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Veterans Whole Health Education Handouts
Search below for Veteran whole health education handouts from the different areas of the Circle of Health to support your Whole Health journey.
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An Introduction to Family, Friends and Co-workers: Connecting for Whole Health
Loving and supportive relationships with others can have a protective effect on our bodies when we experience stress.
Topics:Family, Friends & Co-workers
An Introduction to Food and Drink for Whole Health
Making healthy choices about what you eat and drink is a powerful way to care for yourself. Food and drink give our bodies the fuel to work properly, stay healthy, and fight disease.
Topics:Food & Drink
An Introduction to Mindful Awareness
Mindful awareness is at the heart of Whole Health. Mindful awareness allows you to focus on the present and what is most important to you.
Topics:Mindful Awareness
An Introduction to Personal Development
Personal development focuses on different ways you can grow in different areas of your life. What can you do to make your life better?
Topics:Personal Development
An Introduction to Recharge for Whole Health
“Recharge” sounds like something you do with your cell phone or other electronic devices. “Recharge” for people is very similar. It refers to sleep, rest, and relaxation, which give you energy.
Topics:Recharge
An Introduction to Spirit and Soul for Whole Health
Spirituality includes determining our meaning in life and connecting with someone "bigger than us." Research has found that religion and spirituality may affect a range of health issues.
Topics:Spirit & Soul
An Introduction to Tai Chi and Qigong for Whole Health
Tai chi and qi gong are mind-body practices that have been used for thousands of years to promote health. Both target the energy of the body via focused breath and movements.
Topics:Moving the Body; Personal Development
An Introduction to the Power of the Mind
Your mind and body are not separate from each other. Your mind affects your body, and your body affects your mind, perhaps more than you realize.
Topics:Power of the Mind
An Introduction to Moving the Body for Whole Health
Physical activity prevents and treats dozens of diseases. Learn what type of movement works for your lifestyle and goals. It doesn't have to be "exercise."
Topics:Moving the Body
An Introduction to Yoga for Whole Health
One of the main goals of yoga is to help people find a more balanced and peaceful state of mind and body. Yoga provides many physical health benefits as well.
Topics:Moving the Body; Personal Development
Assessing Your Surroundings
Your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, stress levels, and brain chemicals are all affected by your environment.
Topics:Surroundings
Autogenic Training
Autogenic training is a relaxation technique that uses the power of the mind to relax the body. You can also think of it as a form of self-hypnosis.
Topics:Power of the Mind
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a process that uses your body’s own signals like heart rate and body temperature to bring about healthy changes.
Topics:Power of the Mind; Moving the Body
Breathing and Health
Relaxed breathing has many health benefits, reducing anxiety, stress, and even blood pressure. Practicing breathing exercises can help you breathe in a more relaxed way more of the time.
Topics:Power of the Mind
Carbohydrates and Your Health - Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load and Blood Sugars
There are 3 basic building blocks that make up the foods we eat: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. You need all 3, including healthy carbohydrates.
Topics:Food & Drink
Change Your Habits to Sleep Better
You can make some changes that may help you sleep longer and better. The key is to find what works best for you. Try to change the habits that you can, one at a time.
Topics:Recharge
Chaplains
Chaplains are part of the health care team. They are trained to help with the religious, spiritual, psychological, and social needs of patients, families, and hospital staff.
Topics:Spirit & Soul
Compassion Practice
Extending compassion to yourself and others can improve your health and well-being.
Topics:Family, Friends & Co-workers; Mindful Awareness; Personal Development
Coping with Grief Following a Death
Grief is very individual. The way you grieve will be influenced by many things, such as who died, how a death occurred, your personality, culture, age, and gender.
Topics:Family, Friends & Co-workers; Mindful Awareness
Counseling for Insomnia
For many, maintaining healthy sleep habits is not enough to overcome insomnia. A counselor trained in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia can help.
Topics:Recharge
Create a Gratitude Practice
Gratitude means feeling thankful or being willing to show appreciation. It can improve your health in many ways.
Topics:Personal Development; Mindful Awareness
Deciding How to Be a Healthier Eater
How do you know what way to eat to support your health the most? The bottom line is, you are the one who has to decide what it means for you to eat healthy.
Topics:Food & Drink
Deciding What You Need for Spiritual Health
Spiritual health means different things to different people. Learn about ways you might enhance your spiritual health.
Topics:Spirit & Soul
Eating to Reduce Inflammation
Many chronic diseases can be prevented or reduced if you focus on eating some foods and not others, otherwise known as an "anti-inflammatory diet."
Topics:Food & Drink
Ergonomics: Positioning Your Body for Whole Health
To avoid pain and strain, position your body the best way possible during your daily activities.
Topics:Surroundings; Moving the Body
Finding Balance
Being healthy includes balancing the different parts of your life. Studies indicate that poor balance can lead to poor health.
Topics:Personal Development; Mindful Awareness
Forgiveness
Practicing forgiveness can help you let go of anger, sorrow, or other emotions that can harm you.
Topics:Personal Development; Power of the Mind
Get Moving: Adding Physical Activity into Your Routine
An active lifestyle decreases the risks of long-term health problems. Moving regularly decreases inflammation in the body, and inflammation is at the center of many diseases.
Topics:Moving the Body
Healthy Tips on Eating Out and Grocery Shopping
Learn how to eat healthier meals at restaurants and grocery shop for healthy meals at home.
Topics:Food & Drink
Hints for Encouraging Healthy Sleep
Good sleep is important. You can improve your sleep habits through methods such as sleep therapy, music, breathing exercises, and evening food choices.
Topics:Recharge
How a Healthy Gut Makes for a Healthier You
Gut health relates to practically all systems of the body. A good balance of helpful bacteria in the gut lessens your chances for health problems in all body systems, not just your stomach.
Topics:Food & Drink
How Do You Know That? Beliefs and Your Health
Beliefs affect your health in many ways. One study found that participants with a strong sense of purpose—a reason for getting up each day— lived longer.
Topics:Spirit & Soul; Power of the Mind
How to Eat a Mediterranean Diet
A Mediterranean diet is one that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and fewer meats and sweets. Eating a Mediterranean diet is a good idea for many reasons.
Topics:Food & Drink
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy, or clinical hypnosis, can improve your health by helping you relax and focus your mind.
Topics:Power of the Mind
Introduction to Surroundings for Whole Health
Your surroundings can have a major effect on your health. Even when you are not thinking about it, your surroundings are impacting how you feel.
Topics:Surroundings
Laughter Heals
Laughter actually makes us healthier and helps the body in many ways.
Topics:Personal Development; Power of the Mind
Mindful Awareness Practice in Daily Living
Find tips for practicing mindful awareness and four different mindfulness exercises you can incorporate into your daily routine, even while commuting.
Topics:Mindful Awareness; Personal Development
Precautions with Using Mindful Awareness Practices
Anyone can benefit from mindful awareness practices. However, there are some things to think about before you start doing one.
Topics:Mindful Awareness
Probiotics for Specific Conditions
This handout lists specific probiotic strains helpful for certain medical condition. Use it together with your health care provider if you will be taking probiotics as part of your medical treatment.
Topics:Food & Drink
Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Progressive Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation involves tightening and relaxing specific muscles to reduce stress and help relax. Another option, progressive relaxation, focuses on relaxing each muscle group.
Topics:Power of the Mind; Moving the Body
Relationships and Health
Relationships matter to our well-being. In fact, having strong relationships affects our body in positive ways.
Topics:Family, Friends & Co-workers; Mindful Awareness; Personal Development
Seated Meditation
Meditation can help people handle stress better, improve concentration, and gain more awareness. It can also relax your mind and body and help you deal with pain.
Topics:Power of the Mind
Spiritual Anchors
A “spiritual anchor” is something that helps keep us grounded, connected to what matters most, and able to cope with the challenges that life brings.
Topics:Spirit & Soul
The Healing Power of Hope and Optimism
Hope is about leaving room for something good to happen. Optimism is about having hope, trusting that things will work out.
Topics:Personal Development; Mindful Awareness
The Health Benefits of Pausing and Taking Breaks
Pausing in a healthy way can help us handle the challenges life gives us with greater skill. The key is to find a healthy balance between activity and inactivity.
Topics:Recharge; Mindful Awareness
The Low FODMaP Diet
The FODMaP diet is a form of elimination diet that focuses on certain types of sugars that should or should not be consumed. It is a first-line treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
Topics:Food & Drink
Too Much Bad News: How to Do an Information Fast
Hearing bad news hurts our mental health more than listening to good news helps our mental health.
Topics:Surroundings; Power of the Mind
Toxins and Environmental Inflammation
A toxin is something that can be harmful to your body. One way that can happen is if it causes inflammation. Too much inflammation can lead to disease.
Topics:Surroundings
Toxins and Your Health
A toxin is something that can be harmful to your body. People can come into contact with a toxin by breathing it in, eating it, or having it touch the skin.
Topics:Surroundings
What Matters Most? Exploring Your Values
Values come from our true selves. They are the answers that come from asking ourselves “What matters most to me?”
Topics:Personal Development; Mindful Awareness
When Your Food & Drink Could Be Causing You Problems - Elimination Diets
An elimination diet can help you find out if certain foods are keeping you from feeling your best. It involves avoiding a food or a group of foods for a short time and seeing if you feel better.
Topics:Food & Drink
Whole Health Food, Drink, Activity and Symptom Log
Use this log to record your eating habits, other health behaviors, and how you feel. Jot down everything you eat and drink for a week or two.
Topics:Food & Drink; Moving the Body
Whole Health: It Starts With Me
Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and enables YOU to take charge of your health and well-being and live your life to the fullest. It starts with YOU.
Topics:Mindful Awareness
Workaholism
Workaholism can affect physical and emotional health, including sleep problems, obesity, depression, and low self-esteem.
Topics:Surroundings; Mindful Awareness
Spanish Whole Health: Adoptando la Salud Integral
Los Veteranos que practican las destrezas de Salud Integral reportan mejoras en la commicación con sus proveedores y experencias más positivas con la atteción médica.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Alma y espíritu: prácticas para crecer y conectar
La espiritualidad se expresa de muchas formas. Puedes pertenecer a una religión, pero no es la única manera de explorar tu espiritualidad. Quizás cuando más te sientes conectado con tu espíritu es cuando realizas actos de servicio o te encuentras rodeado de la naturaleza.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Alrededores: los entornos físicos y emocionales
Todo lo que nos rodea tiene un gran impacto sobre nuestra salud física, mental y emocional. El ambiente en que te encuentras afecta el funcionamiento de los genes que controlan nuestra salud y tiempo de vida. Cuando reflexiones sobre tus entornos físicos y emocionales, piensa en cuáles son tus lugares favoritos y por qué.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Comida y bebida: cómo nutrir y alimentar el cuerpo
Si en algún momento has escuchado la expresión “Eres lo que comes”, es porque todo lo que consumes pasa a formar parte de tu cuerpo. Una buena alimentación puede mejorar muchas áreas de tu vida y, además, ayuda a prevenir problemas de salud en el futuro. A continuación, puedes explorar varias maneras de incorporar este plan a tu Programa de Salud Integral.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Componentes del Bienestar
Los componentes de salud y bienestar proactivo te ayudarán a reflexionar sobre tu salud integral. Todas las áreas en el círculo son importantes porque están conectadas.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Cuerpo y movimiento: cómo obtener más energía y flexibilidad
Un estilo de vida activo ayuda a prevenir muchos problemas de salud, mejora tu estado de ánimo y alarga tu tiempo de vida. Por lo tanto, al mantenerte activo puedes lograr las condiciones necesarias para hacer las cosas que más te gustan e importan. A continuación, se discuten algunas ideas que debes explorar si deseas incluir este programa en tu Plan de Salud Personal.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Desarrollo personal: destrezas para mejorar la vida personal y la vida laboral
La decisión de trabajar con tu desarrollo personal abre las puertas hacia un estilo de vida pleno. ¿Cómo puede verse esa plenitud? Significa que puedes gozar de un estado mental más social, optimista, agradecido y resiliente. Tienes la oportunidad de aprender destrezas nuevas, encontrar balance y nuevas formas de ayudar a los demás. Estas prácticas mejoran tu estado de salud y te ayudan a vivir por más tiempo.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: El poder de la mente: sanación y fortalecimiento
El poder de la mente impacta muchos aspectos de nuestra salud, como la manera en que manejamos el estrés, cómo trabajamos con nuestras emociones y pensamientos, y cómo la mente y el cuerpo se afectan mutuamente. Por esta razón, existen herramientas que ayudan a usar del poder de la mente a favor de nuestra salud.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Introducción a la Atención Plena
Salud Integral es un enfoque hacia la salud que te empodera y capacita con las herramientas necesarias para tomar control de tu bienestar y vivir al máximo. El camino hacia Salud Integral comienza contigo y se nutre del poder que lcanzas al conocerte a ti mismo y de todo aquello que te ayudará a vivir en salud. Una vez tengas unas ideas sobre cómo quieres mejorar tu vida, tu equipo puede ayudarte con destrezas, apoyo y el seguimiento que necesitas para alcanzar tus etas.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Las relaciones: familia, amigos y compañeros de trabajo
Existe un viejo refrán que dice, “En el refugio que nos damos uno al otro, vivimos”. Las relaciones juegan un papel muy importante en nuestra salud. Desde tu familia y amigos, hasta tus compañeros veteranos o equipo médico, muchas personas pueden apoyarte a través de Salud Integral.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Recargar: la importancia de dormir y refrescarse
Cuando pensamos en nuestra salud, muchas veces nos enfocamos en todas las cosas que tenemos que hacer. Sin embargo, hacer pausas, relajarse, reducir la velocidad y encontrar tranquilidad también son factores importantes para nuestro bienestar. Aquí hay varios elementos que debes explorar si quieres trabajar esta área con Salud Integral.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Recursos del Salud Integral para Veteranos y Veteranas
Una lista de una página para recursos de salud integral, salud mental, salud de la mujer, biblioteca de salud para veteranos y prevención del suicidio.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Respiración y Salud
Salud Integral es un enfoque hacia la salud que te empodera y capacita con las herramientas necesarias para tomar control de tu bienestar y vivir al máximo. El camino hacia Salud Integral comienza contigo y se nutre del poder que lcanzas al conocerte a ti mismo y de todo aquello que te ayudará a vivir en salud. Una vez tengas unas ideas sobre cómo quieres mejorar tu vida, tu equipo puede ayudarte con destrezas, apoyo y el seguimiento que necesitas para alcanzar tus etas.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Salud Integral comienza conmigo
Salud Integral es un nuevo enfoque del Departamento de Asuntos de los Veteranos (VA, por sus siglas en inglés) que busca ofrecer servicios para apoyar tu salud y bienestar. Salud Integral se centra en todo aquello que es importante en tu vida, no solo en tus enfermedades o condiciones.
Topics:Spanish
Spanish Whole Health: Viviendo la Salud Integral
A través de Salud Integral, el Sistema de Salud de Veteranos del Caribe busca capacitar, equipar y proveer tratamientos a los Veteranos y Veteranas con el fin de que puedan tomar control de su salud y vivir al máximo.
Topics:Spanish
