accupuncture

[sunset555]

I am currently very, very wound up with a lots of panic and a lot of anxiety. As a result of this I find that over the last couple of days, my breathing is very high up in my chest, almost in my throat, I feel stressed out and have had a bath, drank chamomile tea, tried to sleep, taken some Bach rescue remedy (bottle dropper) herbal remedy for stress, and NOTHING is working. Also tried to deep breath through abdominal breathing techniques - still nothing.

Have been suffering on and off with panic attacks and anxiety over the last 9 years or so, it is pretty bad at the moment, as there is a lot going on in my life (but a lot of very good and positive things) which still makes me so anxious and almost so hyper that I just cannot sit down for more than a couple of minutes, have to keep busy.

I have also had a few eposodes of rapid heartbeat at night in bed, sometimes waking me, very fast heartbeat and so frightening. I went to the hospital last week and had an ecg, blood tests and chest exray, and am currently waiting on a 24 hour holter monitor to which I have to wear next week for a day to see if they can trace anything. The cardiologist thinks it may be tachycardia, which may also be alcohol induced as I had a few beers on both the nights in question and a few cigerettes, even though I gave them up two years ago, I still have the odd one at the weekends if I drink alcohol, but will not know till the results. My ecg was normal at 59 bpm, and my blood test showed that my cholesterol was slightly raised, so I am working on that.

So the question is really would "Accupuncture" be any good for me at the moment, would it benefit me at all, and lessen any of the syptoms I am experiencing????????????

Please help with any comments .......... I am going out of my mind.

Sunset

[mystruggle]

hey my best friend on here!

anyway i do have some good input for you here:

it seems that you are trying to rely on only some holistic approach to dealing with your panic disorder. you mention nothing about therapy, talk, cbt or otherwise??? why so?

panic disorder is BEST treated by a 2 or 3 pronged approach. real medication, an ssri or benzo, talk therapy to get to the root causes and triggers and cognitive behavioral therapy to help you learn why YOU are giving yourself these attacks. it deals with changing your negative thought patterns and learning to calm yourself down, once you get through a few attacks this way, and learn they won't kill you, make you go crazy etc...it's over. they start to dissapate and go away!

i might be wrong, but you are no stranger to the medical world when it comes to getting tests done. you trust those. but not medications? or are you on them and didn't mention it? i'm doubting that by the way you posted.

rescue remedy is is snake oil junk. they threw a few flowers in there and brandy alcohol.
chamomile tea will help an old woman fall asleep a little bit faster but will do NOTHING for panic disorder. if you want solid advice. go see a shrink and ask for klonopin, go get a therapist. sleep 8 hours a night, eat 3 balanced meals a day, take a multi vitamin and exercise cardio every day for atleast 30 minutes. no walking, RUN.

do that for 2 months and you'll be a new person. i promise

i am opposed to meds. i hate them. i will NOT take an ssri. but klonopin does work, read RCA's posts about it. and i'm living proof it does work. i do all the other stuff too and it's bringing me out of total housebound agoraphobia...

i'll leave you with this. it might be cliche but...this ain't no dress rehearsal, you only live once and this is a quality of life issue.

if this seems harsh sorry, i call them like i see them. holistic remedies fail miserably when it comes to panic disorder/anxiety....yes even valerian root, acupuncture, etc.....most of that junk isn't regulated either.

jay....out

[jenny111]

When going the alternative medicine route one is often left to research and experiment to find the right products and resources. Here is a new site that is beginning to gather all the resources in one place. You can research conditions for various therapeutic modes, including Ayurvedic medicine, and get information about the effectiveness of therapies and remedies. The site is also a launching point for researching integrated alternative medicine therapies on the web. Go to http://www.rvita.com  .

[hava]

You need to help your body to build up your immune system.The breathing exercises - pranayam is a holistic approach creating extra oxygen supply in the body and will slowly help with the health problem.Do the pranayam to see the benefits.Build up your timing slowly and after 1 week at the suggested duration you will start to notice benefits.

Bhastrika - Take a long deep breath into the lungs(chest not tummy) via the nose and then completely breathe out through the nose.Duration upto 5 minutes.

Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for upto 30 minutes twice a day.(Max 60 min/day) Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.

Anulom Vilom - Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30  minutes twice a day(maximum 60 minutes in one day).
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.


Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 5 to 10 times
----
Only by doing you will benefit and will feel good that you can do something to help the body.Copy and print this to master the technique.This is  simplified pranayam for everyone and you do not have to go to classes to learn. This is for life unlike short term classes where you do it in the class then stop when classes are over.  

[Sunes]

I am writing to you out of a true concern.. Main thing is to quit smoking completely. Smoking puts  in your lungs and blood takes it all over your body many chemicals which are potent carcinogens and heart destroyers. What occassional smoking does to you is the same as smoking on regular bases. When you have one cigarrette a day or 10 is the same poison you are putting to your lungs but more often. My heart was giving me troubles when I was smoking and they could not figure it out why. I tried holter monitor twice and ecg's and echocardiogram and nothing. I turned social smoker and still was the same. When I was diagnosed with OVCA I quit and my heart went back to normal after few months. So my advise to you  is to quit smoking all together and enjoy your good things that are happening to you right now. You MUST learn how to relax , learn how to prevent without hyperventilating......it's hard to concentrate when you meditate but it would be VERY beneficial for your  mind and body  . TRY it and see what the next month  will bring and the next and the next!!!!!
Accupuncture will work but you have to make some changes in your life and start training your mind first.  There is no magic pill. You have to take care of your own health.
It's worth it.
Take care,Sunes.

[windspirit07]

Dear sunset 555,

It seems you have tired much for a long term condition.  I agree with the advice of seeking professional counsel.  Someone you can create a partnership with toward your wellness.  It is always good to discover what the root cause of the anxiety is.  Otherwise it’s like cutting down a weed, surely in time it will creep to the surface again.  

I have witnessed many people with panic attacks and anxiety and alcohol is no a healthy or effective way of self medicating.    Though the Bach remedies, which are not snake oil, can be very effective if this is the methodology you are choosing seek out a qualified practitioner to customize a formula.  Rescue Remedy is good in case of quick onset trauma or stress.  Since you have had this issue for some time this is not the best route.  

I have also seen massage and acupuncture be effective complementary means as well.  Be aware, that reaching for alcohol is typically used to numb out.  With talk therapy, flower essence therapy, acupuncture and massage things will surface for healing and release.  There can be a healing crisis during this period.  Not dealing with the root cause is like putting a band-aide on a broken leg…..not very effective.

Find someone you trust and feel safe with.  Safety seems to be the most frequent reason for the clients I have seen with panic disorders.  Bellaruth Naparstek also does a wonderful Guided Imagery series for Panic Disorders have documented success s for her work.  

Here i