July 2009 Archives

by Jason H. Lee

If you are afflicted with an anxiety disorder, the key thing you will want to do is figure out a way to stop your anxiety. You just need to research the many ways to stop anxiety and decide what will work for you.

If you are uncomfortable embarking on a course of medication to stop your anxiety disorder, then communicate this to your doctor. Remember that medication doesn’t have to be the first step to try to stop anxiety. In fact it shouldn’t be as there are many other options open to you. Tell your doctor you’d like to skip that step, and he or she can offer you many other viable treatment options to stop anxiety.

Anxiety experts have established that cognitive behavioral therapy and other behavioral therapies are effective to stop anxiety along with proper medication. Techniques including deep breathing and relaxation are used by behavioral therapy and these neutralize the symptoms of rapid heartbeat and breathing. Cognitive therapy assists in identifying the thought patterns which were instrumental in starting the endless spiral of anxious thinking and advice on corrective steps to be taken.

There are a number of treatments that might help you to stop anxiety. You might find several of the techniques can make a real difference or that one (or two) are sufficient to improve your quality of life dramatically. For instance, some people have found hypnotherapy to be quite effective in treating their anxiety. Others have found acupuncture or massage therapy gave them relief.

Many people find that exercise helps to stop anxiety for them. Stick with low intensity exercises like yoga or tai chi, or even something more basic like stretching or walk can help stop anxiety. If you don’t want to join a class or can’t find a group, you should be able to find a DVD that will teach you the basic techniques.

Anxiety can also result from food intolerances. While fighting food intolerances is not widely viewed as a way to stop anxiety, many people find that symptoms from anxiety or depression improve once they remove the food to which they are intolerant from their diets. Food tolerances and food allergies are not the same, and a food intolerance will not be found by a test for food allergies. If you are concerned about a possible food intolerance, ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist. With a nutritionist’s help, you can create a food diary and begin an elimination diet, which will let you identify any food that is worsening your anxiety symptoms.

Talk with your doctor about all of the medication and therapeutic options that you can draw on for treatment. Your doctor should be in an ideal position to advise you because he/she has access to your medical history, can examine various risk factors, cross-reference your symptoms with current research and treatment options, and explain the pro’s and con’s of the various treatments that are out there to stop anxiety.

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