In a fascinating feature presentation last week, Dr. Katrina Lewis of Benefis explained the pioneering work she is doing in treating PTSD. Born in South Africa, Dr. Lewis started medical school at age 16 and became interested in stellate ganglion block (SGB) treatments at a medical conference. Since then, she has treated over 400 patients and documented the benefits of the treatment.
An estimated 8% of Americans - the equivalent of the entire population of Texas - have PTSD at any given time. Women are twice as likely as men to develop it. Commonly misunderstood as a mental health disorder, PTSD has a strong physiological component. Essentially, the "fight-or-flight" response that a traumatic event can trigger gets "stuck" in the "on" position, flooding the victim with cortisol and adrenalin and accelerating heart function. Most treatments address the symptoms of that response -- e.g., hypervigilance, panic attacks, substance abuse. Dr. Lewis addresses the cause, "unsticking" the fight-or-flight switch through a stellate ganglion block.
The stellate ganglion is a network of nerves that governs blood flow, as well as sensory processing, for the head, neck, chest and upper limbs. Using ultra-sound, Dr. Lewis injects an anaesthetic into the patient's neck to block the nerve response that is flooding the patient's system. The benefits, she said, are often immediately apparent - a sense of serenity and lack of anxiety within 5-10 minutes.
Ongoing counseling, psychotherapy and medication may be needed during the initial series of injections, but the results over time are remarkable. Almost 100% of her patients report alleviated anger, and 83% had reduced their craving for addictive substances and thus had fewer relapses into substance abuse. Patients on psychotropic medication were able to reduce their reliance on medication by 50% or more.
Dr. Lewis, her assistant, and one of her patients stayed after the meeting to answer further questions. Not only was her presentation superb, but her passion for her work and compassion for her patients was an inspiration to witness. Thanks go to Art Taft for suggesting her! Good stuff.
