Dr. John A. King argues PTSD must be treated as a full-body condition, not just a mental one. Men lose 2% of muscle mass yearly after 25, dropping testosterone and raising estrogen. Veterans exposed to heavy metals from ammunition face compounded risk, yet most treatment ignores these physiological factors.
The body is a system, and I talk about this and deal with it a lot. There is a mind-spirit-body connection when dealing with something like post-traumatic stress. You not only have to take into account, you have to be aware of. Now, for instance, with the incredible rate of suicide amongst our vets, vets spend a lot of time handling metal, guns, ammunition. They're a lot around a lot of things that have heavy metal. Men, once they get over the age of 25, their muscle mass decreases at a rate of 2% per year. As muscle rate decreases, your testosterone decreases and estrogen increases, which leads to a whole lot of emotional issues. Post-traumatic stress, if just dealt with in a mental capacity, is missing a point. The relationship between post-traumatic stress, heavy metal poisoning, and low testosterone is irrefutable. There are so many traits that are interconnected, you have to deal with the body as a system.
