New PTSD research could change treatment

This shows how real PTSD is for any doubters never having lived with it. If this research ends up not being that beneficial for PTSD, survivors of traumatic events, then at least this research will begin a whole new way of looking for ways to treat it. This study is money well spent. As for the most of the other research done over the last ten years, they have been more repeats of what was already studied. This is in a hopeful direction and a change in the way they look at PTSD. It is a sign of changing that I've waited over 28 years for!

In a paper published in 2009, he proposed a mechanism, based on solid experimental data, that trauma leads to an increase in nerve growth factor. "That leads to sprouting of the sympathetic nerves, which leads to increased production of norepinphrine - adrenaline - and that makes people anxious," he says. A block placed next to the stellate ganglion leads to a decrease in nerve growth factor and a reversal of PTSD symptoms.

Walter Reed Report Confirms Validity of Fast-Acting, Non-Drug PTSD Treatment

Newswise - Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, has published case reports detailing the successful treatment of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder with a stellate ganglion block.

SGB is a 10-minute procedure during which local anesthesia is injected next to the stellate ganglion, a collection of nerves in the neck. SGB has been used safely to treat chronic pain and other ailments since 1925, but Dr. Eugene Lipov, a Chicago-area anesthesiologist and researcher, has pioneered this approach for the treatment of PTSD.

Dr. Lipov has published papers in several medical journals, providing a theoretical model of the biological brain changes that reverse PTSD following the procedure. "Using functional MRIs to show the part of the brain that is active during fear and other traumatic emotions, we can see and measure the physiologic changes that occur during trauma," he explains. "These MRIs are telling us that the cause of PTSD is physical in nature, and not simply a 'psychological condition.'"

In a paper published in 2009, he proposed a mechanism, based on solid experimental data, that trauma leads to an increase in nerve growth factor. "That leads to sprouting of the sympathetic nerves, which leads to increased production of norepinphrine - adrenaline - and that makes people anxious," he says. A block placed next to the stellate ganglion leads to a decrease in nerve growth factor and a reversal of PTSD symptoms.

The coming tsunami of PTSD cases. The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeing an increasing number of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with a mental disorder such as major depression or PTSD. As deployments lengthen, those numbers are expected to grow.

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http://newsblaze.com/story/2010042922350300001.wi/topstory.html

PTSD dying to take you away on mystery trip back

They came home alone. They came home abandoned. They came home and were expected to forget about the year they were gone. One series of days turning into months as they piled up together until the magical number 12 was reached. They knew if they survived one more day, they were closer to going home, of not having to watch their buddies die and not having to kill strangers trying to kill them. They knew they would be able to walk down a path back home without having to worry about a bomb blowing them up just as they knew they could go into a house back home without having someone in there ready to shoot them. They knew if they survived they'd be able to eat what they wanted, when they wanted and wouldn't go hungry because supplies couldn't get to them. They knew they could take a shower without having to worry about getting killed or glowing in the dark because of all the talk about what they were spraying in the jungles, Agent Orange the equal opportunity killer. The year passed, they came home and for more, all they wanted to do was go back.

Magical Mystery Tour


A mystery trip.

The magical mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up (AND) THAT'S AN INVITATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
Roll up TO MAKE A RESERVATION, roll up for the mystery tour.
The magical mystery tour is coming to take you away,
Coming to take you away.
The magical mystery tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you today.

Imagine that!

Considering all they had been through, through enlistment or draft, they were changed. They spent their 12 months trying to stay alive, keep their friends alive as well and waited to be able to go back home. They figured that wouldn't have changed much in a year but when they discovered just how much the war had changed them, they didn't feel as if they fit in back home anymore. How could they? How could any combat veteran ever feel the same again?

The truth is, they couldn't just as all the generations before them were not the same after combat.

Their survival skills were fed but so was the enemy digging into their soul. PTSD was taking charge and for most of them, they figured they would just have to get over it. After all, their Dads did, at least that was what they wanted to believe.

Now their kids are coming home after Iraq, after Afghanistan and the survivors want to go back. It's tugging at them the same way home tugged at them when they were deployed. The difference is, their Vietnam veteran fathers battled this fierce enemy ahead of time. All the treatments and compensation were already fought for by them and they still battle the government, challenge the scientists and researchers to come up with better treatments, challenge the clergy to take care of their souls and heal them even if science can't cure them.

PTSD only comes after trauma. We know average people living in "polite society" can end up with being haunted just as we know firefighters and emergency responders can. We know police officers can carry this inside of them and we know the more times they are exposed to traumatic events the likelihood of PTSD digging in increases, just as the Army predicted it would with the troops being redeployed. Their finding was that redeployments increased the risk by 50%. This was not just about the number of years they were exposed but also the number of events within the year would also increase. There is much we know now. Still what we fail to do is honor the Vietnam veterans forgotten about in all of this.

They wait in line behind the newer veterans even though they have waited all these years to find out what was wrong with them has a name and there is a reason for it. PTSD had taken hold. The blessing is that it is not too late for them to heal and get off this ride of highs and lows so deep they don't want to get up in the morning.

35 Years After the Vietnam War Is Not Too Late

Don JonesProject Manager, LZ Lambeau


A Vietnam veteran once said to a fellow veteran I know: Yes it is way, way late. Maybe too late to be welcomed home...but it is never too late to say to a veteran, thank you for your service.

Friday April 30th will mark the 35th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

I served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1969, with service in the Intelligence Corps in Danang Vietnam.

It's been 35 years and every year since I've returned I've met veterans who had returned home but have never really "come home."

Just over ten years ago, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Wisconsin Public Television and the Wisconsin Historical Society started interviewing hundreds of Wisconsin veterans of WWII and Korea. The interviews have been collected in a series of books and television shows, Wisconsin WWII War Stories and Wisconsin Korean War Stories.

Now, over last two years, they've done the same for Vietnam in Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories.

There's a remarkable contrast in the stories. During the interviews with Vietnam veterans, the television producers saw and heard a distinctly different message and tone from the WWII veterans and, to a degree, from the Korean War veterans. It was the fact that few had ever been thanked and none had experienced the welcome home parades for the WWII veterans, nor even the few "thank you's" heard by the Korean veterans.
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also
Vietnam marks 35th anniversary of end of war

Major opens up about his own battle with PTSD so others will seek help too

Battling PTSD: Major hopes sharing his story prompts others to seek help
By Melissa Bower Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, April 29, 2010 2:25 PM CDT
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Maj. Ryan Kranc is recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder and competes in triathlons to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Lamp photo by Prudence Siebert.
Ryan Kranc was traveling with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment near Ramadi, Iraq, on July 23, 2003, when his convoy was hit with an improvised explosive device.

Kranc, now an Army major, survived. His commander, his friend, Capt. Josh T. Byers, did not.

Six years and two full combat tours later, Kranc committed himself to recovering from the emotional wounds sustained on that day in 2003.


While serving in Saudi Arabia in 2009, he notified his command that he had a problem. Although he had sought counseling before, Kranc decided he needed more intervention. He entered treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for six weeks. Kranc said the traumatic events of the war have forever changed his life, but because of his treatment he can now move forward.
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Major hopes sharing his story prompts others to seek help

Vietnam Vet, Shot Was Protecting Family

Son: Man Shot Was Protecting Family
Deputies: 2 Orange Park Men Shot Each Other During Spat

POSTED: Thursday, April 29, 2010
UPDATED: 5:09 pm EDT April 29, 2010



Family Photo
Robert Webster
ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- The son of an Orange Park man shot and killed Wednesday afternoon said his dad was just protecting his family.

Robert Webster, 63, a Vietnam veteran, died from a gunshot wound to his chest after deputies said he and Charles Ingram, 57, shot each other. Ingram, who was shot in the head, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Detectives said the two men had a verbal argument and shot at each other several times in the street on Aurora Boulevard. Neighbors said Ingram was already armed when he approached Webster in his driveway, and when they began to argue, Webster went for his gun and the two began shooting.



Tim Webster, Robert Webster's son, said he blames the Clay County Sheriff's Office for not looking into complaints raised against Ingram, who deputies said has shot an unleashed dog in the neighborhood.
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http://www.news4jax.com/news/23306285/detail.html

Shinseki Announces VA Cutting Insurance Premiums for Families

Shinseki Announces VA Cutting Insurance Premiums for Families

WASHINGTON (April 29, 2010) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki announced today that military personnel insuring their families
under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) program, which is
administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, will have reduced
out-of-pocket expenses beginning July 1.

"VA hopes these reductions will allow more military personnel to obtain
affordable life insurance coverage for their spouses, particularly in
these difficult economic times," said Shinseki. "Without insurance
protection, life after the loss of a spouse can be not only challenging
emotionally, but can place a severe financial strain on a family."

Family SGLI (FSGLI) monthly premium rates will be reduced for all age
groups by an average of 8 percent. The new rates are based on revised
estimates for the cost of the program. This is the third time that
premiums have been reduced since the FSGLI program began in November
2001. Spousal premiums were previously reduced for all age groups in
2003 and 2006.

FSGLI coverage provides life insurance protection to military personnel
for their spouses and children. Children are automatically insured for
$10,000, with no premiums charged.

Based on the coverage of service members, spouses may be insured for up
to $100,000. Military personnel pay age-based premiums for spousal
coverage -- the older the spouse, the higher the premium rate.

The premium reduction ensures FSGLI remains highly competitive compared
to commercial insurers.

FSGLI coverage is available in increments of $10,000. The current and
revised monthly premium rates per $10,000 of insurance, along with other
information, are available on the Internet at www.insurance.va.gov

Vets salute Obama on funding

Vets salute Obama on funding
Legion cites administration 'accessibility'

By Kara Rowland

President Obama is struggling to fulfill campaign promises to pass energy and immigration measures, but he's poised to notch another victory for a stump-speech vow: to make sure veterans' funding isn't held hostage to the government's bad finances.

While watchdogs caution there's still a long list of problems for veterans, all sides agree the President Obama has made big strides on promises he made in 2008 when competing for military votes against Republican nominee and Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain - to fully fund the Veterans Administration, expand access to care in rural areas and improve treatment for mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The accessibility with this administration has been outstanding. They listen, they reach out to the veterans' service organizations, they see the value in communicating," Peter Gaytan, executive director of the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans' organization, with 2.5 million members.

Even amid competing priorities and a deepening recession, Mr. Obama last year managed to secure the biggest increase in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs in 30 years. And as Congress begins writing spending bills for 2011, despite a spending freeze on some other domestic spending, he's looking for more aid for veterans.

Mr. Obama's proposed VA budget for fiscal 2011 asks for $125 billion - a 10 percent jump from what Congress enacted for 2010, which was itself more than 16 percent more than 2009. The discretionary portion of next year's budget request - the part the administration and Congress have the most direct control over - is up nearly 20 percent since 2009, to total $60.3 billion.
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Vets salute Obama on funding

Chaplain accused of falsely claiming to be Army Ranger

A Chaplain did this?

Man accused of falsely claiming to be Ranger

The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 28, 2010 21:48:51 EDT

PHOENIX — A federal grand jury in Phoenix has indicted a former chaplain for making false claims about his military honors and training.

Prosecutors say 42-year-old Kurt Alan Bishop, of Queen Creek, falsely claimed to have received advanced combat training, achieving the elite status of an Army Ranger.

The 34-count indictment alleges that Bishop began making false claims about his military decorations and training in 1991, shortly after he ended his first tour of active duty. Authorities say the claims helped him become an officer in the Arizona National Guard and to enter the Chaplain Corps in 2006, both resulting in increases in his military salary and benefits.

Bishop served as a chaplain until his discharge earlier this year.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that a summons has been issued for Bishop to appear in federal court on the charges. It was not immediately known whether Bishop had legal representation for his case.
Man accused of falsely claiming to be Ranger

Be as resolute to heal as you were to survive

If you think you have been wounded by PTSD because you are weak, you have already determined your destiny. On Criminal Minds last night Agent Rossi (Joe Mantegna) said "Scars are a reminder of where we've been but they are not dictator of where we are going." PTSD is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you are a survivor. You have survived traumatic events that would bring even the most strongest person you know to their knees. PTSD does not have to destroy you if you understand it and be resolute to heal.

Main Entry: 1res·o·lute
Pronunciation: \ˈre-zə-ˌlüt, -lət\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin resolutus, past participle of resolvere
Date: 1533
1 : marked by firm determination : resolved
2 : bold, steady

synonyms see faithful
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resolute

The sooner you seek help to heal the sooner PTSD stops getting worse. PTSD is much like an infection. It feeds of itself. It gets stronger while everything you knew about yourself becomes infected. We all know infections get worse and spread without the intervention of medical help so that your body's own built in defenses can have help to overcome the infection. PTSD works the same way. Medical intervention aids your minds ability to overcome the horrors trapped inside your memory. The sooner you begin getting help, the less PTSD is allowed to claim of the person you were before the trauma happened.

Don't let the scar you carry dictate how you spend the rest of your life.

Vietnam Recognition Day speaker under investigation

Officials investigate guest speaker at Vietnam veteran recognition ceremony
April 27, 2010 5:00 PM
HOPE HODGE
Marine officials are investigating the guest speaker at a Vietnam veterans’ recognition day who critics said never went to Vietnam.

Michael Hamilton, who says he’s a former Marine colonel, gave an emotional keynote speech at Saturday’s Vietnam Recognition Day, held at Jacksonville’s Vietnam Memorial. Each event attendee received a copy of Hamilton’s impressive biography, showing a rapid rise from the rank of private first class to colonel between 1961 and 1969 while also accumulating 80 medals and ribbons, including two Navy Crosses, four Silver Stars and eight Purple Hearts.

But, local Vietnam veterans say, none of it is true.

John Cooney, the adjutant of the Beirut Memorial Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said veterans attending the ceremony had their doubts even before Hamilton began to speak.

“Nobody is decorated that much,” Cooney said. “We’re positive that everything is bogus that is in that bio.”

Hamilton’s name appears in the Phonies Index at the website www.pownetwork.org. According to the listing, “Claims that his records were redacted and that he has been trying for 24 years to prove that he was in the incident … Military records so far show NO OVERSEAS DUTY, NO COVERT OR TACTICAL COMBAT TRAINING.”

Where his name doesn’t appear is in the Hall of Valor database, maintained by www.militarytimes.com. That site contains the names of all recipients of distinguished awards, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and Silver Star.
read more here
http://www.enctoday.com/news/vietnam-77705-jdn-officials-guest.html

PTSD Affects Soldiers Adjusting to Life after War

As the wife of a Vietnam veteran, I can personally testify that knowing what PTSD was and why it was haunting my husband, not only held this family together, it helped him to heal. Even with all the passing years between Vietnam and receiving help from the VA, he is living a life again instead of dying a very slow death. I've seen too many veterans abandoned by their families simply because no one told them what PTSD was or what they could do about it. Therapists avoided including the family in the healing process and no one was offering them support, excluding them when they needed to be included. They ended up making PTSD worse simply because they didn't understand.

It became my mission to correct this. While I work with veterans so that they move past the stigma and seek help, it is equally important for the families to be informed so they do not make the same mistakes unknowingly making PTSD worse. I've been married for over 25 years, so I know first hand families do not need to fall apart and veterans can heal even if they cannot be cured.

Here's a link to my book, For the Love of Jack . It's about 18 years of living with PTSD. It's for free but please consider making a donation so that I can continue this work.

Here's one of the first videos I made so that everyone can understand what it took me years to learn. Wounded Minds. Over on the sidebar, there are even more videos on PTSD. Please use them and pass them on to anyone you think may be helped by them. These are also for free but again, please consider making a donation to support my ministry of helping them heal.

Wounded Minds, PTSD

Posted to Great Americans by NamGuardianAngel on September 19, 2009

Click to Play View Details

Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome Affects Soldiers Adjusting to Life after War
Corinne Hautala

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Although police have accused Spc. Kip Lynch in the slayings of his wife and baby daughter, they have not explained what led up to the horrific deaths Monday.

But psychologists say many soldiers face challenges when they return from a combat zone. It is not uncommon to see soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome when they return home from a deployment, said Cindy Alderson, the director of Military and Veteran Programs and Services at University of North Florida.

Alderson, a Navy veteran, knows personally the struggles of returning home after a long deployment.

She said loved ones can help service members by spotting the signs of PTSD and then encouraging them to seek help.
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Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome Affects Soldiers