In Honor of My Father Who Served Our Country

Thank you for your service!
Please keep our Active Military, our Veterans 

and their families in your prayers.

The sacrifices that are made by the men and women who serve in our military are beyond what most of us can truly imagine. I take this service and the sacrifices it requires, personally. I'm grateful for the sacrifices made by America's Veterans to preserve and defend the Constitution of The United States of America.

My Dad never spoke of his service in the Army Air Corps during WWII, or the Commendation he earned but never claimed. Knowing the kind of man he was, I know he would have not thought it would have been fitting for him to do so. What is amazing to me is, he did not tell any of us. It was only brought to light by my brother Mark, who was interviewing him in order to help him finish his autobiography. My Dad had been writing his story down for a few years because I had asked him to; and he was unable to finish it on his own. My Dad had a stroke three years before he died, and was not able to write and spoke with great difficulty. When I first asked him to write his story, he seemed to think my request odd. He was, in reality, a humble man who did not think he had lived anything but an ordinary life.

When I reflect on it, his failure to share this part of his life with his family actually makes total sense; given the man I know him to have been. The fact that he had performed his duty heroically; was not something to boast about. To him it was what it was; a responsibility that he met successfully, by the Grace of God. My father was formally recognized six months before he died in 2004 for his Distinguished Service to Our Country. It was to me official recognition that my Dad, who by then was laid low by age and infirmity, was the hero he always had been to me and my boys. The look on his face to find that his efforts for all of us were thought so highly of, is one of my greatest treasures.

The last time I held my Dad's hand, I remember thinking, "How lucky I am, he's my Dad." I told him, "I love you Dad," and watched him struggle to speak when he said he loved me too. In that moment, it was easy to remember the feeling I had when I was a little girl; when I knew for certain, my Dad is the strongest man alive. He was a man who did great things; and somehow I knew then as I know now, my Dad was the strongest man, in every way that matters.

My eldest son, Nathan, told me the other night that he asked his Grandpa what it was like to have been be at Normandy. Nathan recalled with such pride in his voice, "I'll never forget, Kenneth George Murphy said, 'It smelled like gunpowder, and that's all you need to know'"

Sustineo Alas
I sustain the wings 

Bible verse for my given name

first posted for Veterans Day  2010
Military Wallet 2013 Deals for Veterans

Thank You Sgt. Banks.

The human cost of well-organized crime

The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – Tony’s Story – 03/06/13

This is the most difficult and most heartfelt radio interview I have ever conducted. I talk with the surviving wife and the surviving mother of Tony Orban, an outstanding soldier and police officer driven to tragic violence and then to suicide by the antidepressant Zoloft (sertraline). As Tony’s medical expert I grew to know and to care about him and his family. A poignant reminder of the human cost of violence induced by psychiatric drugs.

The Dr. Peter Breggin Hour – Tony’s Story – 03/06/13
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution





via Ann Blake-Tracy's website SSRI Stories:

Police: Officer showed anger, boredom during alleged rape

Summary:

Paragraph 21 reads:  "Orban also told police that he had taken two anti-depressants that morning, Zoloft and Neurontin, before spending the hours leading up to attack drinking beer and margaritas with his old friend, Jelinek."

SSRI Stories Note:  The Physicians Desk Reference states: antidepressants can cause a craving for alcohol and alcohol abuse.  Also, the liver cannot metabolize the antidepressant and the alcohol simultaneously,  thus leading to higher levels of both alcohol and the antidepressant in the human body. Also, the mania caused by the Zoloft can result in violence and hostility. 

Soldier Cases this is just a fraction of them...
Suicide SSRIs 2008-05-05 Iraq/U.S.A. ++Soldiers Have More Post War SuicidesThan Combat Deaths in Iraq & Afghanistan
Crime Against Humanity Chantix 2008-06-17 U.S.A. ++Soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Recruited to Test Drug the FDA Says Causes Suicide
Suicides Not Mentioned 2010-04-04 Iraq/Afghan/U.S.A. ++Soldiers: Suicides Among 20 to 24 Year Olds: 4 Times the Average: FDA Black Box For Suicidality
Ineffective SSRIs & Atypical Antipsychotic As Add-On 2011-08-30 Global ++Soldiers: 89% of Soldiers with PTSD are Taking SSRIs: Add-On of Atypical A/P Ineffective
Mania, Suicide & Violence SSRIs & SNRIs 2010-02-25 Iraq/Afghan/U.S.A. ++Soldiers: Veteran's Govt. Meeting: More Soldiers Kill Themselves Than Killed in Combat
Murder Med For Depression 2009-07-28 Iraq/Texas +Soldier Kills 5 at Baghdad Psychiatric Center on May 11th, 2009
Murder-Suicide Antidepressant 2010-08-19 Iraq/Wisconsin +Soldier, Served in Iraq: Now With National Guard Kills Wife, Child & Self: On A/D's For Two Weeks
Death Paxil/Seroquel & Benzo 2008-06-08 U.S.A. +Soldiers [Twelve] Die in Sleep from PTSD Meds As Uncovered by the Father of One of the Soldiers
Suicides SSRIs 2010-02-24 Iraq/Afghan/U.S.A. +Soldiers: Dept. of Defense Studying Link Between High Suicide Rate Among Vets & Medications
Murder Med for Depression 1999-09-03 Kentucky Soldier Accused of Beating Fellow Soldier
Murder Attempt Antidepressant & 14 Other Meds for PTSD 2010-04-27 Iraq/Nevada Soldier Ambushes Deputy

via Salem-News.com:

Jun-07-2008 15:50

Dr. Phil Leveque 

The VA is more dangerous than a battle in Iraq.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - It appears that battle veterans are getting it in the neck again (I'm saying this because this is a family Website).

Around June 1st 2008, The Charleston North Carolina, Gazette newspaper reported four battle veterans with PTSD dying from prescriptions given them by VA clinics. The medications wrere Paxil, Klonopin and Seroquel.

The father of one of the victims, Stan White, researched this and found eight more dead victims in the Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia area. This doesn't seem to bother the VA but we/somebody should question on what is going on. As a physician/pharmacist and victim of VA hospital medical abuse, I think I know what is causing these deaths and I believe these reports are the "tip of the iceberg". Whoever is "taking care" of these battle veterans and I believe it is psychologists or social workers rather than physician/psychiatrists.

Therein lies the problem. A medical adage is, if one pill doesn't work, take two and if that still doesn't work take more ir add a similar medication. This is standard operating procedure (SOP) in the VA rather than good medical care. The combination can be/is lethal.

The deaths of those 12 veterans should be a red flag of danger but I suspect VA psychologists are color blind also.

The article in the newspaper brought about 17 letters to the editor which indicate the readers know more than the VA caretakers.

one writer wrote "Seroquel turns one into a zombie". A physician, Dr. Ann Blake Tracy wrote "two of this type of drug should never be given together." She questions the rationale of the "doctors".

Another mother wrote of her son's death from Zyprexa v which is in the same family.

Another wrote of the recent article that anti-depressants don't work. Another relates the same of Progentin which was pulled from use.

It is time for a real evaluation of VA treatment for PTSD battle veterans. Although they represent less than one percent of the population, they produce 20 percent of the deaths by suicide- multiple tragedies.

Yes, treatment by the VA is far more dangerous than combat in Baghdad. Hoorah and blessings to my brothers in the Infantry.

As a final statement, my 400+ Vietnam Veterans say marijuana works better (and safer) than ANY of the above drugs. 

                                                   

Got a question or comment for Dr. Leveque?

Email him: Newsroom@Salem-News.com

More information on the history of Leveque can be found in his book,General Patton's Dogface Soldier of Phil Leveque about his experiences in WWII.Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier.

If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.

hat tip: Ginger Breggin

Dr. Breggin says: This is the most difficult and most heartfelt radio interview I have ever conducted. I talk... fb.me/2Y0bWroUs
— Ginger Breggin (@GingerBreggin) March 6, 2013

Suicide triggers lawsuit against Veterans Administration

Kelli Marie Grese

via Air Force Times:
Sister’s suicide triggers lawsuit against VA

By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Dec 6, 2012 18:38:38 EST

a few excerpts:

On Veterans Day 2010, former Navy corpsman Kelli Marie Grese, 37, swallowed an unknown quantity of the antipsychotic Seroquel — her fourth suicide attempt in eight months using the same drug.

That time, she succeeded. She never regained consciousness.

Her death is the subject of a $5 million lawsuit filed against the Veterans Affairs Department in the U.S. District Court in Newport News, Va., alleging VA physicians failed to monitor her medications and prescribed them excessively.

Her twin sister, Darla Grese, also a former Navy corpsman, filed the suit, saying physicians at Hampton VA Medical Center, Va., ignored her pleas to quit doling out prescriptions to her sister, a known addict deemed at “moderate risk for suicide.”

“I’m hoping better attention will be placed on how many pills are being written and quantities,” said Darla Grese.

Darla Grese said she filed the lawsuit because she would like to see VA doctors communicate better and pay closer attention to their own patients’ records.

“I don’t understand how a physician can write a prescription for 450 pills and two months later write another prescription for 450,” she said. “Something’s broken. The system is broken.”

Sister’s suicide triggers lawsuit against VA - Air Force News 

hat tip: Carl Elliot

The Military Wallet 2012 Veterans Day Free Meals and Discounts

The Boys of Iwo Jima

via The Military Wallet:

2012 Veterans Day Free Meals and Discounts

Note: We are in the process of tracking down all the 2012 Veterans Day discounts. Check back frequently for updates!

Veterans Day is soon approaching and there are many restaurants and companies who want to thank our veterans by providing them with discounts or a free meal. To those companies offering veterans a free meal or discount, the military community gives a collective thanks!

Two notes before jumping in:

• Proof of Military Service. Most companies require some form of military ID. These include: a Military ID Card (active/reserve/retired), Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), Drivers License with Veterans Designation, Photograph in uniform, be wearing uniform (if your service permits), Veterans Organization Card (e.g., American Legion and VFW), DD214, discharge paperwork, or other form of identification. Other restaurants and companies may go by the honor system.
• Participation. Second, always call ahead to verify locations, times, and participation. Many of the listed companies are franchises and may have different policies. We will do our best to keep this page updated as we find new info.

2012 Veterans Day Free Meals and Discounts


hat tip: Susan Schechter

The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program

 

via Mindhacks Blog: 

Wishful resilience

a few excerpts:

"The New York Times has an extended article that uncritically dicusses a $125 million US Military programme currently designed to increase resilience against mental illness." 

"If you were going to base your program on a psychometric assessment, most importantly, you would want to know that your assessment predicted problems or coping in particular soldiers.

"For example, if a particular soldier had a low score on, let’s say, the emotional fitness part of the scale, it would be important to know that tells us about what sort of problems the soldier is likely to have in real life and during his or her service.

"You would also want to know that the assessment told us about the likelihood of the solider getting mental illness. It makes sense, right? If you’ve designed a programme intended to prevent mental illness based on an assessment, the assessment should tell us which soldiers are at higher risk for psychiatric difficulties so we can help with skills and abilities to mitigate that risk.

"In psychological jargon, this is known as predictive validity and it can be tested statistically.

"It is not known whether the Global Assessment Tool does actually predicts anything useful about US soldiers’ problems because this was never tested." (emphasis mine) read here

Reading the article in the New York Times, I was stunned to read,  "A core principle of the program is seeing an event as neutral, neither bad nor good, and focusing instead on your reaction to the event."   I have read about sociopaths who have described using very similar cognitive behavioral techniques when committing crimes.  

via the Comprehensive Soldier & Family Fitness website: 

What is Comprehensive Soldier Fitness?

A structured, long term assessment and development program to build the resilience and enhance the performance of every Soldier, Family member and DA civilian.

Sounds good, but what does that actually mean?  Well it means the largest ever psychology research project is now underway, according to American Psychological Association.

via The Society for Humanistic Psychology 

DIVISION 32 OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION:

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2011

The Dark Side of "Comprehensive Soldier Fitness"

an excerpt:

"Although its advocates prefer to describe Comprehensive Soldier Fitness as a training program, it is indisputably a research project of enormous size and scope, one in which a million soldiers are required to participate. Reivich, Seligman, and McBride write in one of the special issue articles, "We hypothesize that these skills will enhance soldiers' ability to handle adversity, prevent depression and anxiety, prevent PTSD, and enhance overall well-being and performance" (p. 26, emphasis added). This is the very core of the entire CSF program, yet it is merely a hypothesis -- a tentative explanation or prediction that can only be confirmed through further research."

"There seems to be reluctance and inconsistency among the CSF promoters in acknowledging that CSF is "research" and therefore should entail certain protections routinely granted to those who participate in research studies. Seligman explained to the APA's Monitor on Psychology, "This is the largest study -- 1.1 million soldiers -- psychology has ever been involved in" (a "study" is a common synonym for "research project"). But when asked during an NPR interview whether CSF would be "the largest-ever experiment," Brig. Gen. Cornum, who oversees the program, responded, "Well, we're not describing it as an experiment. We're describing it as training." Despite the fact that CSF is incontrovertibly a research study, standard and important questions about experimental interventions like CSF are neither asked nor answered in the special issue. This neglect is all the more troubling given that the program is so massive and expensive, and the stakes are so high." read here

NOW this puts the Champions of Change award ceremony or whatever that whole production was, into perspective for me:  It was an effort to pretty something up and sell it for something it is not; effectively make it more than what it actually is---just another massive research project being called 'training.'  NOT NICE, (or ethical) AT ALL...

America's Veterans Are Having Second Amendment Rights Violated

A well regulated militia being necessaary to the security of a free state,

the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

text of the Second Amendment

via CBS News Investigates:
December 7, 2011 1:44 PM

Documents: ATF used "Fast and Furious" to make the case for gun regulations

By

Sharyl Attkisson

Topics

News ,

Law and Order

(Credit: CBS)

Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation "Fast and Furious" to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.

PICTURES: ATF "Gunwalking" scandal timeline

In Fast and Furious, ATF secretly encouraged gun dealers to sell to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels to go after the "big fish." But ATF whistleblowers told CBS News and Congress it was a dangerous practice called "gunwalking," and it put thousands of weapons on the street. Many were used in violent crimes in Mexico. Two were found at the murder scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

ATF officials didn't intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting Mexican cartels obtain the weapons, but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called "Demand Letter 3". That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or "long guns." Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information.

On July 14, 2010 after ATF headquarters in Washington D.C. received an update on Fast and Furious, ATF Field Ops Assistant Director Mark Chait emailed Bill Newell, ATF's Phoenix Special Agent in Charge of Fast and Furious: read here

via the New York Post: 
January 22, 2012 By LARRY CELONA

Arrested guy’s the real SEAL

His story about being a Navy SEAL wasn’t so fishy after all.

The Virginia man arrested for gun possession in Manhattan Thursday and thrown in a psych ward when he claimed to be a member of the elite military unit but couldn’t provide proof was telling the truth, The Post has learned.

Shaun Day, 29, was on a two-week leave when cops harpooned him for running a red light at 12:30 a.m. at Second Avenue and East 26th Street.

When cops searched his pickup truck, they discovered a 9mm semiautomatic and three ammunition clips.

During the arrest, Day was rambling incoherently and harped that he was a SEAL — but had no proof for cops.

He claimed he was an elite commando with “top- secret clearance,” cops said.

Sources told The Post the Navy sent staffers to talk to Day in Bellevue Hospital, where he was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

“He was released [Friday] in their care, and they were going to treat him for post-traumatic stress,” a  source said.

The charges against Day of weapons possession and a traffic violation have been deferred.

SEALs, the Navy’s Sea, Air and Land teams, are credited with killing Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May. read here

via The Blaze:

MARINES RALLYING AROUND FORMER PFC ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO CHECK GUN AT EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Buck Sexton

Ryan Jerome risked his life for his country and was honorably discharged for his service, but now New York City wants to throw him in jail for what seems to be an honest mistake.

Jerome  carried his handgun —  a.45 Ruger legally registered in Indiana — into notoriously 2nd-amendment-averse New York City. During a visit to the Empire State Building, Jerome tried to check his weapon with authorities on September 27th, and is now facing over three years in jail.

Before arriving in NYC, Jerome checked online with his phone to determine if his Indiana carry permit was reciprocal with New York, but had problems with his cell phone.

His Leatherneck brethren are outraged at what appears a heavy-handed miscarriage of justice, and they refuse to let one of their own go down without a fight.

According the the New York Post, Jerome said that “It is just overwhelming, the love and support I am receiving from my fellow Marines.” Jerome was a former private first class (PFC) who was a TOW gunner before his honorable discharge in 2005. He comes from a long line of marines — his father and grandfather both served in the Corps.

It has not been lost on the public that a man who is both highly trained with weapons, and highly trusted by Uncle Sam, would now face several years in prison for an honest mistake with absolutely no negative outcome. Nobody was injured, nothing was damaged — it does not appear that anyone at the site of the incident was even particularly alarmed.

Dave Bruce, a former Marine himself and Boston lawyer,  is putting together an online campaign through leatherneck.com that, according to the NY Post, “will send its first 14 e-mails to Kelly, Mayor Bloomberg and DA Cyrus Vance today.” There is also a Facebook group that supports Ryan Jerome’s release.

There have been a number of tourists arrested in NYC for gun possession in recent months, spurring analysts and onlookers across the country to wonder how it is possible that a city government can, in their view, so blithely abrogate the 2nd Amendment and threaten citizens with years of imprisonment. read here

via NRA-ILA

New York City gun law triggers confusion, arrests for visitors An online campaign in support of a former U.S. Marine arrested for attempting to security check his pistol while visiting the Empire State Building is bringing new attention and a fair amount of scrutiny to one of the nation's toughest gun control laws. Ryan Jerome, 28, was charged with criminal possession of his .45 caliber Ruger while visiting the famous New York landmark during a September vacation with his girlfriend. Jerome has a license to carry the weapon from his home state of Indiana, but New Yorks state gun laws do not recognize out of state permits. Read About It: CNN News Wire Posted: 1/23/2012 9:53:30 AM Note: Many news sites archive stories after a short period of time. If the link above is expired please contact the site for information about accessing this story.

Copyright 2011, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action. This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030    800-392-8683

NRA-ILA Action Center

I LOVE my Country, but it's becoming harder to recognize 

The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave...

AMERICA'S VETERANS HAVE EARNED MORE THAN OUR GRATITUDE!

It was announced that returning Veterans will no longer need to document the specific event which traumatized them, and caused them to experience symptoms of PTSD.  This is definitely a start in the right direction to helping returning troops in adjusting to returning Stateside.  Eliminating some of the red tape they have to deal with will be a welcome relief; and will enable veterans to focus on their health, and their families.  It will hopefully enable them to quickly access whatever help they need to recover from their injuries.  Trauma induced injuries are a natural response to traumatic experiences; which can have a devastating impact on a person's overall health long-term, if not swiftly and effectively treated.  PTSD is a never a sign of weakness; it is simply evidence of one's humanity---like bleeding when cut open. 

I have had a link to the International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation (Real hope for Veterans) for quite some time in the Veteran's page here on Involuntary Transformation, this type of treatment is known to assist in the recovery from PTSD and TBI which are extremely devastating injuries and more unfortunately, common injuries inflicted upon soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.   I urge you to check out this site; on the main page there is a link to send and email to your State Senator and State Representatives asking that they support this legislation.  I pray you will find this cause worthy of your support.  Let's give our returning Veterans a fighting chance for a full recovery from the invisible injuries of TBI and PTSD!  These injuries are devastating and can prevent their successful return to civilian life; or a continued career serving in the United States Military.

AMERICA'S VETERANS HAVE EARNED MORE THAN OUR GRATITUDE!

an excerpt:

"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been requested for veterans by Commanders and Veterans Service organizations alike. General Conway, when Commandant of the Marine Corps, reported to the House Armed Services Committee about sending some of his most injured Marines to Dr. Harch in New Orleans to receive Hyperbaric treatment. General Chandler, as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force requested Chairman Levin provide hyperbaric treatments to his Airmen in the SASC hearing on Suicide in 2010, and Chairman Levin agreed. The American Legion asked for this treatment in their Senate testimony last year. The TBI Treatment Act is the only provision in the Senate Armed Services bill that will permit the Chairman to keep his pledge to General Chandler, and does so in real time."

via Alliance for Natural Health:

New Study Reaffirms: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Should Be Standard Treatment for Veterans

December 6, 2011

So why does the government keep blocking its use?

Research from health pioneer (and former ANH-USA board member) Dr. Paul G. Harch published in the Journal of Neurotrauma indicates that hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, is able to dramatically help veterans with post-concussion syndrome (a form of traumatic brain injury) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Harch is an associate clinical professor of medicine at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

Since January 2007, ANH-USA has been bringing attention to a project to have veterans treated with HBOT. In HBOT, the patient is put in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which saturates the tissues with twelve times more oxygen than can be absorbed by breathing. This greatly enhances the body’s own healing process.

Under normal circumstances, oxygen is transported throughout the body only by red blood cells. With HBOT, oxygen is dissolved into all of the body’s fluids, the plasma, the central nervous system fluids, the lymph, and the bone, and can be carried to areas where circulation is diminished or blocked. In this way, extra oxygen can reach all of the damaged tissues and the body can support its own healing process. The increased oxygen greatly enhances the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria, reduces swelling, and allows new blood vessels to grow more rapidly into the affected areas. It is a simple, non-invasive, and painless treatment.

According to Dr. Harch’s new study, even three years after the vets sustained brain injury, one month of HBOT was able to induce improvements in brain blood flow, cognition, symptoms, and quality of life, while the veterans experienced fewer suicidal thoughts.

Specifically, improvements were seen in 92% of vets experiencing short-term memory problems, 87% of those complaining of headaches, 93% of those with cognitive deficits, 75% with sleep disruption, and 93% with depression. There were also improvements in irritability, mood swings, impulsivity, balance, motor function, IQ, and blood flow in the brain, as well as the reduction in PTSD symptoms and suicidal thoughts. And there was a reduction in—or complete elimination of—psychoactive and narcotic prescription medication usage in 64% of those previously prescribed the medication.

One major problem is that the HBOT treatment is currently “off-label.” In other words, it is an FDA-approved treatment for some conditions—but not for traumatic brain injury (TBI) or PTSD. Because of this, the Department of Defense does not allow HBOT to be prescribed for its veterans—they say they don’t prescribe off-label medications and treatments for these diagnoses, and claim that they can only use HBOT after it has been approved by the FDA for this use.

This is a completely false and misleading statement! The Department of Defense often uses off-label antipsychotic drugs for treatment of TBI and PTSD. This should not surprise us. The FDA receives a large proportion of its budget from pharmaceutical manufacturers. And the government turns to drugs, often very inappropriate and damaging drugs, to treat damaged veterans without even considering alternatives.

Nearly 280,000 individuals received antipsychotic medication in 2007. Yet over 60% of them had no record of a diagnosis for which these drugs are approved. Antipsychotic drugs were prescribed off-label for PTSD (42% of the patients), minor depression (40%), major depression (23%), and anxiety disorder (20%)—with about 20% having more than one condition. About 20% of veterans diagnosed with PTSD—or nearly 87,000 patients—are prescribed an antipsychotic each year even though it is an off-label use.

TBI and PTSD severely and disproportionally affect military who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan—approximately 546,000 have TBI, post-concussion syndrome (PCS), and PTSD, and yet their treatment options are limited. HBOT is an effective and economical treatment for PCS and PTSD, without the very dangerous and negative side effects of antipsychotic medication.

The off-label use of HBOT is a huge freedom of choice issue in medicine. But even more important, if we really want to support our troops rather than just pay lip service, don’t we need to give them the safest, most economical, and most effective treatment for their traumatic brain injuries and PTSD?

photo credit

via PeterBreggin on youtube

Antidepressants & Suicide - Congressional Testimony Veterans' Affairs Committee

This makes me fighting mad: Military continues off-label drug use

via Broken Warriors
BY BOB BREWIN 09/28/2011

This is the fifteenth story in an ongoing series.

a few excerpts:

"The U.S Central Command continues to back the use of Seroquel, a powerful antipsychotic, to treat insomnia in troops deployed to combat zones despite an expert panel's recommendation six months ago to cease the practice. The drug, known generically as quetiapine, has been linked to adverse effects, including heart failure.

In May, the Defense Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee at its semiannual meeting said that the Food and Drug Administration had not approved any drugs in the class known as atypical antipsychotics, which includes Seroquel, for treatment of insomnia. Nonetheless, CENTCOM has approved the use of Seroquel in low, 25-milligram doses to treat sleep disorders.

In minutes of that meeting signed Aug. 5 by Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and posted to its website the same day, the committee said, "the use of low-dose AAPs [atypical antipsychotics] should be discouraged due to the lack of supportive evidence, risk of adverse events (metabolic and cardiac) and lack of monitoring (e.g. EKG) for adverse events in theater."

The Defense Health Board, a federal advisory group chartered to provide independent advice to the secretary of Defense, recommended in a draft report last month that Defense review its current guidance on the off-label or non-FDA-approved use of drugs, including Seroquel.
The pharmacy committee urged CENTCOM to use less dangerous drugs to treat insomnia. It said, "Other drug options to treat insomnia are available on the CENTCOM formulary, which have a lower risk of adverse events than the AAPs." Researchers at Vanderbilt University and the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center reported in a January 2009 New England Journal of Medicine article that patients prescribed atypical antipsychotics, including Seroquel, had a significantly higher risk of sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias and other cardiac causes than patients who did not take these medications."

"An Army doctor who declined to be identified for publication, said he found it "quite remarkable that despite clear opposition to the continued use of the antipsychotics by [Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for] Health Affairs, and the [Pharmacy and Therapeutics] Committee, CENTCOM and the services continued to defend their use, all the while without anything but weak anecdotal evidence of efficacy."  read

hat tip:
D. Bunker at Psychiatry, It's a Killing

Bunker has a whole lot more on his site check it out!