The VA is Adopting Tai Chi, Acupuncture as Sustainable Strategies for Health

Veterans Administration Using Acupuncture and Tai Chi to help returning soldiers

This is a fantastic article about how the VA is seeing real benefits from adopting more holistic approaches to healthcare.
 

Using Acupuncture to Help With Pain

“It’s to help people re-engage with that purpose or meaning that maybe they lost,” Dr. Halmai explains. “Very different from traditional medicine. We oftentimes refer to traditional medicine as being a ‘find it, fix it’ model. We’re really geared toward the symptoms the veteran is having, and how do we help them address those symptoms.”
Van Valkenburg’s gotten relaxation coaching to rest his mind and even sleep better. There’s acupuncture to help with pain, and tai chi for strength and balance…
She calls Whole Health a preventive approach that can keep a veteran healthier, longer.
“We start seeing a reduction in both pharmacy costs and outpatient costs,” Dr. Halmai says. “One of the reasons that Whole Health is actually here is to really tackle that opioid epidemic. We actually have seen a reduction in opioid use and opioid costs for those individuals that actually do engage in Whole Health.”