Armed Forces News

Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) will soon get help from two new treatments, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced earlier this month.

Veterans with mild TBI would receive LED (light-emitting diode) therapy, which entails placing an LED device on the head and inside the nose. Studies conducted at VA’s Jamaica Plain facility in Boston have shown that the treatment could help improve brain function, to include attention, memory, emotions and sleep. Veterans could receive the treatment either at VA facilities or in their homes.
Those who suffer from PTSD would be eligible for a procedure called stellate ganglion block (SGB). Administered by injection, SGB could help curtail anxiety or the feeling of always being on alert. It has been used effectively at VA’s Long Beach, Calif., Medical Center.