Anxiety is a condition that plagues many people, preventing them from leading full and happy lives. There are several types of anxiety cures and treatments available to those who suffer from this disorder. Psychotherapy and counseling are perhaps the most common treatments. Some anxiety sufferers find relief in the use of various medications, lifestyle changes, and in some alternative treatments, such as herbs, meditation, and various types of bodywork. The efficacy of anxiety cures can differ from patient to patient, with many anxiety sufferers finding that a combination of treatments works best.
Many people who suffer from anxiety seek out some form of mental health counseling. If the anxiety appears to be situational, only brief therapy or counseling may be necessary. However, if the patient has been suffering from anxiety for a long period of his or her life or routinely experiences anxiety attacks, a longer time in psychotherapy may be required. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be effective in treating anxiety, in that it teaches patients how to monitor the way they think about situations and experiences, controlling their responses so as to not feed their anxiety and disordered thinking. While many anxiety sufferers can and do recover from anxiety through psychotherapy on its own, it is often combined with other anxiety cures to maximize benefits to the patient.
If an anxiety sufferer does not significantly improve through counseling alone, a medical doctor may prescribe pharmaceutical drugs. While medications can be controversial anxiety cures, for many people they serve as effective tools for controlling their emotions or getting sleep while learning new behavioral and coping skills during therapy. Benzodiazepines, such as Valium and Xanax, are frequently prescribed to people suffering from anxiety, as they can reduce muscle tension and induce calm. Unfortunately, this class of drugs has a high potential for dependency and abuse, making benzodiazepines a short-term remedy at best for anxiety. Other drugs used to treat anxiety include antidepressants, which may be more suitable as a long-term anxiety treatment.
Anxiety is often expressed as uncontrolled emotional states of worry, nervousness, and irritability. Many alternative remedies are touted as anxiety cures, including herbs such as chamomile and kava, spiritual counseling, and acupuncture. While the efficacy of some of these approaches has been called into question, they nonetheless offer alternatives to individuals who prefer to avoid drugs and who would like to combine traditional psychotherapy with other forms of self-care.
