PTSD & TBI- Organic medicine for mental health by Alternatives Counseling

What causes PTSD?

PTSD can result from witnessing or experiencing life threatening events such as violent crime, domestic violence, accidents, war and environmental toxins such as agent orange and electromagnetic radiation (Vojdani, 2004; McKeown, 2004; Ibarren, 2005).

Research by Cochran(2006) where he did a meta-analysis of evidence from earlier interventions of debriefing for PTSD. He found PTSD doesn’t work systemic reviews support a “stress” response, rather than a thought out reaction (Suzanne- 2002). Stress alters the regulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the auto gnomic nervous system with negative alterations in hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal axis and plays an important role in cell mediated immune response (Chappelli, 2001/ 2004; Vojani,2004).

Does the perception of a stressor lead to major changes in the Arcadian regulation, sleep disturbances, and immune response due to release of glucocorticoids and impairs the T cell activation (Chapelli, 2001/ 2006). Doesn’t this sound like fight or flight? (Parked,2007; Foreman,2018; Cusack et. Al. 2015).
When a person is in fight or flight their body takes control. Perhaps this is why grief psychological interventions such as debriefing, cognitive behavioral, and desensitization don’t work so very well. Also 70% of veterans surveyed said they would like to see an increase in the use of complementary therapies such as food supplements to be available at VA hospital and active military bases (McPherson,2004). This is especially true for native American and Hispanic cultures as they believe in alternative medicine(Westermeyer, 2002; McPherson, 2004).

Complementary medicine doesn’t view thoughts (cognitive dysfunction) as the person‘s fault. This is why the fight or flight response makes sense. When the old brain which controls all autonomic nervous system such as breathing heart rate blood flow etc... takes over, The forebrain (new brain) cannot override these automatic controls (Parke, 2017; VA research 2020). The hormone which causes increased heart rate is adrenaline.
Treatment recommendations from Bethesda, The Alternative Medicine Center.

A. EMDR- this is a therapist provided treatment that has no side effects and is endorsed by the veterans administration, department of defense, The international society for traumatic stress studies, and the American psychological Association (Carlson, 1998; Hamelin, 2018). A study done byvan Der Kolkata 2007; showed EMDR to be superior to fluoxetine and not only reduce symptoms but complete loss of diagnosis.

Most studies on PTSD or incomplete attendance only attended partial sessions or three out of five sessions that type of thing and very small populations for very short duration of time. If you had placebo study included or randomized treatment offered (Vestreal, 2013; Carlson, 1998; Devilly,1998).

However, theoretical models state humans process experiences with related emotions and information from their environment. This is when info is in adequately processed. Does adding emotions causes thoughts to be stored in the brain dysfunctional (Beauvais, 2018). What does “inadvertently processed “ mean? What causes information to be inadvertently processed? This riders answer is fight or flight.

When an individual experiences an extreme threat such as a car wreck they go into fight or flight. Lots of adrenaline pumping through the body. This creates extreme tension and anxiety. Feeling like you need to move around and do something. But if you add a military trained veteran who knows how to react to fear Their brain will instantly go into fight or flight mode.their brain will instantly go into fight or flight mode Along with the automatic fight or flight reaction.
However this happens even after the threat is over and the secondary brain is back in control(Sherin, 2011).

Current research also found that the less experience a person has with trauma, and disaster the less their ability to cope . And example would be having experienced death with a loved one. If you’ve ever been through it you know some of the emotions that take over and how your life changes very quickly however if you’ve never experienced the death of a loved one you will be traumatized by the first time. PTSD is a severe and long-term reaction from Trumatic experience. Does the hyper arousal and not the event term in the length and severity of symptoms(Sherin, 2011).