Breathing problems : physical or mental ?

You wrote: "Current medical status: two months ago i was treated for alcohol poisoning. later that week i developed breathing difficulty- went to a walk in clinic and was diagnosed with bronchitis with RAD. they took a chest xray and found nothing. i was given a Z-pak and albueterol. the next week i went to the emergency room for severe breathing difficulty. they said it was caused by anxiety. they told me to stop taking the inhaler and they gave me a blood test to see if i had a blood clot in my lung. it came back negative. i was prescribed xanax for 3 days."

Lung disorders can be confirmed or excluded by physical examination (auscultation), X-ray image, functional tests (vital capacity, peak-flow-metrics etc.) and gas analyses. The first 3 diagnostic procedures are routine. Gas analyses are done to evaluate the level of lung failure. Albuterol is a beta 2-agonist used for treating bronchial spasms that causes breathing difficulties. An ECG can be also performed to exclude heart disorder as a reason for breathing problems.

When all tests are negative the only remaining diagnostic possibility is anxiety. There is a type of anxiety disorder called "somatoform disorder" or hypochondria wherein a person feels symptoms that can imitate a real organic disease. Somatoform disorder is typical for people your age. Nonetheless, all organic disorders should be excluded first before establishing the diagnosis hypochondria. Further, a mental health doctor might be able to help you more than a chiropractor.





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