Hi all,
To some, this posting may seem out of place on a heart palps forum, but I've noted in this palps forum and also in it's previous manifestation on the progesterone site, that many who complain of heart palpitations also complain of anxiety and panic attacks. It is mainly for those people that I am posting this although others may find it interesting as well.
 
I've been working on the panic/agoraphobia issue on you tube in the agoraphobia and panic attack videos. Anyone who writes me on you tube regarding this issue gets the "canned message" I will post below. What I've found there on you tube was that so many of the people on there with panic videos have links to money-making sites hawking one cure or another, all for financial gain. After having panic attacks myself and knowing how dreadfully damaging they can be to one's psyche, I couldn't imagine any previous sufferer making money off other sufferers. The thought makes me ill. I'm not here hawking anything except help. If what I post here doesn't help you, or if you disagree with it, just ignore it. My goal here is to help. I HAVE to. The attacks (even though they stopped over 16 years ago due to focusing on the cause and taking a med related to that cause) have driven me to do so. Here is the "canned" message I send out:

I am not a doctor but I have studied the panic attack/anxiety connection to vestibular (inner-ear) disturbances for 16 years. First off, this was discovered by Harold N. Levinson and he wrote a book on it called "Phobia Free." For an explanation on how all this is connected, this is the best source. You can get it for cheap if you buy used on amazon.com, or at most larger libraries. I have no financial interest in Levinson's work so get your hands on it any way you can if this interests you. The best way to show this connection between vestibular problems and panic/agor is to send you the links that show this connection is real. Before that however, I'd like to say that I had panic attacks, anxiety and borderline agoraphobia before I found the answer. I also suffer from heart palpitations. Officially diagnosed by one of the leading anxiety specialists in the SF bay area (A Dr. Brauer in Palo Alto, CA). I was also diagnosed with an inner ear condition called "endolymphatic hydrops", also by one of the best, F. Owen Black, here in Portland, OR. In my case, this is not a coincidence. One reason I know that, is because my attacks were stopped cold by meclizine, a simple over the counter inner ear med. It strictly targets the vestibular system. Not one attack in 16 years and anxiety reduced 95%. I take it daily. Please don't self medicate based on what I've written here though. Always check with your doctor first as there may be drug interactions to consider.  Here are the links:

http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/symptoms.php

(Look at all the symptoms at the above link, but please take special note of the Cognitive and psychological section which clearly lists panic and anxiety as possible symptoms of vestibular dysfunction)

Here are the professionals responsible for the above list:

http://www.vestibular.org/about-veda/board-of-med.sci.-advisors.php
(my ear doc is the first name on the above list)

Here is a link to the inner-ear condition I was officially diagnosed with:

http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/specific-disorders/endolymphatic-hydrops.php


And below are medical studies again showing links between inner ear dysfunction and panic/agoraphobia and anxiety. Please make sure the "reader" on pubmed is set to read "abstract plus" by clicking on the dropdown box near the top left:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17538210

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17045776

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16570379

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15814159

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11591430

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11388356

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9669539
(although I disapprove of the SSRI recommendation at the end of the above abstract. They are not the best and first line of treatment in my opinion if your panic and anxiety is vestibular based)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9416586

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8599398

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7755529
(60% with panic/agoraphobia in the above study had vestibular problems)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2240177
(71% in that study)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2928069
(and this study from Levinson himself)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2928066
(and another by Levinson showing a 94% correlation, although this wasn't a double blind study with control groups. It was 404 consecutively presented cases of anxiety disorders).

Please write back with any further questions. Feel free to use my e-mail addy as I may not by by here that often.

Sincerely,

Paul C. Hanson (jimmymadison42@aol.com)