A new treatment is shortly to undergo a pilot study to see how effective it is. However, the girl who thought up the treatment couldn’t wait for her pilot to start and asked eight of her long-term patients to take part in a “pre-pilot” trial. The prog showed what happened.
We think of Yoga as a gentle series of exercises, used to promote relaxation. Yoga is thousands of years old and there are many forms, some look like a severe beasting. The psychologist conducting the trial had found a version, which is traditionally used to treat depression. It works by controlling blood supply to various organs, by holding specific postures.
The prog showed the eight guys at their first session. They all were nervous, tired and had a “what`s this load of old bollocks” look about them. One guy was shown undergoing a Hamilton(?) test. This asks a series of questions like “Do you have trouble sleeping?” if the answer is no, I’m off like a light, then the score is zero. If the answer is I never sleep without being pissed, the score is five. After many questions, a “score” is established. The higher the score, the worse the problem. It is a very accurate tool. All of the eight guys were very high scorers. After a course of six weeks Yoga therapy they re-took the Hamilton. The results were astounding. None of these long-term sufferers scored above “normal”. They all looked fantastic, were able to hold “normal” conversations and the effect on these men’s lives was nothing short of phenomenal. Australia has a huge number of sufferers from Vietnam and it treats this problem seriously. Unlike UK govt, but that will surely change with the result of the class action.
A copy of this post has been sent to Combat Stress, for their comments.
Watch this space
Aye, Harry
