care_berry
06-16-2009, 04:31 PM
Hi everyone, I figured I would set up my own post here on how I got myself over anxiety/panic attacks. They started when I was about 10 years old after an accident. My symptoms would come up out of nowhere, especially the sudden onset of breathlessness without any thoughts behind it, which is why I never could understand why this was happening to me. My heart would race, which would make the breathlessness worse and the sweaty hands that would shake. Several hospital visits later and they couldn't find anything wrong and just said they were panic attacks. A few years later we tried biofeedback therapy and it was fantastic. It worked really well for a couple of years until 2006 when they came back again. I believe they came back because I was going through a lot of stomach problems and lost a lot of weight without even trying, as I already was very slim. We couldn't figure out what was wrong and I finally went and saw a naturapath. I was told to eat plenty of protein from meat and eggs to get myself back up to a normal weight and we did a hormone test. I then began to do some research since being put on this restricted diet. I wanted to know why this was getting me better so fast (I gained like 10 pounds back in like two weeks) and why there were certain things that I shouldn't eat. What was really amazing though is how the anxiety went away right away! Through this research, I found that many of these foods have similar proteins in them and that this may be why some people react to a number of foods at a time. For example, peanuts have similar proteins to those found in wheat and dairy.
For me, I believe the anxiety was caused by gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats. Gluten has been found to block the absorption of nutrients in the foods we eat, in particular with people who are sensitive.
Here's some suggestions I have for people who are looking to help themselves without meds:
-Go get your hormones checked! Anyone who has been suffering from this is bound to have some abnormal hormone levels. This is what I did and was put on some herbal supplements to normalize my adrenals and thyroid.
-Get yourself checked for food allergies! Gluten is a huge one for causing anxiety and depression problems. Make sure to include in your testing some of the most common allergens: dairy (in particular casein, the protein in milk), wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish. If you can't go to a doctor to get this done, you can do your own food diary and keep track of which foods you react to. There are many other foods that a person can be sensitive to so keep this in mind.
-Do some research! After being on this diet for over a year, I came across a book called "Don't drink your milk". In the book, there is the story of a psychiatrist who began discovering that his patients who suffered from anxiety and depression really just had food allergies. It was like reading about myself and I only wished someone could've told me this sooner! This kind of research is so important! Even if you don't have outward symptoms of an allergy, it could be hidden. I had no idea gluten was doing this to me until I went off of it completely for two months and then went back on it again. Big mistake! I had a horrible reaction to the stuff and it made me feel like I was having a panic attack again. It also left huge blue marks under my arms that hurt like bruises for several days. I am just glad though to now know the real cause to my problem and even though it can be a hard diet, it is definitely better than suffering from panic attacks and anxiety for the rest of my life.
-Research biofeedback! It really worked wonders for me for a very long time, and although it wasn't my cure-all, it was definitely worth it!
If I think of any other ideas, I will post them. I hope this helps people out there!
For me, I believe the anxiety was caused by gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats. Gluten has been found to block the absorption of nutrients in the foods we eat, in particular with people who are sensitive.
Here's some suggestions I have for people who are looking to help themselves without meds:
-Go get your hormones checked! Anyone who has been suffering from this is bound to have some abnormal hormone levels. This is what I did and was put on some herbal supplements to normalize my adrenals and thyroid.
-Get yourself checked for food allergies! Gluten is a huge one for causing anxiety and depression problems. Make sure to include in your testing some of the most common allergens: dairy (in particular casein, the protein in milk), wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish. If you can't go to a doctor to get this done, you can do your own food diary and keep track of which foods you react to. There are many other foods that a person can be sensitive to so keep this in mind.
-Do some research! After being on this diet for over a year, I came across a book called "Don't drink your milk". In the book, there is the story of a psychiatrist who began discovering that his patients who suffered from anxiety and depression really just had food allergies. It was like reading about myself and I only wished someone could've told me this sooner! This kind of research is so important! Even if you don't have outward symptoms of an allergy, it could be hidden. I had no idea gluten was doing this to me until I went off of it completely for two months and then went back on it again. Big mistake! I had a horrible reaction to the stuff and it made me feel like I was having a panic attack again. It also left huge blue marks under my arms that hurt like bruises for several days. I am just glad though to now know the real cause to my problem and even though it can be a hard diet, it is definitely better than suffering from panic attacks and anxiety for the rest of my life.
-Research biofeedback! It really worked wonders for me for a very long time, and although it wasn't my cure-all, it was definitely worth it!
If I think of any other ideas, I will post them. I hope this helps people out there!