Anxiety is a normal reaction to threatening situations - part of the 'fight fo flight' response to stress, when the mind and body go on alert. Prolonged stress can lead to a variety of physical ailments, including headaches, raised blood pressure, and palpitations. Panic attacks - sudden surges of intense anxiety - may occur at random. They are usually accompanied by disturbing bodily sensations and are often so intense that they interfere with daily activities. About one in ten people suffers from intense anxiety, irrational fears, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive behaviour at some point in life.

Mr Stefan Chmelik on Anxiety and panic attacks

"It feels like you are going to die"

A significant proportion of the people that come to see me have anxiety as either their main or accompanying problem. In many unexpected ways, modern life is more stressful than ever before, and there is potentially a lot to be anxious about. Although not directly life-threatening, the people I see have their lives blighted by anxiety and panic attacks and it is a major limiting factor in their happiness. Drugs and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) can offer relief in the short term, but seldom resolve the root of the problem. My approach to anxiety is first to understand what is going on in someone's life to make them anxious, either now or in the past, and then to assess how this manifests as actual symptoms. By checking breathing, the ability to relax and noting areas of tension in the body, it is possible to provide the correct treatment and support that to rehabilitate an anxiety pattern.

If you are having anxiety or panic attacks, you most probably have either been told or have received the message that it is psychosomatic, or physical symptoms with a mental health basis. This is an over simplification and rather out dated notion (see MUPS). It is also not helpful, as the implication is that you either just have to deal with it or take medication.

Everybody is different, but approaches I commonly use to rehabilitate anxiety symptoms include breathing exercises and Mindfulness training, stress-reducing acupuncture, tension-release massage and talking based therapy (Somatic Experiencing). Herbal medicine is often also very helpful, and some people's anxiety is partly due to nutritional deficiencies, for which diet and supplements can be used.

Dr Brian Kaplan on Anxiety and Panic Attacks:

Anxiety is a huge area and most of us suffer from it from time to time. For some people, it governs their lives and panic attacks, an extreme form of it, are frightening and distressing.

Orthodox Medicine:

Anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium and many others are effective in the short term but can make people feel like zombies. Worst of all they can be highly addictive making them a very inferior form of controlling anxiety and panic attacks in my opinion. Psychotherapy (of all types) can certainly help anxious people but not everyone, least of all the NHS, can afford long term psychotherapy.

Homeopathy:

Homeopathy has many remedies to treat the anxiety depending on how it manifests and I've been heartened to see many patients with severe anxiety improve on homeopathic remedies.

Autogenics:

Deep relaxation is an excellent way of dealing with anxiety. All patients with anxiety and/or panic attacks consulting me are recommended strongly to embark on a course of this profoundly effective relaxation technique.

Provocative Therapy:

Sometimes people are made anxious by things that even they know are clearly absurd. Provocative Therapy allows me to hold up a mirror to these people in an absurd but warm and empathic way. When many patients see this absurd reflection of their problems, they often laugh and let go of a great deal of anxiety.

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