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This is one of those stories in which science and common sense seem to overlap. It should not surprise us that anxiety may be a contributing factor to heart problems. We’ve seen all too many movies and TV plots where the victim gets all stressed and, clutching his or her chest, then falls over moaning, “My heart is finally giving up my ghost.” or words to that effect. Anyway, there’s new research suggesting the way people are treated if they have an anxiety disorder may change their chances of survival. So, before we continue, here’s a little challenge for you. Just what do you think the relationship is between anxiety and heart attacks?

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is increasingly severe worry without any specific cause. So, before you have a stroke or heart attack, the link is less clear. How are we to decide whether you have heart disease because you smoke, or are overweight, or have a poor level of health and never exercise, or have a general level of anxiety in your life? But once you have an “incident”, this will naturally give you a real health problem to worry about. To that extent, the GAD stops being generalized and becomes the entirely understandable fear of death from a further “incident”. Now there really is a choice to be made by the doctors treating you to decide what balance to strike in the treatment for the heart and the anxiety problems. But before the “incident”…

Recent research out of Holland followed just over one-thousand people whose health was less than perfect, but all had a stable heart. Of them 10% had GAD. Over time, the risk of heart attacks was 75% higher for those with GAD. This is not the first time research has shown anxiety as a major contributing cause of strokes and heart attacks but, because of the problems of identifying cause and effect, the results are not yet scientifically convincing. You first have to eliminate all the other contributing factors. Nevertheless, if you are young and have GAD, it may be worth having a full health check-up including your cardiovascular system. Just because these scientists are not convinced does not mean you should not protect yourself against the possibility.

In this, Xanax will play an important role. As one of the best anti-anxiety drugs on the market, it will bring down the immediate level of anxiety. (more…)

If you are struggling with chronic pain, you know how debilitating it can be. Add to that the stricter controls on prescription medication, the rise in pain killer addiction, and a health care industry that isn’t so quick to dole out the meds, and you will have yourself a real problem. When it comes to pain management, patients are not often given the immediate care they need, as tests and doctor’s visits will first be needed to rule out any underlying conditions. The problem is that pain doesn’t wait for test results to come back, so if you are suffering from serious pain, you want relief fast. Use this article to see if you can find treatment options for your chronic pain that will give you relief much sooner than your doctor may be able to.

For many patients suffering from chronic pain, narcotic pain medication is sometimes the first method of attack when it comes to treatment. The reason for this is that if underlying issues or a diagnosis may be a long time coming, relief is given to manage the symptom of pain while waiting for more information. The problem with this is that these medications have a very high rate of addiction, and so while you are waiting for one problem to be solved, you are essentially creating another. So what can you do for your chronic pain?

You can take comfort in the fact that narcotic pain medication is not your only option when it comes to relief. Additional treatment for pain is available through non-opioid analgesic medication, to alternative therapies such as yoga or meditation. When you use more than one pain relief method together, you will find the comfort and relaxation you need from your pain.

Common alternative therapies for pain include a wide variety of options. Massage therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, electric analgesia, ultrasound, and paraffin wax are all methods being used more and more frequently today as options over prescription relief. You may find even that your insurance company or HMO will cover options such as chiropractic care or acupuncture, and this will relieve not only your pain, but your wallet as well.

Herbal supplements and remedies are also becoming a very popular alternative to prescription pain relief. These you will find are not often covered by insurance, but with the cost of these options comes the relief of coming out of that prison of pain. The best way to get the most effective alternative remedies for pain is to visit a naturopath or alternative healer that specializes in these options. If you are able to find a naturopath that is also an M.D., you will have the added benefit of being under the care of a medical doctor while undergoing alternative therapy.

When you have tried every alternative method possible, and are still waiting for pain relief, very likely you will have to move toward prescription medication to bring you comfort. You can talk to your doctor about medication such as Tramadol, a medication that is much more tolerated over (more…)