Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Simple Shot Could Offer Relief From The Worst OF PTSD's Symptoms
The Wall Street Journal: Can A Single Injection Conquer PTSD? The Army Wants To Find Out
The U.S. Army has commissioned a study to determine whether an anesthetic injection to the neck alleviates symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder—a treatment that, if proven effective, could be a big step toward easing an affliction affecting hundreds of thousands of troops who have returned from combat. The $2 million Army study constitutes the first large-scale randomized control research into use of the shots—called stellate ganglion blocks—to treat PTSD. The injections have been used for decades for arm pain and shingles. (Phillips, 6/12)
In other veterans' health care news —
ProPublica: Veterans Affairs Official Downplays Agent Orange Risks, Questions Critics
A key federal official who helps adjudicate claims by veterans who say they were exposed to Agent Orange has downplayed the risks of the chemical herbicide and questioned the findings of scientists, journalists and even a federal administrative tribunal that conflict with his views. Jim Sampsel, a lead analyst within the Department of Veterans Affairs’ compensation service, told a VA advisory committee in March that he believes much of the renewed attention to Agent Orange — used during the Vietnam War to kill brush and deny cover to enemy troops — is the result of media “hype” and “hysteria,” according to a transcript of the meeting released to ProPublica. (Ornstein, 6/12)
