Quoting the second (Babylonian) tablet in the article: "he suffers paralysis up his form... day and night he does not sleep, he continually sees frightening dreams, he continually suffers paralysis... he forgets the words that he speaks"

For someone suffering from such severe anxiety, meditation alone might not help much, if at all. Imagine trying to meditate in the middle of a cataclysmic earthquake. That said I believe nowadays meditation is often recommended as an accompanying therapy or for remission, and it helps for many. But "To alleviate anxiety, do this..." is too broad. And apparently, it was already too broad 3k years ago.