Published in the Greenwich Times For Memorial Day 2022 in Honor of All who Served and Sacrificed.
By Robert Marchant, Greenwich Times
May 28, 2022
GREENWICH — This Memorial Day, Eilhys England Hackworth will be thinking about the veterans in her life — her father, an Army surgeon who landed at Normandy in World War II, and her late husband, one of the most decorated Army officers in U.S. military history.
Her father, Dr. Gerald Haidak, rarely spoke of ...
Almost 30 years ago, Colonel David “Hack” Hackworth, America’s most valor-decorated soldier, and journalist Roger Charles formed a lifelong friendship rooted in their individual Vietnam War experiences as well as their shared definition of what it means to serve one’s country, from a military veteran perspective.
Hack was a “maverick,” an officer who came up through the ranks, served in the military ...
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As sound-bite politicians and Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) administrators (past and present) slug it out over the future direction of the VA, Maj. Ben Richards has put together a comprehensive 8-week program to treat 10 fellow Veteran warriors who suffer from PTSD and TBI.
The program is called the Treatment of Ten. Continue Reading →
Dr. David Shulkin has been pushed aside (read fired) as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”). Without taking sides in what appears to be yet another partisan issue, Dr. Shulkin did a reasonably good job in bailing water in a sinking ship: the VA.
As such, it was with regret that we read Dr. David Shulkin’s self-serving departure editorial in the Continue Reading →
There is considerable anecdotal evidence that supervised exposure of Veterans with PTSD and TBI to horses helps restore a sense of well-being. Nevertheless, an adequate number of controlled clinical experiments are lacking to determine whether equine therapy has any lasting benefits for Veterans suffering from brain injury.
As reported earlier, Dr. Yuval Neria is Professor of Medical Psychology at the Columbia University Medical Center and “Scientific Advisor” to Stand for the Troops (“SFTT”) is leading a clinical study for the ...
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Most every day there is a provocative news report suggesting that some “miracle drug” may help treat Veterans with PtSD and TBI. If it is not a new drug, cannabis or ecstacy are often cited as “new” drugs that can help Veterans cope with the debilitating symptoms of PTSD.
While many Veterans with brain injury and their caregivers hope that prescription medicine relief is on the way, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) has a very poor track record in ...
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In an era of medical breakthroughs and diverse treatment options, it is most disappointing that the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) has so few treatment options for Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI.
More to the point, the VA has gone out its way to suggest that non-VA approved alternative treatment therapies are little more than snake oil. Instead, compromised doctors like David Cifu vigorously defend the status quo at the VA which has shown to ...
Continue Reading →For some inexplicable reason, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) has a “thing” about service dogs. Despite an overwhelming amount of evidence that service or companion dogs help Veterans, the VA insists on studying this issue still further. SFTT wishes the VA had taken the same level of precaution in prescribing OxyContin for Veterans with PTSD.
A companion service dog program appears to provide comfort and support to ...
Continue Reading →In typical cavalier fashion, drug giant Purdue Pharma has decided to curtail the sale of OxyContin that has brought misery and death to tens of thousands addicted to opioids.
Why it has taken so long for this scandal to end – particularly to families who have lost loved ones – is difficult to fathom. Perhaps, the allure of bonuses for licensed drug peddlers or the irresistible pull of a ...
Continue Reading →Of all the current “alternative” therapies reviewed by Stand For The Troops (“SFTT”), hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT is clearly supported by evidence-based clinical trials and an abundance of evidence (both scientific and anecdotal) that it help reverse brain trauma.
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (“HBOT”)?
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a medical treatment which enhances the body’s natural healing process by inhalation of 100% oxygen in a total body chamber, where atmospheric pressure is increased and ...