Rising above pain with Whole Health

An Army Veteran and VA employee is living her life to the fullest after suffering with multiple health issues for years. Sabrina Jacobs attributes VA’s Whole Health for helping her make dramatic improvements.

Jacobs served more than 26 years in the Army, including four combat tours as both enlisted soldier and commissioned officer. Years of running and jumping with a heavy pack and the daily physical requirements of being a soldier resulted in multiple service-connected illnesses and injuries.

In 2017, Jacobs decided it was time to look for alternative ways to manage her health conditions. She lived and worked in Washington, D.C., and was a single mom. “I had been prescribed opiate pain medication, which could have affected my driving. I could not be falling asleep at the wheel, so I wanted something else,” she said.

Her Whole Health journey included complementary and integrative health (CIH) practices and her own self-care. The D.C. VAMC offered acupuncture, a CIH approach for pain management, and Jacobs decided to give it a try. She is thankful she did, because now she is able to better manage the nagging health issues that once plagued her.

Jacobs said she quickly noticed that twice-weekly acupuncture decreased her anxiety, improved her sleep and made her pain manageable. Living a healthier lifestyle also led to her losing 40 pounds, which gave her the energy to live her life to the fullest.

“You have to be consistent. This is a lifestyle change,” she recalled. On the advice of a VA nutritionist, she created a plan to avoid foods that trigger inflammation. She swore off soda, fatty, spicy and fried foods, and instead chose raw vegetables, lean meats and herbal teas.

Focused on quality of life

It’s not just the food and the acupuncture. Jacobs has made a commitment to dedicate time to meditate, work out and walk. Leaving D.C. for Florida in 2018 allowed her more time to devote to her health and well-being because she no longer spends hours in the car every day, which she did for 13 years.

Her focus now is on quality of life and she takes that very seriously. Accompanied by her now-grown daughter, Jacobs finds time for hot air balloon rides in the desert and other vacations, including the vacation of a lifetime—a trip to Greece.

Jacobs is a communications specialist with the Veterans Health Information Exchange (VHIE) office and she travels nationwide throughout the year to educate Veterans, VA staff and Veterans Service Organizations about the program. VHIE allows Veterans to share electronic health records between their VA and non-VA health care teams.

Learn more about Whole Health for Veterans, caregivers, family members and employees.