PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has largely been treated as a psychological disorder, however Dr. Eugene Lipov, a board certified anesthesiologist, points to the physical biological injury component to PTSD, which can be detected in brain scans.

Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) is a procedure which was first introduced in 1925 for the treatment of chronic pain. Dr. Lipov has been administering the SGB treatment since 1986, for treating everything from chronic neck and back pain to Hot Flashes in women suffering from breast cancer, and also treating anxiety symptoms.

He pioneered the off label use of SGB in treating PTSD patients and has been treating them since 2006. He's treated hundreds of PTSD patients with an %80-85 success rate, and as the treatment protocol has evolved and improved he claims a %90 success rate with his most recent 200 patients.

Two of the benefits of the SGB treatment are that, acknowledging the physical injury component to PTSD removes the psychological stigma that prevents many patients from seeking help for their symptoms, and it also reduces or eliminates the reliance on anti-depressant or mood altering drugs.

While the treatment doesn't work for every patient, those that it does help report a lessening or elimination of symptoms and find that the treatment lasts anywhere from months to years, before requiring another treatment.

SGB is an out-patient treatment that involves injecting an epidural into a nerve bundle into the right side of the neck. There is no pain felt as a local or general anesthesia is administered. For those successfully treated, they report feeling the effects of the treatment within 30 minutes to an hour afterwards.

SGB is not an experimental treatment, Dr. Lipov has performed hundreds of treatments and while it is not yet widely accepted by the VA, there have been 2500 more patients treated either by the VA or in military hospitals using the procedure. Although there were some smaller studies done, the DoD is getting ready to release a peer reviewed study, and Dr. Lipov is currently seeking PTSD candidates for a larger scale study of the treatment.

Dr. Lipov has testified before Congress on the benefits of SGB in an effort to get both the VA and insurance companies to cover the SGB treatment for PTSD, however it currently remains an uncovered expense.

The treatment costs @ $2000. Dr. Lipov has created a non-profit organization that will help cover the costs for some veterans, and the organization is also seeking donations to help cover the cost of treating veterans. His clinic is in Chicago, however he is currently seeking to add partnerships to expand this treatment to other cities around the U.S.

Dr. Lipov was recently interviewed on a radio show and you can listen to the 17:30 minute interview here:

https://www.iheart.com/podcast...n-new-ptsd-73612065/


Dr. Lipov's website where you can find more info:

Erase PTSD Now


If you or someone you know suspects that they may PTSD you can go to this site to take a PCL (PTSD Check List) assessment:

Do I have PTSD

Bumping this in case there are any forum members who might know someone suffering from PTSD. I'm no medical doctor but an %80-90 treatment success rate seems like it's at least worth considering.

My cousin looked into this with the VA. If i recall correctly it is not covered by the VA, and the procedure had to be repeated annually I believe. There are also dangers involved in the process which made it even less likely the VA would ever approve this treatment.

I'll ask him to make sure I'm not spreading misinformation.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
My cousin looked into this with the VA. If i recall correctly it is not covered by the VA, and the procedure had to be repeated annually I believe. There are also dangers involved in the process which made it even less likely the VA would ever approve this treatment.

I'll ask him to make sure I'm not spreading misinformation.

You are correct that the VA does not currently cover the treatment, however Dr. Lipov has testified before Congress on the treatment and is pushing for both the VA and insurance companies to cover the treatment, and that there is a bill that has been introduced currently moving through the legislative process. He has reported that both the VA and a few of the military hospital doctors have been performing the treatment.

As mentioned above, Dr. Lipov has started a non-profit organization that helps to cover costs of their treatment for some veterans, and he has also treated some civilian non-vets suffering gratis.

Yes, in several cases, it requires more than one treatment, but as the treatment protocol has improved they seem to be seeing higher success rates and it still seems like a better alternative than becoming reliant on anti-depressant and mood altering drugs.

I see it as a viable alternative worth considering for those suffering who have been stigmatized into not seeking treatment or who are concerned about becoming dependent on pharmacological drugs.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
My cousin looked into this with the VA. If i recall correctly it is not covered by the VA, and the procedure had to be repeated annually I believe. There are also dangers involved in the process which made it even less likely the VA would ever approve this treatment.

I'll ask him to make sure I'm not spreading misinformation.

You are correct that the VA does not currently cover the treatment, however Dr. Lipov has testified before Congress on the treatment and is pushing for both the VA and insurance companies to cover the treatment, and that there is a bill that has been introduced currently moving through the legislative process. He has reported that both the VA and a few of the military hospital doctors have been performing the treatment.

Yes, in several cases, it requires more than one treatment, but as the treatment protocol has improved they seem to be seeing higher success rates and it still seems like a better alternative than becoming reliant on anti-depressant and mood altering drugs.

I hope I didn't come off as a detractor of the procedure. If it is as successful as the claims then I am all for helping out my fellow service members especially.

Just trying to add more info.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
Just trying to add more info.

No worries.
Like I said, I am no medical doctor and I fully encourage anyone considering any new treatment to fully research it first. Just offering an alternative and some info for those suffering from PTSD.

I took the PCL test linked above and it indicates that I have a moderate case of PTSD.