“I feel this thing welling up inside of me. I break out in a sweat then become so dizzy that cannot lift my head. I was afraid I was having a stroke.” – Christine
People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. They can’t predict when an attack will occur, and many develop intense anxiety between episodes, worrying when and where the next one will strike. In between times there is a persistent, lingering worry that another attack could come any minute.
When a panic attack strikes, people commonly experience pounding of the heart or may feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Their hands may tingle or feel numb, and they might feel flushed or chilled. It is also common to feel chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of control. Because they genuinely believe they’re having a heart attack or stroke, losing your mind, or on the verge of death they will rush to the nearest ER. These attacks can occur any time, even during sleep.
When I saw Christine six weeks ago she described the stress she was experiencing because of the financial down-turn. “Life is bigger than me. I am working 11-12 hours seven days a week. I have to wait for the last second to pay my bills. I have no cushion. The stress of not knowing if I will have the money is taking its toll. I never know how it is going to work out. I live with anxiety every moment. It is hard to keep it together when I am working with the public. I am completely and totally helpless over this – just so tired.”
When one’s body and mind gets ‘stuck’ in this state of constant anxiety, there are only two ways to address it. One you can go on Xanax (or an antidepressant) which helps to temporarily suppress the symptoms and over time leads to dependence on the drug. Or with homeopathic treatment and acupuncture you can assist the body in restoring balance.
Christine was given her constitutional remedy Calcarea carbonicum and started weekly acupuncture treatments and after 6 weeks of steady improvement she reported, “I had a great week. I realized that it is normal to not always be thinking about business and the boyfriend. My whole life I have been this way. After the last acupuncture treatment when the anxiety disappeared I decided to make it safe to stay there. There have been times where I was on the edge but after a while I pulled away from it. That is a freaking success. I did not realize how deep rooted and messed up I was.”
Terry Pfau, DO, HMD