In normal circumstances, one would simply scratch their head and wonder what all the fuss is about treating Veterans with PTSD and/or TBI with hyperbaric oxygen or HBOT. Countries all over the world have been using this relatively inexpensive form of therapy to treat their own military, but the Department of Veteran Affairs (“VA”) continues to insist that there is not sufficient scientific evidence to support the benefits of HBOT.
Found below are few news items that caught my attention the past week. I trust that some of our readers will click on the embedded links to read more on subjects that interest them.
Is the VA on Automatic Pilot?
The video included in this news clip shows Army veteran Dennis Magnasco trying to schedule a doctor’s appointment at his local VA hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts. But a nearly five-minute phone call became a maddening stream of automated audio messages. ...
While much of the world is focused on transformative businesses and technologies, the Department of Veteran Affairs (“VA”) remains oblivious to the needs of Veterans with PTSD.
Despite a slew of reports from the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) citing the need for major reforms with the VA, it seems like it is business as usual for these entrenched bureaucrats. Found below is just a few of these GAO ...
Continue Reading →As we all settle in to watch the Super Bowl tomorrow, let us reflect on the large number of brave Veterans who have suffered from PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Indeed, there are enough wounded Veterans from our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to fill several Super Bowl stadiums.
Nevertheless, I suspect that sports’ pundits will be more focused on CTE – chronic traumatic encephalopathy – found ...
Continue Reading →What quite a few of us have known for some time – and many more have suspected -The Wounded Warrior Project (“WWP”) appears to place the financial interests of its administrators over the needs of wounded Veterans. In a damning article recently published by The New York Times, The Wounded Warriors Project comes across as an organization built on the hypocrisy and greed of its administrators rather than truly helping wounded Veterans.
Others in the ...
Continue Reading →The folks at the Veterans Affairs Administration and the pharmaceutical industry must be drooling over the recent “Opinion” piece by Richard A. Friedman entitled a “A Drug to Cure Fear,” which was published in the New York Times on January, 24th, 2016. In fact, Dr. Friedman believes a new prescription drug might be useful in helping Veterans with PTSD.
In this “Opinion” article, Dr. Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry and the Director of Psychopharmacology clinic at ...
Continue Reading →In today’s New York Times, there was an editorial written by Nate Bethea, an Army Infantry Officer from 2007 to 2014, entitled “Sarah Palin, This is What PTSD is All About.” (Editor’s Note: Actually, the original NYT’s article was “The Truth About PTSD,” but presumably the spin-masters at the New York Times felt that by channeling Sarah Palin they would attract more readers).
Ms. Palin raised more than a few eyebrows recently during ...
Continue Reading →Treating Veterans and Active Duty personnel suffering from TBI or PTSD with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (“HBOT”) has always been regarded as “black magic” by both the VA and the DoD. In fact, earlier this year, the VA concluded their trial “study” with the following observations:
Continue Reading →“To date, there have been nine peer-reviewed publications describing this research,” Dr. David Cifu, VA’s national director for physical medicine and rehabilitation recently told the Oklahoman. “All the research consistently supports that there is no ...
SFTT has long promoted the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (“HBOT”) for Veterans with PTSD and TBI. Indeed, SFTT has seen many “transformative” recoveries of seriously affected Veterans who were treated to a series of “dives” in Hyperbaric Oxygen chambers over 30 to 60 days.
And yet, the VA and DOD steadfastly refuse to endorse HBOT to treat Veterans with PTSD or TBI. Why? The official reason is that “that the HBOT treatment is currently ‘off-label.’ In ...
Continue Reading →SFTT has long chronicled the abuse by the VA of prescribing painkillers to treat Veterans suffering from PTSD. Most everyone – except the pharmaceutical companies – recognize the hazards, but few take the necessary steps to do anything about it.
In a not too surprising development, President Obama “is expected to announce steps on Wednesday that he hopes will reduce an alarming rise in deaths from drug overdoses, including mandating more ...
Continue Reading →