Center uses holistic approach to treat soldiers with traumatic brain injury

The Intrepid Spirit Center, located in Fort Hood, Texas, recognizes the need to treat the whole person rather than just a body part that’s been injured. That’s why they use a holistic and integrated treatment plan on soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injury at their center. More than 339,000 service members have reportedly been […]

The Intrepid Spirit Center, located in Fort Hood, Texas, recognizes the need to treat the whole person rather than just a body part that’s been injured.

That’s why they use a holistic and integrated treatment plan on soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injury at their center.

More than 339,000 service members have reportedly been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury since 2000.

“Called the ‘invisible wound of war,’ traumatic brain injuries are hard to diagnose and difficult to treat because of the disease’s symptom diversity that can include anything from depression and anxiety to balance and memory issues,” an article in the Fort Hood Sentinel reads.

At a recent open house at the Intrepid Spirit Center, the director of the center, Dr. Scott Engle, described to the Fort Hood Sentinel that symptoms are so varied and diverse when it comes to brain injuries, that it’s better to treat the person as a whole, since every case is different.

“ Imagine all these symptoms put into a blender and mixed up. It would be very difficult to pull out one and just treat one symptom by itself alone,” he said.

Engle said that recent data confirms that the center and its programs are making a difference in helping Soldiers manage symptoms such as depression and post-traumatic stress, which aren’t uncommon following a traumatic brain injury.

According to the Mayo Clinic, traumatic brain injury can have wide-ranging physical and psychological effects. Some signs or symptoms may appear immediately after the traumatic event, while others may appear days or weeks later.

Some of those symptoms include physical symptoms like nausea, headache, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping, while other symptoms may affect a person’s senses such as sight and smell, or their memory or mood.

The center’s open house was held in honor of March’s National Brain Injury Awareness Month and it featured displays, therapy, and equipment demonstrations.

This year’s theme was “Integrating Arts in the Healing Process” and featured several guest speakers.