At some point in our life, we all have experienced anxiety. We know what being anxious is all about. We are familiar how our heart beats violently when we are giving a speech in a large audience, or how we sweat endlessly during our very first job interview. Anxiety is an acknowledged emotion present in any normal human being. It is our body’s way of reacting to stress.

Sometimes anxiety can be productive. In our efforts to cope with a stressful situation, we unknowingly force ourselves to focus and perform well. It allows us to be in action. It helps us study fervently prior to the examination. We acknowledge the symptoms, yet we deal with the situation head on. The symptoms may make us feel uncomfortable yet we are able to maintain composure and act normal.

This is not the case for people who are suffering from anxiety disorder. In an anxiety disorder, there is excessive and irrational fear that affects the normal way people act. This condition hampers the daily normal life of a person. They tend to feel helpless and cannot control the way it affects them. Anxiety disorders may last for 10-15 minutes or even a week and may potentially harm the person. The most prone persons of this medical condition are alcoholic and drug users.

Anxiety disorders have five different classifications. First is the General Anxiety Disorder in which the person worries excessively about almost anything that happens to his day to day activities. Some worry a lot about potential risk on almost anything, expecting something worst may come anytime. The reported system associated with GAD is trembling, headaches, nausea, breathing difficulty, muscle pains and cramps, very exhausted, poor concentration, insomnia, and too much sweating.

The second classification is the Obsessive-Compulsive Anxiety Disorder. A person with this disorder feels that he is not satisfied with the task completed and therefore tries to go over the same task again and again and again. They feel that if they do not ensure that the each is done perfectly, something wrong or bad might happen.

Third is the Panic Anxiety Disorder which makes the person feel extremely scared over something that is unknown. The symptoms are similar to the General Anxiety Disorder. The only difference between the two is that the attack strikes without warning at any time, any place, and at any situations.

Fourth is the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which is a result of a traumatic experience. People who were survivors in wars, accidents, rape, harassment and other forms of violence are the ones who are prone to this type of anxiety disorder. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, sudden flare of anger, lack of emotion, depression, and insomnia.

Fifth are Phobias. People with phobias are scared over a particular thing for no logical reason. For instance, a person with agoraphobia or fear in public places will most likely end up constantly locked in his room. Therefore, he will not be able to develop his social skills.

When you feel like you have these symptoms or know somebody to be having this kind of medical condition, it is best that you seek medical attention because it becomes full blown. There are many effective therapies that will help people overcome this problem. So make sure to enjoy life and maximize it, seek medical help when you feel the need to.

Depression is one of the most debilitating mental disorders of our modern era. It affects nearly 10 million Americans every year. Although it is primarily thought of as a mental condition depression can also inflict varying amounts of pain and discomfort that manifest as physical symptoms of depression. One of the problems with the associated with the physical symptoms of depression is the misdiagnosis of the depression itself. Doctors, when presented with these physical symptoms, will test for and diagnose a physical illness and prescribe treatments to treat these symptoms not knowing or understanding that the symptoms are hiding a more insidious disease. When you look at a list of the physical symptoms of depression you can see why these misdiagnosis and mistreatments can occur. 1. Headaches ” These are one of the first symptoms that can occur with depression. In fact headaches can be intensified to migraine like intensity in someone who is suffering from depression. 2. Chest Pains ” Depression can cause chest pains, which for most people is a sign of an impending heart attack. While any chest pain should be checked by a doctor it can also be a symptom of depression. 3. Sleep Disorders ” People who suffer from depression can have either problems going to sleep (insomnia) or they sleep for excessively long periods of time. Thy may have trouble getting out of bed as well. 4. Digestive System Issues ” Diarrhea, constipation, and nausea are all physical symptoms of depression. 5. Extreme Fatigue ” The majority of people who suffer from depression also suffer from perpetual exhaustion. This can relate back to the sleep disorders and it doesn’t seem to matter how much sleep they get they still are fatigued. 6. Back Pain and Muscle Aches ” Depression can intensify the pain and discomfort of people who are already suffering from these conditions. 7. Appetite and Weight Issues - People with depression can experience either a lack of appetite or intense cravings for certain foods. This can be accompanied by either weight gain or weight loss. Another issue for people who suffer from more severe forms of depression may be even harder to diagnose because with severe depression can come delusions and hallucinations. It can become increasingly difficult to know whether a depression sufferer actually has some of the physical symptoms of depression or if they are inventing them. It is also easier for many people to accept the physical symptoms of depression then any mental symptoms. There are many people and cultures that place a social stigma on anyone with a mental illness. It is therefore easier to accept and treat a more benign physical ailment then it is to deal with issues of the mind. What many people do not understand is that with the successful treatment of the underlying depression with either therapy or medication or both the physical symptoms of depression will often be resolved. Unfortunately treating the physical symptoms will do nothing for actual the depression and without proper treatment the depression will normally continue to get worse. It is therefore of the utmost importance to treat the depression itself if a sufferer is to see any relief from the physical symptoms of depression.

There are many herbs that are readily available as a natural anxiety treatment; many people are starting to turn towards herbs and other natural methods instead of prescriptions medicines. One of the fastest acting and effective herbs available is Valerian. Valerian is a colorful tall perennial herb which blooms from June to September with vibrant purple flowers. The plant is native to Europe, but has been introduced to North America successfully.

Valerian Root is a fairly well known natural anxiety treatment that has been used for centuries to help people with their anxiety, as well as a way to treat insomnia. Valerian is best known for being an incredibly pungent herb with an unpleasant odor. This odor is completely natural, and should be expected when dealing with the herb in any situation. Despite the strong odor a funny fact is that the herb was used as a perfume in the 16th century.

Valerian has been reviewed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration ) and has been labeled as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) this means that though the FDA has not approved the use of the herb to treat anxiety they have recognized it as being a safe substance for the public to consume. It is important to note that even though FDA has not approved Valerian to treat anxiety doesn’t mean that they have disapproved Valerian. With Valerian being completely safe there is no need for FDA approval.

The main concern of taking Valerian is that if you consume too much of it at a time you can become drowsy and it can be unsafe to operate motor vehicles. Because of this concern you should not take more than 600mg of Valerian at any one time or else you run the risk of becoming drowsy. Besides this Valerian is an incredibly safe herb and does not cause any long term health effects.

One of the primary benefits of the root is that is takes effect within 15 minutes. However in addition to the almost instantaneous relief that Valerian provides it also builds up over time and you will feel increased relief over a period of 30 days. This is particularly effective in cases of moderate to major anxiety. The user can start feeling better right away, but then start feeling even better and on a more continual and consistent basis after 30 days. In addition tolerance has not been shown to develop over time so once you find the correct dosage for you to provide relief you can take the same amount every day without having to continually up your dosage to achieve the same results.

Valerian works in a very simple way. It acts as an effective natural sedative to relax the central nervous system within the brain. This makes it easier for the brain to deal with stress, and to work through problems without over loading the neurotransmitters within the brain. While the herb is a sedative is does not cause lowered inhibitions or focus like some other sedatives have been known to cause.