PTSD are the initials that stand for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a
severe type of anxiety disorder. PTSD results from a person witnessing
or being involved in a traumatic event that causes intense fear,
helplessness or horror, such as, a natural disaster, rape, childhood
abuse, a tragic accident, or war.
Diagnostic manuals say that
signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder typically begin
within three months of a traumatic event but can, in some instances,
occur years after the event.
The symptoms of PTSD are commonly grouped into categories:
- Intrusive memories - flashbacks and nightmares of events.
- Avoidance and numbing – feeling emotionally numb, hopelessness about
the future, avoiding anything that is a reminder of the precipitating
event.
- Hyperarousal - increased anxiety, irritability or anger,
self-destructive behavior (i.e. excessive drinking), and an exaggerated
startle response (jumping at sounds).
In the last couple of years acupuncture, has been getting more
attention as a treatment for PTSD, particularly from the military and
veterans because soldiers are at a high risk for suffering from PTSD
after serving in combat.
Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB), a
group that previously provided relief to the survivors of the earthquake
in Haiti and hurricane in New Orleans, launched The Military Stress
Recovery Project. This organization provides free acupuncture treatments
for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their
families. "Treated military personnel are reporting improved mental
clarity, less anxiety and a reduction in stress."
There are good
precedents for AWB’s use of acupuncture to treat PTSD. Walter Reed
Medical Center, a military hospital, has begun to investigate
acupuncture as a viable treatment for returning veterans. Also, at the
University of Louisville School of Medicine, Michael Hollifield, M.D.,
and colleagues conducted a clinical trial examining the effects of
acupuncture on the symptoms of PTSD. These researchers analyzed
depression, anxiety, and impairment in 73 people who had been diagnosed
with PTSD. The participants were assigned to receive either acupuncture,
group cognitive-behavioral therapy (a popular psychological treatment
for PTSD) for 12 weeks, or were assigned to a wait-list (the control
group). The people in the control group were offered treatment or
referral for treatment at the end of their participation. The
researchers found that acupuncture provided treatment effects similar to
group cognitive-behavioral therapy. Both acupuncture and CBT were
superior to the control group. Additionally, treatment effects of
acupuncture and group therapy were maintained for 3 months after the end
of treatment. The limitations are the size of the study, lack of
diversity, and inability to account for outside factors.1
More
recently, Reuters published an article that quoted Defense Secretary
Robert Gates as saying, "We have an experimental unit ... treating
soldiers with PTS (post-traumatic stress) and using a number of
unorthodox approaches, including aroma therapy, acupuncture, things like
that, that really are getting some serious results."2
Suicide
rates and homelessness among U.S. soldiers and returning veterans are
climbing. These tragic statistics can be partly attributed to the
effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. The results from acupuncture
are hopeful. Time and again, it has proven to be an effective modality
for treating the symptoms of PTSD.
Why does acupuncture help the
symptoms of PTSD? Acupuncture is well known for its ability to relieve
stress. Correctly placed needles help the body re-regulate itself from
the effects of stress, PTSD, depression and anxiety. In turn, this
allows the individual to focus on their activities and enable them to
deal with daily events.
Sources:
1Pentagon tries aroma therapy to ease combat stress. Fort Riley, Kansas, Sat May 8, 2010.
2Hollifield, M.,
Sinclair-Lian, N., Warner, T., and Hammerschlag, R. "Acupuncture for
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial." The
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, June, 2007 V195(6):504-13.
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