Healing from TBI: Soldier takes holistic approach

After suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury in Iraq in 2009, Victor Medina says that although he will never be cured, he has been healed. 

A remarkable statement considering his injury left him with the typical long-term side effects of TBI: issues with cognitive and motor function including short attention span, memory loss and balance issues as well as physical and emotional difficulties such as headaches, tremors, mood swings, balance issues and low energy. 

Medina, a retired Army Sergeant First Class, attributes a large part of that healing to the holistic approach that he, his wife and his medical team took. The team integrated a variety of healing techniques and self-care practices along with traditional medical practices, enabling him to achieve a high level of recovery. 

“It will get better. It doesn’t matter how bad things seem to be. There will always be hope,” Medina said. 

For Medina, that hope lies in the work that Samueli Institute does to examine the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative approaches to healing and to integrate those practices into the military health care system. 

By providing training, education, and implementation of whole-person care, Samueli Institute’s goal is that the thousands of Service members suffering from TBI may one day call themselves “healed” from their invisible wounds of war.

Support Us:
Help Samueli Institute research expand drugless pain management, alleviate post-traumatic stress and develop resilience in our service members and veterans. Learn more and give.