Category: PTSD

Understanding Veteran TBI: Hormone Imbalances Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Commentary It has been known for over 80 years that following a head injury there is dysfunction in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 80–85 percent of traumatic brain injury (TBI) sufferers are classified as mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI). Approximately 80–85 percent of MTBI patients recover from their…


Snooze Alert: Sleeping Your Way to Better Mental Health–Part I

Sleep is a very big deal. Yet, despite fantastic scientific and technological achievements in the 21st century, extraordinary advances in the field of sleep medicine are largely unknown, ignored, or discounted by the vast majority of health care professionals. Nowhere is this vacuum in clinical sleep knowledge more evident than in the treatment of mental…


Certain Hardships Can Miswire The Brain, But Resilience Training Can Help You Recover

Ever wonder why, in the face of tragedy, some people remain calm and collected and others fall apart? It’s called resilience and all of us have it, to varying degrees. The thing is that most of us don’t know how much we’ve got until we are faced with a crisis. There are many ways to…


COVID-19 Can Cause Viral-Induced Trauma

COVID-19 infections are responsible for an upswing in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but now the underlying mechanisms are emerging from research, offering a deeper understanding of this virus-induced mental health disorder. A metabolic process ongoing in the gut is interrupted when angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2), the receptor site for SARS-CoV-2, is occupied by the virus. Tryptophan…


Rehab Contract Sparks Fresh Battle Between Veterans and the Liberal Government

A multimillion-dollar contract between Ottawa and a private company around the provision of mental and physical health services for veterans is sparking a new fight between the Liberal government and Canada’s community of veterans. The contract had already been heavily criticized by the union representing Veterans Affairs Canada employees, including hundreds of case managers charged…


‘Their Darkest Hours’: Families Share the Burden With PTSD-Diagnosed Veterans

WILLIAMS, Arizona—U.S. Army veteran Rick Northrop and Juanita Hendrix had been dating for only a few weeks when they decided to go on a day trip together in northern Arizona. Like all new couples, they were still getting to know each other. A leisurely drive among the ponderosa pine forests seemed perfect for doing just…


Sen. Sinema Gets 2024 Challenger After Leaving Democrat Party

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Jan. 23 announced a challenge to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who recently left the Democrat Party. In his campaign announcement he painted Sinema as an advocate for “the rich and powerful.” “If you’re more likely to be meeting with the powerful than the powerless, you’re doing this job incorrectly,” he…


In Rare Bipartisan Push, Lawmakers Look to Speed Up Approval of Crucial Drugs

A bill intended to speed up federal approval of drugs and therapies that show promise in treating diseases and conditions resistant to available treatments has received a rare show of lawmaker unity. The Breakthrough Therapies Act is being backed by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.)….


Most Americans Believe That Most Veterans Have PTSD

by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint According to PR Newswire, a Harris poll conducted in June 2021 indicated that a majority of Americans believe most veterans have PTSD. That’s a problem, and based on more recent data, it does not appear to be getting better. The survey of 2,000 respondents indicated a belief by most…


Afghanistan Veteran Crochets Blanket for His Wife’s Grandma

A very thoughtful gift for someone who showed him nothing but love. …