Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

According to the PTSD United, 70% of adults in the United States experience some type of traumatic event in their lives. Of those, 20 will go on to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That comes out to roughly 44.7 million people in the US suffering from PTSD. Unfortunately, a great many of these cases have proven treatment-resistant, even after multiple attempts and several different antidepressants.

Ketamine is an exciting new avenue for those seeking treatment.  It provides relief from symptoms of depression that can be felt within hours, unlike standard antidepressant medications that often take four to six weeks to take hold.  In people with PTSD, ketamine is especially helpful in reducing suicidal thoughts, negative feelings about yourself and others, feeling distant from others, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy.  

SGB, or Stellate Ganglion Block, is a medical procedure, done in the office, that shuts off overactive the fight-or-flight system in PTSD patients.   They feel a sense of calm, as their anxiety melts away, often within minutes.   Studies show SGB helps all the symptom clusters in PTSD, but may be especially good at lowering hyper-arousal symptoms like feeling jumpy, easily startled, and irritable.  Our SGB patients often see markedly improved sleep after the blocks.