PTSD Treatment Near Me: The Woodlands, TX

SGB as a PTSD Therapy: A Safe, Long term Treatment for Trauma

The Stellate Ganglion Block has been used as a safe, interventional pain treatment program since 1925. By 1946, blocking the stellate ganglion was known to positively affect mental health.

The Stellate Ganglion is a collection of nerves at the base of your neck that carries signals from the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls your “fight or flight” response to stress.

SGB treatment therapy provides rapid relief from core PTSD symptoms and can potentially reduce depressive symptoms in patients with chronic PTSD. It is most effective when used in conjunction with other PTSD treatments, like cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR and/or exposure-response trauma therapy.

At Premier Health and Wellness, we offer this treatment for effectively relieving PTSD and Anxiety symptoms. Our medical team, led by Dr. Harold Pierre, carefully designs your individualized treatment plans according to your individual needs and preferences. He applies the same protocols he uses to successfully treat combat veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms at the VA hospital in Oklahoma.

Millions of people suffer from the chronic and debilitating physical effects of PTSD. However, PTSD may stop responding to typical treatment medications, like anti-depressants, and other therapies. SGB therapy is a safe and effective treatment option for people who've gone through trauma and suffer from PTSD symptoms.

The entire treatment process occurs in a controlled medical setting and patients are continuously monitored.

Understanding SGB as a PTSD Treatment

SGB or the Stellate Ganglion Block is a well know, safe, and effective treatment for PTSD. While the process has been used for years to provide pain relief, its effectiveness in PTSD treatment has only recently been discovered. This treatment resets the brain response to pre-trauma levels.

Stellate ganglion block is an innovative anesthetic procedure that has been used for years to manage numerous chronic pain conditions, such as postherpetic neuralgia, CRPS, and phantom pain symptoms. The injection is administered into the neck to block pain signals in a grouping of nerves called the Stellate Ganglion.

The stellate ganglion is also connected to brain regions that researchers think are unusually activated in PTSD, such as the amygdala. As such, SGB therapy has more recently been explored as a potential treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recent studies have looked at brain imaging before and after SGB therapy treatments and provide promising evidence on the treatment’s efficacy when dealing with PTSD symptoms.

The rationale behind SGB therapy is that since the nerves help control your brain's flight or fight response, blocking them temporarily blocks this response. The treatment, therefore,  offers long-term relief from PTSD symptoms. After they go through this therapy, most trauma patients experience positive results for up to six months, with little to no side effects.

At Premier Health & Wellness, the entire treatment process occurs in a controlled medical setting, and patients are continuously monitored. We use ultrasound guidance to locate the sympathetic chain of nerves, and a local anesthetic is injected along this chain of nerves. This technique makes the entire SGB therapy process safe and accurate. Some patients experience immediate relief. To learn more about this revolutionary PTSD management option, call Premier Health & Wellness, The Woodlands, Texas, or make an appointment online today.

The SGB Treatment Procedure

The stellate ganglion block is a treatment procedure that demands trained physicians for safe administration. A nurse is also required to help position the patient during the injection. Before performing the SBG injection therapy, the physician may inject a local anesthetic into your neck area.

When the neck muscles lose some sensitivity, the doctor then injects the SGB treatment via a needle into the neck. To accurately guide the needle and locate the ideal injection site, the doctor uses ultrasound or X-ray equipment.

The entire office visit takes around an hour, but the actual, minimally invasive treatment procedure is much shorter. To start with, only one treatment is necessary. Many trauma patients feel the full effect of the treatment in less than 20 minutes, experiencing instant relief from their symptoms. The anesthetic may linger for a few hours, but the SGB treatment's long-term effects usually last for several weeks or even longer.

Some patients may encounter events that re-trigger their PTSD symptoms and require another treatment. In such cases, the treatment can safely be repeated if it was helpful the first time.

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

PTSD is the acronym for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder that starts after exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or violence. PTSD affects over 8 million men and women's mental health in the United States every year.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Causes & Symptoms

Common events that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder include physical or sexual assault, car accidents, combat experience, domestic abuse, witnessing death or acts of violence, natural disasters, or complications with childbirth, such as losing a child.

When a person goes through trauma, their fight or flight response is usually triggered. It's normal to feel terrified, angry, nervous, guilty, ashamed, and other negative emotions after going through a traumatic experience. But when you fail to process the traumatic experience and emotions that come with it, your brain can sporadically return to that fight or flight state, which can re-trigger the negative emotions experienced during the traumatic event, hence the name Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD for short.

A person suffering from PTSD may experience disturbed sleep, depression, avoidance, altered mood, and recurrent, intrusive, distressing memories of the traumatic event(s).

You may also become extremely edgy or irritable and overly avoid people, places, or activities that may remind you of the traumatic event. Other symptoms of PTSD may also include feeling guilty or hopeless, becoming easily startled, no longer enjoying activities you once loved, and generally detaching yourself from society.

To try and “fix themselves”, people who've experienced some sort of trauma and suffer from PTSD, may turn to substances, such as drugs or alcohol, as a way to cope. However, most times this route ends in a downward spiral of substance abuse, that leads to addiction, depression, and mental health challenges.

PTSD can happen to anyone and is often the result of traumatic experiences outside of your control. If you have distressing thoughts or feelings after a traumatic event that fail to resolve themselves naturally, there is a good chance you have PTSD. First, complete the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) to score the severity of your symptoms. Second, watch the 60 Minutes episode on PTSD and the SGB treatment. Third, contact us, we would love to discuss developing an individual treatment care plan designed for you.

How is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treated?

The conventional treatment for PTSD is done by using a combination of behavioral health therapy programs and medication. Since many patients say "I can’t find a therapist near me", online therapy programs are often a convenient avenue to receive counseling and other treatments. PTSD therapy and online counseling can help some trauma patients, but the symptoms don’t always go away after a person goes through counseling.

Many patients also find the traditional PTSD treatment medication unpalatable. Some trauma patients may have to take up to four psychoactive drugs at a time, which carries the risk of addiction and other mental health side effects. Most of these drugs have an efficacy rate of up to 30% over the long term, which means their benefits don't always outweigh the risks they bring.

Contact Premier Health & Wellness the Woodlands

If you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD, it's important to explore mental health care options and PTSD treatment programs, as. PTSD reduces the quality of life. It can prevent its sufferers from accomplishing their everyday responsibilities.

Our center in Texas works with you to develop your own personalized recovery plan. Our trained staff is available to help find the most effective treatment options to help you or your loved one find relief.

Contact us today.