KELLY LE BROCK AND DR. BUZZ ALDRIN ON DEPRESSION. So this interview is a very important interview for people suffering from depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS.) Or knows anyone who is suffering. It may save a life. Kelly Le Brock, who suffered a traumatic head injury herself, offers some excellent alternatives to managing it. Also the second man who walked on the moon, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, offers his suggestions on dealing with both depression and PTSS. Dr. Aldrin’s Mom committed suicide a year before he landed on the moon, his Grandpa prior to that and he has lived with depression throughout his life. His suggestions could really help. Please pass this on to anyone you think it will help.
Gabrielle Reilly: So Kelly I know you are passionate about taking care of our veterans. How are you involved?
Kelly Le Brock: I’m trying to help soldiers deal with their Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. 22 of them are committing suicide a day; they’re killing themselves, which is absolutely hideous! I just have to try and make a difference in their lives by talking about Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments and other treatments that are available for them to consider. I’ve had to learn how to deal with my stress in other ways. I’m not going to take these drugs, these Zoloft and these anti-depressants, because that’s just a bad situation.
Gabrielle Reilly: Yes, the prescription drug epidemic that is sweeping the United States can be considered similar to what happened to the Chinese population during the Opium War in the 19th century. Except we are doing it to ourselves! And so, tell me about the treatment?
Kelly Le Brock: The Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy option helps treat Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Basically, you give the body extra oxygen so it goes into a more calm, sedated state because it’s not trying to grapple for that extra oxygen.
Also, there’s meditation, there’s all sorts of wonderful things out there that soldiers are not being informed about. A lot of doctors are prescribing Ambien and other addictive drugs for people who already have serious emotional disorders! Look what happened to Heath Ledger. When you’re already kind of off-kilter and you add pills to it that’s a really bad situation.
That’s one of the reasons these soldiers are going out and killing themselves and killing other people. You always hear the doctors giving these people prescription pills to sleep, to do this, to do that, blah blah blah. They can’t do it themselves! These doctors have to be held accountable. They have to start giving people treatments that are non-invasive and help calm their system rather than create an even worse situation.
Gabrielle Reilly: Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I found this interesting testimonial from a soldier who suffered a severe head injury in Iraq and tried the hyperbaric oxygen chamber:
“Literally, during the first two Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments, I found parts of my brain waking up and the fogginess becoming less intrusive. By the time I finished 80 treatments, I had rediscovered the ability to enjoy reading a book again for the first time in five years! Writing this simple statement would have taken me three or four hours before treatment but now, a matter of fifteen minutes.” HBOT
I know that when I am doing Zumba I can easily learn a new dance at the beginning of class, but if they teach that same dance after I have done intense cardio and am oxygen deprived as a result, I cannot get the routine because my brain is so fuzzy. So this makes total sense to me.
What other therapies have you found that you like?
Kelly Le Brock: I’ve seen extraordinary alternatives available. There’s also this center in Newport Beach that’s dealing with brain traumas. I went there for something that I had. They diagnosed me and said it was one of the worst injuries they’ve seen and sort of compared it to the soldiers, so that’s pretty shocking. But they’re using a noninvasive method of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
It essentially brings all the neurons back together and turns on the pathways. They have soldiers that have been so in distress that they haven’t been able to look anyone in the eye, they shake, and have a range of debilitating symptoms. After about 30 – 40 minutes of this treatment they are almost back to normal.
Gabrielle Reilly: Yes, I’ve been talking with the second man to walk on the moon, veteran and astronaut, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, about suicide and Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome also.
Consider Dr. Aldrin’s Mum committed suicide the year before he landed on the moon and his Grandpa also committed suicide prior to that. So before I pass on what Buzz told me, I want to remind any of our readers that if the thought of suicide ever crosses your mind, wash it away by reminding yourself of your loved ones and how devastated they would be to lose you. Even if you’re fighting with them, they would still be devastated. I would be devastated. Be strong for them/us and remember the sun will come up tomorrow… So this is what Buzz told me about how he has successfully dealt with inherited depression and how he is helping veterans:
"I'm focusing on the development of busy positive opportunities for Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome veterans. They are committing suicide at a rate of about 22 per day. We expose them to light airplane simulator flying, and in-between operate some handheld test of the abilities to hold altitude and heading, followed by actual flight in a light airplane... this really stimulates the people who can't get a job, are very depressed and worried about their future. It gets their mind off their difficulties and into positive achievements and these are the things that I've found to help in my own experience with inherited depression that I still have from time to time… Getting out and doing something that makes me feel good about what I can do. Even if it's a small thing, that boosts up the morale, the good feeling of people.
I think this may help tremendously in reducing the veterans coming back with great changes in their mental attitudes toward themselves, their achievements, their future and their job attainment after they've experienced the very adverse conditions of surface warfare in the Middle East." Buzz Aldrin
Gabrielle Reilly: So my advice to depressed people is: remember your loved ones can’t live without you, do something every day no matter how small, get a playlist of positive songs and play it while you garden or do something constructive. Meditate and do some form of exercise even if it is a walk around the block. You will be amazed how much better you will feel. BUT you have to do it every day and throughout the day to stay in a positive zone.
It’s so nice Dr. Aldrin said he is dedicating the rest of his life to taking care of veterans.
Kelly Le Brock: That’s awesome, that’s awesome, that’s awesome. Everybody needs a purpose and these soldiers are coming back with these hideous horror stories that they can’t get rid of from their minds. People are trying to do things like that ultimately helps the soldiers and they need real help. That’s what I want to see. Look up the David Lynch Foundation, they’re doing some incredible things for the soldiers too. They’re teaching them transcendental meditation and they’re having some really big success.
Gabrielle Reilly: Great, yeah, I’ll definitely look that up! In fact, I’ve also been helping our soldiers in Australia too. Clive Palmer, the billionaire building the Titanic who created the Palmer United Party flew me to DC with his newly elected Australian Federal Senator Jacqui Lambie, for a study tour for her of the US military system. Her main passion is veterans’ affairs being a former soldier herself. So I took her to meet with Congressman Cleaver who’s on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. They kindly provided the G.I. bill, which Senator Lambie sent home to hone the best parts for our Australian veterans. In Australia there’s no transition for soldiers back into society at all. So I’m so happy someone is such a strong advocate for them there.
Kelly Le Brock: That’s the thing, there’s no place after they’ve come back from these war-torn places.
Gabrielle Reilly: Well, I’m so glad we’re both passionate about taking care of our veterans. I serve on the Command and General Staff College Foundation alongside 3 Star Generals ret. that were in Command of Combined Arms Center (picture included above, it isn’t hard to spot me in the group amongst all the men.) J It is a great honor for me and I really enjoy the fascinating conversations of such worldly people. We look forward to having you come visit Fort Leavenworth sometime soon.
Kelly Le Brock: That would be lovely!
Gabrielle Reilly: Well thanks so much for your time and your dedication to making our world a better place. I just adore you!
