one more panicky and worsens the stress response of the body. The process escalates in a minute or less, and the result is a panic attack. Ways to break the vicious cycle that creates panic attacks are: 1. Reduce excessive sensitivity of the entire central nervous system through biochemical balancing of the body. 2. Reduce or better yet, remove triggers that start the attack. 3. Interrupt the vicious cycle or positive feedback loop in some way such as by breathing deeply and slowly, or thinking very positive, calming thoughts. The tendency for panic attacks is often easy to stop with a mineral balancing program. BASIC CAUSES FOR ANXIETY Biochemical Imbalances These are extremely important and common. However, many medical and psychological professionals know little about them. The reason is they don’t learn about them in their schooling. Medical and psychological professions rarely, if ever use hair mineral testing, which often reveals why a person is anxious. Improper ways of thinking The brain functions much like a computer. If the thoughts and feelings that go in are mainly negative, the brain will process this and often will draw fearful and anxious conclusions. - Dwelling on fears, foreboding, negative self-images, horror, grief or despair. - Often second-guessing yourself, questioning your motives, and/or often doubting yourself. - Not listening carefully or not learning well, so that you acquire wrong information that leads to poor-quality decisions that, in turn, cause more trouble and problems. Counseling, reading certain books, support groups, meditation and relaxation are methods that can help to change the way you use your mind. An unhealthy lifestyle This is a major cause of anxiety and panic feelings in some people. For example, many people do not get enough sleep, go to bed too late, use stimulants such as caffeine or drugs, take on more obligations than they can comfortably handle, dress or behave in unsafe ways, or have other lifestyle problems. Stress The effects of stress on the body are well known. Any stressful situation tends to cause a fight-or-flight reaction in the body, which involves activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This increases the heart rate and the blood pressure, increases the blood sugar level, and has other effects that contribute to feelings of anxiety. The cause of stress can be something from outside the body or it can be thoughts or feelings that arise from within the body. A psychosomatic symptom At times, anxiety is caused by expressing one’s feelings through or in the body. This is called a psychosomatic symptom. The body may do this because it is preferably to feeling the intense pain or horror of remembering an early life trauma. This is very confusing because medical tests will often be negative or inconclusive, but one can experience definite physical and emotional symptoms such as pain, tightness in the body, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, shaking, weakness in the legs or back, and others Others At times, chiropractic misalignments, electromagnetic stress from cell phones or computers, or other factors can cause anxiety and panic attacks. BIOCHEMICAL IMBALANCES ASSOCIATED WITH ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS Among the most important biochemical reasons for anxiety are: Fatigue and adrenal burnout Fatigue alone will cause anxiety. The feeling arises because the body does not have the energy to cope with stress. This is a common, and often overlooked, cause of anxiety. If fatigue alone is the situation, a few nights of great sleep will solve it. If one has adrenal exhaustion or “burnout” (so called because vital minerals are literally gone or burned out of the body), then a more intense mineral program is required to correct it. The anxious and panicky feelings disappear as one is able to handle stress better. An alarm stage of stress This is a state of the body’s autonomic nervous system in which the body is constantly geared up in preparation to fight or run away. It is like being in “emergency” mode all of the time. The nervous system is hypersensitive, and reacts to the smallest stimulation, often over-reacting and causing anxiety and possibly a panic attack. In terms of body chemistry, the tissue calcium and magnesium levels decrease, as does zinc. Calcium, magnesium, and zinc are called “the sedative minerals”. With lower levels of these three minerals in the tissues, the body becomes very prone to feelings of anxiety. Some people live this way much of the time. It may be due to chronic or acute stress, or due to nutritional deficiencies, or an improper diet or lifestyle. Regardless of the reason, this state of body chemistry strongly predisposes one to feelings of anxiety and to panic attacks. A very sluggish metabolic rate This would seem to be the opposite of the condition above. However, it is also anxiety-producing, often in the extreme. Reasons this occurs include: 1) A deficiency of biologically available calcium and magnesium. This can cause the same symptoms as a calcium and/or magnesium deficiency. 2) Excess copper in the tissues, which occurs with a slow oxidation rate. 3) Very low energy and thus difficulty coping with stress. The person may not even be aware of how little energy he or she has. However, life becomes difficult, and the slightest stress can throw one into feelings of anxiety and panic. 4) Accumulation of toxic metals such as mercury, cadmium, nickel or lead. These begin to accumulate when the metabolic or oxidation rate is slow because the body cannot properly eliminate them. They further inflame the nervous system and alter it in ways that often contribute to feelings of anxiety. Copper imbalance This is a common cause of panic attacks due to copper excess in the tissues which enhances the production of stimulatory neurotransmitters and appears to stimulate the activity of the diencephalon. This is called the “animal brain” or the “emotional brain”. This causes enhanced emotions, one of which is often anxiety and feelings of panic. The presence of specific toxic metals in excess This is a very common, but greatly overlooked cause of feelings of anxiety. Millions of people have too much lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, and toxic forms of iron and manganese in their bodies. These settle in various parts of the brain, irritate the nervous system, and definitely contribute to anxiety and panic attacks. They also can replace the sedative minerals, calcium, magnesium and zinc, upsetting the normal ways our bodies relax. Hypoglycemia Episodes of low or fluctuating blood sugar is another common cause of anxiety today. When the blood sugar level becomes too low, the brain literally begins to starve for fuel. Many people have experienced the anxiety that can accompany low blood sugar. One usually becomes very hungry, almost desperate for food. One can easily become shaky, weak, confused and panicky in this condition. If this is the cause of your anxiety, it will go away in a few minutes just by eating something sweet. At least half the American population experiences low blood sugar, often due to an improper diet and/or lifestyle. Cutting out all sweet foods and eating protein and perhaps some fat every three or four hours can help prevent this cause of anxiety. Removing underlying causes, which are mineral imbalances involving zinc, chromium and manganese, takes more effort. Nutrient deficiencies Our nervous system requires several dozen minerals, plus many vitamins, fatty acids and amino acids to function at all properly. Deficiencies of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins A, B-complex, C, D3 and E are rampant, especially if one eats any refined foods. Poor eating habits, such as eating on the run, also interferes with nutrient absorption and leads to nutrient deficiencies. Inflammation Anxiety and panic attacks are inflamed states of the mind that can be related to having an inflamed body chemistry. This is often due to excessive iron, manganese or aluminum, low zinc, a high sodium/potassium ratio or other a few other more complex biochemical imbalances. Taking the wrong vitamins and minerals. Certain vitamins such as B-complex are stimulatory and will cause anxiety and even panic attacks in some people. Minerals such as copper, manganese and others are also stimulatory. Having too many of these in the body can also cause anxiety. These are oxide forms of iron, manganese, aluminum and a few other minerals Certain herbs such as ginseng and eluthero are also somewhat stimulatory and can cause anxiety. Be careful with supplements, as they are not all benign. Reactions to foods or toxic chemicals in foods or in the environment Sensitivity, intolerance or an allergic reaction to a food or something else in the environment can cause severe anxiety. Common problems are wheat sensitivity or an allergy to pasteurized and homogenized dairy products. In other cases, the allergy or sensitivity may be respiratory or due to contact with the skin. Some Infections For example, a chronic candida albicans or yeast infection in the intestines or elsewhere can contribute to anxiety. The infection produces chemicals such as acetaldehyde and alcohol that irritate the nervous system. Just following an anti-candida diet may not be enough to stop it. CORRECTING ANXIETY AND PANIC FEELINGS Solutions for anxiety and panic attacks follow directly from understanding their deeper causes: Follow a complete mineral balancing program This involves a diet, lifestyle, supplements, reducing stress, reducing toxic exposures, improving thinking habits, and detoxification. This will correct numerous biochemical imbalances that can contribute to anxiety and panic. In addition, the program will help your thinking become much clearer, which makes it easier to correct the faulty use of the mind. If you are not ready for a complete program, at least do the following: Improve your diet Avoid sugar, in particular, in any form including fruit and juices. This advice is contrary to that of many health authorities, but we have found it to be important for some people. Fruit and all sugars act as adrenal stimulants, upset blood sugar, lower calcium and magnesium, and can easily contribute to anxiety or even panic attacks. Eat plenty of cooked vegetables, not salads. Humans do not absorb enough minerals from raw vegetables. You will absorb many more nutrients from cooked vegetables than from raw ones. The small quantity of vitamins that are destroyed during proper cooking is not significant, especially if one steams vegetables for no more than 35 minutes or pressure cooks vegetables for no more than 3 minutes. Other offensive items to avoid are caffeine found in coffee, tea and soda pop, and irritating foods such as wheat. Also, stay away from Aspartame and other food additives and chemicals, as some of these also irritate the nervous system. Improve your lifestyle Be sure to go to bed early and get at least 8 hours of sleep each and every night. In addition, take a nap daily, if possible. Walk at least 15 minutes each day and do some slow, deep breathing for at least 15 minutes a day. Rub your feet firmly all over for at least 10 minutes a day. This is called foot reflexology and is a wonderful way to reduce stress in the nervous system. Try to get some sunshine each day for 20 minutes or so, as this is very helpful for most people. Stay away from all alcohol and recreational drugs, as these damage the nervous system in all cases. Also avoid toxic over-the-counter products such as hair spray, hair dyes, nail polish, deodorants with aluminum, and most other over-the-counter products. Avoid medical drugs unless absolutely required. Many of them have anxiety as a side effect. The use of tranquilizer drugs are rarely needed if one balances the body chemistry and uses the simple methods listed here. Natural remedies that can help Try a strong cup of chamomile tea. Lecithin, especially sunflower lecithin, can often help. Other simple and safe remedies are valerian root, and extra calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Equal amounts of choline, inositol, methionine and niacinamide can also help anxiety and sooth the nervous system. The use of medications Physicians use tranquilizers, muscle relaxants and anti-depressants to control anxiety and panic attacks. These can help, but they are all quite toxic and have side effects such as fatigue, loss of sexual function, liver and kidney toxicity, and others. The problem with medications is that none of them address the deeper causes of the issue. It is best to use medications as a last resort. For more info on Hair Mineral Analysis: or for a Free Phone Consultation: 800 381–2898 or BodyBalancedHP@protonmail.com The Body Balanced — Health Program
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