Dear Reader,
The story you’re about to read is unlike anything you’ve seen in Health Watch before. When Dr. Deborah Gordon came to us with it, we knew we had to share it with you.
The sad truth is our veterans don’t get the care they deserve. As you’ll see in a moment, Sgt. 1st Class Victor Birdseye is living proof. But Dr. Gordon and her colleagues believe they have a solution that may forever change the way we take care of our veterans.
If they’re right—and we think they are… This will be just the first of many incredible transformations you hear about in years to come.
In Good Health,
Joe Zagami
Managing Editor
Sergeant First Class Victor Birdseye is proud to have served as an Army Ranger. But like many returning veterans, his service came at great personal cost.
He suffered severe ankle, hip, knee, and shoulder injuries. “My spine contains enough screws to supply a small hardware store,” Birdseye says.
He can joke about it now. But just two years ago, doctors told him he would never walk normally again. They told him not to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. He was in pain whenever he moved. His wife had to tie his shoes for him.
At one point, he was taking close to 60 pills just to get through the day.
A doctor-ordered sedentary lifestyle and poor diet led to weight gain, high blood pressure, and major depression. Doctors offered him no solution other than basic pain management. They declared him disabled.
Then an encounter with a fellow vet changed his life.
Ben Chew is the owner of CrossFit Ashland. It’s one of the top gyms in Oregon. With Chew’s help, Sgt. 1st Class Birdseye cleaned up his diet. That was step one. From there, he began working out.
On the first day, he couldn’t raise his arms over his head.
Eight months later, he was a brand new person.
Today, he sets weightlifting records at his gym and wins CrossFit tournaments. His pain levels are lower. He’s no longer depressed. And he’s taking a fraction of the pills he used to rely on daily.
Now, along with dedicated colleagues, Birdseye has started a program to help returning veterans reclaim their health—and lives.
It’s called VetFIT.
Their goal is to transform the health of five disabled veterans. Many are in the same position he was a few years ago. These wounded warriors will receive comprehensive health screenings and fitness evaluations. They’ll get regular blood work and nutritional education. And they’ll go through the same type of workouts that got Birdseye back in top shape—but with individualized attention and planning.
To do this, he’s enlisted the help of INH’s Dr. Deborah Gordon.
She’s an integrative medicine authority in the Paleo community with over 30 years of experience. Our Inner Circle of Independent Healing members are already familiar with her. They have access to Dr. Gordon’s expertise in our monthly Doctor Direct series.
One of the long-term goals of VetFIT is to change the way the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—and many doctors—approach veteran care.
According to Dr. Gordon, the real flaw is that they treat the injuries of too many soldiers as chronic problems that can never be cured—only managed.
“We would like to offer them a chance for real recovery,” Dr. Gordon says.
The treatment comes at zero cost to the veterans. Dr. Gordon and others involved in the program are donating their time.
If you support the legitimacy of diet and exercise as natural medicines—or simply share the goal of helping veterans—there’s an easy way to get involved.
You can support Project VetFIT by visiting their fundraising page on Indiegogo. There’s a wide range of perks being offered for backers, too.
These range from the VetFIT nutrition guide to phone consultations with the VetFIT team doctors. Donors can even get in-person workouts with the VetFIT team at CrossFit Ashland in Oregon.
To learn more about VetFIT—and how you can help support this groundbreaking project—click here.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Publisher, INH Health Watch
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