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Health Notes, Feb 10th 2008, by Sarah Stacey
The price of loving a soldier
Sometimes love exacts a very high price. ‘Collateral damage’ in war zones usually refers to civilians caught in the line of fire but other civilians - notably the families of those fighting - can suffer psychological consequences which are nearly as devastating as the soldiers’. Sarah Horvath’s husband Steve (known as Taff), an army medic based in northern Ireland, was having a drink in a Ballykelly pub in December 1982 when a bomb went off inside, in the disco area. Steve, who wasn’t severely injured, got on with his job rescuing others. But there were many more traumas over his years as a soldier, watching friends die, losing others and himself working in a mortuary. Sarah, a mother of two, met Steve in 1997, after he‘d left the army. ‘Although he'd had nightmares for many years, he was basically okay until the end of January 2005 - then it all came to a head. He picked his son up from school, dropped him at home, then drove to his local fishing place and tried to gas himself in the car.’ Eventually Steve was diagnosed with combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The strain of his illness has affected Sarah so badly that she was registered disabled in June 2007, is on medication for depression and insomnia, and has been told (though there is no formal diagnosis) that she has secondary PTSD.
According to Sarah, 36, and Steve, 46, the NHS has virtually no resources to deal with veterans with PTSD: ‘In September 2006, Steve had a complete breakdown. He left home and ended up living in a veterans only hostel in London for nearly a year, which really supported him. Steve then got in touch with Dave Walters, who used to be a weapons engineer on a nuclear submarine and now runs what he calls “stress resilience training” for people with PTSD. Because of his own experience, he understands that the vets have seen horrific things - different to most civilians.’
Walters uses a combination of techniques during his telephone counselling and three day residential courses to help his clients release their traumas and respond differently to stress: these include emotional freedom therapy (EFT - which integrated medicine expert Dr Mosaraf Ali recommends wholeheartedly) and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Steve returned home in September 2007 and is much better although he still suffers from flashbacks, disturbing images and nightmares and admits to being obsessive about tidiness and, more seriously, a major anger management problem: ‘I can just blow up instantly and become the most obnoxious person. I’m never physically violent to my family - though I can smash up things, like a big fridge freezer - but I get very verbally aggressive and end up storming out of the house. I have to live with this condition 24/7 but I am learning to manage it.’
Despite everything, Sarah says they are now 'back to being a happy family'. She attended a spouses session after Steve’s three day residential course at Walters' clinic in Lincoln where, in addition to massage and some basic EFT and NLP techniques, she learnt about colour breathing, a technique pioneered by ex-nurse Alison Bourne and now used in many different organisations including schools. ‘I was sceptical about colour therapy but agreed to give it a go’ says Sarah. ‘You have a rainbow spectrum of colours, with each one a big circle on separate stand-up pieces of card. You focus on each colour while you breathe in and out very slowly, and see which ones you prefer. I found the blue very relaxing .’ Sarah uses her blue disc to help her visualise being in a safe place: ‘I "go to" my little blue room, - it's my own chill out zone where I can shut out the stresses of the PTSD for a few minutes. It’s so simple and effective: the drugs don’t work to counteract the depression but the colour allows me to escape. You just stare and stare at this colour: it’s a very magical feeling. It helps me relax more than anything else.’
David Walters, www.helpmeovercome.com
Alison Bourne, www.colourbreathing.com
The side effects of statins
Debilitating muscle pain and weakness is a common side effect of the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. It's unpleasant anyway, and if it affects heart muscle can be fatal. I wrote some years ago about the benefits of taking a supplement of coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10) to decrease this problem and this is confirmed by recent research published in the American Journal of Cardiology. Statins work by blocking the synthesis of 'bad' LDL cholesterol but at the same time they disrupt the production of Co-Q10, which is vital for muscles and also liver to function properly. In Canada, statin packets warn patients of this risk. Co-Q10 production reduces anyway with age, possibly leading to decreased energy, periodontal disease and heart muscle weakness, so there is an argument for taking a supplement even if you're not on statins. LifeTime Vitamins CoEnzyme Q10 100mg, £16.95 for 30 softgels (one daily), from Victoria Health, www.victoriahealth.com. Natural pain relief
Warmth is incredibly comforting for aches and pains, but it isn't always practical to carry a hot waterbottle around with you. Hotteeze self -adhesive pads provide 12 hours of soothing heat, and can be worn on underclothes (not next to the skin) when you're out and about. An elderly friend uses them to ease his sore shoulder - he loves the fact they cant be seen as 'I don't like to own up to my age or the aches and pains that go with it!' £9.99 for 12 from Victoria Health, www.victoriahealth.com.
Top website: www.fresh-network.com
A 75 year old reader with long term arthritis writes to say that she has been free of pain for six years since she joined The Fresh Network, which claims to be Europe's largest raw food organisation, and became a 'raw fooder! I do lots of gardening and dancing and feel 40 - unthinkable ten years ago.' |
