thedrifter
03-09-09, 11:23 AM
Point of recovery
For service members suffering from PTSD, one local medical center offers free help through an ancient Chinese practice
March 8, 2009 - 4:20 PM
He felt isolated, shut down and overwhelmed.
Since he retired from the Marine Corps in 1991, Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm veteran Patrick Dalton has suffered with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, depression and degenerative disc disease.
Diagnosed with the disorder, Dalton sought medical help when the illnesses began to overwhelm him.
"I became isolated and shut down," Dalton said. "I didn't do well with other people and to take that out on someone isn't right and it's hard to readjust."
Dalton read an article about acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice that brings therapeutic relief to both physical and emotional pains, and immediately wanted to give it a try.
A year ago, he stopped by the Jacksonville Oriental Medicine Center to receive his first treatment.
He's been coming every Tuesday since.
"I've tried every other method - chiropractors, physical therapy, meds..." he said. "I'm also a drug and alcohol counselor so I didn't want to take pain medication."
Dalton rested comfortably as acupuncturist Vivian Manduca inserted a small needle into his ears.
"I got immediate relief," he said. "I do share my experiences with other people. I've referred my wife and my sister-in-law."
For the past two years, Jacksonville Oriental Medicine has offered free weekly acupuncture sessions to veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include insomnia, anxiety, lack of focus, panic attacks and flashbacks.
Manduca has been a licensed and National Board Certified acupuncturist for 10 years, and has been practicing at Jacksonville Oriental Medicine for more than two years.
She is also a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders, a non-profit community acupuncture organization based in New Mexico that has provided free alternative therapy for recovery groups, police and SWAT teams and other organizations since 2005. Their current project offers free treatments to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and past conflicts or wars.
"We were the first to responders after Hurricane Katrina and a group was sent to aid people during fires in California," Manduca said. "I thought about having free clinics for vets here, and I joined them a year ago."
Like Dalton, many veterans have tried various types of relief or therapy with no results. Manduca said that some are prescribed numerous medications to no avail.
"So many chemicals confuse the body. I have some patients who take 20 to 25 meds," Manduca said. "Acupuncture releases endorphins and balances the body, sometimes with instant results."
Veterans receive 45 minutes to 1-hour sessions. Lit candles and soft relaxing music help drown out extra stresses and worries. The walls of the therapy rooms boast rich purples and greens in an effort to help soothe patients.
"I usually schedule by the hour, and this is their time - no cell phones, nothing," Manduca said. "We tell them to breath slowly and we tell them to relax."
According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture Web site, acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is done by inserting needles at very precise acupuncture points. The World Health Organizations has recommended acupuncture for a variety of conditions, ranging from the common cold to certain forms of paralysis and stress-related disorders.
For 2,000 years, the Oriental technique has been practiced throughout Asia. In recent years, a rise in use by patients and physicians in North and South America and Europe has occurred. Acupuncture is even used on cats, dogs, horses and other animals.
"Some people have pains as a result of stress," Manduca said. "So if you treat stress then you treat the pains."
People experience acupuncture in different ways. Most patients feel only minimal pain from the needle insertion while some feel no pain. Once the needles are in place no pain is felt. Acupuncture needles are stainless steel and very thin and solid. The point is smooth and insertion through the skin is not as painful as injections or blood sampling.
"I treat (PTSD) through the ears, and I use the NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) Protocol," Manduca said. "It was first used in the Bronx to detox people from drugs and alcohol, and the anxiety that it brings when controlling the addiction."
Manduca said the needles are disposable and she only inserts the tip into the outer ear.
She also offers free acupuncture sessions to the Wounded Warriors.
Master Sgt. Tom Scudder, 42, of the Wounded Warriors Battalion, has been suffering from PTSD and back and neck pains since he served in Iraq five years ago. He was referred to the clinic by the deployment health center on Camp Lejeune and has been receiving acupuncture for the past for nine months.
Manduca inserts the needle into his hand which is the pressure point that targets his neck pains.
"The first time was phenomenal, it has done wonders for a lot of aches and pains," Scudder said. "It was an amazing feeling."
For Marines who can't make it to the clinic, Manduca brings her services to them.
Along with Karen Vaughn, a licensed acupuncturist based in Wilmington, they got an approval from Lt. Col. Thomas Siebenthal, commander of Wounded Warriors Battalion East, to provide free sessions every week.
"We both go on base on Friday mornings and treat the Wounded Warriors there," Manduca said. "Some don't drive and can't get to us so we drive to them."
Scudder, who could barely turn his neck he his first acupuncture session, said he has experienced an incredible path to recovery. He feels it's definitely worth a try and frequently recommends it to other Marines.
"If they've been doing it for thousands of years, it must work," Scudder said. "I did whatever I could do to be a Marine, now I'm going to do whatever I can to get better."
Contact Aniesa Holmes at 910-219-8453 or aholmes@freedomenc.com. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment.
Ellie
For service members suffering from PTSD, one local medical center offers free help through an ancient Chinese practice
March 8, 2009 - 4:20 PM
He felt isolated, shut down and overwhelmed.
Since he retired from the Marine Corps in 1991, Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm veteran Patrick Dalton has suffered with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, depression and degenerative disc disease.
Diagnosed with the disorder, Dalton sought medical help when the illnesses began to overwhelm him.
"I became isolated and shut down," Dalton said. "I didn't do well with other people and to take that out on someone isn't right and it's hard to readjust."
Dalton read an article about acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice that brings therapeutic relief to both physical and emotional pains, and immediately wanted to give it a try.
A year ago, he stopped by the Jacksonville Oriental Medicine Center to receive his first treatment.
He's been coming every Tuesday since.
"I've tried every other method - chiropractors, physical therapy, meds..." he said. "I'm also a drug and alcohol counselor so I didn't want to take pain medication."
Dalton rested comfortably as acupuncturist Vivian Manduca inserted a small needle into his ears.
"I got immediate relief," he said. "I do share my experiences with other people. I've referred my wife and my sister-in-law."
For the past two years, Jacksonville Oriental Medicine has offered free weekly acupuncture sessions to veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include insomnia, anxiety, lack of focus, panic attacks and flashbacks.
Manduca has been a licensed and National Board Certified acupuncturist for 10 years, and has been practicing at Jacksonville Oriental Medicine for more than two years.
She is also a member of Acupuncturists Without Borders, a non-profit community acupuncture organization based in New Mexico that has provided free alternative therapy for recovery groups, police and SWAT teams and other organizations since 2005. Their current project offers free treatments to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and past conflicts or wars.
"We were the first to responders after Hurricane Katrina and a group was sent to aid people during fires in California," Manduca said. "I thought about having free clinics for vets here, and I joined them a year ago."
Like Dalton, many veterans have tried various types of relief or therapy with no results. Manduca said that some are prescribed numerous medications to no avail.
"So many chemicals confuse the body. I have some patients who take 20 to 25 meds," Manduca said. "Acupuncture releases endorphins and balances the body, sometimes with instant results."
Veterans receive 45 minutes to 1-hour sessions. Lit candles and soft relaxing music help drown out extra stresses and worries. The walls of the therapy rooms boast rich purples and greens in an effort to help soothe patients.
"I usually schedule by the hour, and this is their time - no cell phones, nothing," Manduca said. "We tell them to breath slowly and we tell them to relax."
According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture Web site, acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is done by inserting needles at very precise acupuncture points. The World Health Organizations has recommended acupuncture for a variety of conditions, ranging from the common cold to certain forms of paralysis and stress-related disorders.
For 2,000 years, the Oriental technique has been practiced throughout Asia. In recent years, a rise in use by patients and physicians in North and South America and Europe has occurred. Acupuncture is even used on cats, dogs, horses and other animals.
"Some people have pains as a result of stress," Manduca said. "So if you treat stress then you treat the pains."
People experience acupuncture in different ways. Most patients feel only minimal pain from the needle insertion while some feel no pain. Once the needles are in place no pain is felt. Acupuncture needles are stainless steel and very thin and solid. The point is smooth and insertion through the skin is not as painful as injections or blood sampling.
"I treat (PTSD) through the ears, and I use the NADA (National Acupuncture Detoxification Association) Protocol," Manduca said. "It was first used in the Bronx to detox people from drugs and alcohol, and the anxiety that it brings when controlling the addiction."
Manduca said the needles are disposable and she only inserts the tip into the outer ear.
She also offers free acupuncture sessions to the Wounded Warriors.
Master Sgt. Tom Scudder, 42, of the Wounded Warriors Battalion, has been suffering from PTSD and back and neck pains since he served in Iraq five years ago. He was referred to the clinic by the deployment health center on Camp Lejeune and has been receiving acupuncture for the past for nine months.
Manduca inserts the needle into his hand which is the pressure point that targets his neck pains.
"The first time was phenomenal, it has done wonders for a lot of aches and pains," Scudder said. "It was an amazing feeling."
For Marines who can't make it to the clinic, Manduca brings her services to them.
Along with Karen Vaughn, a licensed acupuncturist based in Wilmington, they got an approval from Lt. Col. Thomas Siebenthal, commander of Wounded Warriors Battalion East, to provide free sessions every week.
"We both go on base on Friday mornings and treat the Wounded Warriors there," Manduca said. "Some don't drive and can't get to us so we drive to them."
Scudder, who could barely turn his neck he his first acupuncture session, said he has experienced an incredible path to recovery. He feels it's definitely worth a try and frequently recommends it to other Marines.
"If they've been doing it for thousands of years, it must work," Scudder said. "I did whatever I could do to be a Marine, now I'm going to do whatever I can to get better."
Contact Aniesa Holmes at 910-219-8453 or aholmes@freedomenc.com. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment.
Ellie