by Elizabeth Farrell

Created on: January 03, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Anxiety attacks, also known as panic attacks, are episodes characterized by intense symptoms for the sufferer such as trembling, racing heart, sweating, dry mouth, nausea and dizziness. These attacks can be triggered by a stressful situation or they may occur completely unexpectedly. People who suffer from anxiety attacks can end up feeling helpless and isolated but there are a variety of treatments to choose from that can help prevent anxiety attacks.

Professional help from a therapist or counselor can sometimes help to alleviate and prevent these often debilitating attacks, but there are self-help measures that you can take if you suffer from anxiety attacks.

Exercise: Any cardiovascular exercise that increases your heart rate is a good way to reduce anxiety and the stress that may cause an anxiety attack. Even something as simple as walking can be helpful, but other good exercise options are swimming, jogging, yoga and Pilate's.

Relaxation techniques: Practicing relaxation through meditation and deep breathing is another way to help reduce stress and get you more in tune with your body. There are a wide variety of self-help relaxation tapes and CD's sold at music and book stores, or you can practice deep breathing sessions with soft and relaxing music of your choice. The important thing is to practice this every day. The reason this is important is that this practice teaches your body how to relax when you're in a non-threatening situation. This way, when you do feel stress coming on or the beginnings of an anxiety attack, your body and mind will begin to naturally fall into to the rhythms of deep breathing and creative visualization that you have been practicing each day.

Dietary Changes: Good nutrition is important to help alleviate symptoms of stress and prevent anxiety attacks. Foods with calcium such as dairy products, certain vegetables and even calcium supplements can be very calming to your body, not to mention good for your health. Eating a diet that's rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is also not only very healthy for you but also calming to your system. It's important to avoid such things as caffeinated beverages, sugary snacks, processed foods, alcoholic beverages or foods high in salt. These only stress your body and can end up increasing anxiety levels.

Herbal remedies: Herbal treatments and remedies have been around for centuries and there are some herbs that are very helpful in relieving stress and anxiety. My favorite is chamomile which

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