PTSD and the American Legion Continued... the Body's Own PTSD Medicine: Anandamide

Exploring some of the working ideas to treat America's war veterans.

Anandamide neurotransmitter. Courtesy: sciencephoto.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Last month, I wrote PTSD and the American Legion, about an excellent article published in the American Legion magazine Sept. issue titled: 'The War Within: the Battle against PTSD.' I have waited with baited breath for the sequel in the October issue. Ken Olsen, who wrote the first part, was essentially "spot on" but I have serious reservations about the sequel by Steve Brooks, who has tossed in some rather arguable therapies.

He starts out with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for both PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury or shell shock). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is by definition: the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure. It is most commonly used for altitude sickness from lower percentages of oxygen in the air.

This is probably appropriate for TBI in which case the traumatic shock of close by explosions rattle the brain and damage small blood vessels so that the brain nervous tissue does not get adequate oxygenation from the blood which may act like being punch drunk or old age dementia, in which TBI victims do not think normally.

They advocate for this type of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is Dr. Paul Harch, in New Orleans. If restoring oxygen to the brain nerve tissue by overcoming blood vessel damage/constriction works, which it seems to in his cases, this is a good sign for TBI victims. (Whether the same conditions are positive for PTSD is problematical. What is troubling is Dr. Harch's requirement for 40 one-hour sessions costing about $200 each*.

The PTSD/TBI patient was injured by an IED explosion under his tractor/trailer in Iraq. He almost certainly has both PTSD and TBI and their symptoms do overlap.

Another PTSD treatment mentioned was cognitive therapy advocated by Dr. Wayne Gordon, Professor of Rehabilitation in Medicine and Psychology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. His treatment for TBI involves teaching basic skills such as attention, memory and processing speed, which is followed by training the more complex skills such as socialization, of getting along with people, and the world in general.

Brain injuries characteristically, take a long time to recover. Dr. Gordon states the treatment may require daily sessions for three to six months which would cost a lot of money. Dr. Gordon admits this is the only possible treatment and that "brain injury can not be treated with a pill".

The author of this article reported that the patient concerned, Tim Heckler, was treated with anti-depressants which he said made things worse and worse, which the American Legion magazine has also published. Tim Heckler and his wife and daughter, all say that the hyperbaric oxygen therapy works. He goes to New Orleans twice a year now and is down to only seven treatments and by and large he is acting normally, this is great news.

One of the greatest surprises of this article was the advocation of martial arts workouts with Marine Lt. Lee Stuckey, as a method of getting 'PTS' sufferers out of their problems. This therapy is called Muay Thai (Thai boxing) which is a combination of Yoga, meditation and martial arts. I would guess that strenuous martial arts like strong physical work, would aid a person to sleep well which, with the typical nightmares, is a real problem. I recommend vigorous physical activity no matter what it is! It does NOT seem to be part of VA therapy. I don't believe many VA facilities have gyms available for this type of therapy.

Another post traumatic stress veteran, former Army Sergeant Todd Vance, found that heavy construction work and vigorous physical activity, helped. He equated it with the adrenaline responses of combat but it was/is also related to anandamide by the same activity. Anandamide is another of the body's stress hormones, it is actually the body's own form of marijuana. Also involved are endorphins, and enkephlins, which are the body's own form of morphine.

This information has been derived from the article in American Legion magazine by former Army Lt. Col. Kelly Krigger, author of three books on mixed martial arts.

* We apologize for previously misstating this number. The figure of $200 was mistakenly listed as $2,000, this was an error on our part.

Dr. Phillip Leveque has degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and minors in physiology and biochemistry. He was a Professor of Pharmacology, employed by the University of London for 2 years, during which time he trained the first doctors in Tanzania. After training doctors, he became an Osteopathic Physician, as well as a Forensic Toxicologist. Before any of that, Phil Leveque was a Combat Infantryman in the U.S. Army in WWII. He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder more than 60 years after the war, and specialized in treating Veterans with PTSD during his years as a doctor in Molalla, Oregon. Do you have a question, comment or story to share with Dr. Leveque?
Email him: ASK DR. LEVEQUE

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole". Order the book by mail by following this link: DOGFACE SOLDIER OF WWII If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.