PTSD is posttraumatic stress disorder, the world’s most common trauma-related mental illness. A little over 9% of all Americans will develop this disorder at some point in their lives. PTSD has wide-ranging effects on your health. Many of those effects are psychological or emotional in nature. Over time, however, the disorder can also trigger serious physical problems. Fortunately, effective PTSD treatment can help ease both your emotional and physical symptoms.
At Springfield Wellness Center, we feature customized PTSD treatment programs. These programs rely on multiple methods to help you recover from the disorder. A unique option not available from most providers is NAD therapy. This therapy supports PTSD recovery by improving your brain’s ability to perform some of its key functions.
Physical PTSD Vs. Emotional PTSD
When doctors diagnose PTSD, they don’t focus on the disorder’s physical effects. Instead, they focus on its mental or emotional effects. Emotional PTSD symptoms fall into four categories:
- Avoidance of any reminders of a traumatic event
- Changes in normal mood and way of thinking
- Unwanted, trauma-related thoughts, dreams, and memories
- A heightened sense of emotional arousal
All people with PTSD have symptoms that belong in these categories.
However, what about the physical impact of the disorder? While doctors diagnosing PTSD don’t look directly at this impact, it occurs all the same. Why? Because your mental and physical health are connected. Any condition that affects your mental health likely has a physical aspect as well. That’s certainly the case with PTSD.
How Do PTSD’s Effects on the Body Happen?
When you experience stress, your brain has a natural reaction. The goal of this reaction is to manage your stress and help you stay well. Up to a certain point, your built-in processing system works effectively. However, all of us have a maximum stress level. If you exceed this level, problems can occur. That’s what happens in people with PTSD. Trauma triggers a stress overload that has a serious and harmful impact.
You may first show mental or emotional signs of stress overload. But eventually, chronic stress can start to overload your physical systems too. Again, that’s possible because your physical and mental health are connected.
Specific PTSD Effects on the Body
What are some specific, potential effects of PTSD on your body? Research has linked the presence of the disorder to significant physical health issues, including:
- Chronic muscle and joint pain
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Obesity
- Heart disease
Not everyone with PTSD will develop these problems. However, the physical impact of the disorder may make them more likely to affect you. In some cases, what matters most is the severity of your PTSD symptoms. For example, people with severe PTSD appear to have higher heart disease risks than people with mild or moderate PTSD.
All of this means one thing. When trauma and PTSD treatment centers address your emotional health, they may also improve your physical health. In fact, some experts believe that the physical benefits of proper treatment are just as important as the mental benefits.
Springfield Wellness’ PTSD Treatment Program Can Help
Springfield Wellness Center is dedicated to helping you recover from the impact of PTSD. We feature a range of options that can be adjusted to meet your needs. Those options include something not available at most trauma and PTSD treatment centers: NAD therapy. That’s the name of a targeted IV treatment that restores your brain levels of the key chemical nicotinic adenine dinucleotide. Restoration of NAD helps your brain perform its core tasks. In turn, it supports an improved stress response. This improvement may help ease PTSD’s effects. To learn more, call us today at 844.334.4727 or fill out our online form.