Short Circuit Panic Attacks

(Health Secrets) To short circuit panic attacks, we need to take a look at the relationship between emotions, acidosis, diet, breathing and sleep. Can you stop a panic attack before it starts, or short-circuit that feeling of being out of control? The evidence we will look at in this and following articles says yes.

A panic attack is often referred to as the fight or flight response. The panic episode can occur at any time, even during sleep. Panic attacks are characterized by several of these symptoms: racing heartbeats, weakness or dizziness, tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers, sense of terror or impending doom or death, sweating or having chills, chest pains, breathing difficulties, and feeling as though you have loss of control.

Sometimes what we are experiencing is not completely the result of anxiety or fear, but are automatic processes. The bodily sensation we experience can be the result of acidosis, the condition of having too much acidity in our blood or tissues. The fight or flight reaction can actually create a state of acidosis in the body, which is meant to generate the energy we need to handle the stressful and threatening situation confronting us. But our culture and responsibilities often dictate that we not fight or flee, but address the problem through a mental activity. Unfortunately mental activity does not eliminate acidosis.

In the Fight or Flight response a threat is perceived and the body responds. The autonomic nervous system automatically puts the body on alert. The adrenal cortex automatically releases stress hormones, particularly cortisol. The heart automatically beats harder and more rapidly. Breathing automatically becomes more rapid. Thyroid gland automatically stimulates the metabolism. Larger muscles automatically receive more oxygenated blood. These processes create biochemical changes in the body that create acidosis.

Acidosis can be displayed through three different processes:

1. metabolic acidosis,

2. respiratory acidosis

3. lactic acidosis.

Metabolic acidosis is related to the processing of food into energy. The focus of this article is to raise awareness of the impact of metabolic processes on our daily life.

Acidosis, or blood acidity, should not to be confused with digestive acidity. Digestion is a metabolic process, where food is used as fuel and is burned up. Some foods produce an acid residue and some an alkaline residue. On the other hand, blood acidity occurs when the normal pH balance of the blood veers towards the acid end of the scale. In normal health, blood tends to be alkaline which is essential for our physical and mental well-being.

Acidity tends to be a general term indicating that the blood, or one of the body secretions is less alkaline than it should be. Excess acid gives rise to many distressing symptoms such as gastric disturbance, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, impoverishment of the blood, palpitation of the heart, twinges of rheumatism, headaches on top of the head with a sense of fullness, a persistent feeling of tiredness and other symptoms of disturbed metabolism.

Blood tends to be alkaline because the vital combustions taking place in the body are mostly acid in character. This alkalinity of the blood allows chemical processes to move acid from the tissues to the discharge points such as the lungs, kidneys and bowels. It is the concentration of oxygen and carbon gases that affect the PH of blood, and thereby breathing-rate.

Carbohydrates and fats form about nine-tenths of the normal fuel of the body. Through the process of metabolism, they are converted into vital nutrients, carbon dioxide gas and water. A diet high in such foods as meat, eggs, white sugar and flour is acidic-as opposed to fruits and vegetables, which give an alkaline residue.

Notice that the symptoms of the panic attack mirror symptoms associated with acidosis. Metabolic acidosis symptoms are:

Hyperventilation
Pale, clammy skin
Heart arrhythmias
Decreased heart rate
Dizziness
Cough
Mental confusion
Headache

Complex biochemical processes are an attempt to keep blood pH as near perfect as possible, and are known as pH buffering systems. These buffering systems require a balance of minerals to work effectively. Inadequate mineral intake in our diet creates problems with our pH balancing systems. On regular basis, unbalanced pH makes us vulnerable to degenerative disease such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue, allergies, and obesity. Acidosis interferes with the functioning of the glands and organs, as well as decreasing vitality and increasing the danger of infectious diseases.

Because the main cause of acidosis of the blood is faulty diet, one can make different food choices, as well as life style changes, to stop panic attacks. It is important to make changes that you will follow through on. First, you need to know which foods are more acidic and which are alkaline; this allows you to meal plan a balanced meal. There are many excellent websites that provide guidance on food choices, and there is a link to one below.

According to WebMD, panic attacks involve sudden feelings of terror that strike without warning. I question, do they really happen without warning? When we recognize the connection between our eating/lifestyle habits as possible triggers for panic attacks, we can make changes in our habits. This creates a less stressed condition in the body so the individual can put his/her focus on healing the thoughts and emotions that trigger panic attacks.

http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/stressrecess/Level_One/fof.html

http://www.breathing.com/articles/acid-alkaline-balance.htm

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/GCSE_Science/Breathing_and_Respiration

http://members.iimetro.com.au/~hubbca/acidity.htm

http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/Alkaline-Foods-Chart.htm