Veteran health Archives

Military Connection: Best Advice for PTSD Patients: By Debbie Gregory

October 13, 2014/in Archived Blogs

According to military doctors, the best and most effective way to combat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is to stay in treatment.

A survey of 400 Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD revealed that 70% of them stopped seeking care by the eighth session. Many doctors believe that a minimum of 12 treatments are needed before major progress can be made.

Lt. Col Gary Wynn, a doctor and assistant chair at the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, believes that staying in treatment can be more important than the type of treatment being administered. Dr. Wynn found that when patients stayed in treatment, the benefits lasted longer than they did in patients who skipped out after only a few sessions. He encourages the inclusion of friends and family members as a means of sticking with the program.

“[Therapy] works better when you do it together with a partner,” Wynn says.

With so many treatment options available, it can be confusing for both doctors and patients to choose the best ones. Treatment types include medication, psychotherapy, as well as less conventional methods.

Currently, there are only two medications approved by the Food and Drug administration for the treatment of PTSD, Paroxetine, also known as Paxil, and Sertraline, also known as Zoloft.

Several forms of psychotherapy used to treat PTSD have shown promising results. These therapies include Acceptance and Commitment, Exposure, Web-based Cognitive Behavioral, Trauma-Focused, Image Rehearsal, Dialectical Behavior, Cognitive, Stress Management, Eye and Movement Desensitization.

With so many types of effective psychotherapy treatments available, it can be difficult in deciding on one. But the best treatment is one that makes the patient feel empowered, or otherwise positive about their sessions. A positive result will encourage the continuation of treatment.

Non-conventional methods of treatment are usually not as thoroughly researched as medications or psychotherapy. While many generate positive results, they are not consistent and not proven. Doctors have prescribed such non-conventional methods as aromatherapy, herbal remedies, relaxation exercises, martial arts training, yoga, and even virtual reality. Many of these treatments are used in conjunction with psychotherapy or medication.

The best option for anyone suffering from PTSD is to seek and stay in treatment. After that, finding the right doctor and treatment is paramount to staying with it.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Best Advice for PTSD Patients: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Great SUPPORT for Vets: By Debbie Gregory

August 6, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Many advances in technology and medicine achieved over the last decade have been utilized to improve the care and quality of life for wounded military Veterans. One of the newest innovations is literally helping wounded Veterans get back on their feet.

The device is called an Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeleton Orthosis (IDEO™). While it looks like a carbon-fiber brace, in actuality, the IDEO does so much more. The IDEO is designed to support and protect lower extremity limb injuries.

IDEO returns considerable functionality to patients who have undergone ankle fusion procedures, and even enables many patients with nerve and muscle loss to forgo ankle fusion *or* tendon transfer. The IDEO device is modular throughout the rehabilitation period to adapt to a patient’s changes in strength and motion. Once the patient has progressed to an adequate level of recovery, the initial modular IDEO™ is replaced with a lighter, more dynamic definitive IDEOsystem.

Several wounded Veterans who were candidates for limb amputations are actually back to running again, thanks to the support of their customizable IDEO device. Using the IDEO, many of these wounded warriors even returned to active duty.

An Army Center for the Intrepid team created the IDEO to increase mobility and decrease pain for wounded service members with lower leg injuries. The design used technology that had previously been used for making prosthetic limbs for amputees.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Great SUPPORT for Vets: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Concussion Coach App: By Debbie Gregory

July 30, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Each year, thousands of military service members are treated for concussions and traumatic brain injuries. These injuries occur can occur in both combat and training environments. But brain injuries are not limited to members of the armed forces, they are also an issue for thousands of civilians as well.

Brain injuries can happen anywhere, and during nearly any activity. It is for this reason that Micaela Cornis-Pop of McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center headed a team that developed a mobile app for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The app, called Concussion Coach, is currently available for iPads and iPods, and is expected to be available on the Android platform soon.

The VA-sponsored mobile app was developed by rehabilitation services and the National Center for PTSD at the VA. Concussion Coach supports self-management of symptoms related to concussion.

The app is intended to provide education about concussion, and provide a self-assessment designed to identify symptoms that are often associated with a concussion. These questions are meant to ascertain whether you are dizzy, have issues with balance, have a headache after a collision, etc. Concussion Coach also offers its users a number of tools that can be helpful when problems occur. The app also contains a section that assists the user manage their concussion symptoms.

Concussion Coach also guides its users to additional resources and support. The app provides links to trusted internet websites that contain further information on concussion, links to resources at the VA, and information on how to find professional care for your concussion symptoms.

The design of the app was shaped through asking Veterans what they would want to see in an app of this nature. Although it was created by the VA for the betterment of Veterans, Concussion Coach is available to the public, who can also benefit from it. Cornis-Pop foresees parents using Concussion Coach, including its self- assessment and support features, in the unfortunate event that their children get injured.

“It can be used by anybody with the understanding that this does not diagnose ***or*** manage traumatic brain injury. It is a helpful tool to have in discussing with a specialized provider” Cornis-Pop said.

Concussion Coach is available to the public as an iPad ***or*** iPhone app. You can download the complimentary app at the app store.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard & Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Concussion Coach App: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Veteran Medication Alert: By Debbie Gregory

July 29, 2014/in Archived Blogs

In most cases, anyone with a medical complaint is prescribed medication in an attempt to manage their symptoms. The results of a recent survey revealed that one third of Veterans polled said that they are on at least ten different medications.Hundreds of thousands of Veterans have been prescribed opiates for pain.

There are thousands of Veterans who have turned to self-medicating, using illegal drugs and alcohol, in an attempt to manage their pain and PTSD symptoms. There are also Veterans who overmedicate, using more of their prescribed medications than directed by their doctors.

It has been estimated that service members and Veterans are prescribed narcotic painkillers three times more often than civilians. But despite their pain and PTSD symptoms, an increasing number of Veterans are choosing to stop taking their medications.

While some Veterans admit that using illegal drugs, alcohol and prescription medications do affect their symptoms, there are others who have come to the realization that they are just trading one condition (pain) for another (substance dependency). Unfortunately, the latter feel that they are better off without their prescribed medications.

Patients should never go against their doctors’ orders, especially when it comes to medications. Taking too many can be just as dangerous as taking too few. It is strongly recommended that Veterans take their prescribed medication, as directed, and only stop taking it after consulting their doctor.

With that being said, if Veterans feel that they don’t like the way that their medications make them feel, they should bring the subject up to their health care providers, and try to have their meds changed **or** even eliminated.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard & Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.