Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a terrifying event or ordeal. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. Members of the U.S. military are experiencing PTSD at unprecedented levels. In fact, a study in the June 2010 Archives of General Psychiatry estimated that as many as 17% of U.S. veterans, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, have PTSD. PTSD symptoms can be extremely disruptive to daily life and can include depression, anger, persistent frightening thoughts and memories, sleep problems and a feeling of numbness or detachment. Now, the U.S. military is effectively treating PTSD with alternative therapies.

In an effort to find new ways to effectively fight PTSD, the U.S. Department of Defense is employing counseling programs and is exploring alternative treatments, including acupuncture. Innovative PTSD programs launched at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas in 2007 are believed to be the first comprehensive efforts of their kind in the military – importantly, they combine alternative therapies and traditional treatments for soldiers with PTSD. These programs have set a stellar example and today there are more than 15 programs up-and-running across all branches of the military for soldiers with PTSD. The Department of Defense has said that early results from these programs have been extremely positive.

These positive results build upon recent research that shows the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating PTSD. A study published in June 2007 in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease showed that acupuncture “provided large treatment effects for PTSD” similar to those seen after counseling and therapy. The study also showed that acupuncture was able to reduce PTSD symptoms, while also continuing to reduce those symptoms even three months after treatment ended. Department of Defense officials have talked about the success and promise of these programs and acupuncture specialists have weighed in on how and why acupuncture may be so effective in treating PTSD.

Because Oriental Medicine and acupuncture aim to heal the whole person rather than individual symptoms, it may be an especially valuable tool for treating PTSD, which is an anxiety disorder that affects each person in different, personal ways. For example, acupuncture is calming to the nervous system, which can be extremely shaken and traumatized by the events that caused PTSD. Through its experience to-date, the U.S. military is learning to focus on the soothing treatment of acupuncture to settle the nervous system. Oriental Medicine may become a more often used treatment for soldiers and civilians suffering from PTSD.

Sources: Archives of General Psychiatry, http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/co… U.S. Army, http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/07/1… Austin American Statesman, http://www.statesman.com/news/local… Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/e…

Acupuncture is specifically noted for its use in pain relief, regulating the immune system, managing symptoms and improving quality of life. What Causes Autoimmune Disease? Under normal conditions, an immune response cannot be triggered against the cells of one’s own body. In certain cases, however, immune cells make a mistake and attack the very cells that they are meant to protect. This can lead to a variety of autoimmune diseases.

They encompass a broad category of over 100 diseases in which the person’s immune system attacks his or her own tissue. The exact mechanisms causing these changes are not completely understood, but bacteria, viruses, toxins, and some drugs may play a role in triggering an autoimmune process in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition to develop such a disorder.

It is theorized that the inflammation initiated by these agents, toxic or infectious, somehow provokes in the body a “sensitization” (autoimmune reaction) in the involved tissues. As the disease develops vague symptoms start to appear, such as joint and muscle pain, general muscle weakness, possible rashes or low-grade fever, trouble concentrating, or weight loss. The following symptoms may point toward something being wrong: numbness and tingling in hands and feet, dry eyes, hair loss, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, or repeated miscarriages can also be caused by an autoimmune response.

How Acupuncture Treats Autoimmune Disorders According to Oriental medicine, autoimmune disorders occur when there is imbalance within the body. Imbalance can come from an excess or deficiency of yin and yang that disrupts the flow of qi, or vital energy, through the body. Acupuncture is used to help the body restore balance, treating the root of the disorder, while specifically addressing the symptoms that are unique to each individual.

Clinical research has shown that acupuncture causes physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure, body temperature and the immune system. In addition to acupuncture, your treatment program to manage your autoimmune disorder may involve a combination of therapies including stress reducing exercises, moderate physical activity, herbal medicine, nutritional support and bodywork.