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Sir,

Anxiety is a disorder in which people become so anxious that even trivial issues result in them experiencing a range of psychosomatic symptoms. They live in constant fear of the unknown and end up trying all kinds of remedies to find relief.

During an episode, an individual experiences palpitations, sweaty palms, tremors, dry mouth, tightening of the chest and neck muscles, difficulty with breathing, dizziness and is gripped by a fear of losing control. When these symptoms become overwhelming, the individual starts to panic. What is rarely mentioned are the other symptoms that appear as a result of the anxiety attack.

They include severe intractable headaches, upper body aches, severe lower backache, abdominal muscle cramps and an unremitting feeling of tiredness and lack of energy even after long hours of sleep. Often, patients attend their doctor for their pain, headaches, backaches, or for their tiredness, but say nothing about their anxiety, so it is easily missed by the medical practitioner. They are given analgesics, which may include the addictive types, and tonics, but the symptoms are never relieved.

Anxiety

Anxiety can affect anyone and at any stage in one’s life, depending on the circumstances that trigger the attack. One of the most common causes of anxiety is insecurity and the fear of the unknown. This insecurity could be about finances or a relationship. Often, patients who suffer from intractable pain worry that they have terrible illnesses such as cancer. This fear is compounded when pain treatment doesn’t help and the doctors cannot tell their patients what the cause for their pain is. Patients diagnosed with anxiety should be taught about the condition and ways of dealing with this life-long condition. Psychotherapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and relaxation techniques should be the mainstay of treatment for anxiety.

A simple breathing technique works wonders for these patients but they must practice it regularly. If anxiety is not diagnosed early then patients can end up leading very miserable lives at work, home and in their relationships.

If you experience any of the symptoms of anxiety, it would be wise to seek professional help before you end up with severe depression.

Concerned