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Journal of an Herbalist
By Karima Burns, MH, ND 04/07/2001
Client: Jamila
Complaint: Panic Attacks
Jamila came to me complaining that she had been suffering from panic attacks for the past five years. She could not understand why she was having the attacks and why they had come on so suddenly. She had always been an outgoing, active person. She had five children, one who was a special-needs child, and was actively involved in the community. Now, suddenly, she was scared to even go to the grocery store and had spent the past five years becoming more and more reclusive because of her frequent feelings of fear that would "attack" her suddenly in public and for no good reason.
Journal: Having suffered from panic attacks myself, I knew how confusing and horrible they could be. According to Reid Wilson, Ph.D., a panic attack is: "experienced as overwhelming, uncontrollable dread, as if one is terribly ill, about to die or lose one's mind. It drastically changes the functioning of major glands, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, eyes, and the largest muscle groups. Even violent poisons or traumatic injuries have less effect. A cascade of stimulants and hormones - adrenaline, epinephrine, glycogen, cortical, norepinephrine, among others - flood all the cells of the body via the bloodstream. The impulse is to run, get out, or hide" (Wilson, p.79).
We first tried to find the source of Jamila's panic attacks so we could better solve her problem. Our approach to healing her would involve trying to remove some of the reasons for her attacks and giving her herbs and supplements to help taper them. Jamila told me about her lifestyle and dietary habits. She was the mother of five children and was kept busy running their small homestead, home-schooling some of the children and coordinating the activities of the others. In addition, her seven year old suffered from a number of problems that required special supervision. She usually felt very tired and worn down from all her work. She was knowledgeable about healthy cooking and food and she ordered from the local organic and health food co-op. However, as we talked more about her diet and food preferences, we realized that while she was very careful to cook healthful meals for her family, she usually ended up skipping meals and grabbing a "healthy" snack when she felt hungry.
Unfortunately, her definition of healthy was defined by the modern advertising industry of the health food markets. She often ate rice cakes, baked tortilla chips, low-fat granola, soymilk and bagels with organic cream cheese. Although these foods are often seen as "healthier" than most foods, they are still highly processed and have very little nutritional value when compared to a vegetable, fruit or whole grain.
It seemed on the surface that Jamila's panic attacks could be attributed mostly to her inadequate diet and stress. These are common factors in those people who experience panic attacks. However, Jamila had one further concern. She had had three mercury amalgam fillings removed only a month before the attacks started. She felt intuitively that this also had something to do with her problem, but she did not know why.
I explained to her that the removal of her fillings was probably a factor, although not the only one, in her panic attacks. It could have served as a catalyst or could even have been the cause. However, her dietary habits and stress were not helping. In Germany the removal of silver amalgam fillings (which are 30-40% mercury) is illegal for pregnant and nursing women. David Kennedy, DDS, explains that this is because when amalgam fillings are removed that a surge of mercury is released into the bloodstream and for approximately 57 days after the surgery mercury levels are higher than prior to the removal. It takes seven months for the body to completely recover from this surge and during these seven months highly sensitive people may be damaged. Even in cases where the dentist follows the set protocol for removal there is still a surge of mercury released. There have been numerous studies showing the direct effect of birth defects in women who had their fillings removed during pregnancy (Kennedy, p.33).
Signs of mercury poisoning are: fatigue, mood swings, depression, nervousness and panic, fits of anger, and emotional outbursts (these are recent observations that sync with the same observations Hippocrates made 2000 years ago). It seemed too much of a coincidence that both Jamila and her nursing daughter suddenly exhibited all these symptoms only a few months after her exposure to the metal in the removal process. It is well documented that in World War I, when it was standard procedure for the men to be exposed to buckets of mercury (for barometer readings), some got sick within only a few hours, while others could stand it for months on end and not get sick. So, some people who are exposed may not be affected. However, Jamila and her daughter were both very sensitive people with a history of allergies and other sensitivities. I explained that she could get a chelation and challenge test for mercury poisoning by contacting the ACAM American College for the Advancement of Medicine at 1-800-532-3688.
For now, we decided to have her follow a detoxification diet for 21 days in order to try to leach whatever chemical residues may be in her body out. We chose the 21-day Hallelujah diet by Chet Day (available online) because she was familiar with it through friends and it was an easy diet to follow. It was also heavy in vegetables and fruits, which she was lacking in. Furthermore, the diet involved drinking at least two glasses of carrot juice a day, which binds and releases toxins from the body. I also recommended that while she was on the diet that she emphasize more foods that leach toxins from the body such as seaweed, green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, hot water and lemon juice, apples, cooked beans, bran, spirulina, garlic, raw vegetables and spring water. Jamila also wanted to take vitamins and supplements. I recommended she take 1000mg a day of vitamin C for a month to help purge the chelate toxins out of her system and counteract any allergies she may have. I added a B-vitamin multiple to her diet to help her deal with stress and 300mg of a magnesium and calcium supplement each day to help her relax.
Thirdly, I created an herbal mixture for her to take to tone and calm her nervous system and to help her deal with the attacks more readily. Her herbal tea was made from equal parts of alfalfa, nettles, spearmint, red raspberry leaf, hibiscus, chamomile, and fennel. To help her deal with the emotional aspect of her panic attacks we used Bach Flower remedies. She was to take a mixture of agrimony, aspen, cherry plum and white chestnut every day and to take this "Rescue Remedy" during an attack.
I also taught her some breathing techniques that she could practice, use on a daily basis and then also use in the event of an attack to calm herself down. I told her to use the following breathing technique: gently and slowly inhale a normal amount of air through the nose, filling the lower lungs. Then exhale easily. As she inhales gently, her lower hand should rise while her upper hand stays still. She was to continue this gentle breathing pattern with a relaxed attitude, concentrating on filling only the lower lungs.
We talked about the mental process of changing her attitude towards the panic attacks as a way to help herself. One common attitude about panic attacks is: the sufferer feels they "cannot tell anyone". I told her to be sure to share her experiences with a close friend or her husband and to stop feeling ashamed. Another common problem with panic attacks is: they soon become the enemy. However, instead of feeling they are the enemy, a person should try to learn from them and face the symptoms so they can gain new skills for dealing with them. Trying to avoid the panic attack is the most common problem. A person usually feels they have to stop the attack right away and run. However, it is better to just say, 'It is OK to be anxious here and to accept the feeling." The feeling will dissipate a lot faster.
Lastly I spoke about the two skills of goal setting and traveling to the end of her fears. When one has a panic attack, it is often helpful to travel to the end of our fears - to imagine the worst thing that could happen and then imagine that that worst thing would be O.K. If one imagines that Allah is taking care of them, even in the worst possible case scenario, then one usually realizes that even the worst case is O.K. Last, but not least, panic exerts such a force over a person that it causes them to feel trapped and afraid. In order to confront this force, a person must often place some target in front of them…some positive goal to reach.
Jamila was a good "student". She took her tea readily, followed the detoxification regime and did her breathing exercises. By the end of the first week she was already seeing her panic attacks subside and by the end of the second week they were only coming once a day. By the third week they completely disappeared, only to return occasionally and much less intensely than before. She found that the "Rescue Remedy" and "traveling to the end of her fears" were the most useful techniques for her when she had an attack. Jamila came to me later in order to consult with me about her daughter and keeps in touch with me periodically. After two years she still reports that her panic attacks are very rare and when they do come she is able to control them. She usually attributes her infrequent flare-ups to an extra stressful day or a few days in a row of bad dietary habits. However, in general, she has gone back to a more moderate way of eating, allows herself treats quite often and leads a normal, active life.
Karima Burns is a naturopath and herbalist. She has published her own
newsletter about natural healing for four years and has studied many aspects of
natural healing from herbs to homeopathy to aromatherapy for the past 12 years.
She is an herbal consultant and teaches people about natural healing from her
home in Saudi Arabia. This is a journal of her experiences with her clients.
Sources
Wilson, Reid, Ph.D. Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks. USA: HarperCollins. 1996.
Kennedy, David, DDS. How to Save Your Teeth. USA: HarperCollins. 1994.
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