| Could hyperbaric oxygen treatment help veterans suffering from PTSD? Though it couldn’t be called a silver lining, an encouraging side affect of the uptick in PTSD among military veterans in recent years is that new, exciting and effective treatment options are popping up regularly. Creative and determined healers in all shapes and forms are bringing new ideas to the table in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. One exciting treatment option full of possibilities is Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment. In actuality, hyperbaric oxygen treatment is not foreign to the military. Military divers often receive this treatment, which has proven to be an effective healing tool for them. Recent studies at the LSU Medical School in New Orleans have shown that hyperbaric therapy may indeed help to reduce the symptoms of PTSD as well. Dr. Paul Harch has been at the center of these efforts, and the results he has seen have been more than encouraging. Dr. Harch has used hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat dozens of veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms. The treatment itself involves patients breathing 100 percent oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. In a recent study, Dr. Harch employed the military’s PTSD checklist to gauge the improvement of patients. The end result was a 30% reduction in PTSD symptoms among those who participated in the study. As with most things when it comes to the Department of Defense and Veteran’s Administration, the acceptance and availability of this treatment will take time. The price tag is one reason, and another is that there are those in the medical community who are skeptical about the treatment itself. This flies in the face of what matters most: results. At the end of the day, what matters most is that every possible resource is used to help America’s veterans in their fight against PTSD. Every idea has its skeptics at first, until evidence of its effectiveness becomes impossible to dispute. Should Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy continue to show promise in reducing the symptoms of PTSD, the calls for its availability for veterans will grow louder. Which, if the treatment is as promising as studies indicate, would be a very good thing. For more information on PTSD treatment for yourself, friends or loved ones, call A Place of Hope’s Center for Counseling and Health Resources today at (888) 771-5166. You may also contact The Center and learn more about A Place of Hope’s whole-person approach to treatment by visiting their website at www.aplaceofhope.com. |