According to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), more than half of all adults will experience at least one trauma in their lifetime. Trauma can result from a range of events - an automobile collision, natural disasters such as tornados, a theft, cyber-bullying, a broken heart - the list goes on.

For Servicemembers, though, that trauma is more likely a result of military service.  Experts think 11 to 20 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, 10 percent from the Gulf War, and 30 percent of Vietnam veterans are afflicted with PTSD, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, helplessness, emotional detachment, anger, and confusion, among others.

PTSD is an unbiased human condition, yet the stigma associated with it - and the reason why many don't seek help - is because it's labeled a psychological issue; some perceive it as a mental disability or a sign of weakness.

Dr. Eugene Lipov, a Chicago-based anesthesiologist, aims to change this perception and diagnosis with his medical study.

"The Veterans Administration's treatment for PTSD involves intensive psychological therapy and psychotropic drugs," Lipov said in a press release. He believes this is a mistake and that PTSD is a medical, not psychological, condition.

Lipov claims he's treated 95 patients with PTSD, and in 80 to 85 percent, symptoms were completely erased. The treatment, stellate ganglion block (SGB), involves two injections of anesthesia into the nerves of the neck (the stellate ganglion is a cluster of nerves connected to parts of the brain responsible for PTSD). He believes that "SGB works because it reduces excessive levels of cortisol, nerve growth factor and norepinephrine in the brain - all stimulated as an organic response to stress," he said.  

Lipov is the author of Exit Strategy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2011), and medical director of the Advanced Pain Center and Chicago Medical Innovations. He's received funding from the state of Illinois, and the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. The treatment has been used in other applications since the 1920's; Lipov initially used SGB to treat post-menopausal individuals.

"If I can show there's a biological change (with treatment)," he said in the release, "I can get more acceptance. Right now part of the problem is credulity - people can't believe there's such a simple solution to a complex problem."

The National Center for PTSD currently treats the condition with cognitive behavioral therapy, which includes exposure therapy and cognitive processing theory, along with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs.

Lipov has repeatedly applied for military research funding and been rejected. Opponents say his method is too expensive and still lacks a "neurobiological explanation" or proof. Experts claim the treatment is too invasive, and doesn't eliminate the memory - patients can still re-experience the traumatic event. Long-term effects are unknown, and the cost of treatment is expensive and the duration unpredictable. Side effects include seizures, and though rare, the injection can hit or puncture a lung.

Private studies are reportedly underway at San Diego's Naval Medical Center.

If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms, get professional help and visit www.ptsd.va.gov.