CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Dr. Eugene Lipov specializes in trauma.
"My practice is designed to stop the misery of living with pain, mental and physical pain. There is military trauma, there is first responders trauma, abused women, child abuse. 1 in 3 women are sexually attacked in this country, and many of them will develop PTSD." he said.
Lipov also lived through his own trauma. His father fought in World War II, had anger issues, suffered from PTSD, and his mother took her own life when he was 24.
"My father was part of the Red Army and they would drop bombs on German ships. Out of 10,000 people, only 100 came home, so he had severe PTSD. When a male has PTSD, he gives it to my mother and to me. She had depression, she was under the care of a psychiatrist when she died," Lipov said.
After years as a physician and researcher, Lipov discovered an injection that was developed to help women with hot flashes, but it was later found to help with PTSD.
"Injections in the neck would take women's hot flashes away. Northwestern did a big study on this. In 2003, I published a study on this. In 2009, I wrote a paper on how this same thing could help people with trauma,” Lipov said. “Why does a shot in the neck do anything to the brain? Turns out, the nerves in the neck go to the brain, and that's why an injection in the neck can reverse the trauma impact on the brain."
Lipov pioneered a treatment called Stellate Ganglion Block which resets the nervous system through a shot in the neck.
"PTSD, trauma happens. Fight or flight system. If it's severe enough, it gets stuck in that position. It produces extra nerve fibers. When you have extra nerves, it produces Norepinephrine, and it is twice as high as normal in trauma. So, we do the block which calms people and it also seems to take away new vibes. An injection that lasts eight hours can also last for years," Lipov noted.
Trauma can cause sleeplessness, anger, depression, anxiety and in some cases, suicidal thoughts.
He's treated some 3,000 people over the years, including Chicago Police Officer Melinda Linas.
"Entering law enforcement, I wanted to help people. I do get to help people in crisis, however I was not prepared to see everything that I've seen and the realities that are out there," she said.
"I've seen a baby with a pencil stuck in its neck because the mother wanted it to stop crying. Seeing kids in crisis is always tough. When I was younger I wasn't as fearful as I am now, as I didn't have as much to lose,” Linas said. “Looking back at my 23 years, I realize how many dangerous situations I was placed in because I was running toward the danger to get citizens away from it. It's getting more violent over the years with more guns on the streets."
Linas didn't realize she was internalizing it and taking it home.
"Early on, I think I dealt with trauma by ignoring it. I would just stop that chapter and move onto the next. Times have changed. We didn't really talk about what we were seeing back then. Now I have more insight into my health and personality. I realize all the things I saw as a young officer have stayed with me." she recalled.
Linas experiences trauma every day, she's a cancer survivor, and lost her best friend to the disease.
"She and I battled cancer together, so I never really overcame that before I started in on the trauma from work, the pandemic, civil unrest. It was a really hard time for me." she recalled.
She says it was the death of officer Ella French in 2021 when she realized she needed help.
"As a commander overseeing young officers, I realized how some of them were suffering because they didn't know how to deal with the trauma that they were seeing every day. When Officer French died, I was the commander of her unit. There were so many officers who weren't even there that night, that really opened my eyes and sent me on my journey to look at myself and to fix things with myself before I could help any of them. I took my mental wellness more seriously,” Linas said.
Chicago has had 20 deaths by suicide by CPD officers. According to 2021 data, law enforcement personnel are 54% more likely to die by suicide than all other segments of the population. CPD has lost 4 active-duty police officers to suicide in just the past three months as well as one recent retiree.
Linas came to Dr. Lipov for relief. She says the SGB shot made an immediate difference.
"I talked to a clinician. I should've done this sooner. I couldn't break through so I sought out the shot after talking to others who did it. It was a game changer. I was not able to employ tools and sort through a lot of trauma,” said Linas. “ I was able to see clearer and work through and share my story with other officers. It's changed my life. I feel calmer, I sleep better and my family has noticed I'm less stressed and able to deal with trauma so much better."
Her procedure was in September in 2021.
"The whole idea of a shot to make me feel better was super strange, in my neck was a little weird too. It was time to find something to make myself feel better. It kicked in immediately. I didn't know I could feel so calm. So far, it's lasted but I still see a clinician. It's made me a happier mother. I'm more present." she smiled. "The kids noticed, the husband noticed and I talk about this a lot." she laughed.
The procedure isn't covered by insurance, but more employers are looking at providing the option, including the U.S. Army and The Chicago City Council.
"The police department supports our journey in mental wellness and an Alderman has proposed money to set aside for this kind of help. I think it's important that we keep this conversation going." said Linas.
Dr. Lipov is also the medical director of the Stella Center which first launched in Chicago in 2020 and now has 40 centers around the country where the sole purpose is to provide relief to mental trauma sufferers.
"Common treatment for PTSD is medication and psychiatric treatment, but that only produces 30-40% results, our treatment is in the 80s so it's a big difference in the response," said Lipov, who says in the end, it's about giving victims of trauma hope.
"Current therapeutics aren't working. I hope to be one of the solutions," Lipov said.
Lipov's new book, “The Invisible Machine: The Startling Truth about Trauma and the Scientific Breakthrough that can Transform Your Life”, will be available April 11.
For more information about the SGB shot and other trauma treatments, you can log onto stellacenter.com.
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