Anxiety

Everybody suffers with anxiety sometimes, but for many it can be a constant feeling. Anxiety can be defined as ‘‘an unpleasant emotional state ranging from mild unease to intense fear.’’ Anxiety differs from fear in that, while fear is a rational response to a real danger, anxiety usually lacks a clear or realistic cause. Though some anxiety is normal and even healthy, higher levels of anxiety are not only uncomfortable but can lead to significant problems.
Anxiety is often accompanied by a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms relate to the chest, such as heart palpitations (awareness of a more forceful or faster heart beat), throbbing or stabbing pains, a feeling of tightness and inability to take in enough air and a tendency to sigh or hyperventilate. Tension in the muscles of the back and neck often leads to headaches, back pains and muscle spasms. Other symptoms can include excessive sweating, dryness of the mouth, dizziness, digestive disturbances and the constant need to urinate or defecate.
Psychiatrists divide anxiety into three main types: general anxiety, phobias and panic attacks. Unlike phobias and panic attacks, with general anxiety it is not always clear to the anxious persons exactly what it is they feel so anxious about. They often have a constant feeling that something bad is going to happen. They may fear that they have a chronic or dangerous illness- a belief that is reinforced by the symptoms of anxiety, like chest pains. Inability to relax may lead to difficulty in getting to sleep and constant waking through the night.
In trying to overcome anxiety it is necessary to understand what is happening biochemically to the person.
It has been found that people with constant anxiety and panic attacks have higher than normal blood levels of lactic acid in their blood. Lactic acid is produced when muscles work too fast for the body to convert glucose into carbon dioxide and water. Instead the muscles produce lactic acid.
If lactic acid is injected into people with anxiety they will get severe panic attacks. In normal people nothing happens. So it appears that individuals with anxiety may be sensitive to lactic acid. Reducing the levels of lactic acid is critical in the treatment of anxiety and panic attacks. There are at least six nutritional factors that may be responsible for elevated levels of lactic acid: Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and deficiency of the B-vitamins, deficiency of calcium or magnesium and finally food allergies.
By avoiding alcohol, caffeine, sugar and food allergens, people with anxiety can go a long way towards relieving their symptoms. Simply eliminating coffee can result in a complete relief from symptoms. Taking a good B-complexhttp://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/38829/Lifeplan-Vitamin-B-Complex-500mg-Mega-Potency-30-Tablets/ nutritional supplement along with calcium magnesium citrate http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/11377/Solgar-Calcium-Magnesium-Citrate-50-Tablets/ will often give excellent results in relieving anxiety levels.
It has been found that taking Flaxseed oil ,http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/45011/Emile-Noel-Flax-Seed-Oil-250ml/ 2 – 6 tablespoons a day, will aid people who suffer from panic attacks and agoraphobia- especially if they suffer from dry skin, dandruff, brittle fingernails that grow slowly or nerve disorders all signs of omega 3 essential oil deficiencies.
There are many wonderful herbs for treating anxiety, like Valerian, passionflower and lemon balm. Valerian http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/44478/Valerian-Tincture-215ml/ is especially useful for Insomnia.

Angina

Angina Pectoris meaning chest pain, is a common problem of old age today. This painful and distressing condition is brought about when the blood supply to the heart itself is deficient and leads to a lack of oxygen in the heart tissue - a little like the leg cramps you can get when playing a game of football, except the muscle affected is the heart muscle one of the most important muscles in the body. Often an angina attack can cause a fear of death itself. Some angina attacks can be felt only as an uncomfortable tightness and squeezing in the chest with some difficulty breathing and little else. When there is pain it often radiates down the left arm.
An angina attack is hard to distinguish from a heart attack. For this reason, even mild chest pain should be evaluated by a medical professional and treated as an emergency. Usually an angina attack lasts only a few minutes and rest or nitro-glycerine should help quickly. If the attack lasts longer than 5 minutes then it should be treated as a heart attack. Unfortunately denial of a heart attack keeps people from seeking help while they are still able. Angina attacks are precursors for heart attacks, so it is extremely important to participate actively in taking preventative measures against them.
The illness actually begins long before the first angina. Usually as a direct result of longstanding arteriosclerosis the coronary arteries become clogged through the build up of fatty deposits, and harden. Once the blood's passageways to the heart are narrowed, any additional demands on the heart such as excitement, exercise, a very cold day or a full stomach can instigate an attack. During this acute time of stress, the coronary arteries become temporarily blocked and the resulting lack of oxygen to the heart causes a flash of pain and tightness in the chest. When this continues for only a few seconds, no lasting damage to the heart occurs. If the blockage is longer, then the tissues of the heart may be damaged.
Faulty eating habits, high blood pressure and cholesterol are often causes of angina combined with hereditary predisposition and a type A personality, which is particularly prone to reacting to constant stress.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in animal proteins is an important element in preventing this illness. Eat cold pressed oils like flaxseed oil http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/45011/Emile-Noel-Flax-Seed-Oil-250ml/ , also fish oilshttp://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/30244/Eskimo-3-Fish-Oil-Lemon-Flavour-210ml/ have been shown to decrease the instance of angina attacks. Garlic will lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as helping to keep arteries open.
Certain herbal remedies are very helpful in treating the underlying causes of angina attacks. Hawthorn http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/40316/Salus-Hawthorn-Plant-Juice-200ml/ is the best known herbal remedy for heart problems. A very gentle and mild remedy, hawthorn will help reduce the fatty deposits in the arteries over time as well as reducing the work load of the heart through its effect on the cardiac cells in the heart muscle. To be of any benefit hawthorn has to be taken over 3-6 months, the longer the better, and since it does not have any negative side-effects it can be used for long-term treatment. If stress is a factor which it often is in heart disease then taking valerian tincture http://www.thenaturalway.ie/store/product/44478/Valerian-Tincture-215ml/ or tablets will help ease stress without making one sleepy. Lime blossom tea is good also in easing stress and will also help keep the arteries clear of fatty deposits.