Doctors STILL ignore natural stressbuster

Breakthrough research reveals important link between modern epidemic of anxiety and one of the most basic acts of living… [Click here](1770d7/ct0_0/1/ms?sid=TV2%3AQDCUtBWhn) to view this message in your browser | [Click here](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AQDCUtBWhn) to stop receiving our messages [] [] Al Sears, MD 11905 Southern Blvd. Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 [] September 13, 2024 [] Reader, Most doctors haven’t got a clue about treating anxiety. That’s why they just write prescriptions for antidepressants or refer you to a therapist for cognitive behavioral therapy. Neither of these treatments ever gets to the root of the problem, and they often cause more harm than good. If they worked, more than 300 million people worldwide and at least 40 million adults in America wouldn’t suffer from anxiety disorders… And the numbers wouldn’t keep rising each year.1,2 It’s no secret we live in a stressful 24/7 world, but mounting evidence suggests our ability to cope with stress has nothing to do with antidepressants and boosting serotonin levels. Research now reveals a profound link between our modern epidemic of anxiety and the most basic act of living… I’m talking about breathing. The truth is most people have lost the art of breathing properly. We breathe mostly through our mouths and into our chests, and we do it way too fast. And in the internet age, the problem has become worse – which at least partly explains why the number of anxiety disorders has surged over the past 25 years. There’s even a phenomenon called “email apnea.” This occurs when people are so focused on their phones or computers, they either breathe shallowly or don’t breathe at all. This can have a profound effect on both your physical and your mental health, because bad breathing habits directly equate to a lack of oxygen being delivered to your body and brain. It shouldn’t be surprising that an Australian study found that a staggering 83% of people with anxiety have dysfunctional breathing – and that’s not a coincidence.3 The Norwegian HUNT study, which looked at 250,000 people between 2011 and 2019 – found that poor breathing habits can be both a result and a trigger of anxiety.4 In other words, anxiety may lead to changed breathing patterns – but these patterns can also heighten anxiety by sending signals to the brain to perceive a threat. Meanwhile, other studies reveal that panicked breathing has a direct impact on the amygdala, the part of the brain that manages our emotional responses.5 And it turns out that techniques like hyperventilating or mouth breathing, which are often recommended to calm anxiety, can trigger even more anxiety by lowering your body’s CO2 tolerance and amplifying the natural fight-or-flight response. Whatever life events you feel are piling on stress – car payments, rising insurance costs, the 30-year mortgage, your children, or the worsening political crisis – your ability to cope depends on how well you breathe. Deep and meaningful breathing offers a different approach to coping with anxiety. In a 2017 study, a group of participants with severe anxiety disorders were assigned to take a course in diaphragmatic breathing relaxation. It involved breathing deeply into the abdomen, rather than taking shallow breaths into the chest.6 Participants who were assigned to diaphragmatic breathing reported much less anxiety compared with a group that didn’t receive the training. They also showed fewer physical signs of anxiety – lower heart rate and slower breathing – and a better ability to cope with it before panic attacks struck. In another study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers told participants they were going to receive electric shocks (which were never actually administered). Some of the participants practiced breathing slowly beforehand, while others focused on breathing at a normal rate or didn’t regulate their breathing at all.7 The slow breathers – at about eight breaths per minute – not only reported feeling less anxious while anticipating the pain, they also showed lower anxiety on a physical level, as measured by sweat and blood flow to the fingers. Try 2 Of My Favorite Breathing Tricks I’ve been recommending anxiety-busting breathing strategies to my patients for decades. Here are two of my favorites… - The Marine Mind Trick: This mindfulness meditation exercise is used by the U.S. Marines and Special Forces to knock out stress and anxiety.8 And it’s not only marines who use this trick. One study looked at family caregivers in their very stressful jobs. Researchers found that after only 8 weeks, those who meditated with deep breathing significantly lowered their levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and had better overall mental health.9 Here’s the technique the Marines and Special Forces use. One thing to remember is that the benefits come from being mindful and keeping focused on your breathing. - Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes. - Let your awareness settle on the movement of your breath. - Follow the in-breath and out-breath, perhaps by saying “breathing in, breathing out” quietly to yourself. - Sit upright, with spine straightened and chin tucked in, while you calmly focus on your breath. - Do this for 10 to 15 minutes for a calmer outlook on your day. And try this whenever you feel you might be overwhelmed by stress… - The 4-7-8-4 breathing technique: I recommend pranayama – the yogic practice of focusing on your breath – as an anxiety reliever. In yoga, breath is associated with prana, and pranayama is a way to boost your prana-shakti, or life energies. It’s also called the 4-7-8-4 technique. Just breathe in through your mouth for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Take a 4-second break and repeat 4 times. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS --------------------------------------------------------------- References: - “Depression.” World Health Organization. Available at: . Accessed on August 25, 2024. - “Major Depression.” National Institute of Menal Health. Available at: . Accessed on August 25, 2024. - Courtney R. “The functions of breathing and its dysfunctions and their relationship to breathing therapy.” Int J Osteopath Med. April 2009 - Leivseth L, et al. “Lung function and anxiety in association with dyspnoea: the HUNT study.” Respir Med. 2012 Aug;106(8):1148-57. - Feinstein JS, et al. “Amygdala-driven apnea and the chemoreceptive origin of anxiety.” Biol Psychol. 2022 Apr:170:108305. - Chen YF, et al. “The effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing relaxation training for reducing anxiety.”Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2017 Oct;53(4):329-336. - McCaul K, et al. “Effects of paced respiration and expectations on physiological and psychological responses to threat.” J Pers Soc Psychol. 37(4):564–571.1079 - Mockenhaupt B. “A State of Military Mind” Pacific Standard. www.psmag.com. Accessed on August 25, 2024. - Lavretsky H, et al. “A pilot study of yogic meditation…effects on mental health, cognition, and telomerase activity.” Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013;28(1):57-65. alsearsmd@send.alsearsmd.com [Preferences | Unsubscribe](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AQDCUtBWhn) 11905 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411, United States