Whole Health

The innermost circle represents each of us as unique individuals. We start at the middle saying, “I am the expert on my life, values, goals, and priorities. Only I can know WHY I want my health. Only I can know what really matters to ME. And this knowledge needs to be what drives my health and my healthcare. I am the most important person when it comes to making choices that influence my health and well-being. I am the leader of my team, and my medical team professionals are some of the invited players.”

Examples of the types of services Veterans can access and use to support this area include (but are not limited to):

• What REALLY matters to you in your life?
• What do you want your health for?
• What is your vision of your best possible health?

Mindfulness is being fully aware or paying attention. Sometimes, we go through our daily lives on autopilot. We are not fully aware of the present. We often dwell on the past and plan events in the future. We do not spend much time really paying attention and noticing what is happening right now; without judging or trying to fix it. Your body and mind send you signals constantly. If your attention is elsewhere, you don’t notice. Then, the signals that began as whispers become loud warnings. For example, when you miss the whispers of an early discomfort or a sad feeling, you miss the opportunity to make a change before it grows into real pain or depression. Being mindful, or aware, allows you to make conscious, proactive choices about every aspect of your health. Mindfulness connects you to each component of your well-being, and to your whole self.

Self-care is often the most important factor in living a healthy life, which in turn allows you to live your life fully, in the ways that matter to you. Self-care includes all the choices you make on a daily basis that affect your physical, mental, and spiritual health. In fact, how you take care of yourself will have a greater impact on your health and well-being than the medical care you receive. Evidence shows that each of these eight areas of self-care contributes a great deal to your overall health and well-being. They can also affect your chances for developing diseases as well as the seriousness of that disease. Consider your values, lifestyle, habits, and motivations in each area. Taking stock of where you are now and where you want to be in each of these areas is the first step in living a healthier life. 

Prevention and treatment of illness or disease and traditional and complementary medicine are part of professional care. Preventive care includes things like immunizations and cancer screening. Common treatments include checkups, medicines, supplements, physical therapy, surgery, and counseling. Complementary medicine includes approaches like acupuncture and mind-body therapies. It is important to stay current with your personal care plan for health and well-being.

The outer ring represents your community. For some, their community is close by and for others it is far away. Your community is more than the places where you live, work, and worship. It includes all the people and groups you connect with, who rely on you and upon whom you rely.

Veterans explore their mission, aspiration, and purpose (MAP) by building their Personal Health Plan (PHP). Once you are on the Whole Health Pathway, VA staff and Veteran Peer Support Specialists, guide you as you complete your Personal Health Inventory and develop your personal health plan.

Whole Health means thinking about and approaching your health in a new way. Through conversations and courses, VA staff and Veteran Peers will get to know you. They will work with you to set health and well-being goals based on your needs and what matters to you.

Tell your health care provider your needs, concerns, and goals.

What matters to you will shape your Personal Health Plan and drive your Well-being Program and clinical treatment choices. A yoga class might enhance your flexibility, or a tai chi class might help you manage your pain better.

Whether you want to better your pain management and mobility, change careers, or reduce stress, you can start by talking with your health care provider or participating in a Whole Health course.

There are currently two Veteran peer & Whole Health Partner-led courses - Introduction to Whole Health and Taking Charge of My Life and Health.

1. Introduction to Whole Health: The Introduction to Whole Health session is designed to familiarize you to the VA Whole Health approach to care. This approach is designed around what is important to you, developing a plan of care to make those things possible, giving you a larger voice in your care. Through our programs and services and, most importantly, your own strengths and abilities, we will work together in a healing partnership to optimize your well-being with a focus on what is important to YOU. We'll also describe areas of self-care and well-being that make up all the different aspects of who we are as individuals. You will learn how improving certain areas of your life can have an influencing effect on your overall physical and mental health.
2. Taking Charge of My Life and Health (TCMLH): Following the Introduction to Whole Health, you can participate in a 6-week “deep dive” peer-led course. This group session provides an opportunity for more self-exploration, self-care, and goal creation around what matters to YOU.

Whole Health puts YOU, not your symptoms, at the center of your care decisions.

Appointments for these classes can be made by calling:

Wanting to make changes in your life but need help? Our health coach helps Veterans set goals, increase motivation, discuss any barriers/obstacles that may come up along your journey, and improve your overall quality of life that is aligned with your values, wants, and needs. Coaching can assist Veterans with the next steps in their lives, putting the Veteran in the driver’s seat throughout the process allowing the Veteran to choose his/her own health plan/route.

Appointments for this class can be made by calling:

Yoga fosters mindfulness, decreases pain, calms the mind, reduces stress, connects the mind and body, all while increasing strength and flexibility.

Monday – 5:00 PM CST

Tuesday – 3:00 PM CST

Wednesday – 4:00 PM CST

Call to Sign Up

Chair Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. Yoga improves strength, balance, and flexibility. Slow movements and deep breathing increase blood flow and warm up muscles, while holding a pose can build strength. Yoga is also good as basic stretching for easing pain and improving mobility in people with lower back pain. Regular yoga practice may reduce levels of stress and body-wide inflammation, contributing to healthy hearts. Talk to your provider if yoga is right for you.  

Wednesdays - 11:00 AM CST

Call to Sign Up

Tai Chi is a series of gentle physical exercises and stretches rooted in the Asian traditions of martial arts and Chinese Medicine. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion. Tai Chi is sometimes described as a meditation in motion because it promotes serenity through gentle movements connecting the mind and body. Tai Chi strengthens both the lower and upper extremities and also the core muscles of the back and abdomen. Tai Chi can boost upper and lower body flexibility as well as strength and balance. Talk to your provider if this practice is right for you.  Ask your provider for a Whole Health Consult today to get started.

Monday - 9:30 AM-10:30 AM CST

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Developed by Dr. Paul Lam at the Tai Chi for Health Institute (TCHI), Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention is based on Sun style tai chi. Sun tai chi is proven to have many health benefits, including increasing strength, balance and awareness, which can help reduce the possibility of a fall.

2nd & 4th Thursday of the Month - 9:30 AM-10:30 AM CST

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Live cooking demos with Fargo VA dieticians teaching you how cooking healthy meals can help you live your best life.

4th Thursday of the Month - 10:30 AM-11:30 AM CST

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This 5-week course led by Fargo VA Dieticians will teach you the components of an anti-inflammatory diet while gaining skills to incorporate it into your everyday life.

Call to Discuss Upcoming Schedule of Classes and Sign-Up

This 3-week series introduces simple mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and improve wellbeing.  Mindfulness brings focus, ease, and freedom from emotional reaction in daily life.  It is a way of finding joy and discovering gratitude.

Call to Register

Qi gong, translates as “cultivation of life energy,” and involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind, and spirit, with the goal of improving and maintaining health and well-being. Qi Gong uses simple movements, focusing on increasing and improving the flow of qi. The movements are similar to tai chi in that they are slow, intentional, and coordinated with breath and/or focused attention.

1st Tuesday of the Month - 11:00 AM-12:00 PM CST

Call to Sign Up

Developed by Dr. Paul Lam at the Tai Chi for Health Institute (TCHI), Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention is based on Sun style tai chi. Sun tai chi is proven to have many health benefits, including increasing strength, balance and awareness, which can help reduce the possibility of a fall.

2nd & 4th Thursday of the Month - 9:30 AM-10:30 AM CST

Call to Sign Up

Learn a variety of tools to engage relaxation of the body and mind: breathing techniques, guided imagery, body-mind practices, healing sounds and more.

Monthly (August -May) - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST

Call to Sign Up

Live cooking demos with Fargo VA dieticians teaching you how cooking healthy meals can help you live your best life

4th Tuesday of the Month - 1:00PM CST

Call to Sign Up

This 5-week course led by Fargo VA Dieticians will teach you the components of an anti-inflammatory diet while gaining skills to incorporate it into your everyday life.

Call to Discuss Upcoming Schedule of Classes and Sign-Up

Discover the Power of Your Spirituality

Fridays - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST

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Fargo:

Available by Appointment:  Monday - Friday 7:30 AM- 5:30 PM CST

Call to make an appointment

Walk-In Clinic - Tuesdays 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CST

Chiropractors:

Dr. Michael Mortenson

Dr. Kevin Bjorlie

Dr. Janyne Aker

Dr. Ricky Judisch

Dr. Amy Christianson

Minot:

Available by Appointment:  Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 AM-12:00 PM CST

Call to make an appointment

Chiropractor:

Dr. Michael Kelly Jr. 

Fargo:

Available by Appointment:  Monday - Friday 7:30 AM- 3:30 PM CST

Call to make an appointment

Walk-In Clinic - Tuesdays 8:00 AM-12:00 PM CST

Acupuncturists:

Dr. Tabitha Olsen-Bergman

Tasha Boehland

Fargo:

Available by Walk-In or Call ahead ): 

• Tuesdays - 9:00 AM- 11:00 AM CST (Dr. Ottenbacher)
• Thursdays - 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST (Tasha Boehland)

Community Resource & Referral Center (CRRC) (Downtown Fargo):

• 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the Month - 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Dr. Tabitha Olsen-Bergman)

Battlefield Acupuncturists:

Dr. Tabitha Olsen-Bergman

Dr. Ronovan Ottenbacher

Tasha Boehland

Fargo:

Available Thursdays 9:00 AM - 11:00AM CST by Walk-In or Call ahead

Group Acupuncturist:

Tasha Boehland

Fargo:

Available Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Call for an appointment

Medical Massage Therapists:

Jennifer Bourne

Reiki is a Japanese technique that promotes healing by balancing the subtle energy field surrounding and throughout the body. Reiki is used to promote wellness, reduce stress, cope with symptoms, and support current medical treatment.

Fargo: 

Available by Appointment Only (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays) (Nancy Ruud)

Call for an appointment

Jamestown Clinic: 

Available by Appointment Only (Thursdays) (Monica Gussiaas)

Call for an appointment

Devils Lake Clinic: 

Available by Appointment Only (Wednesdays) (Monica Gussiaas)

Call for an appointment

Reiki Practitioners:

Heather Thomas

Monica Gussiaas (Jamestown & Devils Lake)

Hypnosis is a clinical tool that uses the power of the mind to bring about change. It is characterized by a state of inner absorption, concentration, and focused attention, while maintaining full control of self. The main purpose of hypnosis is to enable a Veteran to have increased control over his or her behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses. Hypnosis is not meant to be used as a treatment of any one specific condition.

Fargo:

Available by Appointment Only Wednesdays 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM & Thursdays 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Call for an appointment

Clinical Hypnosis Practitioner: 

Dr. Hope Mathern