PTSD affects millions of people in the U.S. After a traumatic event, your brain ends up stuck in a continuous arousal as a biological response to the trauma. Dr. Eugene Lipov has decided to create a new form of treatment for PTSD that could forever change the lives of people struggling with trauma.
Dr. Eugene Lipov
When Dr. Eugene Lipov was young, he lost a parent to suicide and dealt with the trauma that resulted. He never liked the fact that PTSD was considered a disorder, rather than an injury. Dr. Lipov feels that calling it a disorder can produce a stigma surrounding the disorder or cause it to be viewed as something a person should just be able to get over.
By studying brain scans, Dr. Lipov has seen the changes the brain goes through when a person is enduring trauma. He believes if you are willing to get your leg fixed after an x-ray tells you it is broken, the same attitude should be applied to your trauma.
Stellate Ganglion Block
The Stellate Ganglion Block has been around since 1925, but was mostly used for pain management. This procedure utilizes an anesthetic to block the nerves going from the ganglion to the brain. Dr. Lipov later discovered it was useful in helping women with hot flashes. After reading a study from Finland about how the nerve clipping helped reduce PTSD symptoms in patients, he was curious about perfecting the process to treat trauma patients—and was shocked to discover it actually worked. Dr. Lipov would inject a local anesthetic into the bundle of nerves found near the base of the neck. The process takes about five minutes and the effect is normally felt in 20 minutes.
Effects of the Stellate Ganglion Block
The success rate of this procedure is over 80%. A lot of patients start crying afterward, as they have not felt a real emotion in years. They are able to sleep without enduring nightmares and can resume their old lives. While soldiers tend to be triggered by loud noises, this block could reverse that symptom, as well as help with sexual dysfunction.
Dr. Lipov says that the best part of this new treatment is that it can wean patients of drugs normally used to treat PTSD that come with terrible symptoms like mood swings, anger, weight gain, diabetes, heart attack, and suicide. With this new treatment widespread, PTSD can be treated just like a physical injury.
If you or someone you love is suffering from PTSD, The Guest House can help. We provide a wide array of treatments designed to address addiction and mental illness caused by trauma. Our programs are open to men and women over the age of 18, and can include grief therapy, breath work, art therapy, cinema therapy mindfulness, equine therapy, individualized and group therapy, and more. To learn how we can help, please call us today at 855-876-3884.