Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death. According to the National Center for PTSD, statistics indicate that approximately 7 to 8 percent of people in the United States will likely develop PTSD in their lifetime. For combat veterans and rape victims, the chance of developing PTSD is as high as 30 percent.
LIVING WITH PTSD: Untreated PTSD can have devastating, far-reaching consequences. It can prevent someone from functioning in daily life and can ruin relationships. Economically, PTSD can have significant consequences as well. As of 2005, more than 200,000 veterans were receiving disability compensation for this illness, at a cost of $4.3 billion. This represents an 80-percent increase in the number of military people receiving disability benefits for PTSD.
TREATMENTS: Treatments for PTSD usually include psychological and medical therapies.
NEW VACCINE: Dr. Eugene Lipov is the first doctor to use a local anesthetic, called stellate ganglion block (SGB), to treat PTSD. Stellate ganglion block is an injection of a local anesthetic into the front of the neck, next to the stellate ganglion, a collection of nerves in the neck. In small studies, the 10-minute procedure appears to provide immediate relief to patients.
Dr. Lipov says when a traumatic event is experienced, it leads to an increase in the nerve growth factor. This spike causes nerves to sprout, leading to feelings of anxiety. By applying the local anesthetic to block the specific nerve group in the neck, the growth factor returns to normal and symptoms subside.
Doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center recently replicated Dr. Lipov's results and found that the injection provided immediate and durable relief for two soldiers who didn't respond to pills. "It works in 30 minutes; what else works in 30 minutes? The drugs take two to three months, maybe six months if ever," says Dr. Lipov. Lipov isn't sure how long the injection lasts but says it could last several years or even provide a lifetime of relief in some cases. Other doctors say more studies need to be done before this treatment is widely used.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Kevin E. Burkhardt
Chief Operations Officer
Advanced Pain Centers, S.C.
Kevin@painmngt.com
http://www.advancedpaincenters.org
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