Play the video: Understanding Veteran Pain, with Dr. Luke Arnett
They're not fine.
There's usually a reason behind it. And it can be found.
Pain is a fire alarm. It's the body's signal that something else isn't working right. Quieting the alarm doesn't put out the fire. To find the fire, you have to look at the whole body, and the body is made of three parts that work together.
01 · The Frame
Bones, joints, muscles and connective tissue. When it's off: stiff out of bed, knees that ache on the stairs, a back that locks up on a long drive, trouble getting up off the floor.
02 · What's Inside
Nutrients, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and the hormones behind energy, focus and repair. When it's off: inflammation, tired no matter how much sleep, slow to heal, achy for no clear reason, brain fog.
03 · What It Costs You
Stress, mood, relationships, and the frustration of not being who you used to be. When it's off: a short fuse, money worries, pulling away from a partner, putting off the kids.
All three run through one stress hormone, cortisol. The body answers back pain, low nutrients and worry about bills the same way. Cortisol is built for short emergencies, but when the stress never lets up, it stays on. Then it keeps muscles tight, slows healing, drives inflammation, wrecks sleep, drains energy and lowers testosterone.
Pain causes stress, and stress causes more pain. That's why fixing one part alone doesn't work.
Most care looks at one piece at a time: the x-ray, the lab panel, the prescription. If each piece comes back "normal," the search stops there.
We look at all three parts together and test first, because without testing, it's guessing. And if we find something outside what we do, we'll say so straight and point to someone who can help. No runaround.
For 28 years, Dr. Arnett has worked with veterans, helping hundreds of them get to the root of what's holding their bodies back. It's personal for him. His father was a veteran who lived this same story, and nobody ever got to the bottom of it. Dr. Arnett decided that wouldn't be the ending for anyone who walks through his door. He holds two diplomate certifications and a fellowship in clinical nutrition.
Aimee is a dedicated nurse practitioner who provides comprehensive functional medicine care. Focused on evidence-based, integrative medicine, she designs and oversees wellness plans built around each patient's results.
We want the whole story: where it hurts, what the days look like, and every doctor and test so far.
We look at all three parts:
Muscle weakness, joint pain and how the body moves.
Advanced lab work on hormones, thyroid, nutrients and inflammation.
How hard the body's stress response is running.
Office visits and lab testing are billed to most major insurance. Insurance or not, we'll work it out. Give us a call.
No jargon, no rushing. We show what we found and how the pieces connect. If something is outside what we do, we'll point you to someone who can help.
Pain is the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave. When people start feeling better, the urge is to catch up on everything at once. The body needs time to rebuild, so we pace it, track progress and adjust along the way.
All November, money won't leave a vet behind. We bill most major insurance for office visits and lab testing. Insurance or not, we'll work it out. This isn't charity. It was earned a long time ago.
Each test looks at one piece. Standard labs are built to catch disease, not the imbalances that wear a body down first. We look at structure, chemistry and stress together.
Pain is the alarm, not the fire. Until the cause underneath is found, the pain returns once the medication wears off.
Pain, low nutrients and everyday worry all raise cortisol. When it stays high, it tightens muscles, slows healing, drives inflammation and drains energy, which creates more pain.
Muscle strength, joints and movement, advanced lab work on hormones, thyroid, nutrients and inflammation, and how hard the stress response is running.
Yes. About a quarter of the veterans Dr. Arnett sees are women.
Office visits and lab testing are billed to most major insurance. Give us a call and we'll check your coverage on the phone.
Give us a call. We'll work it out.
Someone from our team texts you right away, then calls to confirm your time and verify your insurance.
Let's find out what's really going on. Pick a time that works for you, any time, day or night, and we'll follow up as soon as we're in.
Rather talk to a real person first? Questions, insurance, whatever you need, just give us a call.
