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National Veterans Chamber of Commerce

IS Acupuncture a Good Option for PTSD?

By: Joseph Molina National Veterans Chamber of Commerce

veteransccsd@gmail.com

The NVCC set up a series of Interviews with “Local” professionals who could bring some light and provide some clarity on this issue.

In our first Interview we contacted Joe Voss from the North County Acupuncture™ to tell us, from his perspective, what PTSD is and how he helps Veterans deal with its effects. Joe Voss provided the following information:

These symptoms can include but are not limited to headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, memory issues, and emotional imbalances often manifested as anxiety. Any of these issues on their own can be detrimental to functioning at a comfortable, productive level in society. While western medicine is phenomenal at treating trauma, it is limited in options for treating pain and initiating healing in the body and spirit.

The result is that many veterans suffering with PTSD continue to experience symptoms, especially anxiety, for many years after the initial injury. However, in my 22 years of practicing acupuncture and Chinese medicine, I have seen a large percentage of my patients experience relief from many PTSD symptoms and reduce their reliance on medications. My experiences in effectively treating PTSD with acupuncture goes beyond the anecdotal because, as evidence-based studies show, acupuncture increases the release of endorphins, known as the “feel good” hormones.

Studies published by the Evidence Based Acupuncture research organization also show that acupuncture is recognized as a therapeutic treatment for anxiety and depression. Much of acupunctures positive effect is based on its ability to improve Heart Rate Variability (HRV). An important way our bodies deal with stress is by regulating our heart rates in response to our environment. In other words, our heart rates vary as needed to cope with what our bodies and brains interpret as stressful or non-stressful situations. Individuals with a higher (HRV) tend to have healthier responses to their environmental and emotional stressors. Studies have also shown that acupuncture improves HRV by regulating the brain’s hypothalamus into releasing the proper neurochemicals when stress is perceived, and the heart rate is then able to adjust appropriately. The result is that a higher HRV helps regulate the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. It is through these pathways and mechanisms that acupuncture is able to help improve HRV, and the body is better able to cope with life’s stressors.

Which comes first treating the mind or the body? Our bodies, through feelings and emotions send certain frequencies and neurotransmitters to the brain which triggers the brain to release a cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters into the body. This causes changes in how all of our organs and systems function. But it has also been shown that there are more nerve pathways leading from the heart to the brain than there are leading from the brain to the heart. Promising research, in which HRV is just one part, is exploring how our heart is transmitting to our brain how “to think and feel,” instead of the other way around as we have believed for many years. If the heart and brain rhythms are out of sync then our health suffers, and one of the symptoms of this imbalance is anxiety.

So, while according to the most up to date evidence that acupuncture is an effective treatment for anxiety, I believe it is reasonable to extrapolate that acupuncture also has beneficial effects in treating other painful emotional conditions by treating organs such as the heart. Anecdotally, I have experienced this to be the case numerous times with my patients in my acupuncture practice. However, the empirical evidence also shows that acupuncture is not an “alternative medicine” to be used as a last resort for treating PTSD symptoms like anxiety. When combined with traditional medicine to treat TBI, concussions and emotional trauma, acupuncture is an effective treatment method that stimulates the body’s physical and emotional healing processes.

Another observation that I have had is that emotional pain has the effect of increasing physical pain. Over many years I have seen many veterans decrease the use of and often stop their use of opioid and other medications. I firmly believe that acupuncture can play a very important role in solving the current opioid crisis in our country as a whole and especially in our veteran community.

We would like to thank Joe Voss from North County Acupuncture™ for his participation and contribution to this very important issue for our Veterans.

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