The Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a mental health disorder which causes a person to experience excessive anxiety and constant worry about many issues in their life. According to author Dr. Joseph Mercola, anxiety is a healthy and natural response which can become unhealthy if over stimulated: Anxiety is a natural, normal response to potential threats, which puts your body into a heightened state of awareness. When felt appropriately, anxiety is beneficial and can keep you out of harm's way... the anxiety you may feel while hiking near a steep drop-off, for instance, will cause you to be more careful and purposeful in your movements. For an estimated 40 million US adults, however, anxiety may occur even when there's no real threat, causing unnecessary stress and emotional pain. While many believe anxiety and stress to be the same, persistent anxiety actually evokes quite a different experience in your brain. (1) Anxiety is a defensive mechanism that is designed to trigger hormones to heighten reflexes, raise the heart rate, and increase circulation to allow you to respond more quickly. Anxiety is usually the result of fear from internal thought mechanisms. The National Institute of Mental Health describes some of the mechanisms involved in anxiety: "Several parts of the brain are key actors in the production of fear and anxiety... scientists have discovered that the amygdala and the hippocampus play significant roles in most anxiety disorders. The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure deep in the brain that is believed to be a communications hub between the parts of the brain that process incoming sensory signals and the parts that interpret these signals. It can alert the rest of the brain that a threat is present and trigger a fear or anxiety response. The emotional memories stored in the central part of the amygdala may play a role in anxiety disorders involving very distinct fears, such as fears of dogs, spiders, or flying. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that encodes threatening events into memories." (2) Sometimes the things worried about are real, sometimes they are trivial, but the anxiety experienced can be all consuming and affect the quality of life of the person with GAD. In order to be diagnosed with GAD, a person must have at least three of the major symptoms which include: Agitation Dysphoria (a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction) Sleep disturbances (falling or staying asleep, or not being satisfied by sleep) Fatigue Problems with Concentration and "going blank" Restlessness Irritability Worry Anxiety Tension Muscle Tension If untreated, GAD can lead to severe depression which may result in loss of interest in life, loss of appetite, loss of self-esteem, and even suicide. The condition is not to be taken lightly. Generalized Anxiety Disorder can affect all ages and walks of life. Pulsed Electro Magnetic Fields (PEMF) have been found to be very effective in the treatment of GAD, depression, and general anxiety without the side effects that medications can cause. Rather than introducing foreign substances into the brain, PEMF electrically excites the neurons to dispense their own natural chemicals, helping to balance out deficiencies and restore normal brain function. Clinical studies have show the effect of PEMF on Generalized Anxiety Disorders: "...studies have found low-energy emission therapy to be effective in the treatment of chronic insomnia, and suggests that it may also be of value for patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorders.  http://www.pemftindia.com/pemf--depression.html Visit The NewAge Foundation at: http://thenewagefoundation.org/?xg_source=msg_mes_network   To control which emails you receive on The NewAge Foundation, click here