There are a number of anxiety relief techniques that can greatly aid a person who is struggling from anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorders effect millions of people in America. And, even though there are numerous medications which can mitigate the most serious symptoms, there are always people who do not want to take medication (and for good reason) and are looking for alternative techniques to reduce their anxiety.

The first thing that needs mention is anti-anxiety medication. These days it is very common for psychiatrists and family doctors to place an individual with an anxiety disorder on a medication regimen. In fact, if you answer even a couple of questions then it is likely that the recommendation will be to put you on meds. Unfortunately, for many people the drawbacks to these medications outweigh the advantages and for some individuals, anxiety medication is not effective at all in treating their long term anxiety symptoms.

But, that is a topic for another day. When it comes to reducing anxiety there are a number of things that one can do to diminish the effects of their symptoms. Many of these techniques employ alternative therapies or methods of thought and do not have the clinical testing history of some other approaches. Therefore, therapists and counselors (as well as psychiatrists) are mostly unaware of them. But among the people who actually struggle with anxiety, many of whom can be found on anxiety forums and on blogs, these techniques are somewhat better known.

This describes the current disconnect very well. Today you have elite, highly educated individuals who treat anxiety and then you have the lowly sufferers who pay them for their advice. The main problem with the current setup is that the people doing the advising do not really know what they are talking about. Sure, they've taken a few college classes and a workshop or two, but (and this is important) they have never actually suffered from anxiety themselves. In most cases they have no personal experience with what works or what does not. They only can make a recommendation from their cognitive behavioral therapy workbook, and if their patients don't show serious improvement, then they are out of ideas.

This problem is pervasive and to combat it the patients, the actual people who know what solutions work for anxiety (and don't charge a penny to tell you about it) have taken up shop online. There are currently no shortages of forums and blogs where you can get first hand accounts of strategies and techniques that people know for a fact work. The main reason that most anxiety sufferers do not know about this network is that it is in nobody's interest to promote it. And, the current system is making a number of anxiety therapists and a drug industry quite wealthy.

But the good news is that these techniques are available for anyone who is willing to look for them. And online has become a great depository of information about living with anxiety from people who actually know what it is like to live with anxiety. Some of these anxiety reduction techniques include breathing exercises, thinking exercises, writing exercises and herbal supplements. Of course, medication is also discussed. But, frankly, anxiety medication at the moment is severely lacking. The available medications are either highly addictive, not effective or so wrought with side effects that the anxiety disorder is preferable.

But, in the current system, the people who make the money off of mental illness, do not seem to be aware that the system is broken. Most people who pursue the "traditional" route of therapy and medication (and even inpatient psychiatric treatment) do not get much better. They just spend a lot of money.

Note: Inpatient treatment can be successful for some disorders such as eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and borderline personality. However, for anxiety disorders, it is hopelessly lacking.

So, the best advice is to discover the anxiety therapies that are actually practiced by us. The people that suffer from anxiety. If you travel on the information superhighway, you will find us certainly.