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New York Farm Offers Horseriding Therapy For PTSD Sufferers
Sgt. Owen Powell of the 152nd Military Police platoon from Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn leads out a horse for Seaside Therapeutic Riding July 29, 2008 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The program, partially administered by US soldiers who have been trained with horses, brings US veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder out to ride and care for horses as a means of treatment for their PTSD. Sgt. Owen Powell of the 152nd Military Police platoon from Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn leads out a horse for Seaside Therapeutic Riding ... more
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Soldier Suicides
US servicemen fight for our freedom, yet as they return home, the country they risk their lives to protect is turning its back on them. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a growing epidemic. Hopeless, with no where to turn, more and more are choosing to take their own lives before they can get the help they need. US servicemen fight for our freedom, yet as they return home, the country they risk their lives to protect is turning its back on them... more
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New drug fights PTSD by suppressing memories
Barry Roma, a postal worker and a disabled Vietnam veteran, tells people not to be afraid of him. He is joking, sort of. He knows how veterans -- and postal workers -- are seen by many people, and luckily he has a sense of humor. By night, he works as a mail handler in Chicago and by day, as national coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. He helps to put out a biannual publication, The Veteran, and works closely with members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. His achievements are hard-earned.
More than 40 years ago, as an officer in Vietnam, he witnessed wartime atrocities that could easily be classified as war crimes. The events occurred decades ago, but they continue to haunt and nearly overwhelm him with remorse. He watched American soldiers demolish villages, burn houses, and shoot civilians. After seeing friends blown up by landmines, he enlisted the help of local farmers, asking them to walk ahead of U.S. troops to look for hidden bombs. No one was hurt during these particular incidents, he says, but he cannot shake the memory of what he did. In May 1968, he left Vietnam to bring home the body of his nephew, a teenager who, he says, "was like my brother."
Back in San Bernadino, California, Roma enrolled at a local college and tried to get on with things, but he discovered that he could not sleep. "I had a tremendous amount of adrenaline," he says. "A couple hours of sleep a night was just perfect." Roma, who is now 60, says he began to drink heavily. (He remembers lots of "sangria with dry ice.") And, though he did not know it at the time, he showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including anxiety and nightmares.
For the rest of the article follow the link. Barry Roma, a postal worker and a disabled Vietnam veteran, tells people not to be afraid of him. He is joking, sort of. He knows how ... more -
Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access
Mission Statement
Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access is committed to protecting the rights of veteran patients and healthcare professionals by advocating for safe and legal access to marijuana(cannabis) for all appropriate therapeutic uses and to encourage research on marijuana as a treatment alternative.
Goals
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To serve veterans as an educational resource on medical marijuana and access, and to garner their support on the issue.
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To encourage veterans organizations to support veterans’ rights to safely access medical marijuana and to issue policy statements that publicly voice this support.
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To work with prominent national veterans organizations through outreach campaigns that promote more compassionate legislative and administrative policies toward medical marijuana and it’s access.
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To encourage legislation to end federal prohibition of medical marijuana use. Mission Statement ... more -
Brain scans of US soldiers suffering PTSD reveal severe brain damage
At a recent conference for some of the area's leading neurologists, San Francisco physicist Norbert Schuff captured his colleagues' attention when he presented colorful brain images of U.S. soldiers who had returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The yellow areas, Schuff explained during his presentation at the city's Veterans Affairs Medical Center, showed where the hippocampus, which plays major roles in short-term memory and emotions, had atrophied. The red swatches marked hyperfusion - increased blood flow - in the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for conflict resolution and decision-making. Compared with a soldier without the affliction, the PTSD brain had lost 5 to 10 percent of its gray matter volume, indicating yet more neuron damage. At a recent conference for some of the area's leading neurologists, San Francisco physicist Norbert Schuff captured his colleague... more -
'They're like us,' elephant researchers say
From Kenya to Tennessee, elephants with PTSD symptoms are finding some peace.
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Famous Iraq Hero, Private Dwyer, kills himself as a result of PTSD
The photo to the right captures everything that Americans wanted to believe about the Iraq war in the earliest days of the invasion in 2003. Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, an Army medic whose unit was fighting its way up the Euphrates to Baghdad, cradles a wounded boy. The child is half-naked and helpless, but trusting. Private Dwyer’s face is strained but calm.
If there are better images of the strength and selflessness of the American soldier, I can’t think of any. It is easy to understand why newspapers and magazines around the country ran the photo big, making Private Dwyer an instant hero, back when the war was a triumphal tale of Iraqi liberation..... The photo to the right captures everything that Americans wanted to believe about the Iraq war in the earliest days of the invasion in... more -
War Torn
Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home.
Most nights when Anthony Klecker, a former marine, finally slept, he found himself back on the battlefields of Iraq. He would awake in a panic, and struggle futilely to return to sleep.
Days were scarcely better. Car alarms shattered his nerves. Flashbacks came unexpectedly, at the whiff of certain cleaning chemicals. Bar fights seemed unavoidable; he nearly attacked a man for not washing his hands in the bathroom.
Desperate for sleep and relief, Mr. Klecker, 30, drank heavily. One morning, his parents found him in the driveway slumped over the wheel of his car, the door wide open, wipers scraping back and forth. Another time, they found him curled in a fetal position in his closet.
Yet only after his drunken driving caused the death of a 16-year-old cheerleader did Mr. Klecker acknowledge the depth of his problem: His eight months at war had profoundly damaged his psyche.
“I was trying to be the tough marine I was trained to be — not to talk about problems, not to cry,” said Mr. Klecker, who has since been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. “I imprisoned myself in my own mind.”
Mr. Klecker’s case is part of a growing body of evidence that alcohol abuse is rising among veterans of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, many of them trying to deaden the repercussions of war and disorientation of home. While the numbers remain relatively small, experts say and studies indicate that the problem is particularly prevalent among those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, as it was after Vietnam. Studies indicate that illegal drug use, much less common than heavy drinking in the military, is up slightly, too. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home. ... more -
An Invisible War
"Stop-Loss" director Kimberly Peirce has witnessed some deeply-felt reactions to the film from American Iraq war veterans.
"Stop-Loss" is on DVD now. "Stop-Loss" director Kimberly Peirce has witnessed some deeply-felt reactions to the film from American Iraq war veterans. ... more -
Ecstasy cure to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
At last the incurably traumatized may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And controversially, ecstasy may be key to taming their demons.
An Ecstasy tablet. That's what it took to make Donna Kilgore feel alive again that and the doctor who prescribed it. As the pill began to take effect, she giggled for the first time in ages. She felt warm and fuzzy, as if she was floating. The anxiety melted away. Gradually, it all became clear: the guilt, the anger, the shame.
Before, she'd been frozen, unable to feel anything but fear for 10 years. Touching her own arms was, she says, "like touching a corpse." She was terrified, unable to respond to her loving husband or rock her baby to sleep. She couldn't drive over bridges for fear of dying, was by turns uncontrollably angry and paralyzed with numbness. When she spoke, she heard her voice as if it were miles away; her head felt detached from her body. "It was like living in a movie but watching myself through the camera lens,"she says. "I wasn't real." At last the incurably traumatized may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And controversially, ecstasy may be key to taming ... more -
Ecstasy is the key to treating PTSD
At last the incurably traumatized may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And controversially, ecstasy may be key to taming their demons. At last the incurably traumatized may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And controversially, ecstasy may be key to taming ... more
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"Disposable Heroes": VA Testing Dangerous Drugs on War Veterans
The government is testing drugs with severe side effects like psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, using small cash payments to attract patients into medical experiments that often target distressed soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a Washington Times/ABC News investigation has found.
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I think that this is going to be a big story in the coming months. There was an interesting interview / Q&A with the Executive Editor of The Washington Times on C-SPAN this morning, too. The government is testing drugs with severe side effects like psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, using ... more -
Marijuana, Battle Veterans and the VA - Salem-News.Com
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - It appears that battle veterans are getting it in the neck again (I'm saying this because this is a family Website).
Around June 1st 2008, The Charleston North Carolina, Gazette newspaper reported four battle veterans with PTSD dying from prescriptions given them by VA clinics. The medications wrere Paxil, Klonopin and Seroquel. (MOLALLA, Ore.) - It appears that battle veterans are getting it in the neck again (I'm saying this because this is a family Webs... more -
Divorce rates among troops "soaring"
There were about 8,700 divorces involving American soldiers last year, compared to an estimated 5,500 in 2001. Research shows that career soldiers are much more likely to contemplate divorce than in the past.
With the Iraq war in its sixth year, some American soldiers are on their third or fourth combat tour - 15 months away from home with just 18 days' leave. The strain is showing on their relationships and many will return home, exhausted, to find a disenchanted wife has walked out. Divorce rates among the US military are soaring. There were about 8,700 divorces involving American soldiers last year, compared to an estimated 5,500 in 2001. Research shows that car... more -
Treatment for PTSD Should Include Cannabis
For those who do not know it, the humans and all animals so far tested produce two marijuana like substances, Anandamide and 2- Arachidonal glycerol (2AG), which produce exactly the same medical functions as marijuana.
Courtesy: deanza.edu
Secondly marijuana/cannabis has been used in human medicine for about 4,000 years and have never killed anybody, which cannot be said for almost any other medicine.
Thirdly, between 1850 and 1900 cannabis medicine was the most prescribed and most used medicine for about 100 different diseases in the U.S.
Fourthly, in 1988 after hearing 15 days of testimony, pro and con, DEA Administrative Judge Francis L. Young made the following ruling, “Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. Marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume.” Three DEA Administrators, all non-physicians, refused to comply and have deprived millions of desperately ill patients’ effective relief.
Cannabis has been used by the Israeli Government on soldiers suffering from PTSD based on animal studies showing how THC can affect memories & modulate emotion.
PTSD was the number one mental health diagnosis for CA Cannabis prescriptions for 2007. It is suggested that cannabis should be the first medication to use for PSTD. Patients experienced relief from:
1) Physical Pain, both from injuries & PTSD itself
2) Modulated Emotion, allowing patients to PROCESS their trauma vs. suppressing them & reduces anger/rage episodes
3) Modulated Memory, allowing patient to block obsessive thinking, over analyzing
4) Relaxes the nervous, skeletal, smooth muscle & several other major systems
5) Reduces Alcoholism & Opiate Addiction, replaces harmful medications with a medication for PTSD.
I naturally, but unknowingly, was attracted to Cannabis at times in my life when my PTSD was debilitating. Once I learn how and why cannabis works for PTSD, my recovery increased 10 fold.
see also:
http://www.ccrmg.org/journal/05spr/opinion.html
http://www.rxmarijuana.com/pstd.htm
http://www.mikuriya.com/cw_ptsd.html
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/drugs-treatments/rating... For those who do not know it, the humans and all animals so far tested produce two marijuana like substances, Anandamide and 2- Arachi... more -
A different kind of surge? Wartime PTSD cases jumped roughly 50 pct. in 2007 - Yah...
Okay so everyone who thought the "surge" in troops was a good idea, that it was necessary, are they ready to deal with the consequences? These people need help. I just hope they get it without a hassle. End Bush's war in Iraq NOW. Okay so everyone who thought the "surge" in troops was a good idea, that it was necessary, are they ready to deal with the c... more
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Wartime PTSD cases up by roughly 50% in 2007
Amidst military build-up in Iraq, not to mention escalating violence in the Middle East and Afghanistan, roughly 50% more cases of post-traumatic stress disorder were reported in 2007.
Since 2003 pproximately 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Almost 14,000 cases were diagnosed in 2007 compared with approximately 9,500 new cases in 2006 and 1,632 in 2003. Amidst military build-up in Iraq, not to mention escalating violence in the Middle East and Afghanistan, roughly 50% more cases of pos... more -
Coming home: US soldiers struggle in civilian life
In 2003, Jon was leading a unit of 20 US soldiers in Afghanistan in the "war on terror". Today he is heavily in debt, unemployed and homeless in Los Angeles.
As millions prepare to pay tribute to US veterans for Memorial Day on May 26, the case of this 44-year-old former platoon sergeant, and growing numbers of others like him, highlights the enduring problems faced by soldiers as they attempt to adjust to civilian life.
It is not a new phenomenon: tens of thousands of soldiers returning from fighting in the jungles of Vietnam during the 1960s and 70s found it equally hard to rebuild their lives. Today Vietnam veterans continue to make up the bulk of the estimated 150,000 soldiers who are homeless.
Yet there are striking differences between the returning soldiers from Vietnam and today's modern conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Anthony Belcher, a Vietnam veteran, notes that soldiers from his war returned to face widespread opprobium from a public that were disgusted by US involvement in the conflict. "Soldiers from my generation were ostracized," Belcher told AFP. By contrast, US veterans of the post-9/11 campaigns are routinely hailed as heroes, regardless of the unpopularity of the war in Iraq.
Yet the age-old problems remain. And for many, their ultimate destination upon return to the US is a familiar one: the street.
Jon, who enlisted with the National Guard in order to help pay for his education, never once had to fire his weapon in Afghanistan. Yet the stress of being responsible for the men under his command weighed heavily.
"I was stressed by the fact that something could have happened. I had to worry about the lives of the 20 people I was in charge of," he says.
After returning to his home in California, Jon says he lived in a state of euphoria for several months before slipping into a depression which eventually led to him drinking heavily.
Before long he was struggling to make repayments on his car loan, had been evicted from his lodgings and was unable to find a job.
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Regardless of how you feel about war, the treatment those returning from them get in this country is shameful. 150,000 homeless veterans... sleeping in the streets of America. Disgraceful. In 2003, Jon was leading a unit of 20 US soldiers in Afghanistan in the "war on terror". Today he is heavily in debt, unempl... more -
US: new government-sanctioned experiments shed light on health benefits of MDMA
Post-traumatic stress disorder had destroyed Donna Kilgore's life. Then experimental therapy with MDMA, a psychedelic drug better known as ecstasy, showed her a way out. Was it a fluke - or the future? Post-traumatic stress disorder had destroyed Donna Kilgore's life. Then experimental therapy with MDMA, a psychedelic drug bette... more
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"I was ordered to kill innocent people"
I asked my buddies, so we're here to find weapons of mass destruction, and they laughed at me, and I said, we're here to help the people, and they laughed at me, and I said, "What's our Mission? What's our Goal?" I thought we were going to find the people that did 9/11, I thought we were get these weapons of mass destruction, I thought we were going to help people. They we're like, "All we're trying to do now is make it home alive." I'm going to lead you in now for the other lies, 'cause you guys know the lies, but I bled for these lies. I watched my brothers die for these lies.
"if one person shoots at you, kill everybody"
you roll into Baghdad, every single big apartment building is blown up. Every single apartment building in Baghdad has been broken to the ground by artillary and airplanes bombing.
You cannot meet someone in Iraq who has not lost a family member. Can you imagine what we would have done in America if after 9/11 everybody in America lost a family member? What would we be doing? Would we be talking about war? No. We'd be in the streets with weapons.
People talk about, "Oh, these people killing American Soldiers in Iraq, they're terrorists." They're not terrorists, they're wearing sandals. They got an AK, and they got 14 year old boys building bombs to kill these American soldiers because we killed their family.
So, we're done in Baghdad, we killed enough people. I was ordered to kill innocent people. We killed innocent people. When they shot at us, we shot everybody.
We're done. Every guy I've ever served with is against this war. I asked my buddies, so we're here to find weapons of mass destruction, and they laughed at me, and I said, we're here to hel... more
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PTSD
