A Chicago doctor has made advances in a revolutionary treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but the Army has told him he has to do more thorough research before the U.S. government will help fund the treatment’s clinical trial.

Dr. Eugene Lipov believes PTSD can be treated by injecting an anesthetic into a grouping of neck nerves called the stellate ganglion. This procedure has been used for years to treat pain, but Lipov, an anesthesiologist, has had early success treating the stress, anxiety and “fight-or-flight” response that often accompanies PTSD, according to Stars and Stripes Magazine online.

PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that often strikes members of the military who have been exposed to traumatic and horrific events. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes PTSD as a serious challenge facing many of the soldiers coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as veterans of 20^th century wars who have been suffering from the PTSD silently for years.

Lipov believes that the shot to the back of the neck can effectively reset the nervous system that may have been set off kilter by traumatic events experienced at war.

Now that Lipov has FDA approval, a clinical trial is the next step but the doctor is struggling to get government funding for the trial.

In September, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command turned down Lipov’s proposed $1.6 million clinical trial saying it was too ambitious and expensive for an untested concept and they were not convinced of the neurobiological explanations Lipov gave for why it works, according to Stars and Stripes.

The proposal’s review team acknowledged the treatment “…could lead to important innovations in the medical treatment of PTSD,” if a trial was successful, but has serious concerns about Lipov’s work.

Lipov has shown success in treating more than a dozen patients but the review team wanted a study with control groups.

The Army would like to explore Lipov’s treatment, according to Fort Detrick’s director of operational medicine research program Col. Carl Castro. The military spends more than $30 million a year researching PTSD. “[He] needs to do a scientifically rigorous study, and that way if he gets promising results, we can be confident in doing a much larger clinical trial,” Castro said.

Lipov told Stars and Stripes he is giving up on the Pentagon helping fund his research. He recently got a $100,000 grant to do a small study with a control group from the state of Illinois. About 20 veterans near Chicago signed up for the study last summer.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. Learn more at http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

After hearing from thousands of veterans, I know that the stress of military life and war impact every veteran. 

Over the next decade, I can only imagine the disability claims that will be submitted by drone operators.  It is probably predictable that the VA will deny these claims because the service members were not in combat.  However, the DOD’s own research acknowledges the stress placed on the men and women who operate drones. About one in three airmen who operate cameras on high-altitude, remotely controlled spy planes and 30% of those who fly attack drones used to kill terrorists have emotional exhaustion. An Air Force psychologist conducted a six-month study of drone operators from 2010 to 2011. Researchers found clinical distress and mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. Sixty-five percent to 70% of those with mental illness signs are not seeking treatment for it, researchers found.  Nearly 900 Air Force personnel were surveyed. Seventeen percent are women and 60% married. When they were first asked broadly about burnout, nearly half admitted it.

Let’s hope VA does not forget the impact the war has on these men and women.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-12-18/study-drone-operators-exhaustion/52053016/1

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Attorney

The number of troops that return with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), can range as high as 30% of the force in combat.  Some veterans suffer mild PTSD and with counseling and support can get past it. Many others are debilitated by the effects of war and post-traumatic stress.  A Chicago based anesthesiologist has proposed that a shot of a local anesthetic in the neck, a stellate ganglion block, can and will provide relief. 

Dr. Lipov explains there is a group of nerves in the neck called a stellate ganglion that is a part of the sympathetic nerve system; which among other things sends pain messages to the brain and controls stress, including the fight-or-flight response. When someone experiences trauma, the stellate ganglion produces an increased amount of nerve growth factor, which causes excess nerves to sprout in the brain, according to Lipov. This leads to overactive stress response and anxiety, Dr. Lipov hypothesizes.  By injecting the stellate ganglion with anesthetic, the nerve growth factor returns to normal levels, the excess nerves die off and the symptoms subside.  The shot settles down the sympathetic nervous system, resetting the brain to where it was before the trauma.  Dr. Lipov has tried this on 12 PTSD patients with success while an Army doctor, Lt. Col. Sean Mulvaney, replicated those same results with 15 PTSD patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

But a full scale clinical trial costs money and the DOD (Department of Defense) has not agreed to fund his research.  An extensive report on this idea was recently discussed in the attached article.  This country owes our veterans to give this research a try and not wait decades as veterans suffer the effects of PTSD.

http://www.stripes.com/doctor-ptsd-injection-can-work-miracles-but-dod-won-t-fund-it-1.156866

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer

VA seems to try all kinds of quack medicine to “fix” veterans with PTSD.  Another situation has arisen that an anti-psychotic drug used to treat PTSD has no more effect than a sugar pill.  VA spent $717 million for this ineffective drug over the last decade. 

Risperidone is the generic name for Risperdal, a drug developed by the Janssen Pharmaceuticals division of Johnson & Johnson to treat severe mental conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. VA researchers published Aug. 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded, “treatment with risperidone compared with placebo did not reduce PTSD symptoms.” 

If you or a veteran you care for was given this drug, you should evaluate if your disability rating is correct.  If VA reduced your rating because you were being effectively treated – that turns out not to be true.  You may want to read the article below and contact a lawyer.

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110822_6423.php?oref=topstory

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Kristina Derro
Veterans Disability Lawyer

The staff at Legal Help for Veterans had some phenomenal visitors this past week! Members of Stiggy’s Dogs came to visit!

Stiggy’s Dogs was created in memory of Benjamin Phillip (“Doc Stiggy”) Castiglione, a Marine who dedicated his life to preserving and improving the physical and emotional health of those serving in his unit. He gave his life working as a Corpsman in Helmand Province in Southern Afghanistan, taking care of “his Marines” until September 3, 2009.

Stiggy’s Dogs is an extraordinary non-profit organization aimed at assisting veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The organization takes shelter dogs and rehabilitates them, training them and turning them into Psychiatric Service Dogs for veterans who suffer from PTSD and/or TBI. The dogs are ADA compliant and as service dogs, are able to go with their veteran into any building!

The Psychiatric Service Dogs are each individually trained to meet their veteran’s specific needs. They are taught to perform tasks ranging from reminding veterans to take their medicine, waking them up from a nightmare, and directing them through a crowd. Research has shown that 82% of veterans with PTSD who were assigned a dog had a decrease in his/her symptoms, and 40% of the veterans had a decrease in the amount of medications that they had to take!

Speaking with a veteran who was given a Psychiatric Service Dog, he discussed how he is now able to leave his house with his dog without constantly fearing panic attacks, and even recently rode on an airplane—a task he previously thought impossible due to his severe psychiatric symptomatology.

It is estimated that there are currently 5 million dogs sitting in shelters across America waiting to be euthanized. Stiggy’s Dogs goal is to rescue shelter dogs, train them to be Psychiatric Service Dogs, and pair them with a well-deserving veteran! By uniting the military hero and the shelter dog, Stiggy’s Dogs is “rescuing one to help rescue another”.

Please visit Stiggy’s Dogs’ website to learn more about the non-profit organization: http://stiggysdogs.org/ Although based in Michigan, they pair both veterans and dogs from around the nation.

As a non-profit, Stiggy’s Dogs relies solely on donations in order to keep its program running. A local news channel recently profiled Stiggy’s Dogs and discussed the need for donations. View that video here: http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/28175414/index.html If you can donate money, dog toys, dog bedding, dog crates, dog food, or even your time, it would be much appreciated.

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer

I knew it was coming.  VA now has an app for that.  It recently announced an app for PTSD. The government application for smart phones is called  “PTSD Coach” and users can track their PTSD symptoms, links them with local sources of support, provides accurate information about PTSD, and teaches helpful individualized strategies for managing PTSD symptoms at any moment.

The free PTSD Coach app is now available for download from the iTunes store and will be available for Android devices by the end of the spring.  I have written before on how VA is moving into social media and the importance of adopting technology to properly serve our veterans.  Here is another tool and VA should be applauded for this new concept.

 http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2080

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Attorney

Once again showing the differences between men and women in combat, VA recently reported that women appear more susceptible to depression than PTSD. The study looked at 246,976 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and 246,080 who served elsewhere.

Among those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 12 percent of active female veterans and about 16 percent of reserve unit female veterans were diagnosed with PTSD, compared to about 17 percent of active and reserve male veterans. About 23 percent of active female veterans and 19 percent of reserve unit female veterans were diagnosed with depression, compared to 14 percent of active men and 12 percent of reserve unit men.

Women were denied PTSD claims more often than men, while men were denied claims for other mental health conditions more often than women. Veteran advocates need to keep these kind of differences in mind when advancing disability claims.

To read more: 

http://www.dailypress.com/health/dp-nws-va-women-20110109,0,7486960.story

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veterans Lawyer

A new study may be of help to veterans when making their PTSD claim. Female veterans who become pregnant may be at more risk for mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, a study finds. VA commissioned a 5 year study. Among the study participants, 32% of women who were pregnant had a mental health diagnosis, while 21% of women who were not pregnant received a mental health diagnosis. The study was published recently in the Journal of Women’s Health. As a female veteran, you should consider if the trigger for mental health disorders is related to pregnancy.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-pregnant-vets-20101222,0,3495383.story

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone

The VA often funds research that is helpful in understanding complex medical conditions.  VA and Stanford University completed a large study that shows that among younger veterans enrolled in VA health care, those with a mental health condition—especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—tend to have more physical ailments.  The results, published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, explain the link between emotional stress and physical illness. 

The researchers examined the records of more than 90,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who used VA outpatient care in fiscal year 2006–2007. The majority had received a diagnosis of at least one mental health condition. About 35 percent of men and 27 percent of women had PTSD. The link between PTSD and medical (non-mental) illness was stronger among women than among men. Women with PTSD had a median of 7 medical conditions, versus 4.5 for women with no mental health diagnosis. The most common physical ailments for women were lower-back problems, headaches and lower-extremity joint disorders. Men with PTSD had a median of 5 medical conditions, versus 4 for men with no mental health diagnosis. The most common complaints for men were similar to those of women—for example, back and knee problems—but also included hearing loss.

As you advance your disability claim and secondary or related claims, this research may be helpful. Read more at  http://www.research.va.gov/currents/oct10/oct10-3.cfm

by Jim Fausone

The rash of suicides this year that involve members of the military has been getting plenty of attention.  Veterans face the same suicide problem brought on by the stress of war.  Military veterans with psychiatric illnesses are at increased risk for suicide, says a new study by the University of Michigan in conjunction with US Department of Veteran Affairs.

The researchers examined the psychiatric records of more than three million veterans who received any type of care at a VA facility in 1999. Over the next seven years, 7,684 of the veterans committed suicide. Slightly half of them had at least one psychiatric diagnosis. All of the psychiatric conditions included in the study — depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse disorders, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders — were associated with increased risk of suicide.

 To read more about the study:

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/645083.html