Recreation
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Riding the waves to better health: Navy studies the therapeutic value of surfing
Type of content: News
In song and prose, surfing has long been celebrated as a way to soothe the mind and invigorate the body. But scientific evidence has been limited.
Now the Navy has embarked on a $1 million research project to determine whether surfing has therapeutic value, especially for military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or sleep problems.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Recreation
- VA
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Therapeutic riding programs help veterans cope with PTSD, study finds
Type of content: News
In the United States, military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often are prescribed therapeutic horseback riding (THR) as a complementary therapy, but little is known about how these programs affect PTSD in military veterans. Now, a University of Missouri study has determined that veterans had a significant decrease in PTSD scores just weeks after THR. Results show that therapeutic horseback riding may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Recreation
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Hope for Heroes: How Farming Is Helping Veterans Find Purpose
Type of content: News
Digging in the dirt may not heal the emotional wounds of war, but for some battle-scarred veterans, farming sure as hell helps.
- Topics
- Entrepreneurship
- Recreation
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Official warns of service changes after Army MWR cuts
Type of content: News
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Programs that support fitness, community centers, libraries and other family and recreational programs at U.S. Army installations are bracing for significant funding cuts in fiscal 2017 that will affect the level of service they can provide.
Lt. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, the commander of U.S. Army Installation Management Command, said the Army is reducing its financial support to Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs so the service can “remain combat ready.”
- Topics
- DoD
- Family
- Recreation
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In the wake of scandal, Wounded Warrior Project outlines significant overhaul
Type of content: News
Wounded Warrior Project officials are firing half of their executives, closing nine offices and redirecting millions in spending to mental health care programs and partnerships as part of an organization overhaul in the wake of spending scandals earlier this year.
Mike Linnington, a retired Army lieutenant general who took over as CEO of the embattled organization earlier this year, said the moves aren’t an indictment of past practices at the charity but a recognition of changes needed to keep the group relevant and providing the best resources possible to veterans.
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Team RWB helps veterans forge connections with their communities
Type of content: News
Mike Erwin was fresh off a deployment to Afghanistan when he left Fort Bragg in 2009 to attend graduate school in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The next summer Erwin founded an organization that he hoped would help tie veterans to where they live and, in the process, provide a network of support centered on physical activity.
That organization - Team Red, White & Blue, or Team RWB for short - has far outpaced Erwin's expectations.
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Legos help ease Iraq veteran's post-traumatic stress
Type of content: News
Retired Army medic Robin Krauth found relief from post-traumatic stress in a way the 43-year-old never imagined, and it involved her computer and a massive pile of Lego bricks.
In therapy for PTSD symptoms such as debilitating nightmares and crippling anxiety, Krauth was able to achieve a sense of calm in counseling. That peaceful feeling proved elusive at home — until she received a casual gift from her husband, a 1,228-brick Hogwarts Castle Lego set.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Recreation
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U Researchers Examine Nature as a Form of Therapy for Military Veterans
Type of content: News
Fresh air clears the mind, but can it heal it? A group of researchers at the U have set out to find the answer by examining nature’s effects on veterans and their families.
The study will focus primarily on the “stress reducing effects” of nature, said Daniel Dustin, a professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
- Topics
- Recreation
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Veterans Finding a New Outlook Outdoors
Type of content: News
Joshua Brandon was searching for peace. In 2009, after three combat tours in Iraq, Brandon had earned a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars with Valor Device, and was finally returning home. He was decorated and distinguished, but in his own words "washed up" as he was learning to survive with PTSD and the after-effects of war. He was not alone. Since 2001, more than two million troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Over half are married and 40% have at least two children.
