(c) 2009 Riley West I remember the first time I had a panic attack. My life was a mess and not the same again until I got a handle on it and it went away. Yes, it can go away. For me the panic attacks lasted several years, about 5 or 6. I fought them every way I could think of including alcohol, running, meditating, and various other things. When I think back it looks like panic attacks couldn’t possibly have entered my life. I was a risk taker. I was a boxer. I was an airplane pilot. I was a horseman for years in Montana. I still ride motorcycles! I was never bullied and I wasn’t intimidated. No one ever picked on me and I sure as heck wasn’t a sissy. I went through High School in Montana and went into college there, too. I spent several great years chasing degrees and women and married a real sweetheart. I had been nervous a time or two, but I had never experienced anything like a panic attack. At 30 years of age I was 6’2″ and 190 lbs. I was in great shape! The panic attacks struck suddenly, seemingly from nowhere. By that time owned my own businesses for 6 years. I was at a convention in L.A. and a friend drove me to LAX so I could go back to Oregon, the rugged Northwest and my family. I was sitting in the waiting area watching the incredible variety of people you see at LAX when I heard the boarding call. At this time I had been an aircraft pilot for 6 years and had my own aircraft. I should have flown it down but it was cheaper and much faster to take the jet. I got in line. We started moving toward the tunnel to board the plane when something “went off” in my stomach. I was suddenly VERY uneasy. Within seconds I wanted to run but I thought I was crazy AND I didn’t want anyone else to know. Somehow I got on that plane. By now the panic attack was in full bloom. I was pouring sweat. I was shaking. I was afraid…but not afraid of something that made sense. I really felt like I could die right there, right then. The fear was immense and made me feel crazy because, as near as I could tell, there was no reason for this. Something was wrong with me! I was doing fine an hour ago and now I’m a basket case. I was afraid I’d have to panic further and demand they land and let me off. I wanted to run. I sat there, in my window seat, looking out at the scenery, like I used to love to do, but now all I had were legions of confused, evil feeling ideas swirling around inside my head. I had to keep them in there. I couldn’t let anybody know! When the Flight attendants approached me I didn’t look up and just shook my head. That was the longest flight of my life even though it was less than two hours. I even had thoughts of jumping out of the plane. I thought about my family, my wife, and my kids. I tried to force myself to only think about positive things and, about an hour and a half after the panic attack started, it started to fade…slowly. I was so happy and relieved. I began to worry that it would return! Up, down, the whole rest of the flight. When I got on the ground I went straight to the bar and drank a double of whisky. I grabbed my bags and went out to the car. I was thinking things like “What the hell was that!” Then, suddenly, it tried to come back! So I stuffed it. When I got home I didn’t tell my wife about it. In the morning everything looked OK and I let it ride. Until the panic attacks returned. I couldn’t get onto an elevator. I couldn’t meet with business associates in a closed room. I made a LOT of excuses. The next years were hard to get through. I tried everything I could. I knew what they were now, but I didn’t know how to get rid of them, until I fell across a book that I can’t recall the name of. I drove my little sports car to a spot down by the river and read the book. When I read a description of a person’s panic attack, it made me cry. It had several therapies, mostly mind work and meditating, and some phrases to repeat. It took a while but I felt immediate partial relief and encouragement. The panic attacks were the scariest things I had ever dealt with up till then and the idea of them coming back was chilling. But they never did. Later, I found out that once you get these things to leave you can get rid of them at will. Once you are to that point, the fear of the attacks returning loses it’s power and you can start living a full life again. You’ll be OK…don’t worry!

act that anxiety and panic attacks can strike at any time or any place. For those of us who are prone to them, they can take over their lives. For people who have had more than one panic attack, the fear that another will occur can be debilitating.

So, that it is clear what a panic or anxiety attack is, here is a list of the sorts of feelings which are commonly reported during these periods:

–A feeling that the world is closing in on you

–Strangely dizzy sensations

–A heartbeat that is pounding, much, much faster than usual

A panic attack leads to an impromptu flood of fear in a person, which peaks to alarming levels within a few minutes. This kind of an attack can occur without any warning or apparent cause and, obviously, can be very frightening. While most of us feel panic stricken only in situations of eminent danger, people suffering from panic disorder can suffer a panic attack almost anywhere, even during the most normal of situations, like driving a car, sitting in a meeting, shopping, or while sleeping at night.

In addition to certain food triggers, some people have anxiety and panic attacks because they are deficient in certain vitamins. Vitamins B12 and niacin are helpful vitamins that balance your body. When these are absent, you may become more prone to having panic attacks. Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals can be devastating in more ways than one.

The first thing you should do is take stock of what you eat every day. The most helpful way to do this is to keep a food diary for a period of a few days, or even a week. Write down everything you consume — you’ll probably be surprised about what you have eaten by the end of the day!

A piece of chocolate here, a few chips there, and another piece of chocolate here — it all adds up! You might be wondering why everyone who has a poor diet isn’t a sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks. Scientists think this is because there are certain people who are more genetically predisposed to getting panic attacks. If you have this genetic predisposition, eating unhealthily can definitely lead to panic attacks for you.

Make sure you are getting enough of the B group of vitamins as one of your first steps. This is easier to do than cutting out foods, because you can simply take a multivitamin, or singular B vitamins depending on your deficiencies. You can visit a doctor or naturopath to make sure are taking these vitamins is the right step for your anxiety and panic attacks.

After you have added in the proper nutritional elements, you’ll want to consider adding more vegetables and fruits into your diet. Follow the food pyramid and make sure your diet contains plenty of vegetables. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that your plate looks very colorful. This signals different nutrients and vitamins so you can rest assured you’re getting a well-balanced diet.

While adding in fruits, vegetables, and vitamins is easy enough, it is more difficult to take things away from your diet that you’re used to eating. For many people, these include sugary and fatty foods. It’s a good idea to cut out these foods one at a time to make it easier for you to handle. Keep at it for a period of 30 days, after which it will become a habit for you to avoid the foods that can trigger your anxiety and panic attacks, and add the ones that will help you.

By: Felix Gerson