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‘Release of calmness’: Detailing the procedure helping firefighters manage PTSD

Firefighter Paul Duran shares his stellate ganglion block experience, and Dr. Jim Lynch explains the science behind the procedure

“The calmness comes because the fire alarm in the brain has stopped flogging your body.” That’s how Dr. Jim Lynch describes the effect of a stellate ganglion block — an injection he says turns off the unproductive and chronic fight-or-flight response experienced by many firefighters with PTSD or anxiety conditions. Dr. Lynch details the science behind the procedure, and Firefighter Paul Duran shares not only his experience the SGB procedure but also what made him seek out this treatment in the first place.

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