Most people recognize the difference between good stress and bad stress. Good stress helps you get up in the morning, go to work, be creative and put bread on the table. Good stress can sometimes be a problem, but it makes life interesting.
On the other hand, bad stress can make you not get up in the morning! It destroys jobs and relationships and can hurt you. For example, it increases blood pressure, and this is just for starters. When stress begins to seize and destroy your life and health, you need help. It is very good to engage in natural health, but there are times when help starts at the doctor’s office and leads to the pharmacy.
So, when medicines are the only practical alternative to a stress crisis, what kind of help is available?
It's good that the days of your family doctor, who casually issued a “little mother's assistant” (valium) for any complex patch, are long gone. Currently, doctors are carefully studied, and they are under pressure to justify prescriptions for psychoactive drugs, such as Valium, the usual tranquilizer. (This is probably a good thing, despite the fact that some people are prone to addiction and anti-depressants, and even to strong drugs like Ritalin.
Several of the doctor's recommendations for prescribing them, benzodiapipins, a large class of drugs that include valium, librium, and new Xanax, are still the most commonly prescribed medication for transient and / or situational stress or anxiety. Although they have been for a long time, they are still probably the most effective drugs available for general stress, at least for short-term use.
In addition to general stress and anxiety relief, benzodiazepines are also used to alleviate the symptoms of alcohol and drug withdrawal. If your stressful problems are exacerbated by drugs or alcohol, benzodiazepines can be helpful, as they can help you reduce your dependence on these substances, as well as relieve stress.
There are many other types of drugs used to treat conditions such as anxiety, panic attack, social phobia, and depression. These include the notorious Prozac and his relatives. They are probably not suitable for short-term treatment of stress, like benzodiazepines, but for your doctor.
Another interesting class of drugs that may be useful in some cases is beta-blockers. Atenolol and Inderal are well-known beta blockers. These drugs are mainly used to treat high blood pressure, but they also have the ability to soothe and treat the anxiety and heart palpitations associated with these conditions. The psychoactive effects of beta blockers are not as strong as those of benzodiazepines, but they can often be useful as an additional treatment, because severe stress is often associated with high blood pressure.
The problem with most of these drugs, especially tranquilizers, is that they are only useful for short-term use. Not only do their effects become less pronounced over time, requiring increased doses in order to get the same effect - but they also drag out much. Generally speaking, about one month is their maximum practical period of effectiveness.
Of course, stress treatment with drugs is just a stop-measure to get through a crisis. If you ask your doctor for a prescription, you should also open the door to more long-term solutions for stress and anxiety. It is here that natural methods take their place. Natural methods of dealing with stress are as numerous and varied as the causes of stress.
Some ways to reduce stress naturally can even mimic the physical actions of the drugs just described. For example, tranquilizers actually relax muscles and bind related tension. In fact, Valium, often referred to as muscle relaxant. In addition, many natural relaxation methods work by relaxing muscles to relieve tension. Relieving physical stress can also help alleviate mental and emotional discomfort.
Similarly, beta-blockers work by relaxing blood vessels, allowing them to open and improve blood flow, thereby reducing blood pressure. The natural method, called slow breathing, also relaxes the muscles that constrict the large blood vessels. Thus, it relieves stress and lowers high blood pressure.
Some health advocates are exposed to unfair views on drugs. But tranquilizers or sedatives can be lifesavers during a crisis. And they can be the first step to finding a lasting solution to stress and anxiety. Their actions may even point the way to effective natural methods.
