Anxiety and Panic Attacks

With the ever-increasing levels of stress in our daily lives, it is not surprising that many more Americans are beginning to experience high levels of anxiety and even sharp, debilitating episodes called panic attacks. Western medicine’s treatment approach is to prescribe anti-anxiety medications to suppress the emotion. Unfortunately, suppression is not the same as resolution. When dulled over, the anxiety does not simply go away-it festers and eventually will re-emerge, stronger than ever. Physicians often then simply increase the dosage of the drug and suppress it again, creating a cycle of ever-increasing levels of potentially toxic chemicals in the patient’s system. There are also very common side effects to these medications such as weight gain, fatigue, and mental dullness as well as more serious liver and kidney impairments.

Acupuncture is extremely effective at balancing the neurochemical basis of anxiety and other unbalanced emotions such as anger and sadness. This safe, holistic approach allows the patient to manage his emotional balance without the risk, expense, and potentially harmful side effects of the medications. There are also some very effective nutritional supplements which help to balance GABA and Glutamate levels in the brain, restoring a normal sense of tranquility without any chemical side effects.