What is abdominal breathing?

I always recommend abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing to all of my patients. This is a method where you lie on your back and practice breathing with your stomach, not your chest. Prolonged chest breathing causes improper activation of the diaphragm. Many people these days have altered chest breathing patterns, and the main causes are stress and core weakness.
The best benefits from abdominal breathing are almost always psychological and emotional. If you can find a quiet spot and focus on breathing in through your nose and inflating your stomach for about 10 minutes; most people start to experience a sense of well-being and calmness. This exercise can be extremely effective for stopping panic attacks. Doing this exercise daily will moderate your cortisol levels, and keep them much more regulated.
Ok, how do you abdominal breathe? The best way is to lay on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your hands over your belly button and attempt to inflate your stomach against the weight of your hands. A few tries and you should get the feel of this. Again, this is a DAILY exercise to regulate your body! So leave the computer and go try to relax and breathe!

Ways to Conservatively Treat Panic Disorder

The first step in treating panic disorder without medications is to find some sort of cognitive behavioral therapy. These can mind-relaxation techniques like biofeedback, or something as simple as focused abdominal breathing. There are many great programs out there that teach you how to cope with panic disorder. There are self-help programs you can purchase on the internet. And you can find a variety of books on behavioral techniques at Amazon.com. Also the use of a herbal supplement combined with appropriate B-vitamins can be a great way to provide a calming effect throughout the day. These supplements will increase serotonin levels, while providing the essential nutrients your body needs to keep making more. As opposed to medications which simply raise serotonin levels, but do not replenish them. I have found a product called Panicyl online and it seems to have a good formula. Here are some basic tips on managing panic disorder:

1. Do cardiovascular exercise 4-5 times per week. This will help regulate your autonomic nervous, or the "automatic" nervous system in your body.
2. Engage in some form of CBT(Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) whether with a psychologist or on your own. This is a very crucial step!
3. Avoid excess sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners and artificial flavorings. These can act as stimulants to your nervous system and make it more excitable.
4. Practice Deep abdominal breathing in a quiet room by yourself for 10-15 minutes a day.
5. Try a calming herbal supplement that contains vitamins B6 and B12 as well

Finally, don't feel like you are crazy! Thousands of people have this disorder and recover from it. Try to find an online help group to talk to others with the same affliction. Your first step in getting better is deciding that you won't let this disorder run your life, you will run it!

Medical Treatment For Panic Disorder

The current medical model for treating panic disorder is essential using anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs. These drugs have shown a moderate amount of success in treating the disorder. However, both of these drug types carry a wealth of side-effects. Most notable, are increased depression, loss of libido, insomnia, suicidal thoughts, and fatigue. The other danger that comes with prescriptions is that there could develop a dependency on the drug due to its effect on the neurotransmitters in your body. If you do choose to go on a medication, it should be attempted to be tapered off gradually once panic attacks subside. Consult with a nutritionist or a physician trained in natural medicine on how to build up your neurotransmitter levels naturally through diet and supplementation as the medications can severely deplete them from your body, which in turn, may cause withdrawal symptoms .

What is Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder is a condition. It is characterized by having panic attacks. These attacks usually include the following symptoms:

1. Rapid pulse
2. Rapid shallow breathing
3. Sweating
4. Impending fear that you are going to die
5. Hot flashes

Many other symptoms can accompany a panic attack as well. No one has exactly the same. My girlfriend has been struggling with the disorder for the past few months. I am a chiropractic physician and I have taken a very keen interest in understanding the condition and looking for ways to help. This can be a life changing condition if you let it run your life. The important thing is to take the appropriate steps today to treat yourself and improve your quality of life.