Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
there are many possible horrible events that humans can undergo that profoundly injure the body because of the severe intensity of the trauma. The weapons of war produce injuries like high speed projectiles fired by rifles, blast injuries and the injuries that are produced by one person being struck by another person with objects designed to hurt the attacked individual. Very serious injuries and death have always been a possibility for soldiers injured in war. In civilian life the aforementioned weapons are used to rob, intimidate or attempt to kill another person. Accidental injuries like motor vehicle accidents or falling from a height while at work can produce severe injuries. Assaults not only on the body but sexual assaults count as severe trauma. The bodily injuries can be devastating enough but in some injured individuals the trauma produces profound injuries to the emotions and spirit. The feeling of never being safe or of being betrayed is terrifying in itself but this horrible traumatic event can revisit the patient over and over again in the form of very graphic nightmares or remembering the traumatic episode while awake. These nightmares have been described by the injured person as like undergoing the worst moment in a person’s life over and over again. Some people cannot go to the place where the trauma happened or cannot do activities like driving after being injured in a motor vehicle accident because the places and activities can trigger a vivid terrifying memory of the traumatic event. These events that happen while the person is awake is also described as reliving of the trauma like the nightmares. These episodes of experiencing severe anxiety after being reminded of the trauma by various similarities to the traumatic time and place while the person is awake are called flashbacks.
SOMETIMES THESE SYMPTOMS DON'T SURFACE FOR MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS AFTER THE EVENT OCCURRED OR AFTER THE MILITARY PERSONNEL RETURNs FROM serving in a war zone.
THE SYMPTOMS MAY ALSO COME AND GO.
There is a diagnosed syndrome called post-traumatic stress disorder that is marked by the severe initial trauma, reliving the trauma through dreams or flashbacks and avoiding anything that could remind the person of the trauma. post-traumatic stress disorder occurs after a severe traumatic event. the post-traumatic stress disorder can completely change the person's life compared to the life the person had before the trauma because they feel like they are being injured over and over.
members of the military have long been scarred by their experiences and the symptoms of ptsd have been described in participants in both world wars, the korean conflict and vietnam. In the aftermath of the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and iraq there are may veterans who suffer from ptsd. The standard treatments of psychotherapy, group therapy and medications can be helpful but it is not enough for many veterans.
Acupuncture is a truly holistic and comprehensive treatment method that considers the whole person who consists of body, ,mind, emotions and spirit. All of these aspects of each individual person is evaluated and these disparate parts of a person are taken into account for the planning of any acupuncture treatment. this approach is especially important in patients who exhibit the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
Since these traumatic events seem to teach the injured person that they cannot trust everyone they may not tell the whole story to a strange physician initially. When these patients go to the doctor for treatment of their pain They want the discussion to concentrate on the details of the pain or other body problem. They have told me that they are afraid that the doctor will judge them in a negative way. Relating the terrible event causes them to remember it and relive the trauma. The person traumatized wants to avoid experiencing the worst moment in their life again. service members are concerned that if they admit how they are disturbed by the nightmares or flashbacks that they will not be promoted in rank or may not be able to continue their military career.
When the diagnosis is made, certain acupuncture treatments directed to the patient’s injured spirit can be very beneficial/ knowledge of these treatment methods can help the acupuncturist provide a treatment that is much more beneficial than simply putting in needles where it hurts. For the acupuncture professional to Conduct this treatment it is not necessary to know as much of all aspects of the patient’s life as would be the case for psychological counseling.
I have treated many patients with post-traumatic stress disorder; usually with very positive results. Most patients experience a feeling of calm that has been missing from their life since the traumatic event occurred. In some instances, the treatment produces a very profound change which is almost like an exorcism of the person’s demons. It is good for a patient to have ongoing psychological and psychiatric consultation and treatment in conjunction with the acupuncture for the patient to get the best results from the treatments to recover from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. On a few occasions the patient discussed aspects of their history that they had not discussed with their psychiatrist or psychologist. Their psychological professionals were not aware that the patient was so psychologically disordered by the traumatic event. Psychiatrists have told me that other patients had post-traumatic stress disorder. The knowledge that the patient had nightmares and avoided driving explained to me why the acupuncture treatments performed already had not produced as much of an improvement as expected.
SOMETIMES THESE SYMPTOMS DON'T SURFACE FOR MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS AFTER THE EVENT OCCURRED OR AFTER THE MILITARY PERSONNEL RETURNs FROM serving in a war zone.
THE SYMPTOMS MAY ALSO COME AND GO.
There is a diagnosed syndrome called post-traumatic stress disorder that is marked by the severe initial trauma, reliving the trauma through dreams or flashbacks and avoiding anything that could remind the person of the trauma. post-traumatic stress disorder occurs after a severe traumatic event. the post-traumatic stress disorder can completely change the person's life compared to the life the person had before the trauma because they feel like they are being injured over and over.
members of the military have long been scarred by their experiences and the symptoms of ptsd have been described in participants in both world wars, the korean conflict and vietnam. In the aftermath of the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and iraq there are may veterans who suffer from ptsd. The standard treatments of psychotherapy, group therapy and medications can be helpful but it is not enough for many veterans.
Acupuncture is a truly holistic and comprehensive treatment method that considers the whole person who consists of body, ,mind, emotions and spirit. All of these aspects of each individual person is evaluated and these disparate parts of a person are taken into account for the planning of any acupuncture treatment. this approach is especially important in patients who exhibit the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.
Since these traumatic events seem to teach the injured person that they cannot trust everyone they may not tell the whole story to a strange physician initially. When these patients go to the doctor for treatment of their pain They want the discussion to concentrate on the details of the pain or other body problem. They have told me that they are afraid that the doctor will judge them in a negative way. Relating the terrible event causes them to remember it and relive the trauma. The person traumatized wants to avoid experiencing the worst moment in their life again. service members are concerned that if they admit how they are disturbed by the nightmares or flashbacks that they will not be promoted in rank or may not be able to continue their military career.
When the diagnosis is made, certain acupuncture treatments directed to the patient’s injured spirit can be very beneficial/ knowledge of these treatment methods can help the acupuncturist provide a treatment that is much more beneficial than simply putting in needles where it hurts. For the acupuncture professional to Conduct this treatment it is not necessary to know as much of all aspects of the patient’s life as would be the case for psychological counseling.
I have treated many patients with post-traumatic stress disorder; usually with very positive results. Most patients experience a feeling of calm that has been missing from their life since the traumatic event occurred. In some instances, the treatment produces a very profound change which is almost like an exorcism of the person’s demons. It is good for a patient to have ongoing psychological and psychiatric consultation and treatment in conjunction with the acupuncture for the patient to get the best results from the treatments to recover from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. On a few occasions the patient discussed aspects of their history that they had not discussed with their psychiatrist or psychologist. Their psychological professionals were not aware that the patient was so psychologically disordered by the traumatic event. Psychiatrists have told me that other patients had post-traumatic stress disorder. The knowledge that the patient had nightmares and avoided driving explained to me why the acupuncture treatments performed already had not produced as much of an improvement as expected.
