You know you are not alone with your panic attacks and anxiety when the coolest man on the planet, who looks like he never succumbs to pressure has been reported to be having panic attacks.

Tiger Woods, typically cool under pressure, focused and in control of his game has been asked to take a lie detector test as part of his rehab for sex addiction. Tiger reportedly went “ballistic” when he was told he would be hooked up to a polygraph machine and started having symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.

He also began having trouble sleeping and requiring medication to ease the stress.

As we know from our research, medication can ease the cycle of stress and poor sleeping in the short term but long term it is so important NOT to rely on medication.

The only long term anxiety treatment and cure for panic attacks is learning to control your thoughts, relaxation and breathing techniques. Obviously for Tiger, his cure will involve a lot of communication, honesty, therapy and family counselling sessions.

Deep issues of guilt, subconscious turmoil and intense media scrutiny never make for a good night’s sleep!

Andre Agassi this week revealed he took crystal meth. He took it at a low point. He didn’t get addicted. He didn’t sink into a life of indulgence and squalor. And he did not suffer panic attacks. Rather he used it to power him on the drag his tennis ranking from being ranked outside the top 100 to winning several more GrandSlams. He felt euphoric and energised.

Agassi, was lucky however that he did not get addicted and take a slippery slope towards panic attack symptoms and paranoia.

And for most people it is a slippery slope. For example I start each morning with a coffee. Coffee is a drug! It’s a psychoactive stimulant drug. Studies have shown that heavy and prolonged use can induce panic attacks, OCD and even phobic symptoms mimicking mental diseases such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. These symptoms may afflict as many as one in 10 of the population.

And coffee is addictive! I had better watch my intake!

What about alcohol?

Alcohol is rated as the fifth most harmful drug after cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, and methadone. The misuse of alcohol causes an estimated 22,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. (To put this into perspective, the illegal drug ecstasy kills 30 people a year). We know alcohol is addicitive too and creates many problems in society and damages family relationships when it spirals out of control. When misused it also makes it more likely for someone to suffer paranoia and panic attacks.

Smoking cannabis is also known to create an increased risk of psychotic illness. Smokers of cannabis are more likely to suffer panic attack symptoms and 2.6 times more likely to have a psychotic-like experience than non-smokers.

So watch your drug use- what starts out as recreational may start to control your life. If you do have any panic attack symptoms click, here to get help straight away…..

What is the difference between panic attacks and panic disorder?

When a person suffers a sudden intense period of anxiety, physical symptoms such as sweating, increased heart rate, stomach cramps and discomfort we call it a panic attack.

All of us experience fear at some point in our lives but we learn to control it and know most times it will pass. When people experience a panic attack, the symptoms are also accompaniced by the fear of impending death.

A true panic attack consists of physical symptoms and cognitive symptoms. As well as a rapid heart beat and sweating they can feel chest tightness and like they are having a heart atttack. They also feel there is no escape and that they are going crazy and will die.

A panic attack can be a one off experience but if it becomes recurrent and the person is worried about having further attacks, the consequences of further attacks and that they are going to die, it is called panic disorder.

The main difference is the way a panic attack is triggered. Normal panic attacks are triggered by something like fear of flying, fear of public speaking, fear of open spaces and so on. Panic disorder is usually not triggered by stimuli, rather driving in a car, eating or even waking up from sleep with a panic attack.

Whilst panic attacks and panic disorder are very unpleasant, you will not die from a panic attack. If they are ongoing though, you must seek medical attention beacuse the sympotoms do resemble life threatening conditions.
A normal panic attack lasts about 10 minutes then subsides in up to 1 hour.

Panic disorder treatment may include behavioural therapy and cognitive therapy to control irrational thoughts. It may include temporary medication to allow symptoms to be controlled whilst the person learns to control their breathing and their thoughts. The longer it is left untreated the worse it gets. So if you do have symptoms, seek help early. Treatment is very effective and works quickly.

Prevent and Cure Palpitations

Over 90% of Anxiety and Panic sufferers report sensations of palpitations. Palpitations are a fast heart rate that you can feel beating in your chest. They feel extremely unpleasant and are quite frightening. Often the first time people experience palpitations they believe they might be having a heart attack or dying.

There are 6 things you can do to reduce the likelihood of these palpitations from happening.

1. Dont smoke
2. Avoid Alcohol
3. Avoid Caffeine
4. Avoid Drugs
5. Proper sleep
6. Eat healthy

Owning a heart rate monitor, I did a little personal testing of my own.

And the results are staggering! Check this out…
My normal resting heart rate is: 68 beats per minute.

Breaking rule #6 – Adding junk food to my diet, mostly fast food  burgers – pizzas, chips, chocolate my resting heart rate jumped to 85 beats per minute!

Breaking rule #5  Slept for 5 hours  Resting heart rate went up to 83 beats per minute.
Breaking rule #3  Drank 2 cups of coffee  Heart rate went up to 87 beats per minute.
Breaking rule #1  Smoked 1 cigarette  Resting heart went to 90 beats per minute.
Breaking rules #1 & #2 & #5 & #6 Had 4 hours sleep the night before, smoked a couple of cigarettes, had 2 alcoholic beverages and ate half a pizza  Resting heart rate jumped to a staggering 130 beats per minute. That’s nearly twice my usual resting heart rate. The following day abiding by all 6 preventatives my resting heart rate still sat at 100 beats per minute.

I do NOT engage in illegal activities under any circumstances, so no experimentation done on rule #4. However, I’m sure it stands to reason why it will increase your heart rate and often responsible for users experiencing major panic attacks.

There are other certain pharmaceutical medications you can avoid that are known to increase your heart rate as well. For example some types of nasal decongestants can cause an increase in your heart rate.

What to do if You are in the Middle of a Panic Attack with Palpitations

Firstly, sit down. Let someone around you know that you are experiencing palpitations.

One method you can use that can often make them disappear is; placing 2 to 3 fingers on your neck where you feel your pulse, just on one side of your neck. Then massage the area.

If they persist or you feel dizzy, light headed or chest pain, seek medical attention. Don’t worry about looking like a goof because you’re practically on a first name basis with the emergency room. Chances are, it is just a panic attack however it is better to be on the safe side.

Skipped Beats

I actually experienced a lot of these. It would feel like a pause in my heart beat then one strong thud of a heart beat would follow. When I wore the 24 hour holter monitor I felt 2 of these sensations.

Both sensations coincided with an ectopic beat. My cardiologist informed me that almost everyone has this and is harmless.

Take Care

Rachel

Source: http://www.24medica.com/content/view/351/73/

The scene was 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The swimmer, future world record holder, Katie Hoff was in the warm up pool suddenly was seen coughing and spluttering and unable to breathe. She had to be rescued by her coach, Mark Schubert.

He reasssured her that a racing heart rate and clammy plams were normal part of world class racing. Chapmions in every sport have to learn to cope with the pressure of competing at their best on the day performing in front of millions of people all over the world.

Irrational fears can easily over take them. They worry about the heat, whether they have done enough training, whether they will suffocate during the race, whether they will trip over in front of the cameras, whether they will lose their sponsorship if they “only” come second and so it goes on.

Top athletes are now in structed in the art of visaulisation and relaxation techniques. Everyone has self doubts and it is important to learn to redirect the mind onto constructive thoughts. Michael Phelps, 14-time Olympic Gold Medallist, is highly practised at this and can reach  deep state of relaxation at a count of two.

Dara Torres remembers her first international swim meet- she freaked out when she walked out in front of 17,000 screaming fans. She did not swim well in her first heat but by relaxing between races she was able to compete well in the final. She advises the practice is the key to managing anxiety. Michael Phelps has been practising “structured relaxation” since the age of 12yrs. He swims each race over and over in his mind- and sees himself performing successfully and overcoming every obstacle.

A good lesson for anyone suffering anxiety. Practice makes perfect- if it does not work with one try- it is important to practice regularly until you can control your mind better.

If it is good enough for gold medallists- it is good enough for us!

If you need help in the beginning, why not get some guidance from “Panic Away” or “The Linden Method”.

Happy Practising!

Rachel Goldsmith

Legendary musician Michael Jackson who has sadly passed away age 50 was well known for suffering several confirmed health problems as well as some rumored ailments.

In 1984 he suffered burns whilst filming a Pepsi commercial and had to have major surgery on his scalp. He suffered intense pain and this is when it was thought he became addicted to painkillers. He is reported to have several skin disorders including lupus.

In 1993, Jackson’s dermatologist, Arnold Klein, released a statement saying Jackson had a rare skin disease called vitiligo. This causes the sufferer to lose melanin. Jackson was also hospitalized with chest pain in 1990. A concert tour was cut short in November 1993 because of an addiction to prescription painkillers.

In 1995, Jackson was rushed to a hospital after collapsing during rehearsals for a televised performance; the incident was reportedly caused by a stress related panic attack.
Another time, The National Enquirer reported that Michael Jackson was so stricken with panic attacks that at the MTV video awards, he almost did not go on stage to collect an award from Britney Spears.

In 2005, Jackson went to a hospital for treatment of what his spokeswoman said was recurring back pain. More rumors emerged in May 2009 that Jackson had skin cancer.

Michael Jackson has admitted he had a troubled childhood, his father admitted he whipped him for minor offences like missing a note. During one interview, Michael reported that he became emotional and vomited before meeting his father. In court documents, mental health experts had the opinion that Jackson was psychologically a regressed 10 yr old.
It seems clear that Michael Jackson was suffering serious mental health issues as well as addictions to several drugs.

Hopefully we can learn from his experience and take action before things become overwhelming and out of control.

God bless him and his family.

Rachel Goldsmith

info@panictool.org

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