Saturday, March 28, 2009

Stop Panic Attack Without Medication

By Dr. George Best

Many sufferers of anxiety, panic attacks, and panic disorder have tried to control their symptoms with medication, but the use of medication is simply not an ideal solution. In most cases, the commonly-prescribed medications fail to fully control symptoms, and most people who use medications will usually experience at least mild side-effects, and often major side-effects that require the discontinuation of the medication.

Doctors who prescribe medication for panic attacks and anxiety disorders will often not take a patients concerns about side-effects seriously or they may deny that what the patient is experiencing is even a possible side-effect of the medication. Some physicians may be in denial that the medications they prescribed could possibly be doing harm, or it may simply be that they feel the side-effects are a good trade-off if the drugs ease the patients panic attacks and anxiety. In any event, many physicians will try to avoid dealing with patient concerns about side-effects if they can.

This lack of dialogue about the potential downside of medications between doctors and patients can lead many patients to become frustrated. In many cases, sufferers of panic attacks and anxiety wind up giving up hope for a real solution and may simply decide to put up with the shortcomings of medication as a means of keeping their anxiety and panic symptoms to a tolerable level.

Fortunately, there are effective methods for handling panic attacks and anxiety without medication. Various self-help and professional counselling techniques can often help individuals prepare for situations that might trigger panic attacks and train them to calm themselves down quickly and effectively. These methods include cognitive therapy, neurolinquistic programming (NLP), the Sedona Method, and Emotional Freedom Technique.

Each of these methods has its own unique strengths. While one may work better for a given individual than another, all of them provide tools to help panic attack sufferers to take back control of their minds. The vast majority of people are able to use one or more of these methods to make panic attacks and anxiety a thing of the past.

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