I need to stress right up front that I’m not a doctor. That means I can’t give medical advice, or make any sort of claims that a particular product  or natural remedy will resolve panic attacks. So, all I can do is share my personal experience of dealing with anxiety.

Anxiety is something I’m very familiar with. It’s just the way I’m wired. Always, it seems, I worry about something. I don’t have full blown panic attacks, and I never have. But anxiety can color how I view the world. It also gets in the way of enjoying life.

Sometimes, anxiety also keeps me awake at night. At one time, I had full-blown insomnia. Now, it’s under control, thanks to essential oils and other natural remedies.

I’ve never taken drugs for anxiety. Instead, I’ve tried to become more emotionally resilient. Working with some great holistic practitioners, I’ve tried to reduce stress, so my overworked adrenal glands could heal themselves. Unfortunately, stress can cause adrenal fatigue. Having weak adrenals also seems to lower your resistance to stress. So I tried to find ways to break this vicious cycle.

Natural Alternatives to Panic Attacks

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a commission, at no extra cost to you.)

If panic attacks are debilitating, I encourage you to work with your doctor. If possible, seek out a holistic-minded practitioner. He or she will probably be more open to a drug-free approach. I try to give my readers enough information, so they can do their own natural health research.

Some people may decide to take an anti-anxiety drug. That may be the best choice for them. However, I think it’s important to have all the facts. Toward the end of this post, I’m going to include information on a popular anti-anxiety medication known as Paxil. I believe all women need to know there’s evidence Paxil can disrupt your hormones. It also comes with a number of other potentially serious side effects.

Natural Treatment Panic Attack Symptoms

Consequently, I’ve chosen to treat my own anxiety with natural remedies. One of them is an herbal stress formula called Oregon’s Wild Harvest Stress Guard. It contains a mix of plants known as adaptogens. It’s thought that adaptogens can help you better manage stress.

Also, at night, I use various essential oils, including Plant Therapy’s Sleep Aid Synergy Blend. This is just one of the aromatic oils I own. A number of essential oils are considered good for relaxation and stress reduction, including lavender and clary sage essential oil.

Natural Remedies for Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Sometimes, when my anxiety is over the top, I use a homeopathic formula called Rescue Remedy. This amazing remedy was developed by a British doctor named Edward Bach, MD. He believed that negative emotions can make us sick. So he created a line of homeopathic remedies to help. Rescue Remedy isn’t meant to be taken continually. Just occasionally, during extremely stressful events.

Anyway, below you can see three of my favorite natural stress remedies. I don’t use these all the time. I incorporate other remedies as well. All of my natural remedies seem to work better if I use them intermittently. But here are three of my best standbys.

Oregon’s Wild Harvest Stress GuardPlant Therapy Sleep AidBach Rescue Remedy

Home Remedies for Panic Attacks Free

One of the most amazing natural ways to relieve anxiety is a method known as “tapping.” Some people also refer to it as Emotional Freedom Technique. It’s so easy, and it appears to be effective. Best of all, it’s easy to do and totally free.

Tapping simply involves gently tapping certain meridians. These are located in the upper part of your body. Tapping works similar to traditional Chinese acupuncture, but without needles. I first tried tapping during an extremely stressful period of my life. I was amazed at how effective it was, at least for me. I would tap my meridians while focused on a single upsetting or traumatic episode. It seemed to make the anxiety surrounding this event go away.

Then, another memory would surface. I’d rinse and repeat. Soon, after a few weeks, I didn’t feel the need to continue tapping. It’s as if my body and mind had healed. You can see the video below, for detailed instruction on how to tap. (I didn’t do the “affirmations.” They seemed a little silly. Instead, I simply said to myself, “This is going to be just fine.”)

Bach Remedies for Anxiety

Rescue Remedy, which I mentioned above, is designed for extreme stress and short-term acute trauma. I bought my first bottle of Rescue Remedy nearly 15 years ago. I’ve used it about 25 or 30 times since then. Some people may use it every day. But I don’t think this is what it’s intended for.

Instead, Dr. Bach created specific remedies designed for stressful constitutions. These, he believed, can lead to deep and lasting healing. With all homeopathic remedies, I think the best approach is to take just one dose, regardless of the instructions on the bottle. I hold off on the second dose, until I feel it’s needed. Anyway, below are three remedies for specific types of anxiety.

• Mimulus – This is a remedy for a person who has identifiable fears or phobias, such as dogs, dark places and public speaking.
• Aspen – Aspen, on the other hand, is designed for people with vague fears that can’t be pinpointed.
• Centaury – This is considered a good remedy for people who are being bullied, those kind, empathetic souls who have difficulty saying “no.”

Bach Homeopathic MimulusBach Homeopathic AspenBach Homeopathic Centaury

You can see all three of these anxiety remedies below. They form a collection of 38 different remedies. They can be mixed together into a single treatment bottle, to create a highly individualized remedy.

Natural Therapy for Panic Attacks

It’s really important to never stop taking a medication suddenly. If you decide to treat your panic attacks without drugs, you need to work with your doctor to come up with a schedule to wean yourself, if you’re taking a prescription drug.

Below, are some of the reasons people may be looking for an alternative to Paxil.

• Paxil is a popular antidepressant that’s often prescribed for women. However, there’s new evidence it may be an endocrine disruptor, mimicking the female hormone estrogen. This is potentially bad news for the millions of women now taking this prescription drug, classified as an selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, or SSRI. This mood-elevating formula works by increasing the amount of serotonin circulating in the body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter believed to increase feelings of peace and well-being. It also facilitate restful and refreshing sleep. This chemical naturally decreases as we age.
• It’s already known that Paxil has potentially serious side effects, including an increased incidence of rage and hostility, as well as a greater tendency to either commit suicide or to seriously consider doing so. Lesser, but more common, adverse effects include nausea, vomiting, headache and unwanted weight changes. Now, though, new research indicates this drug, chemically known as Paroxetene, may be dangerous for breast cancer patients and for women entering menopause. That’s because it may increase a woman’s level of estrogen. Most breast cancer patients (about 70 percent) have estrogen-sensitive tumors, which means they grow in response to this hormone.
• Using a new type  of chemical assay, scientists at the City of Hope in Duarte, California determined that Paxil, when metabolized, acts as an estrogen-like substance in the body. These findings were submitted to the medical journal Toxicological Sciences. During this investigation, this team of researchers also found that certain other pharmaceuticals, including two anti-fungal preparations, had similar effects and may also raise the risk of breast cancer.
• About a quarter of breast cancer patients are also diagnosed with clinical depression. Paxil and similar drugs are often the treatment of choice. Other research has suggested that women with breast cancer are more likely to die from their disease when Paxil was added to their treatment regimen.
• Paxil is often given to middle-aged women to help them cope with physical and emotional changes when they go through the change of life. So millions of women in their 40’s and 50’s are now taking this drug. However, this is when many cases of breast cancer are also diagnosed. Recently, the FDA has approved Paxil for treatment of hot flashes and other menopausal discomforts.
• Breast cancer is on the rise in America. One out of every eight women living in the United States will now be diagnosed, at some point in their lives. This year alone, more than 232,000 new cases will be discovered and about 40,000 women will die from the disease. Given these alarming statistics, women and their loved ones deserve to have access to all of the available information that can be used to prevent and to treat this condition.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils or herbal or homeopathic remedies unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.