Healing Partners Psychiatric Services

11/04/2026

Teamwork makes the dream work — even when it comes to bodily functions & systems.

The glymphatic system uses fluid-filled spaces surrounding blood vessels, called perivascular spaces, and specialized water channels known as aquaporin-4 (AQP4) to help move fluid through the brain and support the removal of metabolic waste.

However, new research suggests that exposure to blast overpressure can alter APQ4 expression & potentially disrupt the glymphatic system.

Let’s break it down:
• APQ4 is a protein that functions as a water channel in the brain & is involved in fluid movement & clearance. It helps navigate fluid through perivascular spaces surrounding the blood vessels in the brain.

• Enlarged perivascular spaces have been observed in MRIs of patients with exposure to blastoverpressure.

• These enlarged spaces can affect the location of APQ4 in relation to blood vessels & affect the way it works.

• Disrupted AQP4 expression could contribute to impairments in the glymphatic system, making it more difficult for the brain to clear metabolic waste & maintain neural connections.

Got all that? Good.

While this research is still in its early stages, it suggests that repeated exposure to blast overpressure may interfere with the brain’s glymphatic waste-clearance system. Scientists think this disruption could contribute to lasting changes in brain function & symptomology among service members who’ve been exposed to blast overpressure.

You can learn more here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13257169/

📸: Army Sgt. Austin Steinborn

09/12/2026

We train and place highly skilled service dogs with individuals living with disabilities including mobility challenges, neurological conditions, PTSD, and other life-altering medical conditions.

09/11/2026

9/11/01
9/11/12-9/12/12
I’ll never forget. Today carries heavy reminders of grief, loss and anger but also profound gratitude for the best and bravest among us- those who step forward on our darkest days, serving both visibly and behind the scenes to protect us.

08/19/2026

08/10/2026

The lasting effects of traumatic brain injuries are raising fresh concerns about the toll of the Iran war on American troops.

08/10/2026

We all know that traumatic brain injury is not always an isolated injury to the brain, especially when it is repeated.

More importantly (and what many do not know) is that repetitive blast exposure can trigger changes across the brain, immune system, nervous system and gut, and some of those changes may persist long after the initial exposure as a result of the inflammatory response rush.

Researchers from the University of Washington and Puget Sound VA studying repetitive blast-TBI found:

• Neuroinflammation was still present 3 months after repetitive blast exposure.

• Blast caused a significant inflammatory response throughout the body and brain.

• The gut microbiome changed within hours of injury (Leaky gut, IBS-like sx. etc.)

• Blast-exposed subjects developed increased risk-taking and alcohol-seeking behavior later on.

• Most interestingly, early vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) blunted key inflammatory signals after repetitive blast-TBI and reduced some of those later behavioral changes.

Why does this matter?

Because the vagus nerve (CN X) is one of the primary communication pathways between the brain, immune system, heart and gut. And it may represent a completely different way of approaching the secondary injury that happens after a blast, not simply treating symptoms months or years later.

This doesn’t mean VNS will fix all your problems, but it does mean we need to stop viewing TBI as something that happens once, inside the skull, and then ends.

The injury may be neurological. The consequences are systemic.

Save this one. Because VNS devices like nuropod / gammacore / pulsetto and nurosym could be a cost-effective game-changer for neuroinflammation and the gut-brain axis in TBI research 🧠

📸: Clandestine Media Group

07/31/2026

06/15/2026

05/27/2026

Great news!

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today announced a new clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy, or MDMA-assisted therapy, for the treatment of severe mental health disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder.

“We need an all-of-the-above strategy when it comes to improving mental health treatments, and under President Trump, that’s exactly what VA is working to deliver,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This trial represents an important step in safely evaluating new approaches and innovations to treat Veterans with severe mental health conditions.”

https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-launches-mdma-assisted-mental-health-therapy-trial/

05/25/2026

The US Air Force Band plays taps at Arlington.
Today I’m thinking of all those who have been lost and also of their teammates who came home carrying that grief.

As Memorial Day approaches, we take a moment to remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to the United States. This solemn tribute, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Band, features a bugler from the Ceremonial Brass performing “Taps” at Culpeper National Cemetery in Culpeper, Virg...