June 17, 1997
SMOKE SIGNALS
3
Panic attacks? Panic disorder is the culprit
Diabetic Support Group
THURSDAY, JUNE 19 at 1 p.m. at the Community
Center, Dr. Eric Webster, Dentist with the Grand Ronde
Dental Clinic, will be speaking on diabetics and dental care,
so please come to have all of your questions answered on
this subject.
Topic: FOOD & SEASONINGS. In the past the group
has discussed different types of foods we eat and season
ings that we use in flavoring our foods, so this month please
bring a healthy seasoning or food and a not so healthy one.
Example: sugar free soda is 0 calories and sugar, but regu
lar soda is approximately 100 calories and 27 g. sugars.
Nonstick cooking sprays are usually 0 calories and 0 so
dium; while oils, fats, and margarine are approximately 50
calories and varies widely in sodium for 1 tsp. Other foods
to consider are healthy soups versus Top Ramen or "healthy"
snacks such as cookies or chips versus major brand snacks.
(If you are comparing food labels, you might be surprised
how close these food products are in calories, sugar, and
sodium!) Please bring your favorites the more products
we have the more surprised we'll be. For more informa
tion, please call Tammy Garrison at 879-2017.
Bandaid Brief . -JFV
by Dr. Glen Gerritz, M.D. I
High blood
pressure needs W
to be treated
High blood pressure is said to be the "silent killer" be
cause there are no symptoms until a stroke or heart attack
occurs. If your blood pressure is consistently above 140
90, it is recommended that you seek treatment. Blood pres
sure in the clinic or doctor's office is often higher than if
it's taken in your home or a shopping center. A good in
vestment is a blood pressure machine for your home, which
cost about $40.
Lifestyle changes that lower blood pressure are exercise,
weight loss, decreasing salt and alcohol in our diet, and
stopping cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Reducing stress
programs and ending the hurried pace and urgency in our
lives also is of benefit.
There are hundreds of blood pressure lowering medica
tions, many can be given once a day. The tried and true
water pills (Diuretics) and beta blockers (Inderal and Toprol
XL) lower blood pressure, reduce strokes and heart attacks,
and death. A blood pressure pill called procardia decreases
chest pain and lowers blood pressure and zestril. An Ace
inhibitor lowers blood pressure and protects the kidneys in
diabetes. Another blood pressure pill decreases the symp
toms of a large prostrate.
You don't know if you have high blood pressure (hyper
tension) if you don't have it taken. Good places to have
your blood pressure taken are Safeway, Fred Meyers,
Payless, Wellness Screening Programs, and the Tribal
Clinic.
Our Tribal Clinic has two new staff persons: Barbara
Troxel, Adult Nurse Practitioner, who will be at the Clinic
every other Tuesday; and Bette Seagram, Family Nurse
Practitioner. The Clinic staff consists of Mary Alice Duran,
Clinic Component Administration; Glenn Gerritz, M.D.,
Medical Director; Marlene Groshong, R.N.; Sharon
Herron, C.N. A.; Barbara Troxel, A.N. A.; Bette Seagram,
F.N.P.; Jackie Provost, Receptionist; and Jerry Brandon,
Medical Records. Please call us at 879-2002 or 1-800-775-0095.
"TTmagine you are in an airplane, jetting across the
United States. Suddenly, you have a sense that some-
thing horrible is about to happen and you are power
Ju. less to prevent it. Your heart is pounding. You have
chest pains. And, you cannot seem to catch your breath.
There is a tingling or numbness in your hands.. And, you
just know you are going to die.
In the United States, more than 3 million people will have
this happen to them at some time in their lives.
The place is unimportant. These symptoms can occur
while a person is walking, driving a car, or riding in an
elevator. If you have experienced any of these symptoms,
you might have had a bout with a health problem called
panic disorder.
This disorder typically begins in young adulthood. But,
older people and children can be affected. Women are twice
as likely to have an attack as men. And, the first attack
seems to take a person completely by surprise.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH), the unpredictability is one reason panic attacks
are so destructive. Initial attacks can occur because of stress,
from an overload at work, after surgery, an accident or an
illness. Excessive use of caffeine can also trigger the at
tacks. Some people never develop a problem after a panic
attack serious enough to affect their lives. However, for
some the attacks continue and can cause a lot of harm.
People who continue to have these attacks can develop
irrational fears called phobias. These phobias can cause
people to avoid the situations they feel will initiate another
panic attack. Then, their work might suffer because they
are afraid to drive a car. Or relationships may crumble be
cause the fears begin to rule the affected person and people
close to them. Night time may also be disturbed because it
is possible to have attacks in your sleep.
The disorder may progress to a more advanced stage
where a person becomes afraid of being in any place or
situation that might be difficult to escape. This condition is
called agoraphobia.
This phobia can cause people to fear crowds, lines, shop
ping malls, and most forms of transportation. Sometimes
these people restrict themselves to their neighborhoods or
homes. These people usually lead lives of extreme depen
dency as well as great discomfort.
But, early treatment can keep the disorder from progress
ing to the mature stages where agoraphobia develops. And
treatment can bring relief to about 70 to 90 percent of the
people diagnosed with panic disorder.
The NIMH said before undergoing any treatment for panic
disorder, a person should undergo a thorough medical ex
amination to rule out other causes. After the examination
and it is determined that panic disorder is the culprit, re
search has found a variety of treatments available.
Medications or psychotherapy are the two most common
treatments for the disorder. A combination of the two has
produced the best results, according to the NIMH.
Improvement is usually notice after about six to eight
weeks. The combination treatment usually produces a low
relapse rate. But if panic attacks re-occur, the person should
not despair but rather re-seek help. Although the attack re
occurred, most people are much better able to handle the
problem after treatment. .
Reprinted courtesy of Jerilyn Ross, M.A., LLCS. W., The Ross Center
for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Inc., Washington, D.C. Adapted from
Mathews et al., 1981.
During a panic attack, some or all of the following
symptoms occur:
0 Terror a sense that something unimaginably
horrible is about to happen and one is powerless to
prevent it.
0 Racing or pounding heartbeat
13 Chest pains
13 Dizziness, light-headedness, nausea
0 Difficulty breathing
0 Tingling or numbness in the hands
0 Flushes or chills
0 Sense of unreality
0 Fear of losing control, going "crazy," or doing
something embarrassing
0 Fear of dying
(D Remember that although your feelings and
symptoms are very frightening, they are not dangerous
or harmful.
Understand that what you are experiencing is
just an exaggeration of your normal bodily reactions
to stress.
Do not fight your feelings or try to wish them
away. The more you are willing to face them, the less
intense they will become.
Do not add to your panic by thinking about what
"might" happen. If you find yourself asking "what if?"
tell yourself "so what!"
(D Stay in the present. Notice what is really hap
pening to you as opposed to what you think might hap
pen. Label your fear level from zero to ten and watch
it go up and down. Notice that it does not stay at a very
high level for more than a few seconds.
When you find yourself thinking about the fear,
change your "what if" thinking. Focus on and carry
out a simple and manageable task such as counting
backwards from 100 by 3's, or snapping a rubber band
on your wrist.
Notice that when you stop adding frightening
thoughts to your fear, it begins to fade.
When the fear comes, expect and accept it. Wait
and give it time to pass without running away from it.
Be proud of yourself for your progress thus far,
and think about how good you will feel when you suc
ceed this time.