Q: I've gotten panic attacks since college, and the only thing that works for me is medication. I know that stress and caffeine can trigger attacks. Can relaxation help with panic attacks?

A: Thankfully, I've never experienced a panic attack, so I can't comment with any degree of empathy.

Have you tried a program that teaches relaxation/meditation? In most communities, you can find one in a medical center or wellness center or even community college or adult school. And there are lots of yoga and meditation teachers popping up everywhere.

These skills may not eliminate panic attacks completely, but if the attacks respond to stress and caffeine, there's a good chance they'd respond to positive stimuli as well.

If you're into research papers, here's one from 1995 exploring the effects of relaxation training on incidence of anxiety attacks.

An earlier study found "clinically and statistically significant improvements in subjective and objective symptoms of anxiety and panic following an 8-week outpatient physician-referred group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation."

This study followed the subjects for three years and found that the improvements had been maintained with ongoing meditation.

Pretty cool, huh?