WhatFinger


PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Natural healing for veterans



As a vet who conducts extensive research about a lot of things, I am asked by my brothers-in-arms all the time what I think about the current PTSD epidemic running rampant among our troops. I also hear about more and more veterans coming forward searching for alternative measures to assist their well-being. We have all heard about the PTSD epidemic in America and many of us have heard stories about veterans returning home—some of these stories are horrifying. Vets need help and some are searching for alternative means to get their feet back on the ground. Hopefully, the below will assist some high functioning PTSD sufferers but keep in mind, none of the below should be construed as medical advice.

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Some veterans fear the Veterans Administration (VA) due to a lack of trust. Right, wrong, or indifferent, this is just how many vets feel about the VA. Others fear getting a “label” on them for taking a very subjective PTSD questionnaire that is backed and supported by little “hard science.” And others just don’t want to become pill poppers. American medicine has moved leaps and bounds over the years and our pharmaceutical industry has done wonders for many. Unfortunately, many pharmaceutical drugs don’t treat disease rather they “mask” the symptom. Pseudoephedrine is a medication used to treat congestion. Congestion is merely a symptom of a cold or allergy. It does not cure the actual cold, allergy, or any virus. The drug merely assists in sinus relief. This is how many pharmaceuticals work. Equally, this is how most drugs work regarding PTSD treatment. PTSD is still relatively new to the neurosciences. More and more neuroscientists are conducting PTSD research and some of that research has moved leaps and bounds considering what little we had known about the subject only a few years ago. A “mental disorder” is an incredibly controversial term. Are personality disorders the same as mental disorders? Are mental disorders similar as a disease, meaning they could be treated in similar fashions? These are questions being debated today. What is not debated among any health professional is the fact that proper diet leads to healthy lifestyles. Unfortunately, many American doctors will never simply say, eat a clove of garlic to relive a stuffy nose. Nope. They would rather prescribe that pseudoephedrine. But eating that raw clove of garlic, in many ways, actually would be much better for the individual as the garlic won’t just relieve the stuffy nose, it will assist in bettering the individual’s overall health due to the incredible powers founded in garlic. Now, no one is saying garlic will necessarily cure or better the health and well-being of an individual suffering from PTSD. The point here is that food can be incredibly powerful. Well, the real point here is this: what we put into our bodies has serious effects on our well-being. Immediately, many medical professionals will assume some people are crazy in their beliefs of natural healing. In fact, the Gerson Diet, and incredibly controversial diet claimed to assist the curing of some cancer patients, has been shunned by many American medical professionals. Interestingly, in Japan, Gerson Therapy is a major cancer treatment initiative. Then again, the Japanese medical system is very different than that founded in the US. The Gerson Diet is all about proper food consumption. It is not meant to be undergone for an individual’s entire lifetime. It’s just meant to be incorporated into an individual’s life for a period of time that will assist the needs of an individual—helping them be cured of their disease. But, if you wanted to continue the diet forever, nothing is wrong with that either. It has assisted many persons suffering from multiple diseases—not just cancer. The power of food is amazing. What we bring into our bodies will affect our health and well-being. Food is a natural way to balance our health. Some foods are more powerful than others and while most illnesses take time to cure, some issues can be remedied quickly. Next time you have a stuffy nose, eat a clove of garlic and surely you will likely feel relief faster than popping any pill. Garlic isn’t the be all cure all though. Depending on one’s needs will depend on the types of foods needing to be consumed. And again, most medical professionals don’t like hearing about curing oneself with food and that’s mostly due to their relationships with the pharmaceutical and insurance companies but there is solid evidence that most of our health issues can be cured by food and water intake. And of course many, far beyond just medical professionals, will claim some folks are absolutely nuts about the power of food and water. But considering approximately 70% of the population has herpes, how many are aware that through proper food and water intake, you don’t need a prescription of Valtrex to serve as a remedy to an outbreak? According to the UK’s PH Health website, “your immune system reacts and cures herpes very well and stops recurrences for most people. By changing your diet to be more alkaline and managing your stress levels, it is possible to stop outbreaks of herpes.” Kale, mustard greens, spinach, cabbage, all these wonderful foods we dreaded eating as children, are actually health beneficial. Popeye wasn’t kidding about his love for spinach. There is too much evidence proving food and water along with healthy living can assist many illnesses. Then again, most illnesses aren’t what we think. PTSD is considered a disorder and in many regards considering the chemical imbalance of the human body which tends to lead to PTSD, we can bring balance to ourselves better assisting our well-being—kind of like that balance needed to manage herpes outbreaks. In no way should anything written here be construed as medical advice. But it should give us all something to think about. With a little bit of research and implementation, maybe some folks who served this great nation can get their feet back on the ground without obtaining some label. Maybe those folks can skip a visit from the VA. Then again, maybe the VA could serve as another means to assist--that's up to the individual. It’s up to all of us to research and implement proper actions to our health and well-being. We should listen to our medical practitioners but we should never allow our lives be placed solely in their hands. We have a right as individuals to do what we deem best for ourselves. The decision is ours. “Quack-a-medicine” might not be all that “quack-like” after all. So get rid of those pollutants that contaminate the human body. If you drink booze, even just one brew a day, try to stop for just two weeks and see how you feel. You don’t need that depressant anyway. Take it one step at a time—each step is one step in the right direction.


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Kerry Patton -- Bio and Archives

Kerry Patton, a combat disabled veteran, is the author of ‘Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies’ and the children’s book ‘American Patriotism’.


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