Episode #4: Fritz Sleigher
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Fritz is a 22 year Marine Corps Veteran. He was an infantryman, Scout Sniper, intelligence collector, special operations instructor and special operations intelligence collector. In this episode we talk about a piece Fritz wrote as a Facebook thought, and go over transitioning from military to civilian life, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, listening to your body when it comes to physical activity/physical training, some funny stories, Fritz's ambassadorship with Operation Healing Forces, and much more.
You can also catch Fritz on the Uncle Sugar's Magic Circus YouTube Channel.
https://www.operationhealingforces.org/
You can read Fritz's musing at www.wellnessforvets.info
More episodes from Wellness for Vets Podcast with James Conner, USMC (Ret.)
Sep 25, 2020
Episode #22: Electric Muscle Stimulation with Kalyn Steranko from Amped Advantage in Calgary, Canada
Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is mostly known as a tool used in physical therapy or some form of recovery. In this episode Kalyn Steranko of Amped Advantage joins me from Calgary, Canada to explain and discuss how how EMS is used in achieving physical fitness as well as overall health and well being.
I tried EMS for six weeks when I was living in Romania and now, two years after that experience I get to dive into what EMS is, how it works, what its used for, and what are some of its potential uses.
In this episode we discuss the difference between therapeutic EMS and full body EMS, Training to become an EMS provider and how to find a provider in your area, and Success stories from EMS.
5:00 After a bit of an introduction, Kalyn explains some of the training her and her providers went through to become XBody EMS providers.
7:59 We talked briefly about how EMS is still a bit unknown to the greater population so Kalyn offers some guidance on how to locate a provider in your area (XBody or otherwise as sometimes providers go by a name other than EMS).
8:46 We get into the meat and potatoes of what is EMS and how it works.
11:43 Here we Kalyn lays out the difference between therapeutic EMS (what you may receive going to physical therapy) vs full body EMS for health, wellness, and fitness
1410: At this point in the show we get into some special uses for EMS such as working with clients who may have mobility issues or some form of neuromuscular disconnect.
1755: Here we take a deeper look at the actual EMS suit and how it functions.
53:12 I start talking to Kalyn about people such as veterans who may have been sedentary or stagnant for a while and decide to get back into working out, and the role EMS can play in helping to facilitate that lifestyle change.
56:50 Towards the end of the show we encountered a little bit of an echo, but it clears up in time for Kalyn to share some anecdotes of using EMS when working firefighters, police, and military personnel.
After listening to this show a few times during the editing process I heard something new each time and this episode is full of great information regarding the use of electric muscle stimulation.
https://www.ampedadvantage.com/
https://xbodyworld.com/
https://simplifaster.com/articles/electrical-muscle-stimulation-five-reasons-need-adopt-technology-athletes-now/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311650708_ELECTRO-MUSCLE_STIMULATION_-THE_APPLICATION_IN_PRACTICE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22158139/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310599614_Electrical_Muscle_Stimulation_and_Its_Use_for_Sports_Training_Programs_A_review
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Sep 3, 2020
Episode #21: Trauma Release Exercise (TRE) with Leckey Harrison
Leckey is a 16 year veteran firefighter who joins us to discuss the benefits of practicing TRE.
In this episode Leckey explains how he was introduced to TRE, what happens to the body during when it is stuck in a cycle of being in a high alert status, the benefits of, and differences in lifting weights vs. TRE for decompression.
Leckey was great during this interview and his fun and zany way of explaining TRE kept my attention by keeping me entertained. To learn more about TRE, see some videos, or connect with Leckey, you can find more here:
https://raiseyourresilience.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_RAeHJO78 (Subscribe to Leckey's YouTube channel).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leckey-harrison-62a392b/
https://www.amazon.com/Revolutionary-Trauma-Release-Process-Transcend/dp/1897238401/ (David Berceli's Book)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/142956.Peter_A_Levine (Books by Peter Levine)
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Aug 25, 2020
Episode #20: Ron Millward of Balanced Veterans talks Cannabis, Medical Marijuana, Alternative Therapies
Ron Millward is a 7.5 year Air Force veteran. In this episode Ron discusses his handling of his own traumatic experiences, being placed on a cocktail of prescription drugs, a suicide attempt, and eventually a breakthrough using cannabis which lead him to path of emotional healing and an exploration with other mind-body therapies.
6:20 Ron and I highlight the trauma or anxiety that comes from transitioning from the regimented life in the military to going out into the world of the unknown.
10:00 We discuss what goes on when a unit "leaves the wire," even if there was no enemy contact but the stress of operating in a high alert status. Eventually Ron did make contact and received a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This conversation then roles right into discussing the amount of veterans who have committed suicide at home.
14:00 Ron shares his own post-military experiences which involved some "reckless behavior" that led to being placed on prescription medications and a suicide attempt.
16:40 Ron is introduced to the idea of using cannabis/marijuana to address his mental health. From here Ron talks about entering the Pennsylvania medical marijuana program and becomes an advocate for medical marijuana and education on marijuana, and the establishment of Balanced Veterans which promotes not only medical marijuana, but also alternative therapies and the use of mind-body practices for healing from trauma.
When we discuss the use of marijuana, Ron is very candid on the pro's and con's of its use, the different ways it can be used or consumed.
34:00 Ron shares his experiences with educating veterans and working with the VA.
39:10 We begin to wrap up the show and talk about the idea of a "wellness concierge" and Ron talks about his experience with acupuncture, yoga, and how to explain alternative forms of treatment and de-mystify the more lesser known about therapies.
https://www.instagram.com/ronmillward/
https://www.instagram.com/balancedveterans/
https://balancedveterans.com
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