Whole Health

With the help of Whole Health and coach Lisa Frazier, Air Force Veteran Kenneth Burkhamer rediscovered his faith and found a more soulful way to manage his pain.

In late 2020, Kenneth Burkhamer faced a decision that was a long time coming. Battling chronic health conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, and addiction, the Air Force Veteran knew he was in a dark place. In VA Whole Health, he found a spark that reignited his zest for life and helped him climb out.

“To me, it was like get busy living or get busy dying,” Burkhamer said, reflecting on his moment of truth, “and I needed to make the right choices.” Whole Health empowered him to do just that.

A real pain

Burkhamer’s breakthrough came at Wisconsin’s Tomah VA Medical Center nearly six years ago, but his journey to that milestone dates back to at least 2006. Fresh off two stints in the Air Force, he was forced to medically retire due to neck and back issues. At its worst, his condition was so severe that he underwent surgeries during three consecutive months. To deal with his symptoms, Burkhamer self-medicated with opioids — an approach that ultimately made matters worse.

“With a pill … I call them ‘soul suckers,’” he said. “They just take everything from you … yeah, you might numb up that pain for a while, but you’re just kind of sitting there stagnant, not progressing.”

His addiction snowballed, and his weight, blood pressure, sleep quality, and mental health suffered. He knew that if he wanted to be the best version of himself, he needed a path toward recovery that gave back what he put into it.

Coming full circle

Burkhamer admits that he was initially skeptical of Whole Health. “At that time, I wasn’t really ready to hear that,” he said, recalling his reaction to when he first heard about a more holistic approach to healing.

But at the Tomah VA Medical Center, years later, something clicked. He started with complementary and integrative health therapies like tai chi. From there, he added resistance band training, chair yoga, and deep-breathing meditation. Moving the body encouraged him to embrace healthier food and drink choices. As a result, he lost nearly 100 pounds and was able to reduce his medication use.

The mental benefits have been just as significant as the physical impacts. “It was like learning how to fall in love with life again because I was miserable for a long time, I pretty much hated everything, myself included,” Burkhamer said. “When you see everything as glass half empty, it’s hard to change that to glass half full … but you can do it, and Whole Health was … something that when I did learn about it … it made sense.”

Whole Health for the whole soul

One thing brought it all together for Burkhamer: a deep sense of spirit and soul. His health and wellness coach, Lisa Frazier, echoes this. “It really went down to his faith … that really was the driving force for everything for him,” she said.

Since taking a leap of faith with Whole Health, Burkhamer has been more active in the church and worked to improve relationships with his family. He acknowledges that while he’s still a work in progress, the want is there. To him, that’s the most important part.

“It’s like you’re a boat that’s tied up to the dock, but then a storm comes and blows you out, and that rope breaks, and also your motor falls off, so now you’re just sitting in the middle of the ocean … waiting for that breeze to blow you back in,” he said. “It does come, but you’ve got to want it.”

At VA facilities across the country, Whole Health gives Veterans like Burkhamer a patient-centered alternative to pain management. Learn more about Whole Health for Pain Management here.