Can laughter or exercise help reduce Anxiety Attacks?

Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol and increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins. A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart. Laughter takes the focus away from anger, guilt, stress, and negative emotions. In other words, laughter is good for the soul and the body. When have you not felt good after a hearty, belly laugh? Whether you read the comic section in the newspaper, go out to a comedy show, watch a comedy show on tv, or manufacture a laugh, laughter is therapeutic.

Exercise can decrease stress hormones like cortisol, and increase endorphins, which are your body's ‘feel-good’ chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost. Physical exercise provides a healthy release for negative energy; such as irritability, frustration, and anger.
One who exercises routinely is more fit to fight stress and disease. One who is physically fit has organ systems that are functioning at an optimal level. If this individual should become ill, or injured, or even pregnant, they will demonstrate more stamina and greater resiliency to fight the discomfort . It is also likely that fit individuals will recover more quickly.

Laughter and exercise have another beneficial effect. Most people, when laughing or exercising, do not worry. They are actually resting the nerve cells in the brain that worry, giving those cells time to renew themselves, so they can function normally the next time they are needed. There are other ways of "resting your mind". Dancing, listening to music, reading, working on a craft, playing a musical instrument, and meditation also relieve stress. Any activity which concentrates your attention on a subject other than life's problems will help rest your mind. This allows the brain to renew itself.

What does the Bible say about Anxiety/Stress and how to cope?

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Norman Vincent Peale said it this way, "Change your thoughts and you change your world."

"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," Romans 12:2.

There are four "scriptural prescriptions" that can change your life, give you a better understanding of your Christian experience, and help you to lead a happier, healthier life.

The Twenty-third Psalm
This Psalm is a pattern of thinking, and when a mind becomes saturated with it, a new way of thinking and a new life are the result. It contains only 118 words. Most Christians probably have it memorized. But its power is not in memorizing the words, but rather in thinking the thoughts. The power of this Psalm lies in the fact that it represents a positive, hopeful, faith approach to life.

The Ten Commandments
These rules for living are not only the basis of conduct, both moral and spiritual, but also the basis of peace and prosperity for the individual and for the world. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God," Psalm 14:1. And it is only a fool who thinks he is big enough or smart enough to violate the unchangeable laws of the eternal God and get by with it. The first four deal with man's relationship with God, the last six with man's relationship with man. Before man can live rightly with each other, he must first get right with God. As H.G. Wells put it, "Until a man has found God he begins at no beginning; he works to no end."

The Lord's Prayer
This prayer was given to the disciples by Jesus in response to their request, "Lord, teach us to pray" Luke 11:1. This prayer takes just seconds to recite. But praying is not just saying the words. The power in the prayer is the pattern of thinking in which our minds are formed. When our thoughts begin to flow in the channels of the Lord's Prayer our minds become new and we are transformed. The king in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" miserably fails in prayer as seen in this line, "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words without thoughts never to heaven go."

The Beatitudes
Jesus gave us eight keys to God's kingdom. To be poor in spirit means to give up our pride; to mourn means to be penitent to the point of surrendering our sins; meekness means that we must surrender our very selves to the plans and purposes of God; our hunger for God means turning away from our ambitions for all things else; to be merciful means to pay good for the evil we have received; for purity we must give up all things impure; to make peace is wholly to choose God. Those are the seven ingredients of righteousness. Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, "theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

What are Natural Remedies for Anxiety Attacks?

Each persons experience with anxiety can produce different symptoms and can occur with varying severity. Treatments for anxiety must be individualized for optimal results. What works for one person, may not work for another.

Because many of the symptoms of anxiety disorder can resemble physical diseases such as hormone imbalance, hyperthyroidism, cardiac arrhythmia's, you should consult with your physician before starting any natural supplements. You should also make your physician aware of your intent with natural supplements if you are currently taking any prescription medications, pregnant, or breastfeeding.

Herbal remedies can be a safe way to strengthen the body's systems. They may be used as dried extracts (capsules, powders, teas), glycerin's (glycerin extracts), or tinctures (alcohol extracts.

Chamomile is used as a calming agent.

Damiana is an herb used as a calming agent, to relax muscles, and for sedation.

Valerian root has been used for centuries to fight insomnia and sleep problems and has been compared to Prozac with similar effects on the brain without the side effects.

Passion Flower is used as a calming agent.

St. Johns Wort is used predominantly as an anti-depressant remedy; however, it has been shown to promote sound sleep and emotional well-being.

Essential oils, such as lemon balm, lavender, jasmine, and bergamot, used in a warm bath have a calming effect through aroma therapy.

Vitamins and minerals, such as Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and B-Complex, help support the nervous system and minimize the effects of stress. The magnesium blocks the damaging effects of excess adrenaline and animal studies have shown that the physical damage caused by stress is minimized with B-complex and Vitamin C. (Calcium should always be taken with Magnesium as it aids the body in absorption. Vitamin E is a personal favorite to boost the body's immune function.)

What are Conventional Treatment for Anxiety Attacks?

Therapy for anxiety/panic attacks usually involves medication and/or psychotherapy. Because each persons symptoms are different and can occur with varying severity, anxiety treatments must be individualized for optimal results.

Medications, though not cures, can be an effective treatment. Doctors typically begin with a low dosage and gradually increase to full dosage. If side effects become a problem, a different drug may be used. Anti-depressant medications have been used to successfully treat anxiety disorders as well.

Behavioral therapy is designed to help a patient change specific actions and use certain techniques to decrease or stop unwanted behavior. Diaphragmatic (deep) breathing exercises teaches one to take slow, deliberate, deep breaths to reduce anxious feelings. Exposure therapy exposes the patient gradually to what is causing their anxiety and helps them to cope with their fears or stress indicators.

Cognitive therapy teaches the patient that their thinking patterns contribute to their symptoms and how to change their thoughts so that symptoms are less likely to occur.

A combination of all three delivers the best results for the patient.

Why am I having an Anxiety Attack?

The immediate cause is believing one is trapped and helpless, by some overwhelming threat. It doesn't matter if the threat is real (crime or disaster, for example). It generally happens after several weeks or months of stress; more often with persons who are very worried, perfectionist, social avoidance, or who have had abuse in childhood. Heredity might play a part as well. What feeds the panic and helps it to become more intense and frequent, is worrying excessively about it and strenuously avoiding situations that appear to bring panic.

Anxiety Attacks masquerade as a variety of medical ailments. Panic brings on symptoms that mimic some medical conditions almost completely, causing years of misdiagnosis. Nearly everyone who panics believes they have a serious physical illness, and go from doctor to doctor as symptoms shift. It is easily diagnosed by professionals experienced in dealing with panic and anxiety attacks.

What is an Anxiety Attack?

Anxiety means anticipation of impending danger and dread accompanied by restlessness, tension, tachycardia, and breathing difficulty not associated with an apparent stimulus

Anxiety Attack is an acute psychobiologic (mind/body) reaction manifested by intense anxiety and panic.

Symptoms vary according to the individual and the intensity of the attack, but typically they include some form of the following: raging heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, profuse sweating, pale face , nausea, diarrhea, tingling in fingers or toes, fear that you are going crazy or about to die. Attacks usually occur suddenly, last from a few seconds to an hour or longer, and vary in freqency from several times a day to once a month.

Anxiety Attacks strike between 3-6 million Americans per year and is twice as common in women as in men