Archives for October 2015

Every year, thousands of people are rushed into emergency rooms convinced that they are having a heart attack. They’re experiencing sharp chest pains, a racing heart, dizziness, weakness, difficulty breathing, and they honestly feel like death is imminent. It’s both a relief and a shock for these patients when a cardiologist diagnoses a panic attack instead.

Panic attacks are not to be treated lightly. Intense anxiety can produce symptoms that are very real and very powerful. Over the long term, intense anxiety can exacerbate stress-related health problems and increase the likelihood of a heart attack in patients who already have cardiac issues.

If you feel a panic attack coming on, consider these 5 immediate ways to tame the rising terror.

Know Thyself
The first step in calming a panic attack is to recognize your particular mix of symptoms, preferably before they occur. Are you in a situation that often triggers anxiety? Is your heart beginning to race? Are your palms starting to sweat? Are you feeling suddenly fearful? When it comes to nipping a panic attack in the bud, knowledge is power.

Accept Thyself
Anxiety tends to feed upon itself. Once you’re feeling anxious, it’s easy to become even more anxious about feeling anxious. By acknowledging and accepting the sensation as just another emotion among many, you may cut short that escalation.

Breathe
Focus on inhaling and exhaling slowly and deliberately. Conscious, deep breathing can trigger your body’s natural relaxation response, lower your heart rate, and further de-escalate a panic attack.

Clear The Fog
During a panic attack, your brain goes on overdrive. Worries and fears race through your mind and many of those thoughts will be irrational. Try to mentally peel yourself away from the deluge in order to shine a harsh light on these thoughts. Challenge your worries and fears. Have in your coping strategy a series of positive statements to countermand what most worries you.

Dream
If the worry-traffic in your mind reaches traffic-jam level, try visualizing a place of great calm. The mental effort it takes to envision tropical sand between your toes, evoke the scent of coconut oil, and remember the slickness of a cold drink in your hand can go a long way in overcoming a panic attack.

Many patients suffering from anxiety benefit from diet or lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and anti-anxiety medication. As is true for all health issues, the first step toward calm, peace, and fewer trips to the emergency room is a thorough evaluation and a correct diagnosis by a licensed professional.

Finding a parent who hasn’t complained about an inattentive child would be like stumbling upon a zebra in the Arctic tundra. Children are busy bundles of energy soaking up the world at a phenomenal rate, so it’s no surprise that they often ignore a parent’s suggestions to do homework or chores in favor of zooming around the backyard as a superhero.

But chronic inattention, especially when it affects speech, language, or learning, can be a sign of a neurological condition such as an auditory processing disorder. Check out these seven signs of ADP.

What?
Does your child often request that you repeat instructions or behave as if he may have a hearing problem? Children with APD listen to what you are saying but have difficulty processing the sounds that they hear.

It’s Too Noisy!
Does your child isolate himself or become grumpy in noisy environments? Does he have difficulty focusing under these conditions? Children with APD often have trouble sorting out multiple auditory stimuli.

What Was I Supposed To Do?
Does your child struggle to follow verbal directions or falter when trying to conform to multiple instructions given at once? Does he often ask for clarification? Auditory processing disorders affect the processing of sounds through the central nervous system, which can affect language comprehension.

Did I Do A Good Jab With That Bash Of Cookies?
Does your child mispronounce, misspell, or confuse similar-sounding words or have other signs of speech difficulties? Language processing issues that arise from APC can sometimes manifest as speech anomalies.

I Don’t Want To Study French!
Does your child struggle in language class or in any class that revolves around frequent, long lectures? Children with APD must work hard to understand complex language and rapid speech.

I Forgot My Homework Again!
Is your child forgetful? Difficulty remembering verbal instructions can manifest in forgetfulness as well as disorganization.

I Don’t Get It.
Does your child struggle to understand jokes, riddles, and puns? When you say, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” does he understand the idiom or does he take the phrase literally?

Many of the above symptoms may be present in children suffering from other disorders, such as ADHD and autism, which is why careful testing and examination by a group of multidisciplinary professionals is critical for a correct diagnosis of APD. A child’s auditory system matures by the mid-teens, so early detection and implication of speech-language therapy and certain hearing devices can do a world of good.