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What’s The Difference Between Normal Reactions To Trauma & PTSD?

What’s The Difference Between Normal Reactions To Trauma & PTSD?

If you suffered an intense trauma, it’s not unusual to have symptoms that could make you believe you have post-traumatic stress disorder. Warning signs of both often mimic one another. Certain reactions are standard for each but knowing as much as possible is the first step in managing symptoms.

What Is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.”

If you experience a trauma, it’s not unusual to have problems coping afterward, but symptoms go away eventually, and you get better. If symptoms worsen and never seem to end, disrupting your daily life, you may have PTSD.

Know The Symptoms

Symptoms of PTSD are worse than an emotional reaction to trauma. They may include:

  • Flashbacks with physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
  • Nightmares
  • Awful thoughts
  • Avoiding places, events, or anything that’s a reminder of your experience
  • Evading feelings or thoughts related to what happened
  • You’re easily startled
  • Feeling “on edge”
  • Memory problems related to what happened
  • Negative thoughts about yourself or the world
  • Feeling guilty or responsible
  • Lack of pleasure in enjoyable pastimes

Risk Factors

You may have an intense emotional reaction after a traumatic experience, but that doesn’t mean you’ll develop PTSD. However, some factors can boost your risk of developing PTSD:

  • Living through difficult situations
  • Traumatic Injury
  • Seeing someone else hurt
  • Viewing a dead body
  • Childhood trauma
  • Horror, powerlessness, extreme fear
  • Lack of social support 
  • Experiencing combat or violence
  • Additional stress, like the loss of a loved one, your home, or unemployment
  • A history of psychological problems or substance abuse

Facts About PTSD

According to the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, PTSD can be devastating if left untreated. Consider:

  • Around eight of every 100 people will get PTSD at some point.
  • Women are more likely to experience PTSD — approximately 10 out of every 100 women compared to four out of 100 men.”
  • About half of those with PTSD can recover within three months without treatment.
  • Children can be diagnosed if long-term symptoms persist longer than a month.

What’s The Difference Between Normal Reactions To Trauma & PTSD?

New Directions for Women and the American Psychological Association say that ’trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. Trauma can occur once, or on multiple occasions, and an individual can experience more than one type of trauma.’ PTSD is the mental health disorder that is associated when someone experiences or witnesses a trauma.”

Most people can recover from trauma on their own, and some do the same with symptoms of PTSD, but the severity of reactions sets the two apart. Many PTSD symptoms, even ones lasting for years, are driven by emotions.

Here are some common reactions to trauma:

  • Cynicism about the future
  • Feeling detached or not concerned about others
  • Problems concentrating or making decisions
  • You’re jumpy or easily startled by unexpected noises
  • You’re constantly on guard for danger 
  • Bad dreams or upsetting memories
  • Trouble at work or school
  • You avoid people, places, and anything related to what happened

People who suffer trauma may also have other emotional and physical reactions, including:

  • You have an upset stomach and problems eating
  • Trouble sleeping and feeling very tired
  • A throbbing heartbeat
  • Perspiration
  • You have severe headaches just thinking about what happened
  • You’re wracked by feelings of nervousness, helplessness, fear, and sadness
  • Feeling stunned, numb, or unable to experience love or joy
  • Being grouchy or having angry eruptions
  • Getting easily offended or agitated

More long-term symptoms of trauma may lead to PTSD or other mental health problems, but in many cases can be managed with medical care.

Diagnosis & Treatment

Getting diagnosed with PTSD typically involves three things:

  • A physical examination performed by a medical professional. The goal is to find if any medical problems are causing your symptoms. Your doctor will want background on any significant personal or family medical issues.
  • A psychiatric assessment to talk about thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as potential triggers for your symptoms.
  • A comparison of your symptoms to criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

If you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD, your doctor will discuss treatment options. A treatment program may include ongoing psychotherapy, medicine, or ketamine therapy to control the symptoms.

Final Thoughts

If you suffered a trauma and the symptoms never seem to go away and interfere with daily life, you may be experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder. The good news is that emotional reactions to trauma, or more severe PTSD symptoms, can be managed. Ask your doctor about treatment options, including ketamine.

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This infusion is designed to make your skin glow and your hair and nails grow.

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Our Hypertension Protocol includes Arginine, Magnesium, and Taurine. We don’t keep all the ingredients in stock, so we need about one week before we can schedule your infusions.

The higher doses found in this injection could interfere with digoxin, dovonex, diltiazem, or verapimil. Please contact us if you have any questions about this.

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Magnesium does all the heavy lifting in this infusion to get you breathing better during an asthma flare-up. Fun fact – Magnesium is so well-studied in asthma that most ER departments give a magnesium infusion in addition to nebulizers and steroids.

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During periods of increased illness, whether it’s COVID, flu season, back to school, or travel, we recommend this infusion weekly.

Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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Immunity Boost Information

During periods of increased illness, whether it’s COVID, flu season, back to school, or travel, we recommend this infusion weekly.

Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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Immunity Boost Information

During periods of increased illness, whether it’s COVID, flu season, back to school, or travel, we recommend this infusion weekly.
Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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If you overdid it the night before, we have the right sauce for you.

If you are planning a night out like a Bachelor/Bachelorette party, book us in advance. We will go to your hotel/resort the next morning. Your friends will thank you. Minimum of three prepaid infusions required for mobile infusions.

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Treat yourself to The Works. The body you live in will thank you! If you are feeling rundown or just haven’t been great to yourself lately, this is the infusion for you.

This infusion is only available to someone that has gotten nutrient infusions before. Check out our Rookie infusion for first-timers.

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This infusion combines the Road Runner with the Antioxidant Deluxe. Repairs muscles and boosts antioxidants.

Your body is your vehicle. Help it repair and get back in action faster.

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Named after New Mexico’s favorite bird, the Road Runner is designed to keep you fast and light on your feet.

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This drip is specially formulated to calm symptoms and boost a wonky immune system.

If your symptoms are severe, you can add on Benadryl for $12. You need to bring someone to drive you home though because you will be VERY SLEEPY.

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Planning on having surgery? Already had surgery? Either way, your body has or will go under enormous oxidative stress…and it has to repair itself. Our 4-step protocol includes 2 pre-surgical Infusions and 2 post-surgical infusions.

Each infusion is specially formulated to enrich your insides with antioxidants and your outsides with wound healing.

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Nutrient Intravenous (IV) therapy has multiple uses. From asthma and migraines to fatigue and sports performance, Myers Cocktail might be the answer. If you are feeling rundown or just haven’t been great to yourself lately, this is the infusion for you.

Dr. Myers started it all in the 1980s. Since then, his cocktail has been infused worldwide, thousands perhaps millions of times.

Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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