A Holistic Approach to Veteran Health

The challenges of the veteran population, such as alcohol, drug, or sedative abuse; lack of social and familial support; unemployment; homelessness; economic instability; and poverty reflect larger societal issues. Until we address these issues, we cannot effectively address barriers to veterans’ health and wellness.

While there is still a long road to achieving parity in health with nonveterans, there are efforts to move the needle on veteran healthcare and wellbeing. Logan Spiewak, cofounder of the Boots to Health Foundation, spoke with NPQ about his efforts to serve veterans.

According to Spiewak, who is a Marine Corps veteran, when military personnel are discharged, many “don’t know which direction to head in.” He added that civilian life after military service can be challenging because it can be difficult to cope with the loss of structure that characterizes military service. The void left when the structure fades can sometimes lead to a downward spiral. Spiewak said that by the time veterans are referred to his program, many of them “need help, desperately.”

Boots to Health provides integrated help. According to Spiewak, “Every veteran that comes into the program is a little bit different, but my goal is to help them holistically, with their physical, spiritual, and nutritional wellbeing.” After the three-month program is complete, veterans who work with Boots to Health have a solid footing to build on. Spiewak emphasized the importance of his holistic approach: “The spiritual, the mental, the physical, everything ties together.”

Spiewak also works to provide the social support that too many veterans lack. He commented, “I just try to build this relationship with whoever comes in these doors. I want them to feel at home, at peace. I want to see improvement in their thinking…thinking good things, thinking positive thoughts. They’re being more productive for themselves and their families….I’ve been able to build these relationships with these individuals coming into the gym. I [sometimes] have dinner with the veterans that are referred to our program. That’s how we built this community around Boots to Health.”

When it comes to the future of veterans’ health and wellbeing, Spiewak sees signs of hope but also cautions that, as a society, we could be doing more to help our veterans. “Hundreds of thousands of people are entering the military and hundreds of thousands are coming out each year, so until we make a change…in the lives of individual [veterans] it’s going to be a repeated cycle.”