Rep.: VA Must Speed up PTSD Research

The chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday asked Pentagon and VA officials why they have been slow to try out alternative treatments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. Although he used humor at times, Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., pushed for answers after a roundtable discussion that included testimony from a wide range of experts and researchers into PTSD and TBI.

The therapies discussed included hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the use of dogs to alert vets of PTSD symptoms, and injections of a local anesthetic. In some cases, veterans responded to the therapies very quickly and with no side effects, according to the doctors and therapists who made their cases. Regardless, some claimed that Defense Department and the VA health officials have shown reluctance to explore the therapies.

Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Robinson, senior executive for psychological health for the DoD's Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence, took exception to the notion of agency reluctance and told the group that military and VA officials are serious about finding treatments for PTSD and TBI.
 
"We do have a sense of urgency, and we really are trying to find solutions to a lot of these problems. And they're very complex and very challenging," Robinson said, noting they balance the sense of urgency with making sure they provide the best care to the servicemembers and their families.

The written testimony Robinson submitted to the committee claims that some of the same therapies being pitched by witnesses to the roundtable are on the TBI center's agenda.  These include studies on the effects of Omega 3, the fatty acids found in fish, on the brain. Research has indicated Omega 3 may protect and help heal injuries to the brain. The center also plans a study on the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

But Dr. Paul Harch of the International Hyperbaric Medical Association said hyperbaric treatments won't happen anytime soon.  The VA's planned "fast-tracked" study will take up to three years to complete because of the way it structures and approves the tests, he said.

Another alternative therapy paired vets with PTSD to dogs trained to pick up signals given when a symptom manifests itself. Craig Love, a psychologist and senior study director for Westat, a governmental research service, said dogs can become attuned to human chemical changes. Some vets who have been paired with canines have dubbed them "suicide prevention dogs," Love said, adding that about 42 percent of vets with the dogs have been able to reduce their medications.

Dr. Eugene Lipov, medical director for Advance Pain Centers, claimed successes using Bupivacaine, a local anesthetic. The drug, administered since 1925, has been typically used as an epidural anesthetic during childbirth and appears to calm the overactive part of the brain in people with PTSD.

Filner praised the group roundtable as a demonstration that the VA and DoD are embracing  innovation in treatment of PTSD and TBI, but went on to say that the organizations need to keep pushing the boundaries to get vets treated as soon as possible.

"VA is not always noted for its quick and open acceptance of technologies," Filner said. "I have not facetiously suggested to [VA Secretary Eric Shinseki] that he open up an office someplace in the bureaucracy called the Office of Revolution, where there is a way quickly to come to grips with some of the technologies … and get them widely disbursed."