The Military Times released a Report on 2023 suicide statistics released by the Pentagon. It states: “Military researchers recorded 523 suicides in 2023, the highest total since 2020. The number of active-duty troops was 363, up from 331 a year earlier. . . .The Marine Corps had the highest rate of suicide, with about 35 cases per 100,000 people in 2023. The Army was just under 33 cases per 100,000. . . . The Air Force (about 21 per 100,000) and Navy (about 19 per 100,000) saw lower rates. But all four services have seen a steady increase since 2011, when the Department began formally tracking the issue. ”

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, “the Active-duty component saw a 12 percent increase from 331 deaths by suicide in 2022 to 363 in 2023.”

The Grey Team draws a stark comparison: “As suicide rates among returning US military veterans continue to rise, the statistics now show that it is now six times more dangerous for an American soldier to return home from war than it is for him/her to actively be engaged in combat with the enemies of our country.”

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) uses oxygen, approved by the FDA for use in 14 indications. And it works, used 100,000 plus times in the US and worldwide. Safety and efficacy were demonstrated in 21 clinical trials. Ten states have enacted legislation, appropriating $32.3 million for HBOT treatments. HBOT is observed to eliminate Suicide Ideation! Veterans diagnosed with TBI / PTSD who receive HBOT begin normal sleep patterns, experience reduced nightmares, improved “in the moment” life with family, and gain the ability to return to normal life and sometimes employment.

The Obvious Question: Since HBOT Works to Heal TBI/PTSD, Why Isn’t the Veterans Administration Using It?

According to a 2022 report to US Congress with data provided by Dr. Steven Lieberman, VHA Under Secretary of Health, more than 796,340 Veterans have died from Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) Lower Limb Amputations (LLA) since 2001. Approximately 93% of these Veterans were denied access to HBOT or not provided medically required ‘Informed Consent” about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. This is a National Tragedy which is preventable, but Veterans are largely and routinely denied access to FDA, CMS and Tricare-approved HBOT treatments, resulting in their premature DFU/LLA deaths.

this isn’t about politics, though nothing these days seems to be free of tough choices amidst competing interests and “truth.” This is a reflection on choices we as a country face with respect to medicine, specifically brain wounds, mental health, and modern alternatives and supplements to standards of care that are outdated. Consider: Compared to most of medicine, Brain Science is in its infancy. A quick review of the historical record shows the recent rush of new science.

Blind Spots, a recent book by Marty Makary, is an in-depth analysis of how medicine gets it so wrong in some significant public health cases, frequently due to groupthink. Specifically, in the chapter “A Comedy of Errors,” Makary relates how his team “noted the same patterns of medical elites ruling by edict and kneecapping the brave souls who challenged their dogma.” All this misguided “science” that leads to misdirection in medical practice is a good segue to the current medical and policy debate in a running gun battle with reports of “Havana Syndrome”, aka Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI).