PQ: The “fight or flight” response to danger is a healthy and natural reaction that is supposed to protect a person from harm; in fact it’s natural to feel afraid.

PQ: PTSD can disrupt your whole life: your job, your relationships and even your enjoyment of everyday activities.

More than you Think

PTSD is also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most people automatically think of combat veterans when hearing this acronym. It’s actually an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Living through or seeing traumatic events may trigger PTSD. The “fight or flight” response to danger is a healthy and natural reaction that is supposed to protect a person from harm; in fact it’s natural to feel afraid. But in PTSD, this response is changed or damaged, someone who has PTSD may feel frightened or stressed even when no longer in danger. Anyone at any age can develop PTSD, although mostly common among adults. Women are four times as likely to develop PTSD over men; experts believe this is due to an increased risk of experiencing interpersonal violence.

In men, the most common events leading to the development of PTSD include:

· Combat exposure

· Rape

· Childhood neglect and physical abuse

In women, traumatic events most often associated with PTSD include:

· Rape

· Sexual molestation

· Physical attack

· Being threatened with a weapon

· Childhood physical abuse

Many other traumatic events can also lead to PTSD. e.g. (including but not limited to) fire, natural disaster, mugging, robbery, assault, civil conflict, car accident, plane crash, torture (mental or physical), kidnapping, life-threatening medical diagnosis, terrorist attack and other extreme or life threatening incidences. Not everyone who experiences these kinds of traumatic events goes on to develop PTSD.

PTSD can disrupt your whole life: your job, your relationships and even your enjoyment of everyday activities.

More research is needed to understand the relationship between PTSD and physical health problems. Signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder typically begin within three months of a traumatic event. In a small number of cases, though, PTSD symptoms may not occur until years after the event.

PTSD symptoms are commonly grouped into three types: intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, and increased anxiety or emotional arousal (hyper arousal).

Symptoms of intrusive memories may include:

· Flashbacks, or reliving the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time

· Upsetting dreams about the traumatic event

Symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing may include:

· Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event

· Feeling emotionally numb

· Avoiding activities you once enjoyed

· Hopelessness about the future

· Memory problems

· Trouble concentrating

· Difficulty maintaining close relationships

Symptoms of anxiety and increased emotional arousal may include:

· Irritability or anger

· Overwhelming guilt or shame

· Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much

· Trouble sleeping

· Being easily startled or frightened

· Hearing or seeing things that aren't there

PTSD symptoms can come and go. You may have more PTSD symptoms during times of higher stress or when you experience reminders of what you went through.

If you have disturbing feelings for more than a month, if they're severe, or if you feel you're having trouble getting your life back under control, consider talking to your health care professional. Getting treatment as soon as possible can help prevent PTSD symptoms from getting worse.

The good news is that there are many effective treatments for PTSD available, and research is yielding new, improved therapies.

Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine and natural herbal remedies are highly effective (and documented) in the treatment of PTSD.

Geoffrey Sherman L.Ac. is an Acupuncture Physician and manager at Dong Ye Acupuncture’s Community Clinic. Dong Ye Acupuncture is Dr. Susan Hathaway’s practice. Dr. Susan Hathaway has studied in China and South Korea and holds a doctorate in Medical Research. She has three locations: Palm Bay – 321-726-3017, Cocoa – 321-634-5800, Community Clinic (Cocoa) – 321-549-2206.