Treatments for PTSD/PTSI
OUR PHILOSOPHY: PTSD/PTSI IS A TREATABLE INJURY, NOT A DISORDER
We offer cutting-edge treatments and care for the symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, stress and more.
Dual Stellate Ganglion Block (DSGB)
Dual Stellate Ganglion Block (DSGB)
The Dual Stellate Ganglion Block is an innovative treatment that utilizes two strategically placed injections on one side of your neck that target your body’s stress response system – the sympathetic nervous system. The Dual Stellate Ganglion Block (DSGB) is a promising biological intervention addressing an array of debilitating symptoms tied to an overactive sympathetic nervous system triggered by trauma or sustained stress.
Hormone Optimization
Hormone Optimization
Chronic stress causes alterations in brain function, leading to anxiety and depressive disorders affecting the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. When testosterone and other hormones are imbalanced, the brain minds the gap with cortisol, leading to elevated heart rate and high blood pressure.By re-introducing hormone balance, symptoms often are relieved and an improved quality of wellness occurs.
BrainTap
BrainTap
BrainTap helps resynchronize your brain waves to their proper state. This leads to more energy and clarity during the day, and better, deeper rejuvenation sleep at night.
Because BrainTap can also help your brain shift to a meditative, open-minded, and relaxed state where the division between conscious and subconscious isn't as definitive, BrainTap can also be used therapeutically to help address various thought patterns and mental habits.
How Testosterone Therapy May Help
In a study at the University of Washington, researchers measured pituitary function in veterans with and without blast-related TBI. Results found that 11 of 26 (42%) with blast-related injuries had hormone imbalances, while the control group did not show hormone imbalance. Testosterone replacement therapy helps return testosterone levels to optimal ranges, promoting healthy brain activity from neurophysiology, sexuality, and psychology to aging, leading to an improved quality of life.
How TBI and PTSD May Affect Sex Drive
50% Experience Low Sex Drive
More than 50% of people who experience a traumatic brain injury suffer from low sex drive. Eagers subside through physical or mental disabilities such as depression or anxiety. This is driven by the pituitary gland not allowing the necessary hormones to release correctly
40-60% Experience Erectile Dysfunction
40 to 60% of men experience temporary or permanent erectile dysfunction, (ED) post TBI.
40% Experience Difficulty Reaching Orgasm
Roughly 40% of people have difficulty reaching orgasm. Men's sex drive and sexual performance begin inside the cerebral cortex and limbic system. When men suffer from low testosterone, there is an apparent disconnect between the pituitary gland, testicles, and these areas. The endocrine axis is out of whack.
How the Brain Uses Testosterone
Testosterone plays a crucial role in the brain, from organizational to bodily activation effects. Testosterone helps keep the brain's psychophysiology (mental process) running smoothly. Testosterone is strongly dependent on cognitive, emotional, and biobehavioral functions. Researchers have repeatedly confirmed that as men age, testosterone naturally decreases, hindering the brain's normal functions.
TBI, PTSD and Veterans
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Department of Defense, Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are frequently comorbid in veterans veterans of war/deployment.
The Department of Defense (DOD) defines the following levels of severity (Defense Health Agency, 2019):
Mild
TBI
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Loss of consciousness for up to 30 minutes; or confused or disoriented state lasting less than 24 hours; or memory loss lasting less than 24 hours. Excludes penetrating TBI. If obtained, computed tomography (CT) scan results are normal.
Moderate
TBI
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Loss of consciousness for more than 30 minutes, but less than 24 hours; or confused or disoriented state lasting more than 24 hours; or memory loss lasting more than 24 hours but less than 7 days; or meets criteria for concussion/mild TBI but with an abnormal CT. Excludes penetrating TBI.
Severe
TBI
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Loss of consciousness for more than 24 hours; or confused or disoriented state lasting more than 24 hours; or memory loss lasting more than seven days. Excludes penetrating TBI. A structural brain imaging study may be normal but usually is abnormal.
Penetrating
TBI
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Open head injury; scalp, skull, and dura mater (outer layer of meninges) are penetrated. Caused by high-velocity projectiles, objects of lower velocity such as knives, or bone fragments from a skull fracture that is driven into the brain