How Vagus Nerve Stimulation May Offer a Way to Relieve PTSD
She became exhausted around the 40th floor, but two men helped her reach the basement. She escaped just before the tower collapsed. In the years that followed, she developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including flashbacks, depression, emotional numbness, and avoidance of triggers.
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Forbes
9 hours ago
- Forbes
Service Dog Saves Life Of Military Veteran In Heroic Fashion
A service dog for a veteran with PTSD answered the call of duty by saving his handler's life in an unexpected way. Colorado resident Hank Ford served for over 20 years in the United States Army and Marines, with numerous deployments overseas, including Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. With encouragement from his local Veterans Affairs team, he partnered with a yellow Labrador retriever named Tommy — a service dog trained by the nonprofit Dogs Inc — in 2023. 'I said, 'I want a dog that's going to get me out of bed' because I was sleeping my life away,' he said. ''Then at night, I want a dog that when it's time to chill, it's time to chill.' And that's exactly what he is.' Tommy proved a perfect match for Ford, a lifelong dog lover who'd gone into a 'really dark spot' after the death of his previous two dogs, also Labs. The outgoing Lab can apply pressure therapy whenever Ford experiences anxiety. 'If I start getting anxious, the first thing he'll do is come and he'll put his chin on my knee,' he said. 'He looks up at me and if that doesn't work, then he'll immediately go into a hug where he'll jump into my lap and give me a hug and he'll start licking me — just, 'Hey, calm down.'' Though Tommy wasn't trained to wake Ford from nightmares, he does — and puts a positive spin on every morning. 'He just kind of stands on my chest and looks at me,' he said. 'So when you open your eyes, it's immediate laughter because boom — you've got a goofy dog looking at you.' Tommy helped improve Ford's outlook so much that he even got his job back as a marshal at a golf course. Tommy rides along in the cart and is extremely popular with golfers and staff. 'Everybody loves him,' Ford said. A Life-Saving Service Dog Fortunately, Tommy loves Ford, as he proved one morning this February. Ford's wife, Mary, had already left early for her job as a nurse when Tommy started frantically trying to wake him up. 'He was jumping on me. He was barking and he never barks, ever,' he recalled. 'He was nosing me, telling me to get out of bed.' Ford guessed his dog might need to go to the bathroom and felt wobbly as he rose to open the door to let Tommy outside. 'I opened the door to let him out and he wouldn't go,' he said. 'Then he started jumping up and hitting my chest with his paws. And I'm starting to figure out that something's not right. My heartbeat just doesn't feel right.' He sat down and Tommy jumped in his lap, clearly agitated. Ford put on a blood pressure cuff and was alarmed at the results: 151 over 115, with a heartrate of 171. He drove himself to the hospital, where the staff was 'freaking out' that he drove in that state, and hospitalized him overnight. 'They tried to medicate me back into rhythm, but they couldn't. So they had to shock me back into rhythm,' he said. 'Mary brought Tommy to me at the hospital, and he laid in my lap in that bed the whole time.' Ford had suffered an episode from atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots, heart failure and stroke. The medical team credited Tommy with saving Ford's life. 'The doc said that had he not woke me up, there was a good possibility that I would've stroked out or died,' he said. 'I owe Tommy everything for that one.' Service Dogs From Dogs Inc Naturally, the team at the nonprofit that raised and trained Tommy is thrilled that he has been so pivotal in Ford's life. Dogs Inc starts training future service dogs when they're just two days old to become service dogs for veterans or guide dogs for people who are blind. Thanks to donors, the organization provides them at no cost to handlers like Ford and offers lifetime support, including free dog food and preventive veterinary care, according to Emily Dombrowski, the nonprofit's director of the service dog program. 'Every day, our team is inspired by the ways our dogs bring comfort, independence and hope, not only through the skills they have learned in their training on campus, but also through the strong relationship that develops between dog and person,' she said. 'We're always here to support our teams and hear the incredible stories, like Hank and Tommy's, of how our dogs continue making a difference throughout their lives.' Meanwhile, Ford continues to live life to the fullest with Tommy by his side. The 'huge' Green Bay Packers fan even took Tommy on a trip to visit his wife's family in Wisconsin, where they got a special 3-hour tour of Lambeau Field. 'They were unbelievable to him, the way that they treated us and him,' he said. 'It was really cool.' Ford recently underwent a cardiac ablation to help prevent future heart issues and feels 'great.' Tommy continues to enjoy naps and fetching his toys by name; the clever dog can hear cues like 'monkey,' 'turkey' or 'rooster' and return with the correct toy in his mouth for playtime. Ultimately, Ford hopes other military veterans will consider partnering with service dogs since his own experience has been lifechanging — and lifesaving. 'I've had good connections with other dogs, but nothing like this,' he said. 'It's unreal.'
Epoch Times
a day ago
- Epoch Times
How Vagus Nerve Stimulation May Offer a Way to Relieve PTSD
A 66-year-old woman was working on the 80th floor of the World Trade Center when the building was hit on Sept. 11, 2001, a clinical case report noted. Despite calming messages over the intercom, she sensed she was in danger and began running down the stairs. She became exhausted around the 40th floor, but two men helped her reach the basement. She escaped just before the tower collapsed. In the years that followed, she developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including flashbacks, depression, emotional numbness, and avoidance of triggers.
2 days ago
New York senators urge immediate action to fix the 9/11 health program as survivors face delays
Nearly 24 years after the 9/11 attacks, New York lawmakers say the health program created to care for survivors and responders is faltering and they're demanding answers. In a new letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand raised concerns about staffing shortages, frozen research grants and ongoing communication blackouts at the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which provides care to more than 140,000 people exposed to toxic dust at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. "This is unacceptable," the senators wrote. "Individuals with 9/11-related conditions should not have to rely on repeated uproars from the public and the media to obtain the care they are owed under the law and so desperately need." The senators pointed to a pattern of administrative setbacks over the past six months, including a hiring freeze, restrictions on staff travel, and the halting of key steering committee meetings. While some staff have been reinstated, they noted that the program still operates with fewer people than when Secretary Kennedy took office in February. The WTCHP was created under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to provide long-term medical monitoring and treatment to those impacted by the attacks. Last year alone, enrollment grew by 10,000 people and at least that many more are expected to enroll in the coming year, according to Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act, an advocacy group for 9/11 responders and survivors. But with only 80 staff members currently supporting the program -- down from the authorized level of 138 -- advocates say delays in care and treatment approvals are growing worse. "I have always fought to keep the funding and maintaining of the World Trade Center Health Program a bipartisan cause, and while I continue to look for a Republican partner in the Senate, I am proud of the strong partnership I have with Representative Garbarino and his House Republican colleagues," Senator Gillibrand said in a statement to ABC News. She added, "Right now, the main issue is the care of the responders and survivors who put their lives on the line when our nation was in its darkest hour. We are seeing deep logistical issues in the program that Secretary Kennedy must address. The ball is in his court for how we can best assess next steps so that responders and survivors continue to receive the lifesaving care that this program provides and that they deserve." One critical concern the letter points to is the lack of communication. The senators say in the letter that an ongoing "temporary" communications ban, which is now in its eighth month, has disrupted routine meetings and cut off vital feedback from the 9/11 community. The senators say program staff are also barred from traveling to monitor clinics and contractors, which lawmakers warn could result in billing delays and lapses in care. Also on pause is the petition process that allows for the consideration of adding new illnesses to the list of covered 9/11-related health problems, including cardiac and autoimmune condition, according to the senator's letter. The program had promised decisions by March, but none have been announced. The senators also questioned how a planned reorganization, which involves moving the WTCHP under a new agency called the Administration for Healthy America, will affect staffing, research and oversight. Many 9/11 health advocates applauded the letter, agreeing it's time to get the program moving after months of inaction. "Given Secretary Kennedy's record of chaos for the first six months of his administration and with the 24th Anniversary of 9/11 just a few weeks away, Senators Gillibrand and Schumer are calling attention to continuing issues with the World Trade Center Health Program that the Secretary must address," said Benjamin Chevat, the executive director of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act. John Feal, a prominent 9/11 advocate and founder of the FealGood Foundation, said he is also grateful to the senators for their support of survivors. "We shouldn't keep having to have this conversation," Feal said. "Kennedy needs to be held accountable, and I hope he honors this program and protects it from future cuts." Gary Smiley, a former firefighter who is a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center and now the WTC fire inspector's liaison, agreed that Kennedy has not done enough for the program. "The administration has promised us time and time again that this communications pause was temporary. Eight months is not temporary. Eight months is a failure to act," Smiley said. ABC News reached out to HHS for a response but did not receive one immediately. However, at a senate hearing in May, Kennedy acknowledged of the program that "We made a couple of mistakes," and promised to address them. "With the 24th anniversary of 9/11 approaching," the senators wrote, "we must do everything in our power to uphold our promises to those still suffering from the aftermath of that day."
