PTSD AND FAITH-BASED APPROACHES...
"For the first time in about 25 years I went into the theater with my family instead of sitting out in the car," Calhoun said.
So why do the dogs make such a difference for the vets? The truth is the research is severely lacking.
"It's faith based evidence and the military and the government don't like faith based evidence," program director for TADSAW, Bart Sherwood, told Ivanhoe.
The VA started a first of its kind study on PTSD service dogs, but enrollment was suspended last year. A spokesman tells us the VA "is working to develop a new plan to carry out this research, potentially in multiple locations." Until the evidence is confirmed by science, the VA will not reimburse vets specifically with mental conditions like PTSD for their service dog's veterinary care, travel expenses, or anything else.
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/21298336/healing-heroes-ptsd-service-dogs-for-vets
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A response to paranoia...
First of all, congratulations - that illness is a hard one to take control off!
Next, ask your doctor about the programs most of the drug companies have to help people pay for meds they can't afford. I was on those and they really helped. I got most of my meds for free.
Third of all, the chemical balance in your brain can really be helped with some lifestyle changes whether or not you are on medications. Anxiety (or paranoia) is due in large part to a decrease in seratonin and dopamine. There are several lifestyle changes you can make to help with the production of these - and it should help other symptoms too.
First, fresh vegetables and fruits help with the production of seratonin. You should be eating as many fruits and vegies a day as you can - preferably at least 5 servings per day. Also, many chemicals that are in our processed foods combat the production of these chemicals. Try to eat as naturally as you can. I mean, you know, everyone wants a candy bar or McDonalds now and then, but make it a general rule to eat as healthy and naturally as you can. Also, I personally found that processed starches such as bread, pasta, and rice really inhibited my mental faculties.
Another very important step is to get exercise daily - this increases the production of both of those chemicals. A brisk walk every morning outside will help immensely. Also, getting out in the sun helps your body produce vitamin D which helps your brain produce all the chemicals it needs. So take your walk in the sun.
Also, the number one thing I learned to do to help all of my symptoms was meditation. IF you don't know how to do it yet, research it. You will be surprised at how much it really helps you.
Good luck
from:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080707081207AAlcvEo
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This week’s
Tuesday Ten features simple tips to make your brain hum. You’ll feel so great, you’ll be looking
down on Cloud 9.
Before we get to it, a word to the wise about serotonin:
There is quite the plethora of mood-elevating, serotonin-enhancing products and drugs available. If you don’t want to go the Prozac route, there are many
excellent natural methods for boosting your mood. Indeed, many studies have shown that natural methods like exercise may be
just as effective as traditional drug therapies. (However, in some cases, depression can become so severe, there’s simply no food or supplement that is going to “cure” you. I like to remind my readers that it’s always important to consult an expert before embarking on your own curative adventure.)
But for light cases of the blues, or stressful days, there are plenty of things you can do to elevate that feel-good hormone, serotonin:
10. Avoid the fast track to happiness.
Carbohydrates give you an instant lift because they trigger the release of serotonin. Indeed, I’ve seen several articles lately actually
recommend eating a sugary treat to boost your mood and sleep better. Bad advice (
see Dr. Weil’s take). Carbs are a quick fix, but they do nothing to stimulate ongoing production of serotonin, which is what you want.
9. Don’t avoid carbs entirely.
Proteins contain tryptophan, a large amino that converts to serotonin in the brain. (I’ll be discussing tryptophan supplements in the future.) Yet relying solely on protein can hamper serotonin production. Though scientists aren’t sure why this is,
it makes sense that subsisting entirely on one macro-nutrient might cause problems for brain chemistry.
Tryptophan works best when consumed in conjunction with a small bit of carbohydrate, such as a scoop of brown rice, a handful of nuts, or a few tablespoons of legumes. These complex carbohydrates are essential to helping your brain properly process the tryptophan in protein. Vegetables are also great – and my preference.
8. Eat protein.
Turkey, fish, chicken, cottage cheese, nuts, cheese, eggs, and beans all contain generous levels of tryptophan.
7. Eat fat.
Hormonal processes require essential fatty acids, so don’t shirk your “good fats”. Get plenty of DHA-enhanced eggs and dairy in your diet, and eat fish a few times a week. Good sources are wild salmon, mackerel, and tuna. You vegheads can also nosh on avocados, nuts, flaxseed, vegetable oils (walnut, avocado, almond, flax, olive) and seeds.
6. Take a fish oil supplement!
Though fish oil won’t produce serotonin, essential fatty acids play a vital role in brain health and mood regulation. I recommend
Vital Omegas, of course, but there are plenty of good ones on the market. As with most things, you do get what you pay for, so buy the best you can afford.
5. Exercise to feel good.
Exercise is a natural stimulator of many important “mood” hormones, including serotonin and dopamine. Don’t think of exercise as a chore to lose weight or prevent heart disease “someday”. Realize that 15 or 20 minutes of exercise every day will naturally release these feel-good hormones that are so vital to feeling happy and calm. As junior apple Mike A. says, exercise is about
feeling good, not just looking good.
4. Avoid the stimulant cycle.
Caffeine, sugar, alcohol. Caffeine, sugar, alcohol. Many of us get trapped in the stimulant cycle. These substances temporarily give you a lift, but actually deplete and blunt valuable hormones in the long run. If you like caffeine, try to limit your java intake to one or two cups a day at the most. The same for alcohol. I recommend avoiding sugar completely.
3. Sleep right.
When we’re feeling down, it’s tempting to sleep, sleep and sleep some more. But quality sleep is far more important than quantity. Force yourself to get up early, but allow for a rejuvenating nap midday if you need it (just don’t exceed one hour). The same goes for stressed-out workaholics getting by on 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night. Find a way to get an extra hour (hey, that sounds like another Tuesday 10 to me!).
2. Investigate supplements wisely.
HTP is a popular supplement, but I personally prefer
rhodiola, which actually slows the process of serotonin breakdown (it also has better scientific backing).
1. Boost other hormones!
Oxytocin is another feel good hormone often called the “cuddle hormone”. Oxytocin is released when we feel love, trust and comfort. It can be even more powerful than serotonin. If you need a lift, remember the power of simply spending time with your significant other or family members and friends.
Read more:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/serotonin-boosters/#ixzz2swjeIU9l
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FOODS WITH SERATONIN (to fight depression)
Fruits are among the types of food that have the highest
serotonin content according to a study published in the October 1985 of
"American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Using an analysis technique called a
radioenzymatic assay, researchers reported that plantains, pineapples, bananas,
kiwi fruit and plums have high serotonin contents. For example, plantains
contain on average 30 micrograms of serotonin per gram of the fruit. Pineapples
contain 17 micrograms and bananas contain 15 micrograms of serotonin per gram of
the fruit.
Vegetables are also an excellent source of serotonin. In a
study published in "Journal of Medicinal Food, " researchers used an analysis
technique called high performance liquid chromatography, which showed that among
vegetables, tomatoes contain one of the highest levels of serotonin at 221
micrograms per gram of the tomato. Cherry tomatoes, spinach, Chinese cabbage and
hot peppers also contained significant levels of serotonin. However, the
serotonin content of vegetables is generally lower than that of fruits.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, there are also
significant serotonin levels found in nuts. In particular, nuts from the walnut
family have very high levels of serotonin. For example, butternuts have 398
micrograms of serotonin per gram of the nut, black walnuts have 304 micrograms
of serotonin per gram of the nut and English walnuts have 87 micrograms of
serotonin per gram of the nut. Outside of the walnut family, pecans and sweet
pignuts have high levels of serotonin at 29 and 25 micrograms per gram of the
nut, respectively.
Your body metabolizes serotonin from the amino acid
tryptophan. As such, increasing your dietary intake of tryptophan allows your
body to synthesize more serotonin. There are some foods that have high levels of
tryptophan, and consuming these foods can increase serotonin levels in your
body. According to the USDA, one large, hard-boiled egg contains .08 grams of
tryptophan. Also according to the USDA, other foods that have high levels of
tryptophan are soybeans, pumpkin seeds, Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, cheddar
cheese, turkey and chicken.
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FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
EXERCISE TO THE POINT OF FATIGUE! -
very interesting research
The largest body of work in humans looking at the effect of exercise on tryptophan availability to the brain is concerned with the hypothesis that fatigue during exercise is associated with elevated brain tryptophan and serotonin synthesis. A large body of evidence supports the idea that exercise, including exercise to fatigue, is associated with an increase in plasma tryptophan and a decrease in the plasma level of the branched chain amino acids
from National Institutes of Health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/
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TURKEY AND TRYPTOPHAN
In the United States,
tryptophan is classified as a dietary component, but Canada and some European countries classify it as a drug. Treating tryptophan as a drug is reasonable because, first, there is normally no situation in which purified tryptophan is needed for dietary reasons, and second, purified tryptophan and foods containing tryptophan have different effects on brain serotonin.
Although purified tryptophan increases brain serotonin, foods containing tryptophan do not.
71 This is because tryptophan is transported into the brain by a
transport system that is active toward all the large neutral amino acids and tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid in protein. There is
competition between the various amino acids for the transport system, so after the ingestion of a meal containing protein, the rise in the plasma level of the other large neutral amino acids will prevent the rise in plasma tryptophan from increasing brain tryptophan.
The idea, common in popular culture, that a high-protein food such as
turkey will raise brain tryptophan and serotonin is, unfortunately, false.
Another popular myth that is widespread on the Internet is that
bananas improve mood because of their serotonin content. Although it is true that bananas contain serotonin, it does not cross the blood–brain barrier.
from National Institutes of Health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/
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MILK, ANYONE?
α-Lactalbumin, a minor constituent of milk, is one protein that contains relatively more tryptophan than most proteins. Acute ingestion of α-lactalbumin by humans can improve mood and cognition in some circumstances, presumably owing to increased serotonin.
72,73
from National Institutes of Health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/
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COUNSELORS FOR PTSD
HEALING HEROES
http://www.healingheroes.org/
KOCH
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Allison_Koch_MS,CPC,LPC,MHSP-te_Brentwood_Tennessee_128100
NAMI
http://www.namitn.org
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EMDR - TREATMENT FOR PTSD
This explains the 8 phases of treatment:
http://www.emdr.com/general-information/what-is-emdr.html
This broadcast mentions the use of EMDR for PTSD sufferers:
(These are some of my favorite radio counselors.)
http://newlife.com/tag/ptsd
EMDR COUNSELORS IN NASHVILLE
This gal mentions how effective it's been in her practice. She's located near St. Thomas Midtown....so a good location too:
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php?profid=181158&sid=1392248189.4037_1800&city=Nashville&county=Davidson&state=TN&spec=19&tr=ResultsProfileBtn&trow=13&ttot=356
Centerstone in Nashville offers this treatment:
https://centerstone.org/centerstone-offers-new-innovative-treatment-for-veterans-with-ptsd
This explains it really well:
http://sarahcannon.com/hl/?/22717/Eye-Movement-Desensitization-and-Reprocessing--EMDR-
This center in Franklin does EMDR:
http://www.thesparksclinic.com/services/emdr-therapy.php
Other places in Nashville that do EMDR:
http://www.nashvilleaacc.org/specialty/emdr/
http://www.emdrtherapistnetwork.com/controllers/index.php?action=search|search-result&mode=zipCode&zipCode=37015
