What is Hands for Heroes

Here at Hands in Harmony we giving Veterans a helping hand, Literally. We offer fee free therapeutic massage or energy work to all veterans. Veterans are guaranteed a massage fee free once a month for as long as the veterans needs. 

What can Hands for Heroes help you with?

Musculoskeletal injuries and pain

Just over half of all veterans’ post-deployment health visits address lingering pain in their backs, necks, knees or shoulders. And according to an August study in the Journal of Pain, about 100,000 veterans of the Gulf War nearly 20 years ago have reported chronic muscle pain. Previous research indicated that regular, sustained exercise can help reduce that pain, which doctors encourage to help avoid disability.

Mental health issues

While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers has been well publicized, other mental woes can also result from the trauma of war. A June study in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry found that one in 10 Iraqwar vets develop serious mental problems, including violent behavior, depression and alcohol abuse. The study found that PTSD or depression seriously impaired daily functioning in 8.5 percent to 14 percent of these vets.

Disabling on its own, PTSD is also linked to the development of physical illnesses for veterans as years pass. Researchers from WalterReedArmyMedicalCenterin Washington, D.C., reported this year that 54 percent of veterans with PTSD also had sleep apnea, compared with 20 percent of PTSD patients in the general population. PTSD in vets is also associated with a greater risk of developing dementia, according to a June study in Archives of General Psychiatry.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

TBI, often brought on by a blow or jolt to the head, disrupts brain function and has been called the signature wound of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Blast exposures and other combat-related activities put service members at greater risk for sustaining a TBI compared to their civilian counterparts, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.