08/23/14

How to End a Panic Attack Quickly

Fears


Fears

Panic attacks are annoying. Anyone who has ever had one, especially people who suffer from chronic anxiety, will tell you that they are hard to deal with.  However, as harsh as this may sound, it is all in your head.  While we encourage you to visit a licensed practitioner for prescription medicine, there are simple exercises that can help you to end your panic attack fast. Here are some easy tips that you can try anywhere.

Control Your Breathing

Most people who suffer from panic attacks experience hyperventilation. This causes your extremities and your abdomen to “seize up.” You may feel a tingling sensation around your lips as well. If this sounds familiar, then your first step to controlling your anxiety should be breathing exercises.

Sit down as comfortably as you can. If you want to, you can sit on the floor and put your head between your legs. This position mimics that of a fetus inside a womb. Oddly enough, has helped many people with chronic anxiety to relax.

Breathe in deeply, and hold it in for as long as you can. When you are ready, exhale slowly, fighting the urge to inhale rapidly after you have let the air out of your lungs. If it makes you feel safe, you can cover your mouth with both of your hands, as if you were trying to filter the bad energy.

Fight The Urge To Run

If you have experienced chronic anxiety, it would be best to fight the urge to run, which is understandably hard, as your adrenaline has reached high levels. During this time, your brain triggers the fight or flight mechanism, which explains your urge to move. You have two options; you can sit down, or walk at a slow pace. There is no wrong choice as both will help. However, during this period, try to control your breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly. Make sure your pace matches your breathing.

Empty Your Mind

Panic attacks are usually caused by a flood of negative mental images. If there is something worrying you, to the point that you can hardly sleep, now is the time to learn how to free your mind. Start by imagining a blank space, perhaps a room in any color that you want, if you find either white or black too depressing.  Imagine that there is one object with you, something beautiful, preferably one that you cannot correlate with your problem. Once you do that, you should focus on staring at that object. Do not think of anything else as you inhale and exhale with your eyes closed. Focus on that object until the anxiety drifts away.

These are simple tips that you can try at home or at work. The best part is that they are easy to do. This point is emphasized in a review of panic away. As someone who has suffered from chronic panic attacks in the past, this was one of the simplest ways to end them almost instantly. It may take you about 30 minutes to an hour at first. However, you will get better at this in time.

04/23/14

What is the Difference between Oral and Genital Herpes?

Herpes simplex virus

Herpes simplex virus. Electron Microscope image Courtesy Jay C. Brown

There are two different types of  Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). Both of these offer painful symptoms, and can leave a person feeling embarrassed. While herpes is typically presented as two very different viruses, they are actually more alike than you might think. If you were to compare both HSV-1 and HSV-2 under a microscope, you would notice they are rather identical. In fact, they are said to share nearly half the same DNA makeup and both will infect the mucosal surfaces of the body.  HSV – 1 is most known for infecting the mouth, while HSV- 2 is better known as the virus that infects the genital area. Herpes symptoms in men is summarized elsewhere. The area where they establish their latency in your body is what makes them unique. In both cases, most people have mild symptoms associated with the condition. They can however be passed along to others, even when the sores are not present.

Just because HSV-1 is associated with oral herpes, and HSV -2 is associated with genital herpes, doesn’t mean that they are exclusive to these areas. They can still be passed on to other areas of the body.

A common fallacy is the belief that if  the severity of HSV-1 is mild in most people, it isn’t a cause for concern. The truth is that this form of herpes can spread to the brain and cause encephalitis, which is a dangerous infection that can cause death. It can also lead to “wrestler’s herpes” and an infection in your fingers (herpetic whitlow).

HSV-1 is also the most commonly spread form of herpes. HSV-2 tends to be less common with an estimated 22% of Americans suffering from this condition. However, with a normal immune system that can handle both viruses, each is controllable and the infected individual will never notice that they have an infection beyond the initial onset symptoms. In fact most people will find that HSV-2 will be as dangerous as a cold sore.

However, those with a weakened immune system will find that both forms of herpes could be fatal, and they will need to be treated with medication. How to get rid of cold sores is reviewed elsewhere. Fortunately, there are several different forms of oral medication available that can help to effectively treat outbreaks and help to reduce symptoms, causing them to heal in a shorter period of time. In addition, an alternative therapy which explains how to get rid of herpes is also available.

While both forms of herpes are often perceived to be extremely different, they are in fact more alike than one might realize. Of course, if you have any kind of herpes outbreak, you will need to keep an eye on the infection and speak to a healthcare professional to explore your treatment options.