CBS had a very interesting story last night on a memory pill- a pill to help those suffering from post traumatic stress to forget the traumatic memory, well really lessen it. Go to the link to watch. The research indicates that it is the infusion of adrenaline that sets a memory, so blocking adrenaline before the memory sets helps to blunt it. There is debate about the use of this, as those worried about the misuse of this technique (drug) say that memory makes us who we are. The doctor interviewed said would you withhold pain medication in the ER so as not to lesson the experience?" I'm on the fence on this, but who am I to stop someone with post traumatic stress from getting help? The mind is something that has always intrigued me. If we do program ourselves with our thoughts then if this treatment can help people gain their life back, is that not wonderful? One woman who had been a victim of a rape that had colored so many aspects of her life since it happened was asked if she felt like she lost part of herself? She answered that she felt like she had regained herself.
I recently saw a Vietnam veteran who was still suffering post-traumatic stress thirty years later. The Army has just given a grant to doctor in this report to start working with soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. This research will be interesting to follow.
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