Compassion beyond the pain: A Veteran’s story
Whole Health gave Air Force Veteran Kathy McFarland a more holistic way to manage her pain and take control of her life.
For years after leaving the Air Force, Kathy McFarland carried wounds no one could see. The murders, suicides, and trauma she witnessed as a Law Enforcement Investigator at Yokota Air Base in Japan shattered her mind and spirit. With two young children depending on her, she clung to survival while her sister Joanne held their fragile family together. For a decade they lived off the grid, homeschooling, gardening, and hunting in the wilderness of Idaho—simple survival replacing the possibility of a normal life.
Through prayer, scripture, and Joanne’s steady guidance, McFarland’s mind slowly began to heal, only for her physical battles to grow louder. A hyperactive autoimmune disorder attacked her body relentlessly, causing crippling pain in her spine, organs, hands, and legs. By the time she sought help from the VA, she was exhausted—mentally, physically, and spiritually.
VA clinicians helped her put the pieces back together
McFarland initially relied on prescription opioids to manage her pain. But her doctors at the Lewiston Idaho VA Community Outpatient Clinic helped her find a more holistic solution. They investigated the roots of her illness and introduced her to Counselor Christine Krugh, who diagnosed McFarland with PTSD. Understanding that her hyper-vigilance was tied to trauma changed everything.
It was Christine who introduced her to the Whole Health approach. Seeing the Circle of Health for the first time, McFarland realized she had allowed her world to shrink until only pain and spiritual survival remained. She committed to rebuilding her life through movement, mindfulness, relationships, personal development, and purpose—despite her disabilities. Slowly, she began to live again. She studied the Bible, wrote, gardened with adaptive tools, and founded Becker Bible Ministries, which now reaches people around the world.
Yet one struggle remained: overwhelming, daily pain
McFarland needed a bright and compassionate presence in her life—someone who truly listened. That’s where VA Physician Assistant Alessa Anderson came in. When McFarland explained the severity of her pain, Anderson suggested battlefield acupuncture (also known as auricular acupuncture). Skeptical but willing, McFarland agreed.
Within an hour of her first treatment, her pain dropped from a +9 to a +4—relief she had not felt in years. After her second treatment, the improvement lasted even longer.
For the first time in decades, she can envision a life filled not just with survival, but with possibility. Through Whole Health and acupuncture, she is reclaiming her days, her purpose, and her hope. Learn more about Whole Health for pain management.
