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Hi, my name is Dr. Roberta Lee, and I'm
the director of the whole health program
here at southern Arizona VA healthcare
system in Tucson today we're going to
share a vignette on Qi gong one of the
many offerings we have in the whole
health program Qi gong as a therapy
offered to veterans has been here
predating the presence of the whole
health program and was offered through
the health promotion disease prevention
program it has been taught for the past
five years by a Qi gong expert and
volunteer her name is Renee Stucklen
and we are very grateful to her service
I find the veterans to be really just a
wonderful group of people and it's just
been fairly amazing for me to witness
the transformation of several of them
from people being in a wheelchair to
standing up and then teaching a class
that's huge, and just it feels very
gratifying because this population is
very appreciative of having the
opportunity to do of course when we
first started out there just a few
veterans that were coming and now we
have several veterans who have been
coming for years and it's become I think
part of their routine but I would say
the biggest aspect of its growth is that
I no longer need to show up every week.
to teach the class, I've worked with
several that's directly, and they now are
at a level where they can lead the
classes and do so effectively and I
think that's just one of the best ways
to teach is to have people from within
this population teaching each other on
this segment you will hear from two of
our veterans Ron Cover and Sally Reeves
each will explain how and why they
became Qi gong experts in our whole
health program I am actually just a
veteran that's a patient out here but
recently going through the Qi gong
program have actually become one of the
instructors the way I learned about the
Qi gong it was through the pain clinic.
here at the VA when they talk about the
different
other options that they had for
treatment Qi gong was one that they
suggested might work really well for me
because I have more limited mobility
because of back injuries I've only been
doing it since the end of September last
year it's improved my core strength my
balance has improved quite a bit where I
starting to have more problems with
balance that's been improved quite a bit
one of the biggest things of course is
that between well I see pain clinical
teacher on things on using breathing
techniques in such deal with pain
Qi gong teaching you to use breathing
techniques why are you doing motion and
so I've been able to use that with what
they're trying to teach me you through
the pain clinic to actually make it
where I'm a lot more functional, I'm
still in a wheelchair if I'm going
really great distances but I'm a lot
more likely to say no I don't need my
wheelchair to go into the store for the
shortages I'm going to grab a little
bread or something to come back out I
can go without that and be able to deal
with pain and overall the way the well
level I could deal with my pain is
improved radically it's amazing just how
much of a difference it can make and how
quickly it can make a difference if
you're willing to try it and actually
actually, participate not just come in
and say okay I'm to be the most is there
I'm done but actually, try to the way
they're showing it to you try and use
the techniques within three weeks my
balance was radically improved so my
mobility is improved my core strength
has improved the mental focus that you
have from being able to go with less
stress between the breathing and the
relaxation that you work within here
makes it a lot easier to deal with day
I'm able to do more at my house and I
could do before I'm able to help my wife
around the house a lot more I'm
technically % disabled but I can
still, function and do things around the
house I couldn't go back to work right
now it's still a full day will still
even running through a class here I'll
be very tired at the end of the day when
I get home, but I'll also feel better and
have that focus and clarity that I
didn't have otherwise, so I think it
could help an awful lot of veterans if
they'd be willing to try it I've been
teaching the class for two years at the
women's clinic and then I just started
the Northwest clinic a year ago but I've
been taking Qi gong classes for four
years
and just started filling in on the
Monday classes I saw a flyer at the
Northwest clinic where I get my care and
I was very interested in it because I
was having some issues with my back so I
took it to my primary care and I said I
want to do this, and I got signed up and
I've been going ever since, and I'm very
grateful to have the opportunity to
participate in this activity well about
two years ago they were looking for
female instructor to teach the women's
clinic and I was I was very interested
in helping out doing that so I
volunteered to be able to teach at the
women's clinic and then it just don't
then I also offered to do the Northwest
clinic because that's where I get my
care I was offered a prescription drug
for some issues with my back, I'm not
interested in trying prescription drugs
just yet I wanted an alternative less
invasive procedures and the Qi gong
has helped me tremendously with my back
issues but it also helps me with
flexibility and balance my balance has
just been phenomenal so I'm getting
a lot of good benefits and I also think
that it's preventing me from having just
take those prescription drugs or do
other more invasive treatments I have
one veteran that had a lot of back
issues wasn't able to stand up very
straight and was having a lot of issues
and he actually had been doing he's at
the Northwest clinic doing classes for a
year and he went to his doctor and his
doctor said you look really good today
what are you doing and he said Qi gong
and the doctor said well you need to
keep doing it, so I'm getting a lot of
feedback from veterans saying that they
are feeling better that they have a
little more energy they're more flexible
so I feel very blessed that I get to
hear all these veterans come back and
say what benefits they're receiving
and I know because I can see it in their
movements and how much more movement
they have than when they first started
just try it you'll like it
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