Archive for June 2014

Today is PTSD Awareness Day, What Can be Accomplished in a Day?

Today is PTSD Awareness Day. Everyone thinks they know what PTSD is, yet nearly everyone is wrong. I’m not sure what can be accomplished with this one, nationwide PTSD Awareness Day without some context. Providing that context has been the purpose of the PTSD Series I’ve been running. But, since everyone likes practical, simple, to-the-point advice,... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 27, 2014 at 11:41 am • 

Mefloquine Toxicity and PTSD, or How the Cure is Worse than the Disease

No one will dispute that malaria is a killer. Millions have died from the raging and uncontrollable fevers that accompany the parasitic infection. Millions more are left with life-long and life altering symptoms. There are regions of the world where the disease is so resistant to drugs to be nearly impervious to all antibiotics and... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 26, 2014 at 4:03 pm • 

Mefloquine and Chemical Causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mefloquine toxicity and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have the same psychological symptoms. In this series, until now, we have been looking at war as the cause of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For clarity, let’s look at the clinical definition according to the DSM V – “Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 26, 2014 at 12:05 pm • 
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Illinois Freedom Run to The Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall

Illinois Freedom Run to The Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall
The Illinois Freedom Run this Saturday, June 21st is one of the biggest and best motorcycle runs and patriotic events in the country. Beginning at the Grundy County Fairgrounds at 10:15am, the run fills Route 15 south of I-80 into Marsellies, ending at the Middle East Conflicts War Memorial on the banks of the Illinois... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 19, 2014 at 6:27 pm • 

PTSD vs Normal Emotional Reactions

PTSD is often considered an abnormal emotional reaction to war. War causes an emotional reaction, of that there can be no doubt. But emotional reactions are not necessarily PTSD. Emotional reactions are most definitely not a sign of mental illness. In fact, they are a sign of sanity. To understand the difference between normal and... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 19, 2014 at 2:11 pm • 

Q & A with a ChicagoNow blogger: Kourtney Peagram of Bully Boot Camp

This post is part of a ChicagoNow group project. We were paired with other bloggers and told to interview each other. I received Kourtney Peagram, founder of Bulldog Solution Inc. and author of Bully Boot Camp as my assignment. I want to take a moment to thank our Community Managers, Jimmy Greenfield and Shavon Banket for... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 16, 2014 at 11:59 am • 
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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not a Mental Illness

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not a mental illness. Unfortunately, the best treatment for PTS is mental health counseling. Fortunately, mental health counseling is the best treatment for PTS. Those two opposing statements are equally valid. It is unfortunate in that because the treatment falls under the profession of mental health, too many make the... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm • 

Reframing The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Conversation

President George W. Bush made a statement that is long overdue. In his remarks at The Bush Institute’s Empowering Our Nation’s Warriors Summit on Feb. 19, 2014 he said,” As most doctors will tell you, post-traumatic stress is not a disorder.  Post-traumatic stress, or PTS, is an injury that can result from the experience of... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 5, 2014 at 6:42 pm • 

Cognitive Processing Therapy for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress or How to Talk to a Veteran

How to talk to a Veteran The real question is, How to get a veteran to talk? But, to get that answer, we first must understand, as a civilian, how to talk to them. The short answer is talk to a veteran the same way you would anyone else, with empathy and not just sympathy,... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 3, 2014 at 1:57 pm • 
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Bowe Bergdahl the Deserter-In their Words

When I first wrote about the release of Bowe Bergdahl, my intention was twofold. First, to set the record straight that Bergdahl was a deserter and second, to question the timing of the resignations of VA Secretary Shinseki and Press Secretary Jay Carney. I contended and still contend the timing of those resignations was intentionally... Read more »
By Denise Williams,
June 2, 2014 at 6:46 pm • 
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    Denise Williams

    Views and opinions from the Gold Star, Military and Veteran perspective are generally different from those of the civilian world. Much of what I write is "their" stories, as told to me as the Gold Star Mother of PFC Andrew Meari, KIA 11/1/10 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. This is how I continue to honor the Oath my son took. I don't like labels or boxes as the former is insufficient to describe a person and the latter limits a person but if you insist, call me a Progressive Republican. I believe in this country, our Constitution and above all, in the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe our government is supposed to serve the people, not tell them how to live. To me, this is just common sense but since it seems to be a minority opinion, it has become "Uncommon Sense".

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