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James Lynch, MD
A Highly Effective Treatment for Anxiety that You May Not be Familiar with:  Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)
. https://drjameslynch.com

A Highly Effective Treatment for Anxiety that You May Not be Familiar with:  Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)

A Highly Effective Treatment for Anxiety that You May Not be Familiar with:  Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the United States, impacting approximately 40 million adults annually, or about 20% of the population. Anxiety can be debilitating and challenging to treat. Anxiety symptoms may include: irritability, poor concentration, worry, and feeling tense, nervous, or on edge all the time. Due to individual variability in mental health conditions, standard anxiety treatments such as psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy may not be as effective for some who suffer from anxiety symptoms as others. This has prompted researchers and clinicians to explore adding alternative therapies, including the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) to standard treatment regimens. SGB has been used to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for over fifteen years and now demonstrates promising results for anxiety too.

SGB is a medical procedure that temporarily numbs a nerve cluster in the neck, the cervical sympathetic chain, which regulates the body’s fight-or-flight response. This nerve pathway transmits stress signals between the brain and the body. When this system becomes overactive, individuals may experience persistent symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, and difficulty relaxing. SGB interrupts these signals, providing a “reset” to the system and reducing anxiety symptoms.

Developed in the 1920s to treat pain, SGB has also proven effective in treating anxiety disorders. A study involving 285 patients demonstrated that SGB significantly reduced anxiety symptoms, as measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Patients treated with a single SGB showed an average reduction of 7 points on the scale, while those undergoing bilateral treatments (on both sides of the neck) experienced a decrease of about 10 points. These results persisted at least one month after treatment, representing a substantial improvement well beyond the threshold for clinical significance.

The potential of SGB lies in its ability to directly address the physiological underpinnings of anxiety. By calming the overactive fight-or-flight system, SGB may augment (not replace) traditional treatments like therapy and medication. While not a cure, this innovative approach offers hope to individuals for whom standard treatments have been inadequate.

Further research is necessary to confirm these findings and establish SGB as a standard option for anxiety treatment. However, the initial results are encouraging, providing a foundation for clinicians to consider SGB as part of a comprehensive approach to managing anxiety disorders.

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