For 20 years, Jan Wolterman battled feelings of panic and anxiety that left her scared to leave home.

        Doctors offered prescription drugs that Mrs. Wolterman, 49, of Colerain Township, was leery of taking, but she had to do something.

        So she started doing research, and months later, she had a stack of facts, figures and nuggets of advice that she compiled into the book, How to Heal Anxiety and Panic Disorder.

        “All these people have this, and nobody wants to talk about it,” she says. “I was embarrassed at first.”

        Mrs. Wolterman turned to complementary therapies — nutritional supplements, electrotherapy, herbal remedies such as kava, and energy medicine — and mind-body techniques, including breathwork, visualization and meditation.

        “Most people people turn to drugs, because that's the most conventional way of treating it,” she says.

        But a prescription isn't the answer for everyone, Mrs. Wolterman says, “even though doctors say it is.”
       

Crash and burn moments

        The American Psychological Association estimates that one in 75 people might experience panic disorder from time to time. Significant stressors — marriage, divorce, job loss, death of a loved one, etc. — might trigger panic attacks, and there's some evidence the disorder has a genetic component.

        Symptoms include racing heartbeat, difficulty breathing, feelings of intense fear, trembling or sweating, chest pains, dizziness or nausea, hot flashes or chills and tingling in the fingers or toes.

TO ORDER

Jan Wolterman's book, How to Heal Anxiety and Panic Disorders (Universal Publications; $15) is available online or from Universal Publications P.O. Box 53511, Cincinnati, Ohio 45253

        Mrs. Wolterman suffered many “crash and burn” moments and wound up in the emergency room more than once, sure that she was about to die. The doctor would recommend a tranquilizer or Prozac and tell her to try to remain calm.

        That was the wrong thing to say.

        “It's not all in my head. It's not just nerves,” she says. “That's what doctors will tell you, but they're wrong.”

        She began researching anxiety and panic disorders, talking to doctors, scientists, sufferers and therapists of all sorts.

        “I did everything I could to research it in a scientific way,” Mrs. Wolterman says.

        And the results include a wide array of remedies, with nary a Xanax or Valium capsule in sight.
       

Spiritual side

        Mrs. Wolterman, a big fan of natural foods and natural remedies, strongly recommends using amino acid supplements to help correct the neurochemical imbalances that mark anxiety and panic disorders. Her list includes GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), glutamine, glycine, tyrosine, taurine and tryptophan. In her book, she cites research by Dr. Billie Sahley, director of the Pain and Stress Center in San Antonio.

        She's also interested in the spiritual side of healing stress and anxiety. A certified Healing Touch practitioner, she works with clients at Woodland Cottage in Colerain Township.

        “My suffering brought me closer to God. I think you just have to open that open and go inside it” to find peace, she says. “I hung onto that. I can remember during panic attacks just laying in bed, and and my whole body would be trembling.”
       

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